From the opinion pages of The New York Times to his popular TikTok feed, Jamelle Bouie is a leading voice in American politics.

This week, Bouie helps us sift through the inner workings of Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” (4:38): its promise of prosperity for the middle class (8:44), the “moral economy” guiding the legislation (13:00), the projected losses in healthcare coverage across the country (18:07), particularly in right-leaning, rural communities (23:50), the GOP’s vision for the future (33:30), and how strict reporting requirements will put SNAP benefits at risk for millions (36:46).

On the back-half, Bouie reflects on the ghost of Democrats past (43:35), campaign lessons from Zohran Mamdani’s bid for New York City mayor (46:18), the recent ICE raids sweeping Los Angeles (1:03:54), and the historical antecedents that help put this moment in American life in perspective (1:08:08).

This episode was recorded at Spotify Studios. Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at mail@talkeasypod.com.

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