We arm leaders with the information they need to tackle the toughest policy problems. Nonprofit, nonpartisan. 📥 Get our newsletter: https://bit.ly/4haSUVK www.rand.orghttps://bsky.app/profile/rand.orghttps://bsky.app/profile/rand.org/post/3mqoywaamyx2hHow might advances in AI affect the future strategic potential of cyber operations? New paper by Michael Sulmeyer of Georgetown University: https://bit.ly/3RDFBEK15 Jul 2026 15:10 +0000at://did:plc:o3kyugmaw3xhfb5mwx365cvu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqoywaamyx2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/rand.org/post/3mqmyuot23g2tThe percentage of Americans who lack health insurance has fallen to record lows in recent years. But the numbers appear to be creeping back up. RAND's Christine Eibner explains in a new Q&A: https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2026/07/making-health-insurance-more-affordable-qa-with-christine-eibner.html?project=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=1784059440&utm_medium=rand_social&utm_source=bluesky14 Jul 2026 20:04 +0000at://did:plc:o3kyugmaw3xhfb5mwx365cvu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqmyuot23g2thttps://bsky.app/profile/rand.org/post/3mqmehyuyss2eThe New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite largely eradicated from the U.S. 60 years ago, is back. RAND's Tyler Hoard discusses. https://bit.ly/4amNiFJ14 Jul 2026 13:59 +0000at://did:plc:o3kyugmaw3xhfb5mwx365cvu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqmehyuyss2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/rand.org/post/3mqhuy2fd4226"There's no route to continued progress on homelessness if we don't find new strategies to supplement today's encampment resolutions." https://bit.ly/3SIYOFn12 Jul 2026 19:11 +0000at://did:plc:o3kyugmaw3xhfb5mwx365cvu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqhuy2fd4226https://bsky.app/profile/rand.org/post/3mqftnpqzfk2xReducing administrative complexity could cut health care costs without harming quality, says RAND's Christine Eibner. But it might also result in fewer choices for consumers. https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2026/07/making-health-insurance-more-affordable-qa-with-christine-eibner.html?project=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=1783813320&utm_medium=rand_social&utm_source=bluesky11 Jul 2026 23:42 +0000at://did:plc:o3kyugmaw3xhfb5mwx365cvu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqftnpqzfk2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/rand.org/post/3mqfjibr2r52zHow can Los Angeles continue to make practical progress in reducing the number of citizens who are unsheltered? RAND's Louis Abramson discusses: https://bit.ly/4aDa6RG11 Jul 2026 20:40 +0000at://did:plc:o3kyugmaw3xhfb5mwx365cvu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqfjibr2r52zhttps://bsky.app/profile/rand.org/post/3mqcwvfztlg24Nearly 5 million U.S. veterans have used psilocybin mushrooms, LSD, or MDMA. Our new survey explores veterans' psychedelic use and attitudes as the federal government accelerates research into psychedelic-assisted therapies: https://bit.ly/44y3aBI10 Jul 2026 20:02 +0000at://did:plc:o3kyugmaw3xhfb5mwx365cvu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqcwvfztlg24https://bsky.app/profile/rand.org/post/3mqccdf7dwx24"Screwworm is the threat we rehearsed for. What happens when the next threat arrives, one that doesn’t come with a playbook?" https://bit.ly/4w6YTAX10 Jul 2026 13:54 +0000at://did:plc:o3kyugmaw3xhfb5mwx365cvu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqccdf7dwx24https://bsky.app/profile/rand.org/post/3mqaqwo667i24"We can look at the amount of disruption [AI creates for the workforce] and be a little bit concerned, but I think we have to look at … the ability of the people who are disrupted to adapt to it." https://www.route-fifty.com/workforce/2026/07/california-has-started-track-ai-related-job-loss/414653/09 Jul 2026 23:10 +0000at://did:plc:o3kyugmaw3xhfb5mwx365cvu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqaqwo667i24https://bsky.app/profile/rand.org/post/3mq7xhbupxx2zWhat will it take for countries to succeed in the AI era? Find out in