Reasonably Optimistic

In a recent interview, President Donald Trump said he’s ready to make a deal on immigration. But what would one that is popular across the political spectrum actually look like?

Host Megan McArdle talks with Alexander Kustov, a political scientist and professor at the University of Notre Dame, about what voters really want from immigration policy and how policymakers could build a system that welcomes immigrants while serving national interests.

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Weil, Gotshal & Manges was a nearly century-old law firm that was profitable, prestigious and apparently healthy — until an exodus of superstar partners caused it to unravel.

In the wake of the firm's collapse, host Megan McArdle talks with legal journalist David Lat about workplace loyalty, the “businessification” of professions and the power of top employees. They also explore how AI is eliminating the entry-level tasks that once trained young lawyers and what happens across industries when technology removes the first rung of the career ladder.

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For years, religion in American politics has been closely associated with the right. But in the 2026 midterm elections, candidates on the left — including Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan and James Talarico in Texas — were notably vocal about their faith. That raises questions that have long been simmering: At a time of deep division and growing secularism, what role should faith play in a religiously diverse democracy? And how openly should religious people bring their beliefs into public life?

Host Megan McArdle talks with Washington Post contributing columnist Shadi Hamid, co-author of “Can Religion Save Democracy?,” about faith, pluralism and democracy.

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Artificial intelligence can feel as though it arrived overnight. But today’s AI boom grew out of a vision championed by a small group of researchers who believed machines could one day rival human intelligence. That once far-fetched idea has become a global race that no one seems to know how to stop.

Host Megan McArdle talks with Kevin Roose, author of "The AGI Chronicles," about the unusual people and rivalries behind the AI revolution, why the race for superintelligence is so difficult to slow down and whether governments can shape what comes next.

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When journalist Jon Ronson’s son arrived at a Connecticut castle expecting a party, the owner told him and his friends that they had actually been invited to appear on a reality show. It quickly became clear that the show wasn’t what it seemed. That bizarre encounter — and the investigation it set in motion — became the basis for Ronson's new book, “The Castle: Adventures in a World of Unraveling Men,” which is about men struggling to find their place in the world.

Host Megan McArdle talks with the author about modern masculinity, the false promise of online fame, how outrage can become an identity and what happens when attention begins to replace purpose.

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