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The Atlantic's David Frum joins NTK to evaluate Trump's first nearly 100 days. Mona plays Devil's advocate with Frum, a Trump critic - at least for a while. Jay engages David about the French elections, and then conversation turns to the March for Science, O'Reilly, FoxNews, the Detroit Tigers, and David Selznick.

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Jay and Mona speak of normality (which they like in President Trump), the role of in-laws, how much religion is too much in an Indiana school, Steve Bannon, and a tribute to two of Mona's current favorite shows.

Music is the theme from Doc Martin. 

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Stranger things may have happened, but not lately. Jay and Mona welcome Bloomberg's Eli Lake to talk national security, Syria, Susan Rice, chemical weapons, Russia, and more. Jay and Mona then find themselves defending our president against some of his disappointed fan boys.

Closing music is from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, Op.24.

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The sage George F. Will joins Jay and Mona to discuss the progress of Trumpcare, the condition of our political parties, and what daily lying does to our civic culture.

Jay and Mona then turn to the violence that Putin critics keep encountering, the hate crime hoaxes, Manafort, a rape in Maryland, Bannon, Nowruz, and dogs.

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A rare in person Need to Know this week as Jay and Mona participated in the National Review Institute's Ideas Summit. One of the sharpest writers on Earth, Kevin Williamson, drops in to talk about the changing complexions of the Democratic and Republican parties, what it's like to write for an Indian newspaper, and other things. There is even a dose of pop culture. Good cheer all around.

Music is the Washington Post March by John Phillip Sousa

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Health care is kind of the ball game in American politics. Screw this up, and voters will punish you. Jay and Mona chew over the American Health Care Act and spit out the pieces. Conversation then ranges to a special rapper, Silicon Valley parents, the thug/students at Middlebury College, and more.

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The Wall Street Journal's Bret Stephens joins to pay tribute to his late colleague Daniel Pearl and consider the state of truth - and dedication to it - in our time. Pearl gave his life for it.

Jay and Mona then consider the Attorney General's predicament, the state of nationalism around the globe, tribalism and Balkanization at home, President Trump's much-lauded joint session speech, the "Blacksonian," and "opera in the outfield."

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No, not the president. Betsy Hart of the Heritage Foundation joins to report on parents pushing back against a public high school's progressive indoctrination plans.

Jay and Mona then move on to things they love (Jay loves Emma Stone, Mona loves the series "The People v. O.J. Simpson") and some of the things they hate. There's some CPAC, Milo, "repeal and replace," and consideration of the life and meaning of John C. Calhoun. Was Yale right to remove his name?

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Conservatives are united in praise of Neil Gorsuch, but what do those terms - originalism, textualism, and so forth - really mean? Ed Whelan, former Scalia clerk and president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, joins to explain all.

Jay and Mona then chew over President Trump's week. Flynn, Conway, nuclear holocaust, anti-Semitism, Electoral College tallies, truth, lies, and the rock 'em sock 'em press conference. Other topics include Down syndrome, and the courage and love of parents.

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Jay and Mona are very enthusiastic Betsy DeVos fans, but they are skeptical, to say the least, about the federal department she will now head.

They also cover the president's immigration order (pro and con), Garry Kasparov and the right, France's election and Wikileaks, conservative versus liberal isolationism, Roberta McCain, Ben Sasse, and a hummingbird egg.

The podcast closes with an autumnal piano performance from the late Liberace. Jay approves, which is saying something.

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