Reasonably Optimistic

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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”

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

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

Show notes

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.

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