Impromptu

Where have all the benches gone? Deputy Opinion Editor Mark Lasswell reflects on the causes and consequences of the “defensive architecture” replacing seating in public spaces. Plus, contributing columnist Rick Reilly shares just how hard it’s become to find an Airbnb or VRBO that doesn’t feel like the inside of a Target.Additional reading by our columnists:Mark Lasswell: This punctuation mark is semi-dead. People have thoughts.Rick Reilly: I have decided never to go outside againSubscribe to The Washington Post here.

American women have grown more independent economically in recent decades, giving them greater choice in whom to date or marry — and the choice to opt out altogether. But where does women's rising stock leave men, and how is it connected with today’s so-called masculinity crisis? Post columnist Shadi Hamid talks with Richard Reeves, founder of the American Institute for Boys and Men, about why to pay on the first date, whether we’re heading toward a world of surplus men and how to be a man women want to marry.Here’s the study Richard mentions from the American Institute for Boys and Men: Will college educated women find someone to marry?Additional reading by our columnists:Shadi Hamid: Men are struggling to find love. Here’s why.Rahm Emanuel: What’s really depressing America’s young menJulien Berman: No, Gen-Z men aren’t specialSubscribe to The Washington Post here.

Additional reading by Washington Post columnists:Colbert I. King: The spirit of Old Dixie rises in D.C.Shadi Hamid: My gut instinct on Trump’s D.C. power grab was wrongMegan McArdle: D.C. has a real crime problem. Federal control won’t solve it.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

We’ve got some news.Read more about Dana’s new venture: We are losing our humanity. I am searching for an antidote.Enjoy some of our favorite episodes:What do men want?Is it time to delete our social media accounts?What the ‘tradwife’ trend says about modern lifeRemote work changed the country. Can it change back?AI is getting smarter. But are we?Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Try as he might, President Trump cannot seem to shake the controversy over his former friend Jeffrey Epstein. Why are people so interested in this case, and what are the political opportunities and costs? Dana Milbank, Jason Willick and James Hohmann discuss how this story might end, and whether it’s the one scandal that could finally stick to “the Teflon Don.”Additional reading:Jason Willick: Trump’s subordinates ran an Epstein Ponzi scheme. Now comes the bank run.Editorial Board: Conspiracy theories take root when government misleadsSubscribe to The Washington Post here.

It’s summertime, and when you’re traveling by air, flights are often overbooked, seats are cramped, and unexpected cancellations and delays feel all too frequent. Why do passengers find themselves in this situation, and is there a way to make it better? This week, we’re revisiting an episode with Charles Lane, Catherine Rampell and Marc Fisher exploring how, when people primarily look for the lowest price, airline travel becomes a race to the bottom.Additional reading by our columnists:Bina Venkataraman: Flying is a nightmare. But it could be fixed.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

The weapons deal President Trump announced this week marks a shift in his attitude toward Russian President Vladimir Putin and the full-scale invasion in Ukraine. But can it shift the trajectory of the war? If not, what will? Damir Marusic, Max Boot and Kori Schake discuss what the deal means for Ukraine and how Trump’s growing hawkishness will play to his “America First” supporters.  Read more from our columnists:Max Boot: Putin took Trump for granted. He’s going to pay for his mistake.David Ignatius: In squeezing Putin, Trump ‘escalates to de-escalate’Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

A lot of famous bands go on long past their prime, doing nostalgia tours and squeezing their hits for all they’re worth. But not R.E.M., one of the biggest bands in the world during a stretch of the 1990s. The band went from regularly playing shows for more than 100,000 people to calling it quits. Contributor Will Leitch, who occasionally bumps into the former members of R.E.M. in the grocery store, talks about how rare and admirable it is to know when to move on, and how the music is still there for all of us even if the band is not. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

A new immigrant detention center in Florida has been dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” by Republicans, who are now selling merch around the pop-up prison. It’s just one more stunt in a long line of immigration performance from President Trump and his administration. But is all this just a distraction from the difficulty of actually fulfilling his mass deportation campaign promises? And what happens to public support as Trump’s policies become more extreme? Dana Milbank, Eduardo Porter and Monica Hesse discuss. Read more from our columnists:Monica Hesse: Alligator Alcatraz turns serious matters into cheap entertainmentEduardo Porter: The profound hypocrisy underlying America’s immigration policy

Last month, Post columnist Dana Milbank hiked part of the Appalachian Trail with his brother. Along the way, he detached from the news and reacquainted himself with nature. In the process, he received a real-life lesson about how the world around us can reduce cognitive fatigue and enhance well-being. He reflects on his journey in a recent essay.Check out some of the other columns about Milbank’s adventures in nature:Dana Milbank: Technology broke our connection to nature. Here is a way back.Dana Milbank: Nature’s lesson for the politically worried: Spring will come againDana Milbank: My new tractor will either extend my life or end it quicklySubscribe to The Washington Post here.

