Interesting Times with Ross Douthat

Trump Is the End of a 100-Year Experiment

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 09:00:00 +0000

President Trump has tested the limits of presidential power since he returned to office — from his assertion of total control over federal agencies to his war in Iran. But so far, many of Trump’s most aggressive moves have been stopped by the Supreme Court.

My guest this week is Sarah Isgur, a conservative court watcher, who argues that the Supreme Court isn’t just a firewall against Donald Trump, but the real power center in American politics today.

0:00 - Intro
01:28 - Remaking the presidency: The hundred-year experiment
04:26 - Trump’s legal retribution campaign
09:15 - The Supreme Court’s strategy in the face of Trump
18:15 - “Looming" cases: Tariffs and birthright citizenship
28:23 - Supreme Court internal dynamics
43:32 - The future bench

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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How Ben Sasse Is Living Now That He Is Dying

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 9 Apr 2026 09:00:00 +0000

How would you live if you knew when you were going to die? I sat down with the former Republican senator Ben Sasse to hear how he is facing his own mortality after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis. For Sasse, cancer brings pain, but also clarity, sharpening his focus on the state of our politics, his wife and three children, and the God he expects to shortly meet.

0:00 - Intro
01:51 - Ben Sasse’s terminal diagnosis
07:14 - Oncology navigation and clinical trials
16:10 - Sasse’s career in the Senate and reflections on politics
32:55 - What could a civic-minded Senator achieve?
38:15 - Reforming academia and liberal arts
54:49 - Facing mortality: The “final enemy”
59:27 - Advice for the living
1:01:10 - The “prayer of pancreatic cancer”

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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Did Jesus Rise From the Dead? A Debate.

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 2 Apr 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Even if you don’t believe he walked on water, the teachings of Jesus still have a certain power. My guest this week, the New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman, calls himself a “Christian atheist.” I asked Ehrman to come on the show to explore Jesus’ message, discuss how the Bible has shaped the morality of the Western world and explain what even the biggest skeptic can learn from one of mankind’s oldest texts.

0:00 - Intro
02:20 - Jesus’s moral teachings
08:15 - Ehrman’s path away from Christianity and faith
21:22 - The historical evidence for Jesus and the New Testament
33:26 - The challenges in interpreting the Gospels
52:07 - The contradictions in the New Testament
01:04:10 - Historical and geographical validity
01:09:25 - The visions and reality of the Resurrection
01:19:21 - A “Christian atheist”

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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How Far Will Trump Go in Iran?

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Is the U.S. winning the war with Iran? Even though President Trump claims success, it doesn’t quite feel like it — oil and gas prices are high, the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed, and the Iranian regime is still in place. Mark Dubowitz, the chief executive of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a prominent Iran hawk, explains why “total victory” is within reach in spite of the cost. I pressed him on the gap between Trump’s desire for a quick deal and his desire to end the Islamic Republic.

00:00 - Intro
00:03:49 - Is Iran biding its time until Trump leaves office?
00:07:07 - Three phases to regime change
00:09:42 - Iran's military capabilities and the Strait of Hormuz
00:14:54 - How will the next American president treat Iran?
00:18:48 - The battle for the Strait of Hormuz
00:23:27 - Will Iran attack its neighbors?
00:28:43 - Will Trump cut a deal?
00:38:19 - Does Israel think Trump is its best chance?
00:43:04 - Risk of U.S. alienation from Israel
00:48:01 - The cost of inaction and the Iranian people

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White Identity Is Galvanizing the Right

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 09:00:00 +0000

The idea that white people — and white men in particular — face discrimination has become something of an obsession on the American right.

It’s a view that my guest this week shares. Jeremy Carl was nominated to a State Department post by the Trump administration, which sparked a lot of controversy. Carl is the author of “The Unprotected Class,” in which he makes the case that white Americans are in danger of becoming “second-class citizens.”

