Impromptu

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.

Read more from our columnists:

Max Boot: Why McKinley makes an alarming Trump presidential role model

Eduardo Porter: Trump is popular abroad. But will his foreign policy doom humanity?

David Ignatius: Trump’s Gaza remarks put willing Arab partners on guard

Is it time to delete our social media accounts? Jan 24, 2025

Social media is in flux. X has become Elon Musk’s megaphone, Meta just ended its fact-checking program, and TikTok’s future is up in the air. Some on the left are flocking to Bluesky as other platforms shift right. As these online spaces become as divided as our politics, are they still serving us? Assistant editor Drew Goins talks with columnists Molly Roberts and Philip Bump about the good, the bad and the ugly of today’s social media scene.

Trump: The Sequel Jan 21, 2025

The first day of Donald Trump’s presidency featured a fire hose of execution orders, pardons for the Jan. 6 defendants and lots of long speeches. Columnists Ruth Marcus, Dana Milbank and Jim Geraghty discuss what stood out to them among the barrage of actions, what might not pass legal muster and how presidential pardons are getting out of hand.

Additional Reading:

Ruth Marcus: Big Tech’s power surge

Jim Geraghty: Trump’s inauguration vow to uphold the law clashes with his TikTok stance

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Alcohol is linked to cancer. But isn't everything? Jan 14, 2025

It’s “Dry January,” non-alcoholic drink sales are soaring and the surgeon general is warning people about the links between alcohol and cancer. But is it really so bad to have a few drinks at a weekly happy hour? Opinions editor Drew Goins chats with contributing columnist and physician Leana Wen and columnist Molly Roberts about the hierarchy of cancer risks and how to weigh the pleasures and perils of drinking.

Additional Reading:

Leana Wen: The right lesson to draw from the surgeon general’s alcohol warning

Big houses, small houses, we just need (a lot) more houses Jan 07, 2025

There’s a housing crisis in America: high interest rates, not enough homes, and regulations that seem to favor building massive “McMansions” instead of more diverse housing stock. How did we get here, and can we find our way out? Post columnist Heather Long talks to the Atlantic’s Jerusalem Demsas, who’s written a book on the housing crisis, and Bryan DeHenau, a Michigan roofer who sees the struggles in the building industry on the ground every day.

Additional Reading:

Heather Long and Amanda Shendruk: “The new American Dream should be a townhouse”

Heather Long talks with Bryan DeHenau about his ideas for how to build more homes in America: “A Michigan roofer’s smart plan to end the housing crisis”

Jerusalem Demsas: “An American-Style Housing Crisis in New Zealand”

The laughs, heartbreaks and hopes of 2024 Dec 24, 2024

When we look back on 2024, it’s easy for the campaign and the election to drown out everything else that happened. But there was so much more! The Post’s Alexandra Petri, Molly Roberts and Drew Goins talk about this chaotic year and the stories that stuck with them.

Luigi Mangione's motives — and ours Dec 17, 2024

The killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson captivated America, as it played out in an almost cinematic fashion. But there are disturbing issues underneath this crime – the simmering anger over health-care costs and the growing normalization of violence in the United States. The Post’s David Von Drehle talks with columnists Molly Roberts and Matt Bai about what it means when citizens try to take justice into their own hands.

Read the Washington Post column by Catherine Rampell referenced in the podcast: "Fan club for suspected shooter is a symptom of burn-it-all-down populism"

Americans don’t like experts? Send in the clowns. Dec 10, 2024

America has lost faith in experts, and it’s certainly showing in some of Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks. Beyond a lack of qualifications, there are concerns over character problems with several nominees too. But do either really matter in American politics anymore? Deputy Opinions Editor David Von Drehle talks with columnists Ruth Marcus and Dana Milbank about what, if anything, can sink a nominee in today’s political culture.

