President Trump’s popularity appears to be slipping in the Republican Party and with the American people. This week Republicans eked out a victory in a Tennessee special election, but only after national groups spent millions of dollars shoring up their chosen candidate. Meanwhile, G.O.P. lawmakers seem skeptical of the Trump administration’s justification for boat strikes in the Caribbean. On this episode, the Opinion national politics writer Michelle Cottle discusses the ramifications for the president with the columnists Jamelle Bouie and David French.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.
The Opinion columnist Bret Stephens and the contributing Opinion writer Frank Bruni return for another edition of The Conversation. This week, they are joined by the Opinion editor Aaron Retica, who fields questions from readers about the gap between President Trump’s interests and voters’ priorities, the future of Trumpism without Trump and whether centrism can be charismatic.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Derek Arthur. It was edited by Alison Bruzek and Kaari Pitkin. Mixing and original music by Carole Sabouraud. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker and Kate Sinclair. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Kristina Samulewski. The director of Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.
Rural aesthetics are in — from cowboy boots, to country albums by popstars, to pastoral idealism peddled by influencers. New York Times Opinion editor Meher Ahmad speaks to columnist Tressie McMillan Cottom and contributor Emily Keegin about what these cultural touch points mean for our politics, and society at large.
Democrats can tackle affordability and confront the damage President Trump is doing to American democracy — but only if they get the leadership right, Senator Cory Booker, Democrat of New Jersey, argues. Booker sat down with the Times Opinion editorial director David Leonhardt in late October to discuss his vision for the party, the stakes for the country and why he still believes in America — urging Americans to “hold tight,” because, he says, “the best chapter in a century is upon us.”Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Jillian Weinberger. It was edited by Alison Bruzek and Kaari Pitkin. The rest of the show's production team includes Derek Arthur, Vishakha Darbha and Kristina Samulewski. Mixing by Pat McCusker. Original music by Carole Sabouraud. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Kristina Samulewski. The director of Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.
Much of the national discussion around the Epstein case has focused on the political drama. But as the Opinion columnist Lydia Polgreen and the contributing Opinion writer Molly Jong-Fast remind listeners, this is a case about the “conspiracy of silence” that perpetuates sexual violence against women. In this episode, the two writers explore the intertwining paths of the Epstein saga and the #MeToo movement, the challenges of accountability and whether this moment could mark a change for American culture and politics.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Derek Arthur. It was edited by Alison Bruzek and Kaari Pitkin. The rest of the production team includes Vishakha Darbha, Kristina Samulewski and Jillian Weinberger. Mixing by Carole Sabouraud. Original music by Sonia Herrero, Pat McCusker and Carole Sabouraud. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker and Kate Sinclair. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Kristina Samulewski. The director of Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.
Representative Ro Khanna, Democrat of California, was instrumental in pressuring President Trump to reverse course on a bill he sponsored, with the Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky, to direct the Justice Department to release files related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In this conversation, Mr. Khanna tells David Leonhardt, an editorial director in Times Opinion, why his advocacy for Americans left behind by the global economy pushed him to spotlight the Epstein case.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Jillian Weinberger. It was edited by Kaari Pitkin and Alison Bruzek. The rest of the show's production team includes Derek Arthur, Vishakha Darbha and Kristina Samulewski. Mixing by Carole Sabouraud. Original music by Pat McCusker and Carole Sabouraud. Fact-checking by Kate Sinclair and Mary Marge Locker. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Kristina Samulewski. The director of Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.
Now that Donald Trump will never be on a ballot again, some conservatives are starting to imagine a future beyond him. In the latest installment of America’s Next Story, David Leonhardt, an editorial director at Opinion, talks with the conservative Sarah Isgur, an editor at The Dispatch and the author of a forthcoming book about the Supreme Court, “Last Branch Standing.” She lays out her dream for a return to a small-government ethos and constrained presidential power — no matter who holds the White House.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Jillian Weinberger. It was edited by Alison Bruzek and Kaari Pitkin. The rest of the show's production team includes Derek Arthur, Vishakha Darbha and Kristina Samulewski. Mixing by Efim Shapiro. Original music by Carole Sabouraud. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Kristina Samulewski. The director of Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.
