The Opinions

It was the worst thing that ever happened to Bill White — and then it became the best.

Changing your mind can be a difficult thing to do, especially when it also means reconsidering the foundation of your faith. For Evangelical Pastor Bill White, that’s what happened when his 15-year-old son Timothy came out as gay to him at Starbucks. On this episode of “The Opinions,” Bill reads from his journal documenting the personal transformation that led him to thank God for making his son gay.

Thoughts? Email us at [email protected].

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Three Opinion writers debate whether universities should make a deal with the administration.

In this episode of The Opinions, David Leonhardt, an editorial director in Opinion, debates his colleagues Binyamin Appelbaum and Emily Bazelon on the agreements Ivy League universities have reached with the Trump administration, and what those deals mean for the future of higher education and other organizations fighting with the White House.

Thoughts? Questions? Email us at [email protected]

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

And what it could mean for the future of the conflict in the Middle East.

As Gazans starve, some of Israel’s supporters and global allies, including President Trump, are beginning to change their views on the humanitarian crisis in the region. Michelle Cottle, a national politics writer for Times Opinion, joins the columnists Lydia Polgreen and David French to discuss this shift and Israel’s fundamental mistake.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Conservative Christian influencers are reshaping beauty standards and promoting diet culture — and their messages are resonating with women. In this episode of “The Opinions,” the Times Opinion editor Meher Ahmad speaks with the columnist Jessica Grose about how religion and weight loss culture intertwine, and why this pairing is gaining traction.

Read the full transcript here: https://nytimes.com/2025/07/30/opinion/christian-influencers-diet-culture-women.html

Thoughts? Email us at [email protected].

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 Pat McCusker, Efim Shapiro and 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.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The linguist John McWhorter on how language around racial identity is evolving.

Trump urged the Washington Commanders to revert to their former name. They dropped “Redskins” in 2020 following years of pressure. In this episode of The Opinions, linguist John McWhorter joins David Leonhardt, the editorial director of New York Times Opinion, to discuss the politics of language and how we talk about race.

Thoughts? Email us at [email protected].

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week on “The Opinions,” the national politics correspondent Michelle Cottle and the columnists Jamelle Bouie and Michelle Goldberg discuss the growing anger over President Trump’s mass deportation policy and the local resistance movements forming in response.

Thoughts? Email us at [email protected].

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Omer Bartov grew up in Israel and served in the Israel Defense Forces. He went on to study the Holocaust and genocide as a historian. In this conversation, he tells the Opinion editor Daniel J. Wakin why he believes Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and what that means for the future of the Middle East and the next generation of Jews in Israel and the United States.

Thoughts? Email us at [email protected].

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

David Leonhardt, an editorial director for Opinion, talks to the Opinion correspondent Michelle Cottle about her recent reporting trip to Kansas. Cottle argues that Democrats should look to moderate governors like Laura Kelly of Kansas for a playbook.

Thoughts? Email us at [email protected].

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week on the “Opinions” round table, the national politics correspondent Michelle Cottle and the columnists David French and Jamelle Bouie discuss the right’s implosion over the Trump administration’s decision to close the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and how the Supreme Court handed Trump another win.

Thoughts? Email us at [email protected].

This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Alison Bruzek. It was edited by Alison Bruzek and Kaari Pitkin. The rest of the show's production team includes Derek Arthur, Vishakha Darbha, Kristina Samulewski and Jillian Weinberger. Mixing by Carole Sabouraud. Original music by Carole Sabouraud and Pat McCusker. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker and Michelle Harris. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Kristina Samulewski. The director of Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ken Jennings, the “Jeopardy!” host, doesn’t think trivia is trivial. In this episode, he makes the case that shows like “Jeopardy!” aren’t just games — they might be among the last cultural spaces where facts still matter.

Thoughts? Email us at [email protected].

This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Vishakha Darbha. It was edited by Alison Bruzek, Kaari Pitkin and Jillian Weinberger. The rest of the show's production team includes Derek Arthur and Kristina Samulewski. Mixing by Carole Sabouraud. Original music by Sonia Herrero, Pat McCusker, Isaac Jones and Carole Sabouraud. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski. The director of Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.