M. Gessen, an Opinion columnist, watched Tuesday’s vice-presidential debate with a sense of dread. In their mind, the question was not who would win the debate but, rather: How much did we lose? In this audio essay, Gessen argues that when we put Trump and his acolytes on the same platform as regular politicians and treat them equally, “that normalization degrades our political life and degrades our understanding of politics.” Thoughts? Email us at [email protected].
Oct 03, 2024•12 min
Thomas Friedman, an Opinion columnist and Middle East correspondent, is keenly aware of the many red lines that have been crossed in the growing conflict between Israel and Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas. He says, after Iran’s latest attack on Israel, anything is possible — from symbolic retaliation to the bombing of a nuclear facility. Hear why he believes that “this really is the most dangerous moment in the modern Middle East.” Thoughts? Email us at [email protected]
Oct 01, 2024•7 min
Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, was indicted last week for soliciting foreign funds for his campaign and for personal use. Casey Michel, director of the Combating Kleptocracy Program at the Human Rights Foundation, argues that to prevent the further degradation of our democracy, officials need to be more aggressive about enforcing existing foreign interference laws. Thoughts? Email us at [email protected].
Oct 01, 2024•9 min
Listen to Times Opinion Editor Kathleen Kingsbury make the case for Kamala Harris. Thoughts? Email us at [email protected].
Sep 30, 2024•8 min
Jesse Wegman, a member of the Times editorial board, has argued that to make the American election process more straightforward and just, the United States should elect its president based on the outcome of the popular vote rather than the Electoral College. But in this episode of “The Opinions” he goes a step further, arguing that the Electoral College renders elections more vulnerable to legal manipulation for political ends. Thoughts? Email us at [email protected]...
Sep 26, 2024•11 min
Flash floods plagued Utah and much of the Colorado Plateau this summer. Climate change has made them more frequent and more intense. In this audio essay, Terry Tempest Williams, a writer and conservationist, describes the terrible beauty of witnessing one such flood alone in her home.
Sep 25, 2024•10 min
In this episode, the columnist Nicholas Kristof argues that Democrats should focus their criticism on Donald Trump instead of Trump voters.
Sep 24, 2024•9 min
Recently, Republicans have taken to accusing Kamala Harris of using fake accents while on the campaign trail. In this episode of “The Opinions,” John McWhorter, an Opinion writer and linguist, argues the vice president is simply revealing a piece of herself by slipping into “Black English,” a form of code switching that is actually quite presidential. Questions? Thoughts? Email us at [email protected].
Sep 23, 2024•8 min
David French, a Times columnist, believes that to understand MAGA, we have to understand the joy and sense of belonging that the movement bestows upon its adherents. In this episode, he explains why Donald Trump’s most outrageous statements — such as the lie that Haitian immigrants are eating pets — appeal to his followers’ “sense of gleeful transgression.” Thoughts? Email us at [email protected]
Sep 19, 2024•9 min
The economist and New York Times Opinion Columnist Paul Krugman makes the case for aggressive rate cuts by the Federal Reserve and argues that now is not the time for caution.
Sep 18, 2024•9 min
Heat waves kill more Americans than hurricanes, tornadoes and floods combined. But despite their deadly toll, we rarely treat them with the urgency they demand. Eric Klinenberg, a sociologist, has spent the better part of his career studying the effects of heat waves. In this episode, he argues that to take heat waves more seriously, we need to start naming them like we do hurricanes — a simple, zero-cost action that could end up saving lives. Questions? Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes...
Sep 17, 2024•8 min
With Anastasia Berg. Having children has become increasingly “coded as conservative and reactionary,” philosopher Anastasia Berg argues. She makes the case for why young liberals and progressives should take the decision back — and stop delaying it. Thoughts? Email us at [email protected]
Sep 16, 2024•8 min
For voters whose top issue is the economy, the choice is clear, argues Binyamin Appelbaum, a member of the Times Editorial Board. Though Vice President Kamala Harris’s plans may be ill-defined, he says, Donald Trump’s plans — curbing immigration, raising tariffs and cutting taxes — would actually leave consumers worse off than they are today. Thoughts? Email us at [email protected]
Sep 12, 2024•9 min
Michelle Goldberg, the Times Opinion columnist, and Patrick Healy, the deputy Opinion editor, discuss the best and worst moments of the debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Will Harris’s apparent debate night victory matter to the swing state voters who can make the difference? Thoughts? Email us at [email protected].
Sep 11, 2024•22 min
After school shootings in Michigan, southern Virginia, and now Georgia, parents have been charged in connection to their children’s actions. Megan Stack, a Times contributing opinion writer, argues that states should turn their attention to gun storage and access laws instead of criminalizing parents. Thoughts? Email us at [email protected].
Sep 10, 2024•9 min
Songs from Luciano Pavarotti, Sinead O’Connor and “Cats” may not strike you as typical campaign music, but they’re on repeat at Donald Trump’s political rallies. The staff editor Katherine Miller has spent a lot of time at Trump rallies, and in this episode, she takes listeners on a tour of the unusual — and often subversive — soundtrack the former president curates for his campaign events. Thoughts? Questions? Email us at [email protected].