The release of thousands of pages of emails from Jeffrey Epstein has cast a spotlight back on President Trump and his relationship with Epstein. This week, the Opinion national politics writer Michelle Cottle and the columnists Jamelle Bouie and David French argue that MAGA’s engagement with figures like Epstein and the prominent white nationalist Nick Fuentes is causing cracks on the political right and gradual losses for Trump’s base. But will these incremental steps away from Trump eventually look more like a stampede?Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.
Africa is expected to see a massive population boom in the next several decades. At the same time, the United States, China and European nations are pulling back their presence there in terms of aid, trade and investment. In this episode, the Opinion columnist Lydia Polgreen speaks with the former Times correspondent and bureau chief Howard French about the challenges facing Africa, the risk for global powers if they disengage from the continent and one 20th-century African leader’s vision for Black self-reliance that feels especially relevant today.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.
Immigration has always been central to the American story, yet many Americans remain dissatisfied with the Trump administration’s aggressive approach. So how does the country move forward on this issue?In this “America’s Next Story” series episode of “The Opinions,” David Leonhardt, an editorial director in Times Opinion, speaks with Cecilia Muñoz, who helped shape immigration policy under President Barack Obama. Ms. Muñoz explains that the openness of Mr. Biden’s immigration policy was an opportunity for Trump, and one he fully exploited. She urges the Democratic Party to find inspiration in her Obama-era immigration policy, to balance avenues for legal immigration with enforcement at the border.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Jillian Weinberger. It was edited by Alison Bruzek and Kaari Pitkin. The rest of the show's production team includes Derek Arthur, Vishkaha Darbha and Kristina Samulewski. Mixing by Pat McCusker and Isaac Jones. Original music by Carole Sabouruad. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Kristina Samulewski. The director of Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.
Tuesday’s election results have big implications for Democrats — and also for Republicans who have yoked their fortunes to President Trump. The Opinion national politics writer Michelle Cottle, along with the columnists Jamelle Bouie and David French, discuss whether the results indicate a new dawn or a predictable political swing in an unstable year.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Vishakha Darbha. It was edited by Alison Bruzek and Kaari Pitkin. The rest of the show's production team includes Derek Arthur, Kristina Samulewski and Jillian Weinberger. Mixing by Carole Sabouraud. Original music by Pat McCusker, Carole Sabouraud and Aman Sahota. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Kristina Samulewski. The director of Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.
President Trump’s recent meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, led to a de-escalation of the tense trade war between the superpowers. But what could this truce mean for the United States in the long term, especially as China continues to demonstrate dominance?In this episode, the Opinion editor Ariel Kaminer speaks with Oren Cass, the founder and chief economist of the conservative think tank American Compass, and Jason Furman, an economist at Harvard and a former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, about the possible ways to engage with Beijing and the merits of blowing up a world built on free trade.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Derek Arthur. It was edited by Alison Bruzek and Kaari Pitkin. The rest of the show's production team includes Vishakha Darbha, Kristina Samulewski and Jillian Weinberger. Mixing by Carole Sabouraud. Original music by Sonia Herrero, Isaac Jones and Carole Sabouraud. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker and Kate Sinclair. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Kristina Samulewski. The director of Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.
Bernie Sanders is not a fan of billionaires. His laser focus on economic inequality has made him one of the most influential politicians in the country. In this conversation with David Leonhardt, an editorial director in Times Opinion, Sanders explains why America’s next story must include economic justice for the country’s working class, and why progressives shouldn’t shun voters who disagree with them on social issues.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Jillian Weinberger. It was edited by Alison Bruzek and Kaari Pitkin. The rest of the show's production team includes Derek Arthur, Vishakha Darbha and Kristina Samulewski. Mixing by Efim Shapiro and Isaac Jones. Original music by Carole Sabouraud. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Kristina Samulewski. The director of Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.
The legislative branch of the government is in crisis. The shutdown is entering a second month. Millions of Americans were given a reprieve on Friday after a judge ordered the Trump administration to continue paying for food stamps. The Opinion national politics writer Michelle Cottle discusses the repercussions of a weakening Congress with the Opinion columnists Jamelle Bouie and David French, and what the future could hold for this institution.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.
