Impromptu
By The Washington Post
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Episodes: 115
Description
Enough with the doom and gloom — we’re ready to talk about how America can thrive. Hosted by Washington Post Opinion columnist Megan McArdle, “Reasonably Optimistic” is your weekly conversation about how America can get unstuck and build a better future. Stop feeding your rage and start embracing our possibilities. Episodes drop Wednesdays.
| Episode | Date |
|---|---|
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‘The weirdest Democrat in America’
|
Dec 17, 2025 |
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The sci-fi writer who predicted the future
|
Dec 10, 2025 |
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Introducing 'Reasonably Optimistic'
|
Dec 03, 2025 |
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I got cancer. And met a different me on the other side.
|
Sep 19, 2025 |
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The horrors of modern-day travel
|
Sep 12, 2025 |
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Want to find a wife? Be a better man.
|
Sep 05, 2025 |
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Lending a hand doesn’t require being armed
|
Aug 29, 2025 |
|
A message from ‘Impromptu’
|
Jul 29, 2025 |
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Why does the Epstein story keep on going?
|
Jul 22, 2025 |
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The paradox of fixing airline travel
|
Jul 18, 2025 |
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Trump breaks with Putin. But will it last?
|
Jul 15, 2025 |
|
The rare band that knew when to walk away
|
Jul 11, 2025 |
|
Alligator Alcatraz and the loss of America’s soul
|
Jul 08, 2025 |
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Can nature help fix our brains?
|
Jul 04, 2025 |
|
This ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ got even worse
|
Jul 01, 2025 |
|
The generational shift coming for Democrats
|
Jun 27, 2025 |
|
Did Trump just bring peace to the Middle East?
|
Jun 24, 2025 |
|
Lonely? Call your AI best friend.
|
Jun 20, 2025 |
|
Why the U.S. should stay out of Iran
|
Jun 17, 2025 |
|
When the military gets politicized
|
Jun 13, 2025 |
|
Are the immigration protests a turning point?
|
Jun 10, 2025 |
|
Trump 2.0 is changing the meaning — and feeling — of Pride
|
Jun 06, 2025 |
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Is Trump chickening out on foreign policy?
|
Jun 03, 2025 |
|
Movies in 2025: reduce, reuse, recycle
|
May 30, 2025 |
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Can universities survive this?
|
May 27, 2025 |
|
We’ll defend Sesame Street with our life
|
May 23, 2025 |
|
There’s nothing beautiful about this big bill
|
May 20, 2025 |
|
AI is getting smarter. But are we?
|
May 16, 2025 |
|
The Art of the Grift
|
May 13, 2025 |
|
Birth rates are falling. So what?
|
May 09, 2025 |
|
Trump’s math is just … no
|
May 06, 2025 |
|
What college costs — and what it’s worth
|
May 02, 2025 |
|
Has it been 100 years? Or 100 days?
|
Apr 29, 2025 |
|
Why religious people are happier
|
Apr 25, 2025 |
|
RFK Jr. just doesn’t get it
|
Apr 22, 2025 |
|
Has the right revived comedy — or destroyed it?
|
Apr 18, 2025 |
|
Will Trump blink on deportation?
|
Apr 15, 2025 |
|
Does anybody want to visit the U.S. right now?
|
Apr 11, 2025 |
|
How many ‘shocks to the system’ can America take?
|
Apr 08, 2025 |
|
Don’t whitewash this national treasure
|
Apr 04, 2025 |
|
Is gravity catching up to Trump?
|
Apr 01, 2025 |
|
Why we want to believe in every wellness fix
|
Mar 28, 2025 |
|
Make Democrats excited again
|
Mar 25, 2025 |
|
Well, at least we aren’t severed or stuck at a White Lotus
|
Mar 21, 2025 |
|
Just come in legally, they said
|
Mar 18, 2025 |
|
Some beautiful, slightly deranged ideas for more sunshine
|
Mar 14, 2025 |
|
Trump’s shock-and-awe strategy hits the economy
|
Mar 11, 2025 |
|
Out with the girl boss, but in with…what?
|
Mar 07, 2025 |
|
Did Trump’s address to Congress trap Democrats?
|
Mar 05, 2025 |
|
The Oscar films ask more questions than they answer
|
Feb 28, 2025 |
|
The right-wing media machine is now the U.S. government
|
Feb 25, 2025 |
|
Is America trying to rebrand?
|
Feb 21, 2025 |
|
Will Trump sell out Ukraine?
|
Feb 18, 2025 |
|
More pennies, more problems
|
Feb 14, 2025 |
|
Trump fought the law. Will the law win?
|
Feb 11, 2025 |
|
Remote work changed the country. Can it change back?
|
Feb 07, 2025 |
|
Elon Musk seems to want to break government. Can anybody stop him?
|
Feb 04, 2025 |
|
As companies take sides, does it matter where we buy?