the latest episode of Policy Minded. https://www.rand.org/pubs/podcasts/policy-minded/2026/how-societies-can-succeed-in-the-ai-era.html?project=&utm_campaign=podcast&utm_content=1783611240&utm_medium=rand_social&utm_source=bluesky09 Jul 2026 15:34 +0000at://did:plc:o3kyugmaw3xhfb5mwx365cvu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq7xhbupxx2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/rand.org/post/3mq5t66cvn22iAI will become indispensable for the intelligence world. But this "will have the paradoxical effect of increasing the importance of old-fashioned human intelligence," says RAND's Thomas Mulligan. https://bit.ly/4eE5dsB08 Jul 2026 19:12 +0000at://did:plc:o3kyugmaw3xhfb5mwx365cvu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq5t66cvn22ihttps://bsky.app/profile/rand.org/post/3mq3gtlbay527Want to know what it’s like to learn in a world-renowned research environment—and how to apply? Read our new Q&A with Dean Nancy Staudt. ⬇️ https://bit.ly/4ey3CET07 Jul 2026 20:26 +0000at://did:plc:o3kyugmaw3xhfb5mwx365cvu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq3gtlbay527https://bsky.app/profile/rand.org/post/3mq2vmsyrya2xUnderstanding the People's Liberation Army Navy's approach to maintenance management is key to assessing China's ability to sustain a modernized force. New research: https://bit.ly/4oURz9v07 Jul 2026 15:18 +0000at://did:plc:o3kyugmaw3xhfb5mwx365cvu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq2vmsyrya2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/rand.org/post/3mpz4f2mrkc2s"It's all about the choices we make to make [AI] empowering and increase the agency of citizens in the society—as opposed to stealing their agency and transferring it to some kind of abstract entity." https://www.rand.org/pubs/podcasts/policy-minded/2026/how-societies-can-succeed-in-the-ai-era.html?project=&utm_campaign=podcast&utm_content=1783376016&utm_medium=rand_social&utm_source=bluesky06 Jul 2026 22:13 +0000at://did:plc:o3kyugmaw3xhfb5mwx365cvu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpz4f2mrkc2shttps://bsky.app/profile/rand.org/post/3mpm5ktc6ld2mHere's a primer on China’s national security decisionmaking: https://bit.ly/4eGzPLl01 Jul 2026 18:30 +0000at://did:plc:o3kyugmaw3xhfb5mwx365cvu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpm5ktc6ld2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/rand.org/post/3mphbs2sf6w2qChina's navy has grown and modernized rapidly. What factors shape its ability to maintain and sustain its forces? https://bit.ly/43NrM9k29 Jun 2026 20:02 +0000at://did:plc:o3kyugmaw3xhfb5mwx365cvu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mphbs2sf6w2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/rand.org/post/3mpgybd27pq2z"As AI makes technical collection cheaper, deception easier, and digital communication less trustworthy, the value of human sources will rise." https://bit.ly/3Su9doj29 Jun 2026 17:12 +0000at://did:plc:o3kyugmaw3xhfb5mwx365cvu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpgybd27pq2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/rand.org/post/3mpehoslmvl2n"Our students say the same thing to me over and over: They cannot believe they are a part of conversations happening around the most critical policy challenges of the moment." https://bit.ly/4a6Gufb28 Jun 2026 17:10 +0000at://did:plc:o3kyugmaw3xhfb5mwx365cvu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpehoslmvl2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/rand.org/post/3mpcfapapne23New report explores why secondary school-age students are missing school and to what extent these reasons differ by age: https://bit.ly/4es1Sgb27 Jun 2026 21:21 +0000at://did:plc:o3kyugmaw3xhfb5mwx365cvu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpcfapapne23https://bsky.app/profile/rand.org/post/3mp7byzvk2q2cNew study: 1/3 of middle and high school students think missing three or more weeks of school—being chronically absent—is mostly OK: https://bit.ly/4vVEYoq 26 Jun 2026 15:45 +0000at://did:plc:o3kyugmaw3xhfb5mwx365cvu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mp7byzvk2q2chttps://bsky.app/profile/rand.org/post/3mp5adwccbr2oChina's industrial strategy