Best Niskanen Centers Podcasts (2025)

1
Who now directs spending: Congress or the president? 57:22

18m ago57:22

57:22

Donald Trump has taken extraordinary actions to redirect or ignore congressional appropriations, from dismantling foreign aid to making the Education Department a ghost town. But how unique are Trump’s efforts to avoid spending when he does not favor it? Kevin Angell compares what Congress appropriated to what agencies actually spent over decades, …

1
Germany and the dangers of America abandoning Europe, with Jan Techau 1:07:54

11d ago1:07:54

1:07:54

On February 27, 2022, three days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Olaf Scholz, who was then the Chancellor of Germany, gave a speech to an emergency session of the German parliament at which he described the attack as a Zeitenwende – an historic turning point. This watershed moment, he declared, meant “that the world afterwards will no longer…

1
The backlash presidency 55:42

21d ago55:42

55:42

How unique is Donald Trump’s trajectory as a president born of backlash? What should we make of Trump following Barack Obama? Julia Azari finds that backlash presidents like Trump tend to follow transformative presidents like Barack Obama who represent changes to the American racial order. And the backlash presidents commonly face impeachment as th…

1
How the money chase governs our elections 38:59

28d ago38:59

38:59

A year before the midterms, quarterly fundraising reports are already reshuffling expectations and causing some candidates to drop out. And candidates are spending almost as much raising money as they collect. That’s because in congressional primaries and general elections, the top fundraiser still wins 92 percent of the time. Danielle Thomsen find…

1
Reflections on DOGE and the abandonment of the West, with Michael Kimmage 1:32:55

1M ago1:32:55

1:32:55

For many decades, practitioners and scholars of foreign policy used to refer to “the West,” but today, for the most part, they don’t. What happened to the idea of “the West”? Michael Kimmage, a professor of history at Catholic University, wrote The Abandonment of the West: The History of an Idea in American Foreign Policy to trace the rise and decl…

1
The Supreme Court is enabling Trump’s executive power 55:32

1M ago55:32

55:32

Many thought the second Trump administration would feature a confrontation between a Supreme Court intent on limiting executive discretion and an empowered president flaunting the rules. Instead, the Supreme Court has largely acquiesced to Trump’s moves, using the shadow docket to overturn lower court actions limiting Trump, even those from Republi…

1
The future of the democratic party 57:52

2M ago57:52

57:52

Democrats are out of power in all three branches of government, uncompetitive in many states, and divided on how to prepare for 2026. What’s the path forward? Should the party refocus on economics over cultural issues? Moderate across the board? Or embrace the abundance agenda as their electoral and policymaking future?…

1
Going local to heal politics and institutions, with Steve Grove 55:31

2M ago55:31

55:31

This podcast was recorded in late August 2025. Much has occurred since then, both in Minnesota and nationally, and listeners are asked to consider the episode’s treatment of politics and current events in the context of the time in which it was recorded. Steve Grove is the publisher and CEO of the Minnesota Star Tribune. For many years, he had been…

1
Will partisan redistricting tip Congress? 1:09:05

3M ago1:09:05

1:09:05

Texas, California, and Missouri are moving forward with plans for mid-decade redistricting to gain partisan advantage—with other states threatening to follow. They are not hiding the motive: President Trump asked Texas to gain Republicans seats and Governor Newsom is saying he needs to retaliate. Just how much has gerrymandering gained the parties …

1
The Legend of Murray Kempton, with Andrew Holter 1:17:20

3M ago1:17:20

1:17:20

Murray Kempton (1917-97) was one of the greatest American journalists of the twentieth century. His career extended across seven decades, during which he produced somewhere around 11,000 columns, essays, and pamphlets, nearly all of them marked by his distinctive dry wit, insight, and stylistic elegance. He wrote about government and politics but a…

1
The fall of an independent Fed 57:11

3M ago57:11

57:11

President Trump has pressured and attacked the Federal Reserve and is now trying to replace governors. What are the consequences if the Fed is losing independence and moving toward presidential control? Cristina Bodea finds that the Fed was never the most independent and is becoming less so in the face of public pressure. That could make a normally…