In the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters, “This is the savagery that we only remember from the Nazi crimes in the Holocaust. Hamas are the new Nazis.” Many Israeli politicians echoed that, invoking the Holocaust to describe the terrorist attacks. In an interview with the Times Opinion columnist M. Gessen, the Columbia University professor Marianne Hirsch argues that the trauma and memory of the Holocaust are being misused and makes a case for how it should be taught going forward.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.
What’s the problem with marriage? That depends on whom you ask. The Times Opinion editor Meher Ahmad is joined by the Opinion writer Jessica Grose and the author Glynnis MacNicol to discuss the current shift away from marriage and romantic relationships, and what these cultural changes mean for our society at large.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.
The Harvard historian Jill Lepore worries that citizens have become too passive, waiting for change to happen to them. She is on a mission to revive what has become a lost art in American politics: amending the Constitution. In this conversation with David Leonhardt, an editorial director for York Times Opinion, Lepore argues that demonizing Donald Trump inevitably backfires for the left and says that turning the page on the Trump era will require not just hope but determination.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Jillian Weinberger. It was edited by Alison Bruzek and Kaari Pitkin. Mixing by Pat McCusker. Original music by Carole Sabouraud. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Kristina Samulewski. The director of Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.
The Conversation convenes this week with the Opinion columnist David Brooks, the contributing Opinion writer E.J. Dionne Jr. and the former host of NPR’s “All Things Considered” Robert Siegel to discuss and debate Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral run, gerrymandering and what the No Kings protests achieved.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Vishakha Darbha. It was edited by Alison Bruzek and Kaari Pitkin. The rest of the show's production team includes Derek Arthur, Kristina Samulewski and Jillian Weinberger. Mixing and original music by Carole Sabouraud. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Kristina Samulewski. The director of Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.
Senator Ruben Gallego won election in Arizona in 2024 by emphasizing prosperity over equity. Now, he wants the rest of the Democratic Party to follow suit. In this interview with David Leonhardt, an editorial director in New York Times Opinion, Senator Gallego gives the Democrats some tough love on border security and affordability and explains what he appreciates about the story New York’s mayoral front-runner, Zohran Mamdani, is telling.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.
The South isn’t just a wellspring for American culture; it offers a blueprint for America’s future. For this week’s round table on “The Opinions,” three Southerners — the columnists Jamelle Bouie, David French and Tressie McMillan Cottom — explore how the nation’s fascination with Southern culture reveals deeper truths about race, class, belonging and the power of Trumpism.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Jillian Weinberger. It was edited by Alison Bruzek and Kaari Ptkin. The rest of the show's production team includes Derek Arthur, Vishakha Darbha and Kristina Samulewski. Mixing by Isaac Jones. Original music by Carole Sabouruad. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Kristina Samulewski. The director of Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.
Eric Everitt
These women are toxic AF
michael gilman
I suppose there was an agreement to avoid delving into Trump's criminality and cognitive decline.
Emily Koritz
"a sense of a shared national project" YES, this is needed. And we, the people, need to unhitch our hearts and minds from toxicity wherever it is found. It squats in our minds and pays no rent. It comes to us from many "leaders" and pundits. We can say no to our own personal exposure to this crap, and love one another, instead.
michael gilman
I am quite disappointed David did not challenge him on the illegality of the various ways Trump is violating the Constitution.The prologue made it seem as though there would be sharp disagreements. Not really. On another note, here we have once again a Trump conservative who is a product of an Ivy League University. Harvard in this case. Yale for Vance. Princeton for Hegseth. Someone better look into why the Ivy League is churning out counter American Revolution Revolutionaries.
michael gilman
Oh, boy, Speaking of speaking, dear millenials. Listen to yourselves. Up talking, frying words, relying on like, and you know, and right, using there's when context calls for there ARE, not IS. I'd love to see how a copy editor, and editor would clean up your conversation for a transcript. Meantime, I like, you know, sort of, feel like there's many more points but mainly your speech is such a boring amalgam of trendy syntax, malapropisms, that I could not listen to the end. Sad, right?