Former Congressman (and current NYC Council candidate) Anthony Weiner and Reason Editor-at-Large Nick Gillespie square off over whether the national debt is an true crisis, if Chuck Schumer made the best of a bad hand, and whether government can—or should—ever shrink. Plus, in Goat Grinders, we take on Walter Cronkite’s legacy, the absurd NCAA tournament gripes, and the myth of “wanting it more.”
Trump is a vessel for frustration over the status quo, but he is not a vehicle for a solution—since he has no idea about how to make things better for anyone besides himself. He's made clear that his personal interests come before the country's, and he's willing to trade away the superpowers that made America the globe's Dream Team. The Democrats need to seize the moment to argue for a smarter, more humane way to do efficiency. Plus, the Maryland governor shares his disgust over DOGE's disrespect of veterans and discusses his commitment to elevating boys and men.
How do you fix a system that’s stuck? Ravi sits down with New York Times bestselling author Dan Heath to unpack the lessons from his new book, Reset, a guide to help people and businesses break free from inertia, ditch old habits, and make meaningful progress. They explore case studies from the book, including a hospital that slashed delivery times from days to hours and a school that transformed discipline with a simple shift in student movement, and discuss how these examples reveal the power of small wins and the risks of blindly chasing efficiency.
Ravi and Dan then turn to the biggest “reset” happening today: a controversial government overhaul. Is DOGE actually a push for government efficiency or is it a reckless unraveling of the administrative state? Drawing from successful corporate turnarounds, Dan explains what actually works, and why government overhauls so often fail. Finally, Dan and Ravi reflect on why, whether in business or our personal lives, real change isn’t about grand gestures, but about finding the right pressure points and making thoughtful, lasting adjustments.
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Learn more about Ravi's novel and upcoming events: GARBAGE TOWN
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Music
Two from Lambert: Fremd and The Open
Plantasia from Mort Garson's amazing, ridiculous album of the same name.
Two from Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans' score to Christine: Paranoia and Newsroom.
David Bahnsen and Tevi Troy join us today to talk about the Fed and its talk of inflation and uncertainty, and Tevi's lead article in the April issue of COMMENTARY, "In Praise of Big Pharma." Plus, new merch! Very exciting! Give a listen.
Status Coup founder and author of We The Poisoned: Exposing the Flint Water Crisis Cover-Up and the Poisoning of 100,000 Americans Jordan Chariton returns to Bad Faith to unpack Trump's obsession with making Canada the 51st state and its connection with Jordan's long-term reporting on the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. It's a resource issue: The water wars are here.
Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act to whisk alleged gang members to an El Salvador prison should not be allowed to stand for a variety of reasons. Ilya Somin explains why it might put Americans at risk.
Violent change of seasons. Education elimination. And bodies pile up in Gaza. CBS News Correspondent Deborah Rodriguez has those stories and more on the World News Roundup podcast.
This program is part of the series in partnership with Florida Humanities — “UNUM: Democracy Reignited,” a multi-year digital offering exploring the past, present and future of the American idea — as it exists on paper, in the hearts of our people, and as it manifests (or sometimes fails to manifest) in our lives.
The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.
Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.
