The Trump-Musk Doctrine: F-ck Around and Find Out
Plain English with Derek Thompson18 Feb

The Trump-Musk Doctrine: F-ck Around and Find Out

For the past month, chaos and confusion have gripped Washington and the federal government. Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, have served as an iron fist of the Trump administration—ransacking government agencies, lighting fires in various departments, and generally firing as many people as they can get away with. Much of this work is plainly illegal. Every 12 hours, it seems, another federal judge rules that the Trump administration has exceeded its executive authority. Efficiency is a worthy goal, and some of the programs that Musk and his team cut may turn out to be wasteful. Still, the way Musk has gone about his work—destroying life-saving programs at USAID, mistakenly offering buyouts to nuclear assembly engineers and essential doctors with Veterans Affairs, slashing funds for important studies and data collection programs across government—suggests that his bureaucratic blitzkrieg isn't just illegal; it's careless and harmful. The U.S. deserves a theory of government more sophisticated than "F-ck around and find out." So, what would an effective DOGE look like? Today’s guests are Michael Geruso, an associate professor of economics at the University of Texas at Austin, and Tim Layton, a professor of health care policy at UVA. We explain why any sensible waste and fraud search-and-destroy effort should start with health care spending. Then we get very nerdy about waste and fraud in health care. Most importantly, we talk about trade-offs. It’s a myth that there is some pot of $10 billion just lying around, doing nothing, gathering dust. Every dollar of federal government spending goes to a person in a place doing a thing. And that means that every dollar we cut will have a recipient on the other end who is losing a dollar. Taking government efficiency seriously requires thinking about both sides of this equation: What do we get when we spend this dollar, and what do we lose when we take that dollar away? If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at PlainEnglish@Spotify.com. Host: Derek Thompson Guests: Michael Geruso and Tim Layton Producer: Devon Baroldi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Avsnitt(341)

The Four Ways That America Is Polarizing

The Four Ways That America Is Polarizing

David Frum joins Derek to talk about rising and falling polarization by race, gender, education, and place—and what it tells us about America's strange new politics. Host: Derek Thompson Guest: David Frum Producer: Devon Manze Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

28 Dec 202138min

The Four Biggest Myths of the U.S. Economy. Plus, Omicron in 100 Seconds.

The Four Biggest Myths of the U.S. Economy. Plus, Omicron in 100 Seconds.

Morgan Housel, Collaborative Fund partner and author of the bestseller 'The Psychology of Money,' joins the pod to debate what we're getting wrong about inflation, the Great Resignation, robots, and investing. Host: Derek Thompson Guest: Morgan Housel Producer: Devon Manze Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

21 Dec 202146min

Elon Musk Is the Person of the Year. Who Is the Person of the Century?

Elon Musk Is the Person of the Year. Who Is the Person of the Century?

New York Times tech columnist Kevin Roose is back to talk about the Age of Elon, why tech’s most famous founders are acting so weird, and why I’m wrong about remote work. Plus, a 2022 prediction. Host: Derek Thompson Guest: Kevin Roose Producer: Devon Manze Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

17 Dec 20211h 4min

The Elizabeth Holmes Trial With Rebecca Jarvis of 'The Dropout' Podcast

The Elizabeth Holmes Trial With Rebecca Jarvis of 'The Dropout' Podcast

Derek is obsessed with the trial of disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes—and he hopes you are too. Days away from the trial's end, Derek and Rebecca review the most jaw-dropping evidence in the case, the cringiest text messages, the biggest wins for the prosecution, the best moments for the defense, and the larger meaning of the tech trial of the century. Host: Derek Thompson Guest: Rebecca Jarvis Producer: Devon Manze Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

14 Dec 202148min

Media Report Card! Biden Blues, Omicron Fears, Chris Cuomo, and a Celebrity Profile for the Ages

Media Report Card! Biden Blues, Omicron Fears, Chris Cuomo, and a Celebrity Profile for the Ages

Bryan Curtis from The Ringer’s ‘The Press Box’ podcast joins Derek to hand out grades to the news media for its coverage of Biden, the pandemic, and more.  Host: Derek Thompson Guest: Bryan Curtis Producer: Devon Manze Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10 Dec 202144min

Work in America Is Broken—Can Remote Work Save Us?

Work in America Is Broken—Can Remote Work Save Us?

Derek talks to Anne Helen Petersen, the coauthor of 'Out of Work: The Big Problem and Bigger Promise of Working from Home,' about Americans' relationship to our jobs, work as an identity, and burnout as a policy choice. Host: Derek Thompson Guest: Anne Helen Petersen Producer: Devon Manze Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

7 Dec 202139min

BONUS POD: The Future of Democracy, the Media, and the Economy With Andrew Yang

BONUS POD: The Future of Democracy, the Media, and the Economy With Andrew Yang

In our first weekend special, Andrew interviews Derek about the state of the economy, and Derek interviews Andrew about the various plagues of U.S. politics. Host: Derek Thompson Guest: Andrew Yang Producer: Devon Manze Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

4 Dec 20211h 3min

The Bad Guys Are Winning

The Bad Guys Are Winning

Derek talks to The Atlantic's Anne Applebaum on the decline of democracy and the rise of a new form of authoritarianism in Russia, China, Europe, and the U.S. Host: Derek Thompson Guest: Anne Applebaum Producer: Devon Manze Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

3 Dec 202152min

Populärt inom Politik & nyheter

svenska-fall
aftonbladet-krim
motiv
p3-krim
fordomspodden
flashback-forever
rss-viva-fotboll
rss-krimstad
aftonbladet-daily
rss-sanning-konsekvens
spar
blenda-2
rss-krimreportrarna
rss-frandfors-horna
rss-vad-fan-hande
dagens-eko
olyckan-inifran
krimmagasinet
rss-flodet
spotlight