I wanted to know what he thinks constitutes anti-white discrimination and whether focusing on it inevitably leads to white nationalism. After we taped this interview, Carl withdrew his nomination, acknowledging that he lacked enough support to be confirmed.

0:00 - Intro
01:59 - Jeremy Carl’s trajectory and State Department Nomination
05:24 - The Civil Rights Act and rise of anti-white Discrimination
12:20 - The impact of immigration on white Americans
24:53 - The "radicalization" of D.E.I.
37:37 - Carl’s provocative language and controversial tweets
51:06 - “White culture” vs. “civic nationalism”
01:01:00 - The fours pillars of “Americanness”

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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The Democrats Could Still Screw This Up

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Can the Democrats finally seize on President Trump’s increasing unpopularity and end their slump? It seems to me as though 2026 is providing them ample opportunity. But I wanted to know what they actually stand for. Have they learned anything about immigration? Are they ready for the new politics of artificial intelligence? To find out, I asked someone I consider a true man of the left, Chris Hayes, the host of “All In With Chris Hayes” on MS NOW.

00:00 Intro
02:09 - Democrats: The state of play in 2026
06:46 - How Israel fractures the Democrats
09:19 - Immigration reform beyond the “old consensus”
19:46 - Models for Democratic leadership: Mark Kelly, Ruben Gallego, Rafael Warnock, and Jon Ossoff
27:22 - 2028: Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom and “the Hillary Clinton problem”
30:41 - The politics of attention
36:19 - The challenges of achieving a Leftist society
45:37 - A Leftist case against A.I.
1:04:23 - Will A.I. define the 2028 election?

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times With Ross Douthat.

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Does the Iran War Put America First?

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 5 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000

I don’t think a war with Iran is what Trump — or his voters — had in mind when he campaigned on “America first.” My guest this week is Curt Mills, the executive director of The American Conservative, a magazine that champions foreign policy restraint. Mills thinks the war with Iran is a major betrayal of the voters who put Trump in the White House and has the potential to shatter Trump’s domestic coalition.

01:27 - Tracking the Trump administration’s foreign policy shifts and dynamics
08:50 - The different strands of right-wing foreign policy
15:00 - Is the anti-war movement real?: Policy, polling and public opinion
27:49 - Israel, Saudi Arabia and the Middle East’s influence on U.S. foreign policy
40:17 - Why can’t Trump say no to Israel?
46:20 - How does the fallout in Iran impact Trump’s potential 2028 successors and insurgents?

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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The New Space Race

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +0000

We’re going back to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. That is, if Artemis II can get off the ground. I sat down with Jared Isaacman, the billionaire leading NASA, to hear his perspective on everything from extraterrestrial life to the timeline for sending humans to Mars.

This interview was recorded before NASA announced the delay of Artemis II’s launch.

01:59 - Where are we?
04:00 - From entrepreneur to astronaut
09:04 - The “lunar futuristic junkyard”
15:06 - NASA’s budget
22:43 - Beyond NASA: Blue Origin, SpaceX and private industry
27:26 - The orbital economy
37:21 - How do we get to Mars?
43:31 - “Do you think there's life out there?”

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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Welcome to the Indian Century

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +0000

The next global leader is waiting in the wings — and no, I don’t mean China. India is the major power with the fastest-growing economy and the world’s largest population, and on the heels of trade deals with the United States and the European Union, it’s poised to become even more influential. I wanted to speak with Amitav Acharya, a prominent international relations scholar, about whether a new Indian century is about to be born.

01:49 - India vs. China: The race to development
05:26 - “The mother of all trade deals”
11:02 - India's “multi-aligned” foreign policy
17:46 - What is India’s grand strategy?
24:08 - The diaspora’s cultural and civilizational influence
41:50 - India in 2060

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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Anthropic's Chief on A.I.: ‘We Don’t Know if the Models Are Conscious’

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +0000

A.I. is evolving fast, and humanity is falling behind. Dario Amodei, the chief executive of Anthropic, has warned about the potential benefits — and real dangers — linked to the speed of that progress. As one of the lords of this technology, is he on the side of the human race?

