Melissa Kearney, a professor of economics at the University of Maryland joins Assistant Editor Luis Parrales to talk about her new book, The Two-Parent Privilege: How Americans Stopped Getting Married and Started Falling Behind. The two discuss the decline in married households over the past decades, how that decline has exacerbated inequality and negatively impacted parents and children, and why it’s so controversial to talk about marriage as a policy matter in the first place.

Show notes:

-Melissa’s profile at the University of Maryland

-Melissa’s profile at Brookings

-A Driver of Inequality That Not Enough People Are Talking About

-Male Earnings, Marriageable Men, and Nonmarital Fertility: Evidence from the Fracking Boom

-The Puzzle of Falling US Birth Rates Since the Great Recession

-Race and Economic Opportunity in the United States: An Intergenerational Perspective

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Sarah left The Dispatch Podcast and now there's no speaker of the House. What went wrong? Steve and Jonah join the flagship host's return to discuss the speakership battle, Joe Biden's Trump-era border wall, and corruption writ large. Also:

-Small dollar donor problems

-Democratic blame game

-Anti-transparency in government

-There's a secret speaker??

-Trump and Menendez corruption inquiries

-The return of Not Worth Your Time

Show notes:

-Jonah's G-File on government transparency

-Rep. Matt Gaetz on ABC This Week

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Jon Schweppe, policy director at the American Principles Project, joins Andrew to discuss the state of the pro-life movement: political uncertainty, mixed messaging, states rights, and next steps.

Show Notes:

Jon's profile at the American Principles Project

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A sneak peek from our regular members-only Dispatch Live discussion: Kevin, Chris, and Jonah discuss elites versus elitism and America's increasing decline from authenticity. The conversations was spurred by Chris' piece on America's classless society.

If you want to join our live discussions, support the work we're doing, and help us do a lot more: become a Dispatch member. https://thedispatch.com/join

-If you're a member, you can watch the full live discussion here: https://thedispatch.com/article/video-mccarthy-cant-keep-his-house-in-order/

-Sign up to "The Skiff" to get all Dispatch members-only content here: https://members.thedispatch.com/account/feeds

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Making sense of the latest carnival of inanity posing as a presidential debate is a task too great for Steve and Jonah. So they have summoned the fabled (and bingo'd) Yuval Levin, director of social, cultural and constitutional studies at AEI, to help them analyze the GOP primary debate, rank pre-government shutdown asininity, and determine whether we should even be paying attention at all.

Show Notes:

-Yuval Levin's profile at the American Enterprise Institute

-Watch our pre-debate discussion featuring Kevin, Jonah, and Chris (Members only)

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GOP hardliners aren’t negotiating with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, as government shutdown looms. Government Relations Strategist Liam Donovan joins The Dispatch to break down how we got here and:

-Ukraine’s funding

-Senate pushing a Continuing Resolution to stave off a shutdown

-McCarthy’s House resistance

-Gaetz pushing for a betrayal

Show Notes:

-Watch this episode on YouTube

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The general incompetence of GOP's leadership has prompted a Dispatch Politics coup of today's Dispod. Mike hosts as David and Andrew join to discuss the shutdown fiasco, voters perceptions of GOP candidates, and John Fetterman's depression wear.

Show Notes:

-Watch this episode on YouTube

-Real Clear Politics 2024 Iowa Republican Presidential Caucus

-CNN Poll: Trump leads in New Hampshire while Ramaswamy, Haley, Christie and DeSantis battle for second

-Wednesday's Dispatch Politics newsletter

-Real Clear Politics General Election: Trump vs. Biden

-62% of New Yorkers say Biden unfit for another term

-Biden takes on Trump and age questions in new fundraiser speech

-Drucker's interview with Senator Tom Cotton

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Sen. Tom Cotton joins The Dispatch Podcast and pushes back against the growing GOP opposition to sending aid to Ukraine. David Drucker also asks Cotton his thoughts on:

-U.S.-China policy

-Dealing with Iran

-McConnell's current aptitude

Show Notes:

-Watch this episode on YouTube

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A quick preview from our regular members-only Dispatch Live discussion: Kevin, Steve, Drucker, and Grayson discuss the right's embrace of violent rhetoric and the disputed value of Mike Pence's last-minute anti-populist turn. (Steve, a few Spanish wine glasses in, gets extra ranty... you've been warned.)

If you want to join our live discussions, support the work we're doing, and help us do a lot more: become a Dispatch member. https://thedispatch.com/join

-If you're a member, you can watch the full live discussion here: https://thedispatch.com/article/video-mccarthy-launches-impeachment-inquiry/

-Sign up to "The Skiff" to get all Dispatch members-only content here: https://members.thedispatch.com/account/feeds

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A perfect storm of congressional battles has formed over the upcoming legislative session, just as the grown ups are leaving. Mike is joined by Steve and Jonah to discuss the impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden and:

-Biden’s problematic Iranian prisoner deal

-Kim Jong Un and Putin now BFFs?

-Biden needs a nap

Show notes:

-The Morning Dispatch: A Rogue State Visit

-Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns: This Will Not Pass

-The Dispatch Podcast with Martin and Burns

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