Interesting Times

Happy holidays! Our gift to you is full access to a recent subscribers-only bonus episode. 

After a “stranger than fiction” presidential race, the hosts take a deep dive into the messy movie and television plots that actually put this election to shame. Enjoy!

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) 

Thoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (212) 556-7440.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

While we are off this week, we wanted to share a great piece from our colleagues. 

President Biden has only a few weeks left in office. Here’s what he could do to optimize that remaining time — and improve his legacy. 

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) 

Thoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (212) 556-7440.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Is Donald Trump the chicken or the egg? On the cusp of his second administration, the hosts of dissect whether the president-elect is a cause or symptom of trends in popular culture.

Plus, Michelle brings all the nostalgia to the Christmas party.

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) 

Recommended in this episode:

• “The Shape of Water” directed by Guillermo del Toro
• “Yellowstone” created by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson
• “White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism” by Robin DiAngelo
• ‘Erasure” by Percival Everett
• “American Fiction” directed by Cord Jefferson
• ‘The Elementary Particles” by Michel Houellebecq
• “The Plot Against America” by Philip Roth
• “It Can’t Happen Here” by Sinclair Lewis
• “Reagan: His Life and Legend” by Max Boot

Thoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (212) 556-7440.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

We are off for Thanksgiving. But we have a special treat for you from “The Opinions,” a fellow New York Times Opinion podcast.

After our own Carlos Lozada immigrated to the U.S. from Peru as a child, he never felt being an immigrant was his overriding identity. But after years of hearing Donald Trump talk about immigration, his feelings have changed. 

If you enjoyed this, subscribe to "The Opinions" wherever you get your podcasts.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

On this episode, Ross is joined by his good friend Reihan Salam, a former housemate and co-author and the president of the Manhattan Institute. As young conservatives, the two teamed up in the waning days of the George W. Bush era to write “Grand New Party: How Republicans Can Win the Working Class and Save the American Dream.”

After Donald Trump’s second election victory, the two look back at their prescriptions and debate what they got right and wrong about building a durable Republican majority.

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) 

Thoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (212) 556-7440.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

As nominees roll in, the reality of Donald Trump’s second administration is rapidly coming into focus. This week, Ross is joined by Opinion columnist David French to discuss the surprising picks and what they signal about the incoming president’s policy shifts this time around.

(A full transcript of this episode will be available within 24 hours of publication on the Times website.)

Recommended in this episode:

• “There Will Always Be a Trump. That’s Only Part of the Problem.,” by David French
• “What JD Vance Believes,” by Ross Douthat
• “Donald Trump Is Dead Serious About Getting Matt Gaetz to DOJ” by Marc Caputo

Thoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (212) 556-7440.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

The Democratic Party needs to take a look in the mirror, and fast. This week, our old friend Lydia Polgreen joins the hosts to dissect what went wrong for Democrats, and what kind of leadership the party needs to win back voters in Trump’s America.

Plus, something to do other than doomscrolling.

(A full transcript of this episode will be available within 24 hours of publication on the Times website.)

Recommended in this episode:

• “A Party of Prigs and Pontificators Suffers a Humiliating Defeat” by Bret Stephens
• “Stop Pretending Trump Is Not Who We Are” by Carlos Lozada
• Toshi Reagon

Thoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (212) 556-7440.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

In this special post-election episode, the hosts take stock of Donald Trump’s triumphant night and what a return of his right-wing populism says about America.

(A full transcript of this episode will be available within 24 hours of publication on the Times website.)

Thoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (212) 556-7440.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Is this really the most consequential election of our lifetimes?

On this last episode of “Matter of Opinion” before the election, the hosts reflect on some defining moments of the campaign (other than President Biden dropping out), from Donald Trump’s indictments to Project 2025 to Ron Desantis’s lack of charisma. Plus, a visit from the ghosts of election nights past.

(A full transcript of this audio essay will be available within 24 hours of publication in the audio player above.)

Recommended in this episode:

• “Why Biden Is Unlikely to Defy the Naysayers” by Ross Douthat
• “Democrats Have a Better Option Than Biden” by Ezra Klein
• “The Presidential Fantasy Draft America Needs” from “Matter of Opinion”
• “The Woke Burnout Is Real — and Politics is Catching Up” from “Matter of Opinion”
• “Politics Without Winners: Can Either Party Build a Majority Coalition?” by Ruy Teixeira and Yuval Levin
• “Why the Heck Isn’t She Running Away With This?” by David Brooks
• “The Polls Show a Dead Heat, but They Don’t All Tell the Same Story” by Kristen Soltis Anderson

Thoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (212) 556-7440.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

There’s a whole world of 2024 elections that don’t involve Donald Trump or Kamala Harris. These races will be key to determining America’s future. As we inch closer to Election Day, the hosts zoom in on the congressional races that reveal something deeper — and stranger — about our politics.

Plus, Ross has a new Vice.

(A full transcript of this audio essay will be available within 24 hours of publication in the audio player above.)

Recommended in this episode:

• “The Hard Truth About Montana and Jon Tester’s Senate Race” by Michelle Cottle
• “The Senate May Come Down to a Blue State Surprise” by Michelle Cottle
• “Tokyo Vice” on Max

Thoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (212) 556-7440.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.