01:37 - The promise and optimism of A.I.
12:59 - White collar "bloodbaths"
25:09 - Robotics and physical labor
30:16 - The first “dangerous” scenario
42:22 - What if it goes rogue?
48:01 - Claude’s constitution

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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Why Ending Roe Wasn’t Enough for the Pro-Life Movement

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 5 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Nearly four years after Roe v. Wade was overturned, where is the pro-life movement setting its sights? That’s what I wanted to know from the activist Lila Rose. We spoke last month in front of a live audience at the Catholic University of America. We debated whether her cause was prepared for the fall of Roe and whether abortion still matters at all to the right.

01:55 - Live Action and undercover activism
05:53 - Pro-Life 101 and S.L.E.D.
13:36 - “The mistake of feminism”
17:02 - Pro-family policy
22:47 - The political landscape after Roe
42:35 - The pro-life movement beyond politics
47:39 - The medical “zone of uncertainty”
53:53 - Why should women be pro-life?

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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‘Trump Has Lost the Country’

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Wed, 4 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +0000

I want to say something that few conservatives will admit right now: Donald Trump has lost the country. The coalition he assembled to defeat Kamala Harris has evaporated, and his aggressive agenda — never mind his legacy — won’t survive if Republicans can’t win the next election.

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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A Plan to Restore Trust in Science From a ‘Fringe Epidemiologist’

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 10:00:00 +0000

If you want to understand how Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became the face of American public health, you have to go back to the Covid era. Medical authorities spoke with certainty: Trust the science. Don’t listen to skeptics. But a lot of people stopped trusting experts entirely when outsiders got some things right and the establishment got some things wrong. Now those outsiders are in charge, like my guest this week. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya is the director of the National Institutes of Health. I wanted to know: Can an outsider restore trust in public health institutions without undermining trust even more?

02:11 - How the “fringe epidemiologist” came to be
08:18 - What went wrong while “crushing COVID-19”
15:18 - “The responsibility of public health leaders”
28:42 - Reforming public health and the NIH
42:52 - Three areas of controversy plaguing public health
1:00:52 - Success metrics

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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Jamelle Bouie and I Debate Trump’s Failing Grade

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Sun, 25 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000

President Trump’s aggressive return to the White House has been disruptive in ways that will continue to reshape American — and global — governance and politics for decades. At a live event with the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, I joined my colleague Jamelle Bouie and our boss, the Opinion editor, Kathleen Kingsbury, to break down the first year of Trump 2.0. This conversation originally aired as an episode of “The Opinions.”

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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No, Young Men Are Not Returning to Church

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Something surprising is happening to religious belief in America: It’s no longer trending downward. Are Americans becoming more religious? On this episode of “Interesting Times,” Ross sits down with the demographer and former pastor Ryan Burge to discuss the myths and realities of religious revival and debate whether the future belongs to ortho bros or Pagans.

01:32 - A new era of American religion
08:19 - The shifting gender balance in religion
13:38 - Class, education and social trust
18:48 - Tarot, astrology, and UFOs: Post-Christian spirituality
22:40 - The decline of the Seven Sisters
28:27 - Politics in the pews
40:29 - The religious and political America of 2050

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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Minneapolis Feels ‘Like Being in a Civil War’

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Can cellphone cameras and whistles impede President Trump’s immigration policy? On this week’s episode of “Interesting Times,” Ross speaks with Francisco Segovia, the executive director of a Minneapolis-based nonprofit on the front lines of anti-ICE activism, about how his organization is training citizens to become constitutional observers. “It’s your right to video record what your government is doing,” he says. Ross asks if there’s any enforcement he’d accept.

