Republicans are haggling over the details of how much to cut Medicaid and food stamps while also trying to give bigger tax breaks to the richest Americans. Meanwhile, the rating agency Moody’s has downgraded the United States’ perfect economic score for the first time, because of how much this bill could run up the national debt. Dana Milbank, James Hohmann and Natasha Sarin talk about whether the Republicans can get this legislation over the finish line and why America is suffering from “boy-who-called-wolf energy” when it comes to the federal debt.Check out our Memorial Day Sale to subscribe to the Washington Post. It’s just $2, every four weeks, for your first year. Additional reading by our columnists:Natasha Sarin: The Trump administration’s tax math doesn’t add upSubscribe to The Washington Post here.
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22:05
AI is getting smarter. But are we?
The debate over how to use AI in schools, and what constitutes cheating, is not unlike other arguments about tech and learning in recent decades — be it students using graphing calculators to solve problems or Wikipedia to do research. But will AI be more disruptive than anything we’ve seen before? Columnists Molly Roberts, Megan McArdle and Monica Hesse discuss how they’re using AI in their work and personal lives, and how they think we can create a helpful — and hopeful— AI future. Check out our Memorial Day Sale to subscribe to the Washington Post. It’s just $2, every four weeks, for your first year. Additional reading from our columnists:Megan McArdle: Don’t be fooled. This is the calm before the AI storm.Megan McArdle: If you haven’t been worrying about AI, it’s time to start preparingMolly Roberts: AI is forcing teachers to confront an existential questionAnd here’s a link to an article mentioned in the episode:Everyone Is Cheating Their Way Through College (New York Magazine)
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26:05
The Art of the Grift
Since President Trump took office, people with money have been cozying up to him — from tech billionaires donating to his inauguration fund, to Qatari royals offering him a $400 million plane. And Trump’s newfound love of cryptocurrency is providing an easy vehicle to get money into his and his family’s coffers. Dana Milbank, Molly Roberts and James Hohmann discuss the return on investment people are getting (or not) for trying to curry favor with the president. Additional reading by our columnists:Molly Roberts: With crypto, Democrats finally put up a fightDana Milbank: As the world goes to hell, Trump is living his best lifeSubscribe to The Washington Post here.
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21:34
Birth rates are falling. So what?
There’s been a bit of an obsession with declining birth rates lately, particularly on the right. That has sparked conversations about policies that might entice people to have more children. But all the talk seems to ignore the social issues beneath the trend — which might be why policy interventions around the world haven’t been able to reverse it. Drew Goins, Molly Roberts and Bina Venkataraman discuss some solutions to falling birth rates and whether it’s really the huge problem people are making it out to be.Additional reading:What Trump doesn’t know about the cost of raising kidsYou can’t bribe and shame your way to more babies
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24:46
Trump’s math is just … no
President Trump is warning Americans that they might need to give up some new dolls and pencils as his tariff plans upend the world economic order. But as people brace for the trade wars to hit their pocketbooks, there’s still a question of whether Trump will back down. Dana Milbank, Catherine Rampell and Eduardo Porter discuss the broken calculations on both tariffs and the Republican budget bill. Additional reading by our columnists:Eduardo Porter: As America goes rogue, China eyes an openingCatherine Rampell: Trump demands wartime sacrifices — just not for himselfDana Milbank: As wreckage piles up, Trump and his aides retreat to fantasyland
Smart when you need it, fun when you want it — with hosts who feel like friends. Impromptu is your twice-a-week conversation with Washington Post columnists who bring fresh insight and perspective to the stories shaping the week. On Tuesdays, Dana Milbank and his colleagues dig into the political news that actually matters. Then, on Fridays, Drew Goins and Molly Roberts ease you into the weekend, breaking down the cultural moments you can’t stop thinking about.
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