Impromptu

Does anybody want to visit the U.S. right now? Apr 11, 2025

Global travel has boomed in recent years, sometimes to the point of annoying locals. But with all that’s happening with U.S. foreign policy, might we soon be begging for tourists to return? Post Opinions’ Drew Goins, Molly Roberts and Catherine Rampell discuss the impact of Trump’s policies on travel, and how local economies and tourists are often bound to each other, whether people like it or not.

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How many ‘shocks to the system’ can America take? Apr 08, 2025

Additional reading by our columnists:

Dana Milbank: The economy. The Constitution. Is there anything Trump won’t destroy?

Philip Bump: What America could look like a decade from now

Heather Long: Something worse could be coming for the economy than a recession

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Don’t whitewash this national treasure Apr 04, 2025

Is nothing safe from the culture wars? President Trump has found a new battleground: the nation’s museums. He’s demanded that art and stories that he says divide people based on race be removed from the Smithsonian's dozens of institutions. The Post’s Drew Goins, Molly Roberts and Monica Hesse discuss what’s at stake when our history is papered over, and how art can make us uncomfortable or overwhelmed, but sometimes that’s the point.

Additional reading by our columnists:

Monica Hesse: What exactly does Trump think is in the Smithsonian?

Monica Hesse: Don’t say (Enola) Gay

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Is gravity catching up to Trump? Apr 01, 2025

President Trump keeps losing in court. A few Republican senators have started to criticize his administration’s actions, albeit mildly. And consumer confidence and the stock market are plunging with news of more and more tariffs. Are we starting to see some cracks in the MAGA unity that’s held strong since Trump’s victory in November? Columnists Dana Milbank, Karen Tumulty and Jason Willick discuss whether there’s a line Trump can’t cross, and what the special elections this week could reveal about the political atmosphere outside of Washington.

Why we want to believe in every wellness fix Mar 28, 2025

A fitness influencer posted a video of his over-the-top morning routine that’s racked up nearly a billion views. What does the video’s popularity tell us about our culture’s obsession with so-called wellness? Are people just searching for meaning in a world that can feel out of control? Columnists Drew Goins, Molly Roberts and Ted Johnson talk about our culture’s endless appetite for wellness fixes.

Here’s the video referenced in the show.

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Make Democrats excited again Mar 25, 2025

Since Republicans took over government in January, Democrats haven’t been able to find a unified message or opposition strategy. While Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tour the country speaking to massive crowds about fighting billionaires, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is taking heat for supporting a Republican-led budget plan. How can the Democrats get out of the wilderness? Columnists Dana Milbank, Shadi Hamid and Matt Bai discuss the need for a fresh philosophy and a messenger from outside of Washington.

Additional reading by our columnists:

Dana Milbank: My month of living Republicanly

Shadi Hamid: Why half of America is cheering for chaos

Matt Bai: Where is the anti-Trump resistance?

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Well, at least we aren’t severed or stuck at a White Lotus Mar 21, 2025

Why are so many people talking about two escapist, engrossing TV dramas that let us slip away from our reality for an hour each week? Is it just that this kind of complex, big-budget television show is so rare these days? Columnists Drew Goins, Molly Roberts and Monica Hesse talk about the valley on the other side of “peak tv” — and how sometimes you just need shows you can watch while folding laundry.

Additional reading:

Monica Hesse: ‘The Apprentice’ is now on Amazon. Don’t do what I did.

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Just come in legally, they said Mar 18, 2025

The Trump administration is taking its immigration attacks beyond the border. Federal officials have detained green card holder and Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil, and have picked up other legal immigrants returning from travel abroad. What does all of this mean for the legal immigration system? Columnists Dana Milbank, Eduardo Porter and Shadi Hamid discuss the chilling effects of this “hinge moment” in Trump’s presidency.

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Some beautiful, slightly deranged ideas for more sunshine Mar 14, 2025

You think you’ve heard all you need to about daylight saving time, but we promise you haven’t heard it quite like this. Most people hate changing the clocks back and forth each fall and spring, but they can’t seem to agree on how we could do it better. In this episode, Drew Goins, Molly Roberts and David Von Drehle take us on a journey of DST through history and around the world. They also pitch some wild ideas for how we can better optimize the sunlight, which is what we're guessing everybody really wants.

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Trump’s shock-and-awe strategy hits the economy Mar 11, 2025

As President Trump stays bullish on tariffs, sending markets spiraling and personal anxieties soaring, the Republican-led Congress is trying to pass a budget. Do Democrats have any levers to pull, or should they just let Republicans own whatever happens next? Dana Milbank, Heather Long and James Hohmann talk through the negotiations in Washington this week and how Trump’s unclear messaging could hurt business.

Additional reading:

Heather Long: A Trump recession has become a real possibility

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Out with the girl boss, but in with…what? Mar 07, 2025

When a few dozen women in pink suits strode into the House for the joint address to Congress last week, something felt a little, well, off. Partly, it seemed taken from a tired old playbook. Partly, it sent a garbled message. But mostly it pointed to the fact that many liberal women don’t know what to do in this post-resistance era. Columnists Molly Roberts and Monica Hesse speak with contributor Carolina A. Miranda about the backlash to “girl boss” culture, how women on the MAGA right are finding their look and why the aesthetics of it all matter.