2:56 Current dynamics on the ground in Minneapolis
5:03 Communities Organizing Power and Action for Latinos (COPAL)
6:53 Francisco Segovia's story
14:26 What is a constitutional observer?
22:27 Reflections on Renee Good
28:59 Training efforts to try and keep protesters safe
34:42 What kind of immigration enforcement is legitimate?

Hey, Los Angeles! Come see Ross in conversation with the columnist Jamelle Bouie and the editor of New York Times Opinion, Katie Kingsbury, on Tuesday, Jan. 20. They’ll take stock of the first year of Trump’s second term and debate the administration’s biggest actions so far and what it all means for our country. Get tickets here while they’re still available.

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A Defense of U.S. Intervention in Venezuela

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Wed, 7 Jan 2026 10:00:00 +0000

What should the U.S. do next in Venezuela? President Trump’s former Venezuela envoy Elliott Abrams wants the Trump administration to push harder for full regime change. But, he and Ross debate if a democratic transition is even possible based on the administration’s interests and past American efforts in the region.

01:15 - The case for regime change in Venezuela
07:43 - The Trump administration’s current strategy
14:06 - The Abrams Plan: An alternative approach
17:50 - Oil blockades, sanctions, and military action
28:54 - Past transitions in Latin America
36:06 - The Reagan administration's “unsavory allies”
43:57 - Trump’s priorities are a “mystery”

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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‘Making Sense With Sam Harris’ and Ross Douthat

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 1 Jan 2026 10:00:00 +0000

This week we’re sharing an episode of ‘Making Sense With Sam Harris.’ The author and podcaster recently invited Ross on his show to discuss religion and politics. But they debated so much more: the existence of God, the mystery of the cosmos, the limits of consciousness, moral progress and even whether demons walk among us.

Note: This recording has not been fact-checked by our team.

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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‘A Hard Time We Had of It’

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Merry Christmas and happy holidays! This week Ross Douthat shares one of his favorite poems for the occasion, “The Journey of the Magi,” written by T.S. Eliot, to reflect on a year one might call “interesting.” See you next year!

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Will It Ever Be Cool to Be Conservative?

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Edgelords, Groypers, Sydney Sweeney’s jeans. American pop culture is having a right-wing moment. Ross recently joined the “Popcast” hosts Jon Caramanica and Joe Coscarelli to debate whether it will ever be truly cool to be conservative in Hollywood.

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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Is Anything Holding MAGA Together?

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 10:00:00 +0000

After Charlie Kirk’s assassination, conspiracy theories and divisions multiplied on the right. On this episode of “Interesting Times,” Ross talks to Andrew Kolvet, a Turning Point USA spokesperson and executive producer of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” about what happens to a movement when its charismatic leader is gone, what it’s like to be the target of conspiracy theories, and whether there are any issues unifying conservatism now.

01:32 - Andrew’s friendship with Charlie Kirk
05:18 - Turning Point U.S.A.’s activism and impact
11:16 - Charlie Kirk’s assassination and its aftermath
18:42 - The divisions on the right start with conspiracy theories
38:28 - “Can the right hold together on Israel?”
41:19 - Stress-testing the cohesion on the right
56:08 - The Erika Kirk/Trump contrast

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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The Shifting Politics of Transgender Rights

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 4 Dec 2025 10:00:00 +0000

The transgender rights movement in America appeared to be gaining momentum. But after suffering a big loss before the Supreme Court in June and facing a shift in public opinion, where does the fight go now?

On this episode of “Interesting Times,” Ross is joined by Chase Strangio, a transgender rights activist and a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union, to discuss strategy in the courtroom and in the court of public opinion — as well as broader philosophical questions about transgender identity.

02:15 - Bostock vs. Clayton County
08:30 - United States v. Skrmetti
22:57 - Defining sex, gender identity and transgender identity
32:52 - Chase talks about “coming home”
40:42 - Healthcare for transgender youth is changing
56:58 - Sports and transgender athletes
1:07:49 - Coexistence within the debate

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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He Has a Plan for the Left. It Might Involve Overthrowing the Constitution.

