Expiring Unemployment Benefits, China’s Response to Afghanistan, and More

Taking climate action on the local level, how China may seek to profit from the Taliban's takeover, and renewing worker safety nets.

View in browser August 19, 2021 Millions of workers will lose their safety net this Labor Day if Congress doesn't act   "Beyond the symbolic disrespect of allowing the safety net to expire for millions of workers on the national holiday intended to honor them, allowing the temporary programs to expire without fixing [unemployment insurance's] underlying problems will just bring us back to the outmoded safety net we started with," argues Annelies Goger.   Read more How will China seek to profit from the Taliban's takeover in Afghanistan   While it is difficult to know with certainty how China's leaders are evaluating developments in Afghanistan, it is possible to draw a few preliminary conclusions. Ryan Hass explains how China views Afghanistan from a security standpoint, how it may try to undermine America amid its botched troop withdrawal, and how Taiwan may be affected.   Read more Taking climate action on the local level   Many communities respond to climate threats and disasters in real time, resulting in a haphazard, reactionary policy approach. Joseph Kane, Sophie Abo, and Adie Tomer write that to address climate change, better local accounting of climate costs and benefits is crucial.   Read more Help support Brookings with a donation   Brookings is committed to making its high-quality, independent policy research free to the public. Please consider making a contribution today to our Annual Fund to support our experts' work. The conclusions and recommendations of any Brookings publication are solely those of its author(s), and do not reflect the views of the Institution, its management, or its other scholars. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Brookings Institution campus in Washington, D.C. is currently closed and all events are virtual only. For more information on the Institution's response, read our full guidance here. The Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036 Unsubscribe Manage your newsletter preferences | Receive the Brookings Brief less often