Mexico vs. Trump: The rematch Dec 03, 2024

Donald Trump is promising Mexico a lot of deported migrants with a side of trade war. How will Mexico and its new president handle a neighbor like Trump? Opinions assignment editor Damir Marusic talks to columnists León Krauze and Eduardo Porter about the view from both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Searching for gratitude Nov 26, 2024

As many head off for Thanksgiving after a disorienting month, our columnists tried to find anything in the world — in news and politics and their lives — to be grateful for. They had to dig deep, but they found gratitude for traditions forcing them toward normalcy, for the systems that work and for Matt Gaetz making Cameos instead of being the next attorney general.

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She’s the future. How does the government keep her? Nov 23, 2024

As potential deep cuts to federal agencies dominate headlines, it’s more important than ever to understand the people who make the government run. In the final installment of our “Who is Government” series, comedian and filmmaker W. Kamau Bell delves into the antitrust division of the Justice Department and learns about the surprising ways it can help America live up to its promise.

Watch Bell’s video or read his column here: The Rookie

And be sure to check out the rest of the “Who is government?” series.

The Canary, by Michael Lewis

The Sentinel, by Casey Cep

The Searchers, by Dave Eggers

The Number, by John Lanchester

The Cyber Sleuth, by Geraldine Brooks

The Equalizer, by Sarah Vowell

RFK Jr. has some good ideas. It’s what makes him so dangerous. Nov 19, 2024

People are justifiably alarmed at the prospect of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. being in charge of U.S. health policy. He amplifies conspiracy theories, is anti-vaccine and makes bizarre health claims that aren't backed up by evidence. But underneath his rhetoric, Kennedy has floated some interesting ideas, like limiting processed foods or banning pharmaceutical ads. Deputy Opinions editor Charles Lane talks with physician and columnist Leana Wen and editor Rob Gebelhoff about separating fact from fiction and what we should actually do to make America healthier.

Read more from Leana Wen about Kennedy’s positions:

“RFK Jr.’s views on fluoride aren’t as crazy as you might think”

“The main reason RFK Jr. is unqualified to serve as HHS secretary”

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Trump 'Resistance' didn't work. What will? Nov 12, 2024

Donald Trump’s election might feel like déjà vu. But America is in a different place than it was eight years ago. Contributing columnists Amanda Ripley, Matt Bai and Theodore Johnson talk through how they’re thinking about Trump’s second term, how to set boundaries between the personal and political, and what type of civic involvement is actually useful.

This is bigger than any one mistake Harris made Nov 06, 2024

Donald Trump won. But why? Were Americans really just mad about their grocery bill? Columnists Ruth Marcus, Dana Milbank and James Hohmann grapple with this election result as an “X-ray into our national soul.”

Read more from Washington Post columnists:

“No, the way to cope with a Trump win isn’t moving to Canada”

“A big win for the Blow It Up Party, but what then?”

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

It’s Election Week. Grab the whiskey. Nov 04, 2024

None of us can know the outcome of the election, but our columnists talk through the campaign’s final spasms. Ruth Marcus, Dana Milbank and James Hohmann discuss the shifting mood in Pennsylvania, whether abortion will be as motivating this time around and if Donald Trump can get “crypto bros and the guy who vapes” to actually vote.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Are Republicans Kamala-curious? Not so much. Oct 29, 2024

In the final stretch of the campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris is making a play for Republicans who don’t like Donald Trump. But can they be swayed to vote for a lifelong Democrat? Columnists Megan McArdle, Jim Geraghty and Ramesh Ponnuru discuss what they’re hearing from fellow conservatives about this election and the future of the GOP.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

To tip or not to tip? That is now the question. Everywhere. Oct 22, 2024

Americans don’t seem to have a shared understanding of when or how much to tip. Yet, millions of people rely on what we give to make a decent wage. Columnists Theodore Johnson, Heather Long and Molly Roberts talk about why things have become so confusing and get into the real issues beneath the campaign proposals to end taxes on tips.

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