Biden's Speech to the Nation, Kremlin Propaganda on Google, and More

Making pre-K work for students, expert reactions to Biden's State of the Union address, and the spread of Russian disinformation on Google.

View in browser March 2, 2022   Editor's note: To stay up to date with Brookings research and commentary on developments regarding Russia and Ukraine, be sure to bookmark our topic page. Biden's State of the Union—a turning point in history?   During his first State of the Union address, President Biden defended his record, outlined a plan for economic renewal, and shared his hopes for the nation. But Russia's assault on Ukraine loomed large over the night. Elaine Kamarck and William Galston draw parallels between the beginning of the Cold War and America's current predicament.   Read more   For more expert commentary on Biden's speech, listen to our Twitter Spaces conversation from last night. The surprising performance of Kremlin propaganda on Google News   Moscow has historically capitalized on search results, particularly within Google News, to push conspiracy theories and disinformation narratives. This is proving to be true once again with the Ukraine invasion. A new analysis from Jessica Brandt and Valerie Wirtschafter shows that key search terms related to the conflict are serving up Kremlin propaganda. Read more Making pre-K work: Lessons from the Tennessee study   A recent evaluation of Tennessee's public pre-K program found that by the end of sixth grade, children who attended the state's program did worse on academic and behavioral outcomes than those who had not attended. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Dale Farran, Margaret Burchinal, and Kimberly Nesbitt outline lessons from the study and emphasize the importance of exposing students to books, blocks, and puzzles at an early age.   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. The Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036 Unsubscribe Manage your newsletter preferences | Receive the Brookings Brief less often