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Camille Bordas reads her story “Understanding the Science,” from the December 15, 2025, issue of the magazine. Bordas is the author of four novels, including “How to Behave in a Crowd” and “The Material.” Her first story collection, “One Sun Only,” will be published in January. 

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Do individuals or broader forces shape history? In the 2025 Reith lectures on BBC Radio 4, Rutger Bregman argues that small groups of individuals can have an outsize influence and he looks to examples in history from suffragism to the ending of slavery. In the Free Thinking studio for Radio 4's round-table discussion about the history of ideas, Matthew Sweet is joined by:

Anne Applebaum, Pulitzer prize winning historian and author of Autocracy Inc, which looks at the networks linking powerful people in our world

Producer: Eliane Glaser

Two humans — and their AI lovers — spill it all.

This episode was produced by Peter Balonon-Rosen, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Patrick Boyd and David Tatasciore, and hosted by Noel King.

An AI rendering made using the NightCafe software that Chris Smith made of his AI lover, Sol.

Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. New Vox members get $20 off their membership right now. Transcript at ⁠vox.com/today-explained-podcast.⁠

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On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on the modern history of the multi-faceted divide between rural and urban America and why it threatens democracy.

***

I answer your questions on the year’s political lessons, the struggles of young men and handling heat on the show.

The end-of-year Ask Me Anything episode has become a tradition on the show. So as 2025 comes to a close, I’m joined by Claire Gordon, the show’s executive producer, to answer your questions about an eventful year — how my thinking on the Trump administration has evolved, how well the Democratic Party has played its chips, what I think it means to be a Democrat right now, whether “Abundance” is centrist, how politicians might address adriftness of young people, how I’ve handled the criticism the show has received and how many packets of Splenda I consume in a day.

Note: This conversation was recorded on Tuesday, Dec. 2, and does not reflect more recent developments in Congress’s review of the Sept. 2 boat attack.

Mentioned:

“Don’t Believe Him” by Ezra Klein

“The Supreme Court Is Backing Trump’s Power Grab” by Ezra Klein

“What if Trump Just Ignores the Courts?” by Ezra Klein

“The Republican Party’s NPC Problem — and Ours” by Ezra Klein

“Abundance and the Left" by Ezra Klein

“The Emergency Is Here” by Ezra Klein

“Stop Acting Like This Is Normal” by Ezra Klein

“What Were Democrats Thinking?” by Ezra Klein

“The Goon Squad” by Daniel Kolitz

Dragonriders of Pern Series by Anne McCaffrey and Todd J. McCaffrey

Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at [email protected].

You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast, and you can find Ezra on Twitter @ezraklein. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs.

This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Claire Gordon, Kristin Lin and Marie Cascione. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing by Isaac Jones. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Annie Galvin, Rollin Hu, Emma Kehlbeck, Jack McCordick, Marina King and Jan Kobal. Original music by Carole Sabouraud and Pat McCusker. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The director of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser. Transcript editing by Andrea Gutierrez, Sarah Murphy and Marlaine Glicksman.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Clooney stars as an aging movie star who has neglected his family life in favor of his career in Noah Baumbach’s new film ‘Jay Kelly. ' He spoke with Tonya Mosley about his own journey with fame, his Broadway rendition of “Good Night, and Good Luck,” and his op-ed calling for Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race. 

Follow Fresh Air on instagram @nprfreshair, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter for gems from the Fresh Air archive, staff recommendations, and a peek behind the scenes. 

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This episode features Robert Harrison’s conversation with Christy Wampole about Zeitgeist and the spirit of planet Earth, which took place at Princeton University on October 23, 2025.

This is a catch-up version of James O'Brien's Mystery Hour. To join the game, call 0345 60 60 973, Thursdays at 12pm.

Two Americans embark on a quest: fly across an ocean to try to get into the most exclusive nightclub in the world – Berghain. A German techno palace where the line outside can last 8 hours, and the bouncers are merciless in their judgments. The club does not explain how it makes its decisions about who can enter, but one foolish podcaster will try to explain anyway.

Find Part 2 of “Why didn’t Chris and Dan get into Berghain?” here: link.pscrb.fm/f0281/se_hw

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's research showing that too much light at night and not enough daylight is taking years off our lives. NPR health correspondent Will Stone has tips to tune up your body's internal clock. This episode originally published December 17, 2024. 


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