Washington Monthly

Washington Monthly Editor-in-chief Paul Glastris, Politics Editor Bill Scher and Executive Editor for Digital Matt Cooper chat with host Anne Kim about Trump's abysmal progress toward his promise of a new "golden era" for America.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Promises Made and Broken

00:36 Trump's Trade Deal with China

06:10 Evaluating Trump's Promises on Trade

09:33 Grading Trump's Promises on Government Efficiency

11:50 Inflation and Economic Promises

13:26 Balancing the Budget vs. Tax Cuts

16:13 Immigration Policies and Promises

19:09 Corruption and Foreign Influence

28:44 Looking Ahead: Upcoming Political Developments

32:31 newsPolitics-outro-high-short.wav

Lawyer and historian Ira Shapiro, author of three widely-acclaimed books on the history of the U.S. Senate, speaks with co-hosts Garrett Epps and Anne Kim about the Senate's long decline over the last 30 years, the role of former Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in the destruction of the institution, and the need for the Senate to step forward to defend US democracy.

Some Democrats are already talking about the prospect of impeaching Donald Trump, and there's plenty evidence already of the "high crimes and misdemeanors" the Constitution demands. But as Washington Monthly's Bill Scher and Matt Cooper argue, the politics risks of talking up impeachment might be too high at the moment to pursue.

Donald Trump has launched an all-out assault on the nation's largest and most prestigious law firms. While some have chosen to capitulate, others have chosen to fight. Washington Monthly Legal Affairs Editor Garrett Epps and contributing editor Anne Kim discuss the myriad ways in which Trump's attacks on Big Law are unconstitutional and why it's vital for firms to resist.

Trashing the economy and breaking the law - it turns out - are politically unpopular moves. Who knew?

Washington Monthly politics editor Bill Scher and Executive Editor for Digital Matt Cooper talk through Trump's latest polls, the most recent laws broken, and the "big, beautiful" budget bill that could ultimately be Republicans' undoing. Moderated by contributing editor Anne Kim.

When the Associated Press refused to call the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America," Donald Trump expelled AP from the White House press pool. Was this legal?

Washington Monthly Legal Affairs Editor Garrett Epps and contributing editor Anne Kim walk through the key legal concepts that undergird the First Amendment's freedom of the press and the three things every citizen should know: that government censorship is illegal; that retaliation for free speech is unconstitutional; and that citizens have significant freedom to criticize their government and elected leaders.

After another week of bad news, bad polls and adverse court rulings, has the Trump president hit a tipping point in its power and popularity? Washington Monthly Editor in Chief Paul Glastris and Politics Editor Bill Scher debate Trump's future with contributing editor Anne Kim.

Most Americans don't pay much attention to the US territory of Guam, but this tiny island has outsized strategic importance - especially as China considers how, and when, to retake Taiwan. Hosts Anne Kim and Garrett Epps speak with longtime foreign correspondent and author Christian Caryl about the Chinese threat to Guam and whether America is ready for a potential attack.

There's plenty that ordinary citizens can do to push back on the Trump regime. They can protest, they can support legal action, they can lobby elected officials, and, above all, they can stay informed. Co-hosts Anne Kim and Garrett Epps speak with journalist Timothy Noah about his recent piece for TNR on the tactics of successful resistance.

Chapters

00:00 The Importance of Marching

06:10 Strategies for Citizen Resistance

12:38 Keeping Up with the News

18:03 Addressing Immigration Issues

21:15 Historical Context and Citizen Warriors

25:23 Lessons Learned from Reporting

Has Resistance 2.0 finally arrived? Washington Monthly politics editor Bill Scher and Executive Editor, Digital Matt Cooper chat with contributing editor Anne Kim about the impact of last weekend's massive "Hands Off" demonstrations and what the outcome of last week's special elections in Florida and Wisconsin spell for the viability of GOP electoral prospects in 2026.