Episode Details

This week, editors Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Matt Welch critique President Donald Trump's proposed tax legislation and its fiscal irresponsibility, discuss the national deficit and credit rating downgrade, examine the media and political cover-up of former President Joe Biden's cognitive decline, and highlight the broader consequences of institutional failure and partisan denial.

0:00—"Big beautiful bill" breakdown

2:21—The MAGA (Money Account for Growth and Advancement) baby account boondoggle

13:54—SALT cap debate and wealthy blue state subsidies

19:12—Proposed Medicaid cuts and "fiscal illusions"

23:02—Moody's Ratings downgraded the U.S. credit rating system. Does this matter?

27:09—The Supreme Court takes up birthright citizenship and nationwide injunctions

34:41—Who pays tariffs? Trump vs. Walmart

40:24—Listener question: Is the economic inequality data bad?

46:09—What did we know about Biden's health and when did we know it?

48:24—How the media didn't responsibly report on Biden's health

1:01:04—Weekly cultural recommendations

Mentioned in this podcast:

"GINI Index for the United States", by St. Louis Federal Reserve

"Everyone Agrees Government Is a Hot Mess. So Why Does It Keep Getting Bigger?" by Nick Gillespie

"The Long and Whining Road: The Beatles, Boomers, and Boredom," by Nick Gillespie

"Still Fab: Why We Keep Listening To the Beatles," by Charles Paul Freund

"Equal Pay for Equal Work: Appreciating the Female Half of Power Couples," by Nick Gillespie

"Trump's Tax Plan Is a Leftist Economic Agenda Wrapped in Populist Talking Points," by Veronique de Rugy

"Republican Reconciliation Package Will Lead to $3 Trillion Annual Deficits," by Christian Britschgi

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