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving! If you’re dreading your family’s impending political feuds over turkey and dinner rolls, we’re here to share an episode that just might help guide you. In August, Osita Nwanevu, a progressive and the author of “The Right of the People: Democracy and the Case for a New American Founding,” joined Ross for a respectful debate about how we should be interrogating the democratic system the country is built on — without yelling or threats.

5:21 - What's wrong with our democracy?
10:43 - Our undemocratic founding
18:36 - The case for more U.S. states and a new constitution
25:27 - Where economic reform fits into this problem
30:54 - Does Trump represent the will of the people?
38:50- What Trump’s presidency says about democracy
42:06 - The elusive Bernie Sanders moment
48:05 - The mystical element of our politics

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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It’s Deeper Than Nick Fuentes

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Is antisemitism the next chapter of “America First”? Many see the appeal of antisemitic ideas among younger conservatives as a natural consequence of a hard right nationalist turn. Yoram Hazony — a prominent advocate of nationalist politics — is trying to keep that from happening. He joins Ross to discuss the root of right-wing antisemitism and what right-wing leaders should do about it.

02:12 - Just how bad is antisemitism on the right?
06:24 - The generational and theological rebellion
14:35 - “The virtues of nationalism” and an American cultural center
25:33 - Foreign policy under nationalism
29:59 - The U.S. - Israel Relationship and antisemitism
45:59 - What can nationalist leaders do about antisemitism

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat

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‘This Is the War Against Human Nature’

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 10:00:00 +0000

“There’s something very spiritually dark about the internet,” the author Paul Kingsnorth tells Ross Douthat in this week’s episode of “Interesting Times.” Kingsnorth warns against the expanding presence of technology in our lives and declares it “the war against human nature.”

00:06:10 - Defining "The Machine"
00:08:03 - Ecological vs. Spiritual Collapse
00:15:03 - The Case for Modernity
00:24:02 - The Four Ps of a Healthy Culture
00:28:39 - Collapse, Revival, and The Internet
00:34:05 - Thiel, Musk, and The Antichrist
00:42:37 - The Choice in 'Alexandria'
00:46:44 - How to Live Within The Machine

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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Did Liberal Feminism Ruin the Workplace?

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 6 Nov 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Is society too feminine or not feminine enough? Two conservative writers, Helen Andrews and Leah Libresco Sargeant, disagree on the answer. They join Ross Douthat to debate whether the feminization of institutions led to wokeism and a greater divide between men and women.

01:33 “Wokeness is distinctively feminine.”
06:17 - Has liberal feminism failed women?
16:26 - The feminization of institutions
20:47 - Defining feminine and masculine vices
24:09 - Toxic femininity
39:09 - Defeminization in the workplace

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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Mamdani’s Victory Is Less Significant Than You Think

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Wed, 5 Nov 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Does Zohran Mamdani’s win mean a new dawn for the Democratic Party? Not exactly, Ross Douthat argues. In this mini-episode of “Interesting Times,” Ross explains that the New York mayor’s office has historically been a “springboard to nowhere,” rather than a precursor for national politics.

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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What Palantir Sees

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 09:00:00 +0000

Who’s afraid of Palantir? The company’s chief technology officer, Shyam Sankar, joins Ross Douthat for a conversation about what the shadowy company actually does — and the thorny political and ethical questions it faces. They also discuss the new era of collaboration between Silicon Valley and the military, a personal project for Sankar, who was recently commissioned as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.

01:37 - So, what does Palantir do?
07:45 - The “kill chain”
13:27 - The tech company’s relationship with I.C.E.
18:09 - What happens to privacy?
25:30 - Palantir and Israel
27:22 - Sankar’s personal military journey
34:43 - Silicon Valley’s militarization
43:09 - TITAN, A.I. and the “Iron Man” suit

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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Taylor Swift’s Trad Turn

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 09:00:00 +0000

Is Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” the soundtrack for the Trump era? Self-titled “conservative dad” Ross Douthat thinks so, and explains why in this mini-episode of “Interesting Times.

