The Opinions

The New York Times Opinion

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

  • 41 minutes 3 seconds
    Republican Women vs. the G.O.P.

    The Republican Party has a misogyny problem. Congressional members like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert and Nancy Mace have been pushing past their party’s patriarchal views and fighting back. On this episode of “The Opinions,” the columnist David French is joined by the Opinion national politics writer Michelle Cottle and fellow columnist Jamelle Bouie to discuss how Republican women are standing up to their party and whether President Trump’s view of women will leave a lasting mark on conservative politics.

    Thoughts? Email us at [email protected].

    This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Vishakha Darbha. It was edited by Alison Bruzek and Kaari Pitkin. Mixing by Carole Sabouraud. Original music by Pat McCusker, Carole Sabouraud and Aman Sahota. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker and Kate Sinclair. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Kristina Samulewski. The director of Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.

    13 December 2025, 12:00 pm
  • 32 minutes 18 seconds
    Tom Friedman Says We’re in a New Epoch. David Brooks Has Questions.

    We’re living in a strange moment. According to the columnist Thomas L. Friedman, it’s a completely new era, called the Polycene — one in which everything moves faster and science, technology and politics are more connected than ever. The columnist David Brooks sits down with Friedman to make sense of what the modern world’s cascading crises mean for the future.

    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. Mixing by Carole Sabouraud. Original music by Sonia Herrero 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.

    12 December 2025, 10:00 am
  • 33 minutes 16 seconds
    M. Gessen and Michelle Goldberg on How to Resist

    So you disagree with the direction in which your country is headed. What’s a moral person to do? That’s the question the columnists M. Gessen and Michelle Goldberg recently set out to answer in their reporting in different countries. In this conversation with the editor Ariel Kaminer, they discuss recent tactics by Israeli dissidents, Americans organizing against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other ways to protest unethical policies.

    Thoughts? Email us at [email protected].

    This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Jillian Weinberger. It was edited by Alison Bruzek and Kaari Pitkin. Mixing by Sonia Herrero. Original music by Pat McCusker 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.

    9 December 2025, 10:00 am
  • 38 minutes 8 seconds
    Republicans Are Quietly Pushing Back Against Trump

    President Trump’s popularity appears to be slipping in the Republican Party and with the American people. This week Republicans eked out a victory in a Tennessee special election, but only after national groups spent millions of dollars shoring up their chosen candidate. Meanwhile, G.O.P. lawmakers seem skeptical of the Trump administration’s justification for boat strikes in the Caribbean. On this episode, the Opinion national politics writer Michelle Cottle discusses the ramifications for the president with the columnists Jamelle Bouie and David French.

    Thoughts? Email us at [email protected].

    6 December 2025, 12:00 pm
  • 36 minutes 58 seconds
    What Is Going on With Trump?

    The Opinion columnist Bret Stephens and the contributing Opinion writer Frank Bruni return for another edition of The Conversation. This week, they are joined by the Opinion editor Aaron Retica, who fields questions from readers about the gap between President Trump’s interests and voters’ priorities, the future of Trumpism without Trump and whether centrism can be charismatic.

    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. Mixing and original music by Carole Sabouraud. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker and Kate Sinclair. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Kristina Samulewski. The director of Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.

    4 December 2025, 10:00 am
  • 32 minutes 49 seconds
    The Aesthetic That Explains American Identity Now

    Rural aesthetics are in — from cowboy boots, to country albums by popstars, to pastoral idealism peddled by influencers. New York Times Opinion editor Meher Ahmad speaks to columnist Tressie McMillan Cottom and contributor Emily Keegin about what these cultural touch points mean for our politics, and society at large.

    2 December 2025, 10:00 am
  • 32 minutes 35 seconds
    America's Next Story: Senator Cory Booker

    Democrats can tackle affordability and confront the damage President Trump is doing to American democracy — but only if they get the leadership right, Senator Cory Booker, Democrat of New Jersey, argues. Booker sat down with the Times Opinion editorial director David Leonhardt in late October to discuss his vision for the party, the stakes for the country and why he still believes in America — urging Americans to “hold tight,” because, he says, “the best chapter in a century is upon us.”

    Thoughts? Email us at [email protected].

    This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Jillian Weinberger. It was edited by Alison Bruzek and Kaari Pitkin. The rest of the show's production team includes Derek Arthur, Vishakha Darbha and Kristina Samulewski. Mixing by Pat McCusker. Original music by 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.

    24 November 2025, 10:00 am
  • 26 minutes 20 seconds
    Epstein and the #MeToo of It All

    Much of the national discussion around the Epstein case has focused on the political drama. But as the Opinion columnist Lydia Polgreen and the contributing Opinion writer Molly Jong-Fast remind listeners, this is a case about the “conspiracy of silence” that perpetuates sexual violence against women. In this episode, the two writers explore the intertwining paths of the Epstein saga and the #MeToo movement, the challenges of accountability and whether this moment could mark a change for American culture and politics.

    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 production team includes Vishakha Darbha, Kristina Samulewski and Jillian Weinberger. Mixing by Carole Sabouraud. Original music by Sonia Herrero, Pat McCusker and Carole Sabouraud. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker and Kate Sinclair. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Kristina Samulewski. The director of Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.

    21 November 2025, 10:00 am
  • 30 minutes 30 seconds
    The Democrat Who Split MAGA Over the Epstein Files

    Representative Ro Khanna, Democrat of California, was instrumental in pressuring President Trump to reverse course on a bill he sponsored, with the Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky, to direct the Justice Department to release files related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In this conversation, Mr. Khanna tells David Leonhardt, an editorial director in Times Opinion, why his advocacy for Americans left behind by the global economy pushed him to spotlight the Epstein case.

    Thoughts? Email us at [email protected].

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

    18 November 2025, 10:00 am
  • 31 minutes 29 seconds
    America's Next Story: Sarah Isgur

    Now that Donald Trump will never be on a ballot again, some conservatives are starting to imagine a future beyond him. In the latest installment of America’s Next Story, David Leonhardt, an editorial director at Opinion, talks with the conservative Sarah Isgur, an editor at The Dispatch and the author of a forthcoming book about the Supreme Court, “Last Branch Standing.” She lays out her dream for a return to a small-government ethos and constrained presidential power — no matter who holds the White House.

    Thoughts? Email us at [email protected].

    This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Jillian Weinberger. It was edited by Alison Bruzek and Kaari Pitkin. The rest of the show's production team includes Derek Arthur, Vishakha Darbha and Kristina Samulewski. Mixing by Efim Shapiro. Original music by 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.

    17 November 2025, 10:00 am
  • 38 minutes 44 seconds
    In the Epstein Saga, Trump Is His Own Worst Enemy

    The release of thousands of pages of emails from Jeffrey Epstein has cast a spotlight back on President Trump and his relationship with Epstein. This week, the Opinion national politics writer Michelle Cottle and the columnists Jamelle Bouie and David French argue that MAGA’s engagement with figures like Epstein and the prominent white nationalist Nick Fuentes is causing cracks on the political right and gradual losses for Trump’s base. But will these incremental steps away from Trump eventually look more like a stampede?

    Thoughts? Email us at [email protected].

    15 November 2025, 12:00 pm
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