1
Making AI policy: Are we falling behind or rushing in? 58:31

3M ago58:31

58:31

As the next AI cycle begins, state and national governments are trying to keep up. And AI policy now matters for energy, health, education, foreign, and economic development policy as well. What can we learn from the early AI legislation? Chinnu Parinandi finds that partisan alignments and institutional capacity shape where and how consumer protect…

1
The politics of abundance, with Misha Chellam 1:06:05

4M ago1:06:05

1:06:05

Misha Chellam, a leader in the Abundance movement and co-founder of the Abundance Network, joins The Vital Center to discuss how YIMBYism, state capacity, and Progress Studies relate to abundance. Chellam analyzes the successful alliances of growth-focused Abundants and good-government moderates in San Francisco. He also envisions future Abundance …

1
Is democracy failing education? 57:46

4M ago57:46

57:46

American students are falling behind while local school boards are preoccupied with culture war controversies. Is local democratic control of schools a detriment to improving student outcomes? Vlad Kogan finds that school boards regularly prioritize the needs of teachers and administrators over students. Elections are unrepresentative and sometimes…

1
Reconciliation and rescission 54:54

4M ago54:54

54:54

The Republican Congress has quickly remade fiscal policy, with substantially more success than in Trump’s first term. How did they achieve so much more without compromise? How much will their routes around the filibuster matter for the decline of congressional appropriations? And are we setting up for a huge new step in presidential spending power:…

1
How William Buckley shaped the American right, with Sam Tanenhaus 2:06:24

5M ago2:06:24

2:06:24

Sam Tanenhaus, an esteemed journalist and biographer, joins The Vital Center to discuss his biography of William F. Buckley Jr. Buckley, a towering figure in American conservatism, helped to pave the way for the political realignment that Ronald Reagan accomplished. Tanenhaus exposes Buckley’s darker origins, including his support for racial segreg…

1
How the president gained war powers 49:53

5M ago49:53

49:53

After President Trump bombed Iran, Democrats in Congress declared the action illegal. But it follows a long history of increased presidential control of military operations along with congressional deference and abrogation of war powers. How did we get here? Casey Dominguez finds that although the founders bestowed war powers with Congress, by the …

1
Abundance and the Democrats, with Jonathan Chait 57:32

5M ago57:32

57:32

On this episode of The Permanent Problem podcast, host Brink Lindsey welcomes Jonathan Chait of The Atlantic to discuss the abundance movement and the future of the Democratic Party. Chait sees a major role for abundance-based ideas in challenging the agenda-setting power of "the groups," or progressive activists, and pulling the party back toward …

1
The libertarian prophet of the abundance movement, with Virginia Postrel 1:05:29

5M ago1:05:29

1:05:29

The intellectual-political discussion of the so-called abundance movement typically is described as a debate taking place almost entirely on the left. But in fact many of its major themes were being discussed in right-leaning circles decades ago. Virginia Postrel, a libertarian thinker and journalist who was the former editor-in-chief of Reason mag…

1
If we don’t like polarizing politicians, why do we get them? 1:01:42

5M ago1:01:42

1:01:42

Politicians are launching outlandish negative attacks and Americans have developed more negative views of the other party. But how connected are polarizing politicians and a polarized electorate? Mia Costa finds that political elites have more polarized views of the other side than the public but they still benefit electorally and legislatively fro…

1
Populism and working-class nostalgia for the 1950s, with Alan Ehrenhalt 53:32

6M ago53:32

53:32

Donald Trump’s most resonant political slogan has always been the one he borrowed from Ronald Reagan: “Make America Great Again.” Trump rarely has been pushed to define when exactly he believes America experienced the greatness he promises to recapture. But many of his followers believe that America’s golden age — particularly for its working class…

