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The Opinions

Author: The New York Times Opinion

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You've heard the news, here's what to make of it.
102 Episodes
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President Trump has declared that his second term will begin with the “most extraordinary first 100 days of any presidency in American history.” To track, interrogate and challenge his most consequential actions during his first few months in office, Times Opinion’s deputy editor, Patrick Healy, is beginning a weekly series on “The Opinions” focused on Trump’s first 100 days. He kicks things off with the Times writer David Wallace-Wells, exploring the president’s executive orders on climate and energy as Mr. Trump prepares to tour the destruction wrought by the recent wildfires in Los Angeles.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.
Opinion's deputy editor, Patrick Healy, was joined by the columnists David French and Michelle Goldberg to makes sense of President Trump’s first day in office. We're learning “how much the American experiment has depended on the honor system,” French says.
Times columnist Thomas Friedman says this is a rare moment in the Middle East when “everything is in play and everything is possible." In this episode of The Opinions, he speaks to editor Dan Wakin about the forces brewing in the Middle East, what he expects of the relationship between Netanyahu and Trump and the one gig he would give up his column to try to do.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.
Donald Trump has promised to severely curtail legal and illegal immigration as he takes office for the second time. In this episode of “The Opinions,” the writer Binyamin Appelbaum argues that while the United States needs to improve its immigration enforcement, the country also desperately needs immigrants for cultural and economic vibrancy. Immigrants, Appelbaum explains, are the country’s “rocket fuel,” and he argues for specific legal changes to ensure the United States’ immigration policy matches its national interests.
Maine has one of the highest rates of opioid use disorder in the nation. But a program at a rural Maine jail initiated by an addiction medicine specialist, Alane O’Connor, is offering hope and saving lives. She’s spearheading a pilot program that offers a monthly injection of the drug Sublocade to addicted inmates, which curbs opioid cravings continuously for a month. In this episode, she argues, “jails are an incredible opportunity to help people enter recovery.”Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Kristina Samulewski with help from Caroline Losneck. It was edited by Alison Bruzek and Kaari Pitkin. Mixing by Carole Sabouraud. Original music by Pat McCusker, Isaac Jones and Carole Sabouraud. Fact-checking by Kate Sinclair and Mary Marge Locker. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The executive producer of Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser. Special thanks to Jan Hoffman, and Alice Anderson at Acadia Recording.
The Los Angeles wildfires offer a stark reminder that we no longer live in an era of reliable home insurance. An exodus of insurance companies from disaster-prone areas has put the American dream of homeownership in peril. In this episode, the climate reporter Nick Mott makes the case for a national climate catastrophe insurance plan that could help protect families from the devastating losses being experienced in California.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.
Argentina’s head of state, Javier Milei, is the latest inspiration for Donald Trump and his supporters, including Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. As Trump prepares to return to the White House, the Times Opinion columnist Michelle Goldberg explains what his admiration for Milei and his austerity policies might mean for Trump’s new administration.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.
The Supreme Court seems ready to uphold the law that would ban TikTok unless the app’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sells it to a U.S. buyer. The Opinion columnist David French talks with the politics editor Katherine Miller about why he believes the app poses a unique threat to U.S. security.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.
Sarah Wildman lost her 14-year-old daughter, Orli, to cancer in March 2023. Before she died, Orli had questions about the end of her life, but as Wildman explains in this episode, that conversation wasn’t encouraged by Orli’s doctors and caregivers. Wildman argues that health care providers need to be frank and empathetic with patients and their families about the realities of death. “Everyone deserves the opportunity to sit with these questions at the end of life,” she says. “It’s not impossible, but doing so requires us to recognize: It’s not sadness we should fear. It’s regret.”Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.