Sep 09, 2024•8 min
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s drive to stay in power is harming Israel’s global reputation and complicating the U.S. presidential election for Democrats, the Opinion columnist Thomas L. Friedman argues. In this audio essay, Friedman offers a new name for the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and explains why Netanyahu might be rooting for Donald Trump this November. Thoughts? Questions? Email us at [email protected].
Sep 05, 2024•9 min
They’ve been found in our milk, our eggs, our water supply and our bodies. In this audio essay, the environmental activist Erin Brockovich makes the case for better regulation of the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, contaminating our world. PFAS exposure has been associated with fertility issues and developmental delays in children. And while lawsuits have been filed against some of the biggest manufacturers of PFAS, Ms. Brockovich says those suits aren’t the only — or even the best...
Sep 04, 2024•8 min
Listen in on this focus group with young undecided voters — a group that could determine the outcome of the upcoming presidential election. The New York Times deputy Opinion editor, Patrick Healy, spoke with some Gen Z voters to better understand the issues they’re focused on and how they’re feeling about Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. In this episode, he argues that while many young undecided voters don’t trust Harris, there are clear ways for her to win their support.
Sep 03, 2024•9 min
Anchovies can help make plant-forward eating more delicious and appealing, argues Christopher Beckman, an archaeologist-turned-anchovy-lover. He is the author of “A Twist in the Tail: How the Humble Anchovy Flavored Western Cuisine,” and he makes the case for why we should all embrace the small, oily fish. Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] .
Sep 02, 2024•7 min
Kamala Harris has made her time as a prosecutor central to her presidential pitch. In this audio essay, Carlos Lozada, a Times Opinion columnist and host of “Matter of Opinion,” examines Harris’s two memoirs, reflects on how her criminal justice message has changed and explores what that may reveal about her candidacy.
Aug 29, 2024•9 min
In this era of artificial intelligence, who can compose a better beach read for the vacationing masses? The beloved fiction writer Curtis Sittenfeld … or ChatGPT? Listen as Sittenfeld sits down with the Opinion editor Susannah Meadows to talk about what they learned after pitting her writing against artificial intelligence , and hear excerpts from both stories to decide for yourself which is the more compelling read. Thoughts? Email us at [email protected]....
Aug 28, 2024•19 min
The Democratic Party’s recent position — or lack of position — on Gaza “feels like gaslighting to a lot of Democratic voters,” Farah Stockman of the editorial board argues in this audio essay. The party claims to value social justice and human rights, but when it comes to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, she says, Kamala Harris “needs to do more, and she can do more, to assure people she’s going to have a more evenhanded approach when she becomes president.” Thoughts? Email us at theopin...
Aug 27, 2024•10 min
Kamala Harris was flying high last week, but Donald Trump is poised to bring her back down to earth.
Aug 26, 2024•6 min
Should voters care about Kamala Harris’s identity? In this audio essay, the sociologist and New York Times Opinion columnist Tressie McMillan Cottom argues that while we shouldn’t ignore the unprecedented nature of Harris’s campaign, the Democrats need to balance that newness against the electorate’s desire to return to a time of political normalcy. Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] .
Aug 22, 2024•9 min
Dr. Deborah Heaney was enjoying a vacation in the Caribbean when she was struck with a sudden, debilitating illness. It took her days, a flight home and some luck before she was finally diagnosed with dengue fever. As temperatures rise globally, mosquito-borne tropical illnesses are spreading, and our medical systems are failing to keep up. In this episode, Dr. Heaney argues that the medical community must do a better job of incorporating education on diseases like dengue into their practice....
Aug 21, 2024•7 min
In 1992, James Carville, the longtime political strategist, coined the phrase that helped win Bill Clinton the presidency: “The economy, stupid.” In this episode of “The Opinions,” he shares what he thinks Vice President Kamala Harris should do to capture American voters on the issue that he says is “first and foremost on people’s minds”: the cost of living.
Aug 20, 2024•7 min
David French, an Opinion columnist, is an evangelical, pro-life conservative. For the first time in his life, he plans to vote for a Democratic presidential candidate: Kamala Harris. He says he will vote against Donald Trump “precisely because I’m conservative.” In this audio essay, David explains how he arrived at his decision and argues for other conservatives to join him.
Aug 19, 2024•8 min
Nicholas Kristof is an Oregonian and, he is quick to point out, a liberal. But in this audio essay, Kristof takes liberals to task for their governing of cities on the West Coast. It’s an election year, and so he asks the question he believes many Americans are thinking: “Why put liberals in charge nationally when the places around the country where liberals have the greatest control are plagued by homelessness, crime and dysfunction?” Thoughts? Questions? Email us at [email protected] ....
Aug 16, 2024•7 min
For Pride Month, the Opinion columnist Charles Blow dove into the stories of people who embraced fluid sexual identities later in life. He argues that despite the increasing number of people who come out as queer during adolescence, some don’t recognize or reveal an attraction to the same sex until their 40s or 50s. In this audio essay he shares their stories and his own. Thoughts? Questions? Email us at [email protected] .
Aug 16, 2024•9 min