Additional reading by our columnists:

Monica Hesse: Democrats sent a scary message with those pink outfits

Carolina Miranda: Welcome to the era of Trump Trad

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Did Trump’s address to Congress trap Democrats? Mar 05, 2025

President Trump’s address to Congress was historically long and unusual in its style. Some Democrats booed and heckled him, and Trump did his own trolling of Democrats too. What does this address tell us about our politics and the future of Trump 2.0? Columnists Ruth Marcus, Dana Milbank and Ramesh Ponnuru get into it.

Dana Milbank: In just five days, Trump has set the country back nearly 100 years

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The Oscar films ask more questions than they answer Feb 28, 2025

This year’s top Oscar-nominated films are an eclectic mix, but share some common themes. Drew Goins, Molly Roberts and Alyssa Rosenberg discuss the not-so-straightforward heroes and villains in this year’s top movies, the limits of trying to transform oneself and what all of this says about the current moment.

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The right-wing media machine is now the U.S. government Feb 25, 2025

President Trump has elevated a podcaster who’s bragged about “owning the libs” to a top position at the FBI, after firing six top generals at the Pentagon last week. Meanwhile, Elon Musk continues to make confusing demands of federal employees. Columnists Ruth Marcus, Dana Milbank and Philip Bump discuss whether this is all about loyalty and subservience to the president, or if there’s perhaps a bigger grand plan.

Additional reading by our columnists:

Philip Bump: The right-wing media machine is hitting a wall

Ruth Marcus: When the guardrails holding back law enforcement fail

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Is America trying to rebrand? Feb 21, 2025

Names are important symbols, and President Trump is trying to change, or change back, quite a few. There’s the “Gulf of America” of course, but also the reversion of a military base from Fort Liberty to Fort Bragg, and efforts by his administration to erase the “T” in LGBT on government websites. Drew Goins, Molly Roberts and Theodore Johnson discuss what names say about our cultural values, and whether renaming places again and again misses the point.

Additional reading from the Washington Post:

What is Fort Bragg? Hegseth restores Army base name from Fort Liberty.

Park Service deletes trans references on Stonewall Inn monument page

Yes, really, it’s going to be called the Gulf of America.

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Will Trump sell out Ukraine? Feb 18, 2025

President Trump is trying to make good on his campaign promises to end wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and he has brought his shock-and-awe strategy to the world stage. Ruth Marcus talks to David Ignatius about the chaotic past week in Europe, whether Trump will sell out the Ukrainians in a deal with Russia, and how Trump is refusing (for now) to join Israel in bombing a weakened Iran.

Additional reading by David Ignatius:

At Munich, Trump’s chaotic approach has allies rattled

Trump wants to play peacemaker. Israel may have other plans.

The art of the just Ukraine peace deal

More pennies, more problems Feb 14, 2025

The penny costs more to make than it’s worth, but why is it so difficult to stop making them? Drew Goins, Molly Roberts and Megan McArdle talk about whether there’s a case for continuing to make pennies — and if we should ditch some other coins weighing down our pockets while we’re at it. In fact, how much life is left for cash at all?

Trump fought the law. Will the law win? Feb 11, 2025

As the Trump administration challenges Congress’s “power of the purse” and grumbles at court orders slowing down its deluge of executive actions, it seems like a showdown among the three branches of government is brewing. But is this panic warranted, or will President Trump and his allies do what the courts say? Columnists Ruth Marcus, James Hohmann and Jason Willick get into it.

Additional reading by our columnists:

Ruth Marcus: Can the courts — can anyone — stop Trump?

Jason Willick: Save the panic over Trump’s ‘power grabs.’ It might be needed later.

Remote work changed the country. Can it change back? Feb 07, 2025

Many U.S. office workers have gotten used to hybrid or remote work in the past few years. These arrangements changed where people live and added flexibility to their schedules. But now, the trend seems to be reversing – some companies are wanting people back in the office five days a week, and President Trump said federal employees need to end remote work, too. Drew Goins, Molly Roberts and Heather Long discuss how the balance of power between employers and their workers is shifting, and whether our cities and our lives can really go back to the way they were.

Additional reading by Post columnists:

Heather Long: Who will follow Amazon back into the office?

Catherine Rampell: Return-to-work mandates are an invisible pay cut

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Elon Musk seems to want to break government. Can anybody stop him? Feb 04, 2025

Elon Musk, the unelected billionaire tasked by President Trump with finding government efficiencies, is in many ways treating the federal bureaucracy as if it’s a private company he just bought. Columnists Ruth Marcus, Dana Milbank and Matt Bai talk about Musk and Trump’s strategy to demoralize those they can’t fire, whether they’re actually saving any money with his actions and what sort of legal hiccups they are running into along the way.

As companies take sides, does it matter where we buy? Jan 31, 2025

One thing we can control is how we spend our money. So should the places where we shop align with our values, or is the politicization of corporate America just one more way the country is fracturing? Post Opinions’s Drew Goins, Molly Roberts and Heather Long discuss boycotts on both sides of the aisle, from Chick-fil-A to Budweiser, and whether voting with your dollars can change anything.

Additional Reading:

Target’s DEI cuts have Black entrepreneurs saying ‘clear the shelves’

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Trump is playing all his cards all at once Jan 28, 2025

President Trump wants to take over Greenland and “clean out” Gaza and is threatening both friends and foes of the United States. Is Trump's shock-and-awe approach a smart tactic, or is he weakening America by alienating our allies? Columnists Dana Milbank, Catherine Rampell and Max Boot discuss the pitfalls of Trump bringing his real estate developer instincts back to the world stage.

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