Reasonably Optimistic

Latest Episodes:

The rare band that knew when to walk away Jul 11, 2025

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A lot of famous bands go on long past their prime, doing nostalgia tours and squeezing their hits for all they’re worth. But not R.E.M., one of the biggest bands in the world during a stretch of the 1990s. The band went from regularly playing shows for more than 100,000 people to calling it quits. Contributor Will Leitch, who occasionally bumps into the former members of R.E.M. in the grocery store, talks about how rare and admirable it is to know when to move on, and how the music is still there for all of us even if the band is not.

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Alligator Alcatraz and the loss of America’s soul Jul 08, 2025

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A new immigrant detention center in Florida has been dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” by Republicans, who are now selling merch around the pop-up prison. It’s just one more stunt in a long line of immigration performance from President Trump and his administration. But is all this just a distraction from the difficulty of actually fulfilling his mass deportation campaign promises? And what happens to public support as Trump’s policies become more extreme? Dana Milbank, Eduardo Porter and Monica Hesse discuss.

Read more from our columnists:

Monica Hesse: Alligator Alcatraz turns serious matters into cheap entertainment

Eduardo Porter: The profound hypocrisy underlying America’s immigration policy

Can nature help fix our brains? Jul 04, 2025

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Last month, Post columnist Dana Milbank hiked part of the Appalachian Trail with his brother. Along the way, he detached from the news and reacquainted himself with nature. In the process, he received a real-life lesson about how the world around us can reduce cognitive fatigue and enhance well-being. He reflects on his journey in a recent essay.

Check out some of the other columns about Milbank’s adventures in nature:

Dana Milbank: Technology broke our connection to nature. Here is a way back.

Dana Milbank: Nature’s lesson for the politically worried: Spring will come again

Dana Milbank: My new tractor will either extend my life or end it quickly

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This ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ got even worse Jul 01, 2025

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Additional reading by our columnists:

Ramesh Ponnuru: The Republican shell game on tax cuts

Natasha Sarin: This senator’s comment on Medicaid cuts was brutal but accurate

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The generational shift coming for Democrats Jun 27, 2025

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Democratic socialism has notched another victory. Zohran Mamdani’s win over the establishment is just the latest in a line of self-proclaimed socialist candidates who’ve been invading the Democratic Party for the past decade. See: Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. But are people actually drawn to the policies and ideology of socialism, or is it about something else? Molly Roberts, Drew Goins and Philip Bump discuss what Mamdani’s victory tells us about the power of young voters.

Read more from our columnists:

Dana Milbank: War with Iran? Let’s run it up the flagpole!

Emily Harding: The Iran strike was probably the right move. We may need to do it again.

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Lonely? Call your AI best friend. Jun 20, 2025

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AI has become the one-stop solution to most of the problems we face. But can it truly substitute for human relationships? Drew Goins is joined by Post Opinions editor at large Bina Venkataraman and inclusion strategist Charlotte Marian Pearson to discuss the rise of AI companionship and what could be lost as more and more people get closer to this new technology.

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Why the U.S. should stay out of Iran Jun 17, 2025

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With Israel’s relentless attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites and top military leaders, the country is on the verge of catastrophe and major change. But what are Israel’s end goals, and does it need the United States to achieve them? Dana Milbank is joined by Jason Rezaian and Keith Richburg to talk through what’s happening in the Middle East and how the politics are playing out in an interesting way back in the U.S.

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When the military gets politicized Jun 13, 2025

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As troops descend on Washington to show off U.S. military might, the National Guard is being sent to respond to protests in Los Angeles and accompany ICE on raids. At the same time, President Donald Trump is saying the military’s mission is not to spread democracy, but to “dominate any foe.” Contributing columnist and Navy veteran Theodore R. Johnson joins Drew Goins and Molly Roberts to discuss what happens when the military is sent into cultural battlegrounds, whether the parade will make anyone feel more patriotic and what military service means today.

Theodore R. Johnson: What real patriots should think about Trump’s parade

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Are the immigration protests a turning point? Jun 10, 2025

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Protests against President Trump’s immigration policies have spread from Los Angeles outward over the past week. And his decision to send in National Guard troops, and then Marine units seems only to be adding fuel to the fire. Columnists Molly Roberts, James Hohmann and León Krauze discuss why these protests are happening now, whether democracy is beating authoritarianism and if this is really what voters wanted when they elected Trump.

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