As the world grows increasingly fractured, taking the time to engage with strangers has become even more important. The artist and graphic journalist Wendy MacNaughton has created a simple but powerful way for people to connect in an isolated world.In this episode, she shares how she brings people together by having them draw each other in public spaces. All it takes is 60 seconds, two pieces of paper, two pens and the willingness to look — really look — at someone you’ve never met.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.
Vivek Murthy, the surgeon general, recently recommended that cancer warnings be included on all alcohol products. The author and wine enthusiast Boris Fishman argues that doing so would place all forms of liquor in the same bucket — one that ignores the history, the generations of labor and the joy that accompany sipping a glass of wine. He’d like people “to think about this as just one example out of many in a life that risks becoming stripped of a certain kind of magic because we’re trying to protect ourselves out of existence.”Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.
In two weeks, the Biden administration will step down, and with it, the most diverse cabinet in American history. In this episode, The Times’s editorial board member Farah Stockman explores the impacts of Joe Biden’s historically significant appointments, both in the United States and abroad.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.
President-elect Trump’s pick for secretary of health and human services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has been critical of ultraprocessed foods. But how bad are they? In this episode, Nicola Guess, a dietitian and researcher at the University of Oxford, explains why we shouldn’t be scared of the label “ultraprocessed.”Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.
In a time when the internet is teeming with content and hyperfragmented, how do you determine which memes, viral videos and ideas actually matter? The Times Opinion writer Jessica Grose sits down with Ryan Broderick, the creator of the Garbage Day newsletter, to understand the trends that made a splash both on- and offline in 2024.This conversation was recorded in December 2024.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.
As the year comes to an end, Times Opinion staff members — and our listeners — shared the things from 2024 they wanted to take with them into the new year. They range from impromptu hangs to weird A.I. TikToks. Take a listen.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.
President Jimmy Carter had a rich legacy, often marred by misunderstandings. Despite lasting only one term, his work post-presidency stands tall in its influence around the world. In this audio obituary, the Opinion columnist Nicholas Kristof reminisces on his interactions with the former president, Carter’s social work across countries in Africa and his influence on Kristof’s worldview.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.
The scent of vanilla is instantly recognizable — it’s also in danger of disappearing. In this ode to the vanilla bean, writer Aimee Nezhukumatathil explains why climate change might lead to the destruction of the beloved plant.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.
Over the past decade, the Times columnist David Brooks has gone from agnostic to deeply religious. In this episode he explores the evolving role of faith in his life, a force he describes as “a longing.” As he explains, “The joy is not in the satisfaction of the longing, but the joy is in the longing itself. It’s a good feeling to worship generosity itself.” Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.
Flu season has arrived again, and we still lack mainstream communication systems about risk levels and how to protect ourselves from seasonal viruses and emerging threats like bird flu. In this episode of “The Opinions,” the epidemiologist Caitlin Rivers argues that public health professionals should take a page from meteorologists and broadcast virus reports like weather reports.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.
The New York Times Opinion columnist Thomas Friedman and the Opinion editor Daniel Wakin discuss how and why the United States should use its influence in Syria following the ousting of its longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com
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Comments (10)

michael gilman

Who are snowflakes, after all? Who stopped folks from going past high school? My folks went to college. I had working class jobs for 2 decades. I went back to school and became a PA. I have great respect for n9n college folks.Whose disdain are they objecting to? If respect is what they seek, why revel in the foul mess if MAGA: love talk of shit hole countries and garbage islands? Why can't they see Trump is out to rule not lead us? Do they not understand the fascism he brings? Why not? Why not?

Nov 17th
Reply (2)

Andi-Roo Libecap

💯👏👏👏

Oct 3rd
Reply

baby rock

so arrogant

Sep 25th
Reply

Andi-Roo Libecap

I have echolalia, so I accidentally pick up the accent, dialect, vocabulary, or speech pattern of anyone I'm listening to. On the one hand, it's kinda cool because I'm not a bad mimic... but since it's involuntary, the downside is that I'm often accused of mocking a person or culture, which couldn't be further from the truth. Hearing this vignette about codeswitching was fascinating; I have so many questions!

Sep 23rd
Reply (4)