Marvelous Mona Charen and I have done a Need to Know, with a guest: Russ Roberts, the famed economist and podcaster. He talks about some of the fundamental issues, including immigration. The subject has been on some people’s minds of late. I argue with him a bit. But if you argue with Russ, you’d better come prepared. He knows his philosophy and his data backwards and forwards.

He earned his doctorate at Chicago, and I can’t help asking him, “Did you have Stigler?” Yes. Wish I had.

When it’s just her and me, Mona pays tribute to Marco Rubio, late of the presidential campaign. I concur, for the most part. We talk about President Obama and the Supreme Court. She and I ain’t in the mood to confirm nobody. We nurse bitterness about Bork, a bitterness well earned. Speaking of bitterness, we also talk about matters Trump, and, really, matters American: because Trump is but a symptom, not a cause.

At the end, we have some lighter stuff, I think, including a tale from Carnegie Hall. (Composer gets stopped by security guard as she tries to mount the stage to take a bow.) But most of the subjects are serious, even apocalyptic. Still: It’s a fun podcast, I hope listeners will agree.

P.S. Apologies to the late, great Vasily Grossman for the title of this post.