1
The prehistory, present, and future of abundance, with Steve Teles 1:04:03

6M ago1:04:03

1:04:03

Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson's bestselling new book Abundance has kicked off a new political movement -- and a vigorous internal debate on the future of the Democratic Party. Many of the policy ideas behind Abundance were developed at the Niskanen Center, recently described in The Atlantic as "the closest thing to an institutional home for the abu…

1
Building a science of political progress 55:48

6M ago55:48

55:48

Politics seems to be holding us back in a world of technological and social progress. Research has found health cures, invented magic new tools, and connected us all, often with public policy assistance. Yet, the American political system remains deeply divided and dysfunctional, with the relationship between science and government at a low point. …

1
Exploring the Secrets of Political Charisma, with Molly Worthen 1:07:24

6M ago1:07:24

1:07:24

We all have an opinion about charismatic leaders — but do we really know what “charisma” means? Molly Worthen, in her new book Spellbound: How Charisma Shaped American History from the Puritans to Donald Trump, points out that charismatic leaders historically haven’t always been distinguished for their charm or compelling oratory. Rather, charismat…

1
The backstory for presidential power grabs 59:16

6M ago59:16

59:16

President Trump is claiming power over independent agencies and trying to redirect the administrative state, saying he is its unitary executive. But this is not the first time presidents have invoked broad authority. John Dearborn finds that President Reagan sought to gain power over civil rights agencies, saying they had gone too far in promoting …

1
Can liberals stop Trump in the courts? 56:55

7M ago56:55

56:55

Donald Trump’s expansive executive action has been met with a flurry of court action, as Democratic officials and liberal interest groups challenge each action—with a lot of early success. Can liberals succeed in limiting Trump through the courts or are American courts an inevitably conservative institution? Paul Nolette finds that Democratic Attor…

1
How the 1st term trade war hurt Trump 59:49

6M ago59:49

59:49

Donald Trump has now unilaterally imposed huge global tariffs, upending the world economy. But we did get a preview of Trump’s trade approach in his first term, allowing researchers to analyze the political consequences. Thiemo Fetzer finds that China, the EU, Canada, and Mexico reacted to the first term tariffs strategically, trying to hurt Trump’…

1
Christianity and democracy, with Jonathan Rauch 58:23

7M ago58:23

58:23

While the formal separation of church and state is a vital element of America's constitutional order, the success of our long-running experiment in self-government has always depended on a healthy interdependence between republican freedom and religious faith. So argues Jonathan Rauch in his new book Cross Purposes: Christianity's Broken Bargain wi…

1
The old, weird history of libertarianism, with Matt Zwolinski 1:05:49

8M ago1:05:49

1:05:49

When U.S. President Donald Trump announced the imposition of his “Liberation Day” tariffs against most of America’s global trading partners in April 2025, he seemed to harken back to a centuries-old form of economic nationalism known as mercantilism, which sought prosperity through restrictive trade practices. Opponents of mercantilism from the eig…

1
Is Trump redirecting or deconstructing the administrative state? 49:51

8M ago49:51

49:51

The 2nd Trump administration has begun tearing down the administrative state, firing thousands, cancelling contracts, and shuttering agencies. But they have also used the power of the state to ramp up summary deportations, crack down on universities, and threaten prosecutions of their political opponents. So is this the culmination of Republican ef…

1
Understanding the diploma divide, with Matt Grossmann and Dave Hopkins 1:08:17

8M ago1:08:17

1:08:17

The most important U.S. political trend of the 21st century, according to most observers, is the increasing tendency of college-educated voters to support the Democratic Party and for non-college-educated voters to support the Republican Party. In many ways, the two parties have swapped their historic bases. When John F. Kennedy won the presidency …

1
Are the parties too focused on policy programs? 44:55

8M ago44:55

44:55

We have the parties that we said we wanted: they compete over extensive policy programs, with voters making decisions among clear issue position alternatives. But how did they get here and have they now gone too far? Katherine Krimmel finds that the American parties became extensively programmatic as they lost vestiges of clientelism and became nat…

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Niskanen Centers Podcasts

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