Demographics, Fertility, and Social Security Risks

Ravi and Idrees Kahloon start with the current Supreme Court showdown: can a president raise tariffs alone, or does Congress have to sign off? They unpack why the Court might push back—and what that could mean for future presidents. Then they turn to immigration, where the U.S. may soon have more people leaving than arriving, with big effects on jobs and Social Security. Finally, they dig into education: why test scores are falling even as grades rise, and how places like Mississippi and New Orleans are turning things around by raising standards and focusing on real learning.

–

The Inconvenient Success of New Orleans Schools (The 74, 8/25/25)

The Court Must Decide If the Constitution Means What It Says  (The Atlantic, 11/5/25)

America’s Impending Population Collapse (The Atlantic, 10/29/25)America Is Sliding Toward Illiteracy (The Atlantic, 10/14/25)

–

Leave us a voicemail with your thoughts on the show! 201-305-0084⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• Follow Ravi at @RaviMGupta

• Notes from this episode are also available on Substack: https://thelostdebate.substack.com/

• Read more from Ravi on Substack: https://realravigupta.substack.com 

• Follow The Branch at @thebranchmedia

• Listen to more episodes of Lost Debate on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lost-debate/id1591300785

• Listen to more episodes of Lost Debate on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xR9pch9DrQDiZfGB5oF0F

• Listen to Where the Schools Went: https://thebranchmedia.org/show/where-the-schools-went/