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The Opinions

The New York Times Opinion

You've heard the news, here's what to make of it.

300 episodes

Cornell and the Age of Impunity 3 Oct 2026 · 44 min Disturbing details from an investigation of a rape allegation at Cornell University continue to be revealed. In this week’s episode, the Times Opinion politics correspondent Miche…

America Used to Be Cool. What Happened? 30 Sept 2026 · 42 min Has America lost its monopoly on cool? The Opinion culture editor Nadja Spiegelman joins the American expats and authors W. David Marx and Euny Hong to discuss how the world views…

'The MAGA Flag Is in Tatters' 26 Sept 2026 · 34 min The midterm elections are still six weeks away, but Republicans are already looking ahead to 2028. In this episode, the Opinion contributor Robert Siegel and the contributing writ…

The Wild West of A.I. Needs to End. Here’s How. 24 Sept 2026 · 35 min It isn’t normal to see the people developing new technology “running around shouting that the sky is falling,” Binyamin Appelbaum argues. So how do we make A.I. safe? By regulatin…

Trump’s Political Instincts ‘Are Clearly Fading’ 19 Sept 2026 · 37 min Three Opinion writers unpack the week in A.I. news and what President Trump's response means for the midterms. Thoughts? Email us at [email protected]. This episode of “The…

Why We Can’t Stop Arguing About S.S.R.I.s 16 Sept 2026 · 43 min Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the MAHA movement are hoping to curtail the use of S.S.R.I.s — a class of drugs commonly prescribed for anxiety, depression and a host of other psychiat…

His Act Is Getting Old 12 Sept 2026 · 34 min From the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11 to “Trumpapalooza,” on this week’s round table, the Opinion contributor Robert Siegel is joined by the contributing writer E.J. Dionne Jr. an…

Roy Cohn: ‘The Evil Forrest Gump of the 20th Century’ 9 Sept 2026 · 36 min Before Donald Trump, there was the lawyer Roy Cohn. In “American Scoundrel,” the couathors Kai Bird and Susan Goldmark examine the life and legacy of Mr. Cohn, a driving force beh…

Best Of: Our Health Care System Isn’t Built for You to Get Old 2 Sept 2026 · 23 min It’s the thing no one prepares you for: becoming a caregiver for your aging parents. This episode is one that still gets people talking. Earlier this year, the producer Vishakha D…

Best Of: The Aesthetic That Explains American Identity Now 27 Aug 2026 · 33 min With the recent passing of Dolly Parton, we’re revisiting an episode from our archives that explores an aesthetic the legendary country singer knew well: rural. Last year, the New…

The Right Is Rethinking MAGA. The Left Is Rethinking ‘Woke.’ 22 Aug 2026 · 43 min What will the Republican Party become after President Trump? And how can the Democrats rehabilitate their toxic brand? On this episode of “The Opinions,” the Opinion political wri…

How Are the Democrats’ Midterm Dreams Shaping Up? 15 Aug 2026 · 41 min With the midterm elections less than three months away, surprising primary results and polling misses are raising questions about the direction of American politics. Are Democrats…

A.I. Hype Is Running Into Reality 12 Aug 2026 · 42 min Billions of dollars are flooding into — and out of — artificial intelligence, sparking concerns of a 2008-style economic bubble. The Opinion writer David Wallace-Wells is joined b…

Hello, Democrats? Are You Listening? 8 Aug 2026 · 37 min Based on the Democratic primary results in Michigan, a big question looms over the party: Can it turn this enthusiasm into a midterm win? The national politics writer Michelle Cot…

Have We Turned Personality Into Diagnosis? 5 Aug 2026 · 38 min Influencers on social media are sharing content that claims to help followers self-diagnose complex medical conditions ranging from A.D.H.D. to autism. And the data reveals that t…

The Working Class Is Fleeing Trump 1 Aug 2026 · 34 min What have Democrats learned from this season of primaries so far? “Their voters are so much angrier than I think they realized,” says the Opinion columnist Jamelle Bouie in this w…

The Silicon Valley Health Trend Making Doctors Nervous 29 Jul 2026 · 37 min Americans have spent billions of dollars tracking themselves: their steps, their blood oxygen saturation, their sleep cycles, their glucose levels. Is any of this data making us h…

The New Tactic Trump Thinks Will Rally Voters 25 Jul 2026 · 40 min The Iran war isn’t going well for President Trump. The midterms are approaching. What’s a desperate president to do? Turn to Communism. This week the Opinion national politics cor…

Gen Z-ers Are Ditching Sex. They Might Be On to Something. 22 Jul 2026 · 43 min Data shows that Gen Z is in a sex recession. Technology, #MeToo and a growing emphasis on platonic relationships are reshaping how many people think about sex. As anxiety grows ov…

The ‘Devil’s Bargain’ at the Heart of American Politics Now 18 Jul 2026 · 31 min This week, “The Opinions” politics round table wrestles with the art of political compromise. Did Lindsey Graham ingratiate himself with Donald Trump to protect Ukraine — and was…

Is This the Fastest Opinion Shift in American Politics? 15 Jul 2026 · 32 min Seventy-one percent of Americans say they don’t want an A.I. data center built close to where they live. Why? In this conversation, the Opinion writer David Wallace-Wells and the…

‘Platner Is Vile.’ McConnell Is Missing. Welcome to American Politics. 11 Jul 2026 · 45 min The word of the week for politics is “humiliation.” At least according to the Opinion contributing writer David Wallace-Wells, who joins the Opinion columnist David French and the…

The American Economy Isn’t as Bad as You Might Think 8 Jul 2026 · 34 min Despite all its problems, the U.S. economy is actually outperforming its competitors, China and the European Union, two Opinion contributing writers argue in this episode. Natasha…

Best of: Jill Lepore: ‘Most Forms of Tyranny Do Come to an End’ 1 Jul 2026 · 29 min As America’s 250th birthday approaches, we wanted to revisit this conversation with the Harvard historian Jill Lepore. Lepore worries that Americans have become too passive, waiti…

Three Opinion Writers on Trump’s Latest Faceplant 27 Jun 2026 · 38 min As America heads toward its 250th anniversary, many of its citizens and residents are not feeling particularly celebratory. This week on “The Opinions,” the national politics writ…

Thomas Friedman on the Clash at the Core of the Iran Deal 24 Jun 2026 · 29 min The divide between Iran and America is, the Opinion columnist Thomas L. Friedman argues, ultimately about the difference between “Kushnerism” (named for the president’s son-in-law…

‘A Deeply Anxious Personality’: Three Opinion Writers on JD Vance’s New Book 20 Jun 2026 · 40 min In JD Vance’s second memoir, “Communion,” the vice president reveals himself to be a deeply anxious person searching for certainty, the Opinion national politics correspondent Mic…

The Spectacle of Trump at 80 13 Jun 2026 · 33 min What does it say about President Trump — and America — that the soon-to-be octogenarian plans to celebrate his 80th birthday with a series of U.F.C. matches on the White House law…

The A.I. Bubble Is Coming for Your Retirement Account 10 Jun 2026 · 33 min SpaceX, Elon Musk’s rocket, satellite and A.I. company, is about to go public at a record-breaking $1.77 trillion. This summer, Anthropic and Open A.I. will follow suit, also with…

Graham Platner and the Rise of the ‘Dirtbag’ Democrat 6 Jun 2026 · 43 min On Tuesday, Graham Platner could become the Democratic Senate nominee in Maine. That has many in his party worried. This week on “The Opinions,” the political writer Michelle Cott…