Vibe Shift Against Identity Politics, with Batya Ungar-Sargon, and How the Center-Left Failed, with David Leonhardt

Emily Jashinsky is joined by Batya Ungar-Sargon to talk about the rise of Zohran Mamdani, the way he avoided identity politics in his campaign so far and focused on economics, his familiar battle with the establishment and billionaires, whether cultural conservatism is on the rise, the "godless and morally offensive" parts of the Big Beautiful Bill, what the working class of both parties agree on, and more. Then David Leonhardt joins to discuss how the center-left failed, the decline of elite viewpoints, Mamdani's great political instincts but why the NYT has "deep qualms" about some of his policies, and more. And Emily closes it out by reflecting on the vibe shift we're experiencing in music, pop culture, and whether it's sustainable when elite millennials didn't get the memo.