A little-known secret: Washington Post Opinions columnists like talking to one another. They don’t always agree, of course, but they are in almost constant conv...
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 rattledTrump wants to play peacemaker. Israel may have other plans.The art of the just Ukraine peace deal
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29:36
More pennies, more problems
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?
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19:53
Trump fought the law. Will the law win?
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.
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30:09
Remote work changed the country. Can it change back?
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 Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
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24:33
Elon Musk seems to want to break government. Can anybody stop him?
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.
A little-known secret: Washington Post Opinions columnists like talking to one another. They don’t always agree, of course, but they are in almost constant conversation – testing their ideas, refining their thoughts and sometimes changing their minds. Now you can listen in on some of those conversations. Each week on “Impromptu,” Post columnists go beyond hot takes and have personal, candid conversations on the latest topics in news and culture that we can't stop thinking about. Listen in on the conversations that happen before the columns are written. New episodes every Wednesday.
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