Additional reading by our columnists:Ramesh Ponnuru: The Republican shell game on tax cutsNatasha Sarin: This senator’s comment on Medicaid cuts was brutal but accurateSubscribe to The Washington Post here.

Democratic socialism has notched another victory. Zohran Mamdani’s win over the establishment is just the latest in a line of self-proclaimed socialist candidates who’ve been invading the Democratic Party for the past decade. See: Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. But are people actually drawn to the policies and ideology of socialism, or is it about something else? Molly Roberts, Drew Goins and Philip Bump discuss what Mamdani’s victory tells us about the power of young voters.Read more from our columnists:Philip Bump: The Democrats’ generational rift just got harder to ignoreSubscribe to The Washington Post here.

After much hemming and hawing, President Trump joined the Israeli attack on Iran over the weekend. He’s now declared a ceasefire, but it’s off to a shaky start. So was the U.S. bombing a success and what’s next in the Middle East? Can the current leaders in Iran and Israel ever actually come together? Columnist Dana Milbank talks with Jason Rezaian, former Tehran correspondent at the Post, and Emily Harding from the Center of Strategic and International Studies about what’s going on in the Middle East. Read more from our columnists:Dana Milbank: War with Iran? Let’s run it up the flagpole!Emily Harding: The Iran strike was probably the right move. We may need to do it again.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

AI has become the one-stop solution to most of the problems we face. But can it truly substitute for human relationships? Drew Goins is joined by Post Opinions editor at large Bina Venkataraman and inclusion strategist Charlotte Marian Pearson to discuss the rise of AI companionship and what could be lost as more and more people get closer to this new technology.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

With Israel’s relentless attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites and top military leaders, the country is on the verge of catastrophe and major change. But what are Israel’s end goals, and does it need the United States to achieve them? Dana Milbank is joined by Jason Rezaian and Keith Richburg to talk through what’s happening in the Middle East and how the politics are playing out in an interesting way back in the U.S. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

As troops descend on Washington to show off U.S. military might, the National Guard is being sent to respond to protests in Los Angeles and accompany ICE on raids. At the same time, President Donald Trump is saying the military’s mission is not to spread democracy, but to “dominate any foe.” Contributing columnist and Navy veteran Theodore R. Johnson joins Drew Goins and Molly Roberts to discuss what happens when the military is sent into cultural battlegrounds, whether the parade will make anyone feel more patriotic and what military service means today. Theodore R. Johnson: What real patriots should think about Trump’s paradeSubscribe to The Washington Post here.

Protests against President Trump’s immigration policies have spread from Los Angeles outward over the past week. And his decision to send in National Guard troops, and then Marine units seems only to be adding fuel to the fire. Columnists Molly Roberts, James Hohmann and León Krauze discuss why these protests are happening now, whether democracy is beating authoritarianism and if this is really what voters wanted when they elected Trump. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

In the background of the parades, festivals and protests going off for Pride Month, there are executive orders targeting trans Americans and diminished support of certain rights for members of the LGBTQ+ community. Many corporate sponsors, happy to wave rainbow flags and sell Pride-themed merch in years past, are pulling back funds, too. Writer John Paul Brammer joins Drew Goins and Molly Roberts to discuss how the political atmosphere is affecting Pride this year. Find John Paul Brammer on Substack. Here’s his latest on Pride: ShelterAdditional reading:Pride Month is over. Welcome to LGBTQ Wrath Month.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Some investors on Wall Street are starting to call President Trump’s bluffs on tariffs — coining the acronym TACO, for “Trump Always Chickens Out.” But will Trump make good on his promises to end the conflict in Ukraine, strike a deal with Iran and make nice with China? Or is his strongman approach just making things worse? Columnists Dana Milbank, Catherine Rampell and Jim Geraghty discuss how difficult it is to strike deals when Trump’s actual policy objectives are so muddled.Additional reading by our columnists:Dana Milbank: The bully gets punched in the noseJim Geraghty: Trump belatedly wakes up to Putin’s brutalitySubscribe to The Washington Post here.

Over Memorial Day weekend, Americans went to the movies in record numbers. They were drawn by a live-action remake of “Lilo & Stitch,” the ninth Mission Impossible movie, and perhaps some good air-conditioning. Drew Goins, Molly Roberts and Will Leitch talk about why Hollywood continues to cash in on remakes, and what makes a film worth getting off your couch and going to the theater for.Additional reading:Will Leitch: ‘Sinners’ is leading the movies out of the streaming desertCheck out this limited time offer to subscribe to the Washington Post. It’s for just $2, every four weeks, for your first year and it’s ending soon.