The Opinions

We’re less than two weeks out from Election Day. In their last conversation before Americans head to the midterm polls, the national politics writer Michelle Cottle joins the columnists Jamelle Bouie and David French to take stock. While Jamelle makes the case for cautious optimism about a possible blue wave, David worries about what could happen if Trump doesn’t like the results.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.Want to catch “The Opinions” live? Join us at the Brooklyn Public Library on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. The Opinion columnists Jamelle Bouie and David Fr...

One of the biggest issue driving the midterm elections? The economy. On “The Opinions,” the economist Natasha Sarin and the Bulwark editor Catherine Rampell examine the strange disconnect between how the economy is doing and how Americans feel about it. How much of the blame belongs to President Trump? And how much goes deeper?Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.Want to catch “The Opinions” live?Join us at the Brooklyn Public Library on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. The Opinion columnists Jamelle Bouie and David French and the Opinion writer Michelle Cottle will unpack the midt...

Advertisers are projected to spend more money on political ads in the 2026 midterms than in any previous election cycle. What are campaigns selling — and what do they think voters want? The Opinion editor Steve Stromberg examines the ads shaping these elections with the Opinion columnist Carlos Lozada and Emily Keegin, a photo editor and creative consultant.Want to catch “The Opinions” live?Join us at the Brooklyn Public Library on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. The Opinion columnists Jamelle Bouie and David French and the Opinion writer Michelle Cottle will unpack the midterm election results and look ahead...

Many of President Trump’s policies have brought changes to the international order that will last long after his second term ends.On this episode of “The Opinions,” the columnist Lydia Polgreen speaks with the political scientist Rahmane Idrissa and the “Sinica Podcast” host Kaiser Kuo about how the United States and China view global leadership and what their evolving positions mean for smaller nations.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.Want to catch “The Opinions” live?Join us at the Brooklyn Public Library on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. The Opinion columnists Jamelle Bouie...

From the midterm elections to advances in artificial intelligence, there’s no dearth of political news this week. The Opinion contributor Robert Siegel joins the contributing writer E.J. Dionne Jr. and the columnist Carlos Lozada to discuss the role money plays in political campaigns, how the Democrats should proceed in November and whether A.I. has the ability to feel emotions.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.Want to catch “The Opinions” live? Join us at the Brooklyn Public Library on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. The Opinion columnists Jamelle Bouie and David French and th...

What impact has the Iran war had on the U.S. military? As the conflict drags on, the Times Opinion columnist and Iraq war veteran David French speaks with the former Special Forces officer Mike Nelson about the way Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, has tried to remake the military in the midst of the war, and what the Democrats should do if they win control of Congress in January.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Jillian Weinberger. It was edited by Kaari Pitkin. Mixing by C...

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 Michelle Cottle joins the columnists Jamelle Bouie and David French to talk about the cultural implications and the legal complexities surrounding the case. Then the trio discuss the people they’re keeping an eye on in the upcoming midterms.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Vishakha Darbha. It was edited by Alison Bruzek and Kaari Pitkin. Mixing by Pat McCusker. Video ed...

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 U.S. culture and whether its cultural exports still have the lasting impact they used to.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Vishakha Darbha. It was edited by Kaari Pitkin. Mixing by Carole Sabouraud. Video editing by Dani Dillion and Steph Khoury. The postproduction manager is Mike Puretz. Original music by Pat McCusker and Aman Saho...

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 writer E.J. Dionne Jr. are joined by Timothy P. Carney, a columnist for The Washington Examiner and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, to talk about the week’s big news in American politics. The three discuss who will lead the G.O.P. in 2028, the challenges Republicans will face before then and how the news media reluctantly took center stage this week.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@ny...

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 regulating it. Appelbaum, the lead writer on economics and business for The Times’s editorial board, joins the Opinion science writer David Wallace-Wells to discuss.(The New York Times has sued OpenAI and Microsoft claiming copyright infringement. The companies have denied those claims.)Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Derek Arthur. It was edited by Ka...

Three Opinion writers unpack the week in A.I. news and what President Trump's response means for the midterms.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Jillian Weinberger. It was edited by Kaari Pitkin. Mixing by Gautam Srikishan. Video editing by Brandon Belk-Yee and Kristen Williamson. The postproduction manager is Mike Puretz. Original music by Pat McCusker. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker and Kate Sinclair. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Kristina Samulewski with help from Kristin Lin. The director of Opinion Video is Jonah M. Kessel. The...

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 psychiatric issues. How should patients think about starting and staying on S.S.R.I.s today? In this episode, the Opinion writer David Wallace-Wells and the contributor Dr. Rachael Bedard talk with the psychiatrist and professor Dr. Anthony Rostain about what we know — and don’t know — about S.S.R.I.s and how doctors and patients should navigate the uncertainty.Thoughts...

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. and the columnist Carlos Lozada to draw a direct line from the catastrophic terror attack that changed America forever to the strange state of our politics today.Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Vishakha Darbha. It was edited by Alison Bruzek and Kaari Pitkin. Mixing by Pat McCusker. Video editing by Julian Hackney. The postproduction manager is Mike Puret...

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 behind McCarthyism, a pop culture villain and a key influence in Mr. Trump’s approach to power and politics. The Opinion columnist Carlos Lozada, the Opinion political writer Michelle Cottle and the Vanderbilt history professor Nicole Hemmer discuss the new book and how, even though he died in the 1980s, Mr. Cohn’s influence continues to live with us in politics and pop culture today.This episode contains...

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 Darbha spoke with the Times Opinion politics writer Michelle Cottle about the overwhelming audience response to her essay about caring for her ailing father, the political challenges of increasing available services and the burdens faced by caregivers. This episode originally aired Feb. 3, 2026. “The Opinions” returns next week from summer break with new programming. Here's the link to Michelle Cottle's essay: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/opinio...

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 York Times Opinion editor Meher Ahmad spoke with the columnist Tressie McMillan Cottom and the contributor Emily Keegin about why rural aesthetics are having a moment — and what their rise says about American politics and society at large. This episode originally aired Dec. 2, 2025. Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com. This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Vishakha Darbha. It was edited by Aliso...

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 writer Michelle Cottle teams up with the columnists David French and Jamelle Bouie to dissect party strategy ahead of — and beyond — the midterm elections. Plus, Jamelle divulges the book that fills him with dread. Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com. This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Derek Arthur. It was edited by Alison Bruzek. Mixing by Pat McCusker. Video editing by Kristen Williamson. The postproduction manager is M...

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 moving left or becoming more focused on winning? Are both parties growing more extreme? The conservative pollster and Opinion contributing writer Kristen Soltis Anderson joins the Opinion contributors E.J. Dionne Jr. and Robert Siegel to discuss the week in politics. Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com. This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Rochelle Widdowson. It was edited by Kaari Pitkin. Mixing by Daniel Ramirez. Video edit...

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 by the Yale economics professor and contributing Opinion writer Natasha Sarin to talk about whether the A.I. hype is exaggerated and if the fears of an impending economic crash-out are valid. Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com. This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Derek Arthur and Vishakha Darbha. It was edited by Kaari Pitkin. Mixing and original music by Isaac Jones. Video editing by Kristen Williamson. The post...

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 Cottle joins the columnist Jamelle Bouie and the Opinion politics editor Michael Duffy to debrief what happened in Michigan, what Democrats can learn from the tight race and what Abdul El-Sayed’s victory might mean for the midterms. Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com. This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Derek Arthur and Rochelle Widdowson. It was edited by Kaari Pitkin. Mixing by Isaac...