|
Jan 31, 2025 |
|
Trump is playing all his cards all at once
|
Jan 28, 2025 |
|
Is it time to delete our social media accounts?
|
Jan 24, 2025 |
|
Trump: The Sequel
|
Jan 21, 2025 |
|
Alcohol is linked to cancer. But isn't everything?
|
Jan 14, 2025 |
|
Big houses, small houses, we just need (a lot) more houses
|
Jan 07, 2025 |
|
The laughs, heartbreaks and hopes of 2024
|
Dec 24, 2024 |
|
Luigi Mangione's motives — and ours
|
Dec 17, 2024 |
|
Americans don’t like experts? Send in the clowns.
|
Dec 10, 2024 |
|
Mexico vs. Trump: The rematch
|
Dec 03, 2024 |
|
Searching for gratitude
|
Nov 26, 2024 |
|
She’s the future. How does the government keep her?
|
Nov 23, 2024 |
|
RFK Jr. has some good ideas. It’s what makes him so dangerous.
|
Nov 19, 2024 |
|
Trump 'Resistance' didn't work. What will?
|
Nov 12, 2024 |
|
This is bigger than any one mistake Harris made
|
Nov 06, 2024 |
|
It’s Election Week. Grab the whiskey.
|
Nov 04, 2024 |
|
Are Republicans Kamala-curious? Not so much.
|
Oct 29, 2024 |
|
To tip or not to tip? That is now the question. Everywhere.
|
Oct 22, 2024 |
|
Doritos and cocaine: Harris and Trump try out podcast populism
|
Oct 15, 2024 |
|
‘I exist because of this piece of paper’
|
Oct 12, 2024 |
|
Just how bad will the Middle East get?
|
Oct 08, 2024 |
|
How a cyber sleuth in the IRS takes down terrorists
|
Oct 05, 2024 |
|
JD Vance had nowhere to go but up
|
Oct 02, 2024 |
|
What’s a government for? Let me count the ways.
|
Sep 28, 2024 |
|
The meaning of ‘Jeopardy!’ in a post-truth America
|
Sep 24, 2024 |
|
To find new planets, you have to dim the stars
|
Sep 21, 2024 |
|
The real reasons Americans are having fewer kids
|
Sep 17, 2024 |
|
Harris wiped the floor with Trump. But what did we learn about her?
|
Sep 11, 2024 |
|
What do men want?
|
Sep 03, 2024 |
|
Why not pay teachers $100,000?
|
Aug 27, 2024 |
|
Out with the old at the DNC
|
Aug 20, 2024 |
|
Surviving Putin's gulag: Vladimir Kara-Murza tells his story
|
Aug 14, 2024 |
|
Tim Walz won’t hurt Kamala Harris. Will he help?
|
Aug 06, 2024 |
|
The misery of airline travel might be our fault
|
Jul 31, 2024 |
|
Introducing, "The Sports Moment"
|
Jul 26, 2024 |
|
Can Kamala Harris win?
|
Jul 23, 2024 |
|
Republicans are euphoric. Can it last?
|
Jul 16, 2024 |
|
Democrats feel doomed. What’s the least risky move?
|
Jul 09, 2024 |
|
America, we love you. But it’s hard.
|
Jul 03, 2024 |
|
Biden finally overshadowed Trump, in all the wrong ways
|
Jun 28, 2024 |
|
Is the smartphone panic dumb?
|
Jun 26, 2024 |
|
Movie theaters are dying. Do you care?
|
Jun 19, 2024 |
|
Why can't Americans agree on immigration?
|
Jun 12, 2024 |
|
So you married a Supreme Court justice
|
Jun 05, 2024 |
|
An impromptu ‘Impromptu’: Processing Trump’s conviction
|
May 31, 2024 |
|
Do we actually want AI that seems human?
|
May 29, 2024 |
|
Is home ownership the wrong dream for America?
|
May 22, 2024 |
|
Rethinking identity in a fractured America
|
May 19, 2024 |
|
It's bigger than Caitlin Clark
|
May 15, 2024 |
|
Fewer Americans believe in God. Is that a problem?
|
May 08, 2024 |
|
Campuses are wrestling with the politics of war. So are we.
|
May 01, 2024 |
|
Is Trump above the law? The Supreme Court weighs in.
|
Apr 24, 2024 |
|
What the 'tradwife' trend says about modern life
|
Apr 17, 2024 |
|
How to cope with the absurd, high-stakes 2024 election
|
Apr 10, 2024 |
|
What we saw on the ground in Ukraine
|
Apr 03, 2024 |
|
Biden is pushing EVs. Who actually wants them?
|
Mar 27, 2024 |
|
What to expect when you’re expecting an abortion pill argument
|
Mar 20, 2024 |
|
A fresh new 'Impromptu'
|
Mar 06, 2024 |