For decades, global trade operated under a relatively stable set of rules — but today, that framework is under pressure. Under the second Trump administration, tariffs have expanded, alliances have shifted, and institutions like the World Trade Organization have faced new challenges. What does this rapidly evolving U.S. trade policy mean for everyday Americans, global partnerships, and the future of the international trading system?

Tony Payan, a fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is joined by nonresident fellows Simon Lester and David Gantz to examine how trade policy shapes prices, jobs, and diplomacy — and why tariffs have become a defining feature of the second Trump administration’s economic strategy.

Featured:

• Tony Payan: https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/tony-payan
• David Gantz: https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/david-gantz
• Simon Lester: https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/simon-lester

This conversation was recorded on February 19, 2026.

You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

What are “critical minerals,” how are they used, and why do they matter for national security? In an era of globalized supply chains, how vulnerable is the United States to disruptions?

Michelle Michot Foss, former fellow at the Baker Institute for Public Policy, joins Ambassador David M. Satterfield to examine how rare earth elements underpin civilian products, advanced technologies, and military equipment. She also discusses why national security hinges on industrial capacity as much as military strength and outlines potential strategies for securing access to essential materials.

Featured:

• Michelle Michot Foss, Ph.D.
• Ambassador David M. Satterfield

Mentioned in this episode:

• Gabriel Collins and Michelle Michot Foss, “Critical Minerals and Materials Geoeconomics: Lessons and Ideas From Past Wars and Strategic Competitions,” Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

This conversation was recorded on Feb. 9, 2026.

You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

The Trump administration has touted its tariff strategy as a historic economic success, citing record stock market highs, falling trade deficits, and “virtually no inflation.” But what do the numbers actually show? In this episode of “Baker Briefing”, Ambassador David Satterfield sits down with John W. Diamond, director of the Baker Institute’s Center for Tax and Budget Policy, to examine the data behind the administration’s claims. They break down who really pays for the tariffs, what is driving GDP growth, and whether inflation has truly fallen. This conversation offers an objective assessment of how tariffs are reshaping the U.S. economy and who ultimately benefits as a result.

Featured:

• Ambassador David M. Satterfield
• John W. Diamond, Ph.D.

Mentioned in this episode:

• President Donald J. Trump, “My Tariffs Have Brought America Back,” Wall Street Journal.
• “The Two-Handed Economist” podcast, hosted by John W. Diamond.

This conversation was recorded on Feb. 10, 2026.

You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

Why has the role of religion in Texas public education become one of the most consequential policy battles in the state? What is at stake for religious liberty, church-state separation, and the future of education across the nation?

On the latest episode of the “Texas Briefing” podcast, another Baker Institute podcast, Baker Institute fellow and guest host Michael O. Emerson is joined by David R. Brockman to unpack how faith-based politics, Christian nationalism, and recent legislative actions are reshaping classrooms across Texas.

Featured:

• Michael O. Emerson, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/michael-o-emerson
• David R. Brockman, Ph. D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/david-r-brockman

Mentioned in this episode:

• U.S. Supreme Court, “Kennedy v. Bremerton School District,” 2022, https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/supreme-court-case-library/kennedy-v-bremerton-school-district.
• Texas Senate Bill 10. 89th Leg., R.S., 2025, https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/pdf/SB00010I.pdf.
• Barton, David, “In Defense of the Ten Commandments,” 2003, AFA Journal, The American Family Association, https://afajournal.org/past-issues/2003/november-december/in-defense-of-the-ten-commandments/.
• Texas Senate Bill 763. 88th Leg., R.S., 2023, https://legiscan.com/TX/text/SB763/id/2817871.
• Texas Senate Bill 11, 89th Leg., R.S., 2025, https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/pdf/SB00011I.pdf.

This is the second episode in a four-part series, “Between Pulpit and Policy,” exploring the rising influence of faith, particularly Christian nationalism, in Texas politics — and how it’s transforming public policy and governance. The series was produced in partnership with the Baker Institute Student Forum.

This conversation was recorded in front of a live studio audience on Oct. 10, 2025. Learn about future live recordings of the “Texas Briefing” podcast by subscribing to our “Events Digest” newsletter at https://www.bakerinstitute.org/newsletter.

You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

This summer, North America is preparing to host the largest FIFA World Cup in history. Seventy-eight matches will be played across 11 American cities, but domestic politics have turned up the heat off the pitch. Questions around immigration policy, security, and global perception have intensified scrutiny of how the tournament may factor into broader U.S. efforts to redefine its international presence. Former Amb. David Satterfield is joined by Middle East expert Dr. Kristian Coates Ulrichsen to discuss how sports are becoming a tool of diplomacy.

Featured:

• Dr. Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, PhD

This conversation was recorded [in front of a live studio audience] on Jan. 22, 2026. [Learn about future live recordings of the “Baker Briefing” podcast by subscribing to our “Events Digest” newsletter at https://www.bakerinstitute.org/newsletter.]

You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

What do Iran’s converging challenges — environmental stress, economic strain, security concerns and an unresolved nuclear file — signal for the country’s leadership, society and role in the region? Mohammad Tabaar joined the podcast to discuss the internal and external pressures shaping Iran today, the choices Tehran may face in the months ahead, and what those decisions could mean for regional stability.

Featured:

• Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar, Ph.D.

This conversation was recorded on Jan. 22, 2026.

You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

What does the removal of Nicolás Maduro by U.S. military force signal for the future of Venezuela’s oil industry? Francisco Monaldi and Ken Medlock joined the podcast to discuss President Donald Trump’s recently released plan for taking over and selling the country’s crude oil, the risks and incentives for U.S. and international oil companies, and the implications for oil flows across Latin America.

Featured guests:

• Ken Medlock, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/kenneth-b-medlock-iii
• Francisco Monaldi, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/francisco-j-monaldi

This conversation was recorded on Jan. 12, 2026.

In this bonus episode, we’re sharing a conversation with Ben Ginsberg, a high-profile elections lawyer and key figure in the 2000 Bush v. Gore litigation, from the elections conference we held last month in partnership with The Carter Center.

Ginsberg joined David Satterfield to discuss that landmark dispute 25 years later. Their conversation also explored contemporary electoral issues in the U.S., from the counting of mail-in ballots to partisan redistricting.

Our annual co-hosted elections conference is designed to build on the legacy of the 2005 bipartisan Commission on Federal Election Reform, co-chaired by former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James Baker, III. Our 2025 conference examined contested elections in the U.S. on the 25th anniversary of the landmark Bush v. Gore decision.

Featured:

• Ben Ginsberg, J.D., https://www.hoover.org/profiles/benjamin-ginsberg

Mentioned in this episode:

• “25 Years After Bush v. Gore: Contested Elections Then and Now, ” hosted at the Baker Institute on Dec. 8, 2025.

You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.