has changed—and the stakes are global. Under Xi, Beijing has shifted from chasing economic growth to pursuing technological self-reliance and national security. A new RAND report maps how this system actually works. https://bit.ly/4xtzKSH https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA4012-1.html?project=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=1782418201&utm_medium=rand_social&utm_source=bluesky25 Jun 2026 20:10 +0000at://did:plc:o3kyugmaw3xhfb5mwx365cvu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mp5adwccbr2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/rand.org/post/3mp27a5vcrn2dThere's often confusion about the U.S. government's personnel vetting and security clearance process. Our new resource addresses frequently asked questions and common misperceptions: https://bit.ly/4uIoAXD24 Jun 2026 15:12 +0000at://did:plc:o3kyugmaw3xhfb5mwx365cvu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mp27a5vcrn2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/rand.org/post/3moxtxkiktv2q"[Human agency] is the capacity that lets us set and pursue every other value that we care about. And the danger is that there might not be some clear, dramatic moment when we lose it [to AI]." https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2026/06/will-we-know-if-ai-takes-over-qa-with-benjamin-boudreaux.html?project=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=1782233102&utm_medium=rand_social&utm_source=bluesky23 Jun 2026 16:45 +0000at://did:plc:o3kyugmaw3xhfb5mwx365cvu/app.bsky.feed.post/3moxtxkiktv2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/rand.org/post/3movczxyr6a2j"The point where the Ukrainians are capable of striking Moscow and St. Petersburg … that's a pretty significant sign that Russia has lost control of the momentum of the war." https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ukraine-has-set-russia-ablaze-and-putin-s-humiliation-is-complete/ar-AA264d4J22 Jun 2026 16:36 +0000at://did:plc:o3kyugmaw3xhfb5mwx365cvu/app.bsky.feed.post/3movczxyr6a2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/rand.org/post/3moq34vwsiw23In 2026, teachers were more likely than similar working adults to report experiencing poor well-being on every indicator—a consistent pattern since 2021. https://bit.ly/4g7xxWE20 Jun 2026 14:32 +0000at://did:plc:o3kyugmaw3xhfb5mwx365cvu/app.bsky.feed.post/3moq34vwsiw23https://bsky.app/profile/rand.org/post/3mokyxqpvkw2w"I sometimes treat the very convenience [of AI] as a warning sign. The smoother it feels to just go with a recommendation, the more I think it might be part of the problem." https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2026/06/will-we-know-if-ai-takes-over-qa-with-benjamin-boudreaux.html?project=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=1781791801&utm_medium=rand_social&utm_source=bluesky18 Jun 2026 14:10 +0000at://did:plc:o3kyugmaw3xhfb5mwx365cvu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mokyxqpvkw2whttps://bsky.app/profile/rand.org/post/3moj66mexwl2jNew finding: Teachers report spending a little more than $600 out of pocket on school supplies. https://bit.ly/4fxgD3F17 Jun 2026 20:38 +0000at://did:plc:o3kyugmaw3xhfb5mwx365cvu/app.bsky.feed.post/3moj66mexwl2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/rand.org/post/3mofzuvtups2bWhat if you woke up and the internet was gone—not because of a glitch, but because someone cut the cable? Experts on the growing threats to critical undersea infrastructure. ⤵ https://warontherocks.com/deterring-russia-beneath-the-waves-securing-natos-critical-undersea-infrastructure/16 Jun 2026 14:43 +0000at://did:plc:o3kyugmaw3xhfb5mwx365cvu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mofzuvtups2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/rand.org/post/3modnrjasgr2xAbout 16% of young people in a typical community are disconnected—not working, not attending school, not in a training program. The highest rates of disconnection are in smaller communities, those with persistent poverty, and those with weak economic connectivity. https://bit.ly/3QgTmIX15 Jun 2026 16:01 +0000at://did:plc:o3kyugmaw3xhfb5mwx365cvu/app.bsky.feed.post/3modnrjasgr2x