Interesting Times

Though the “Matter of Opinion” crew is off this week, Michelle Cottle is eagerly awaiting the season finale of the first-ever “Golden Bachelor.” This older spin on the “Bachelor” franchise has proved to be a surprisingly apt funhouse mirror depiction of how America avoids the realities of its aging baby boomer population. And Michelle is here for it — in all its “weird glory.”

This audio essay was originally made for the NYT Audio App, free for Times subscribers in the Apple App Store.

We’ll be back with a regular episode next week, but in the meantime, send us a question or a topic you’d like to hear if we’re hot or cold on by emailing [email protected]. Or leave us a voice mail at 212-556-7440. We may use it in a future episode.

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What’s your earliest political memory? That’s the question Professor Carlos Lozada puts to his co-hosts this week on “Matter of Opinion.” The hosts discuss the coups and presidential pinings of their youths before debating what political events may be shaping the attitudes of younger voters today.

Plus, the documentary Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce need to see.

(A transcript of this episode can be found at the top of the episode page on the Times website.)

If you’re under 30 and want to share your formative political experience with us, leave a voicemail by calling 212-556-7440 and we may play some of it in a future episode.

Mentioned in this episode:

• “Running From Office: Why Young Americans Are Turned Off to Politics,” by Jennifer L. Lawless and Richard L. Fox
• “Facing Financial Ruin as Costs Soar for Elder Care,” by Reed Abelson and Jordan Rau in The New York Times

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The election results on Tuesday made it clear that voters support Democratic policies and state politicians — but new polling shows they don’t love the president.

On this week’s episode of “Matter of Opinion,” the hosts share their takeaways from the voting, and what it all means for 2024. Also, your calls about your presidential fantasy matchups.

(A transcript of this episode can be found at the top of the episode page on the Times website.)

Mentioned in this episode:

• “October 2023 Times/Siena Poll of the 2024 Battlegrounds”
• “The Woke Burnout is Real — and Politics is Catching Up”

Thoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected].

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 polls are clear: Neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump has the full confidence of American voters. But is Biden’s latest competition, Democratic Representative Dean Phillips of Minnesota, the answer to voters’ malaise? Or perhaps an independent candidate like Robert F. Kennedy Jr.?

On this week’s episode of “Matter of Opinion,” the hosts imagine their own alternative candidates for 2024 and debate what good — if any — could come from long-shot contenders.

(A transcript of this episode can be found at the top of the episode page on the Times website.)

Mentioned in this episode:

• “Dean Phillips Has a Warning for Democrats,” by Tim Alberta in The Atlantic

Thoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected].

If you want to share your dream matchups for the 2024 presidential election, leave us a voice mail message at (212) 556-7440. We may use excerpts from your message in a future episode.

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.

Will technology — and the people who make it — lead us into a better future? Or a worse one? This week on “Matter of Opinion,” the hosts discuss Elon Musk, techno-optimism and the manifesto taking Silicon Valley by storm. Plus, we learn that Ross wears dad drag.

(A transcript of this episode can be found at the top of the episode page on the Times website.)

Thoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected].

Mentioned in this episode:

• “The Techno-Optimist Manifesto,” by Marc Andreessen
• “Elon Musk,” by Walter Isaacson
• “Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future,” by Elizabeth Kolbert

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.

This week, the Opinion columnist and former New York Times Jerusalem bureau chief Thomas L. Friedman joins the “Matter of Opinion” hosts to discuss the rapidly evolving situation in the Middle East and the mistakes that led to this moment (he’s looking at you, Benjamin Netanyahu).

(A transcript of this episode can be found at the top of the episode page on the Times website.)
 

Mentioned in this episode:

• "Why Israel is Acting This Way," by Thomas L. Friedman in The New York Times

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 today’s episode of “Matter of Opinion,” the hosts discuss the global response to the war between Israel and Hamas. What domestic and international strings are attached to U.S. support in the region? And what will that support signal to rival hostile powers?

(A transcript of this episode can be found at the top of the episode page on the Times website.)

Mentioned in this episode:

• “Party of One: The Rise of Xi Jinping and China’s Superpower Future,” by Chun Han Wong
• President Joseph Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris Administration’s National Security Strategy — October 2022
• “There Is Not Yet an ‘Axis of Evil,’ but a New Reality for America in the Holy Land,” by Ross Douthat in The New York Times

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.

Now that Kevin McCarthy is no longer speaker, who’s in charge of the Republicans, and is this overthrow what voters actually want?

Today on “Matter of Opinion,” the hosts discuss the future of a deeply divided G.O.P. and debate what it means to be a Republican now. Plus, an argument for revisiting an elementary-school classic.

(A transcript of this episode can be found at the top of the episode page on the Times website.)

Mentioned in this episode:

• “What Explains Educational Polarization Among White Voters?” by William Marble
• “Neither Party Well-Liked, but G.O.P. Holds Advantage on Issues” Gallup polling

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 2020, Joe Biden handily beat Donald Trump in a race that was never particularly close. But now that the twice-impeached and four-times-indicted former president may once again be the Republican nominee, polls suggest they might be even, at best. Why isn’t Biden doing better? Has his presidency really gone so poorly?

This week on “Matter of Opinion,” the hosts discuss the uphill battle Biden is facing heading into 2024 and debate what kind of leader Americans really want.

(A transcript of this episode can be found at the top of the episode page on the Times website.)

Mentioned in this episode:

• “Reagan Should Not Seek Second Term, Majority Believes,” by Barry Sussman in The Washington Post

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.

Americans are sick of business as usual. This year alone, more than 275 strikes have broken out across the country, and last week, nearly 13,000 members of the United Auto Workers joined the picket line to demand a better deal with their employers.

So what’s going on with work in America?

This week on “Matter of Opinion,” the hosts break down how a changing economy and technological innovations are complicating the worker-employer relationship. Lydia offers some insight from her experience as the big boss on the other side of the bargaining table. Ross asks how little work The Times should pay him to do. And ultimately, the hosts debate the question: In today’s world, what role should work play in our lives?

(A full transcript of the episode will be available midday on the Times website.)

Mentioned in this episode:

• “Is College Worth It?,” an episode of “The Daily”
• “Biden E.V. Agenda Threatens U.S. Auto Industry,” by Senator J.D. Vance in the Toledo Blade
• “Why Americans Care About Work So Much,” by Derek Thompson in The Atlantic

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.