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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The Next Economic Bubble Is Here

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 09:00:00 +0000

Is the artificial intelligence revolution keeping the entire economy afloat? This week on “Interesting Times,” Ross talks with Jason Furman, an economist from the Harvard Kennedy School and a contributing writer for Times Opinion, about how investors, policymakers and consumers should think about the boom — and potential bust — of the fastest growing segment of the American economy and look to past bubbles for answers.

01:12 - Okay, so are we in a bubble?
08:51 - Historical comparisons of past bubbles
12:45 - The case for an A.I. bubble
22:07 - The case against an A.I. bubble
29:44 - What if it bursts?
34:15 - The economic health of the Trump administration
45:08 - “I'm reasonably optimistic.”

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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Amy Coney Barrett Is Looking Beyond the Trump Era

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 09:00:00 +0000

Justice Amy Coney Barrett is playing the long game. In this week’s “Interesting Times,” she walks us through the current court’s most controversial rulings, why she believes that her originalist interpretations are resistant to ideological pressures and why she’s not comfortable thinking of herself as a cultural icon.

02:19 - Balancing the personal and the professional
11:45 - The theory and practice of originalism
18:00 - Why was Roe. v. Wade overruled?
27:19 - Stare Decisis and Overruling Decisions
35:29 - “Judges are human and judges are fallible.”
42:49 - The Supreme Court is taking the long view
53:20 - The Court's relationship with the executive branch

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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He Believes America Should Be a Theocracy. He Says His Influence Is Growing.

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 9 Oct 2025 09:00:00 +0000

Evangelical pastor and self-proclaimed Christian nationalist Doug Wilson has been preaching for decades that America needs to reclaim its Puritan past. But in 2025, he believes he’s “significantly” more influential. Does that mean America is closer to Wilson’s goal of theocracy? In this episode, nothing is off limits — even Ross’s own salvation.

01:36 - Doug Wilson's vision for a Christian nation
08:37 - Wilson’s ideal theocratic republic
19:12 - Theocracy and religious diversity
30:50 - Do women have rights in this new republic?
36:59 - Christendom and slavery
46:50 - How far does Wilson’s influence go in a “clown world”?
59:54 - Calvinism activism and quietism

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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Hasan Piker Is Flirting With the Revolution

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 2 Oct 2025 09:00:00 +0000

The Twitch and YouTube star Hasan Piker understands what pushes people to commit acts of political violence. But does that understanding tip over into appreciation? In this episode of “Interesting Times,” Ross Douthat and Piker debate why Piker’s post-liberal rhetoric attracts criticism from the right (and results in the occasional platform suspension) and why Americans’ changing attitudes on Israel feed his “revolutionary optimism.”

02:14 - Life during and after Twitch
10:45 - The Hasan Piker worldview
15:57 - “Revolutionary violence”
20:13 - Is it hyperbole or incitement?
30:48 - Hasan’s Luigi Mangione coverage
41:35 - The danger in pushing taboos
51:52 - Anti-Zionist advocacy and Hasan’s Turkish background
1:08:00 - “Revolutionary optimism”

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

A full transcript of this episode is also available on the Times website.

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The Grand Strategy Behind Trump’s Crackdown on Academia

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 09:00:00 +0000

What is wrong with higher education in America? According to many on the right, a lot. This week, Ross Douthat talks to May Mailman, the lawyer behind President Trump’s battles with Harvard and Columbia, about the administration’s assault on the Ivy League and why “a glorification of victimhood” is changing the relationship between universities and the federal government.

02:51 - What is a “culture of victimhood”?
07:38 - Mailman’s political awakening
11:44 - Social media and protest culture in the 2010s
19:39 - The Trump administration’s strategy against universities
26:33 - The financial levers that could ensure compliance
36:09 - Ideological diversity and free speech
47:56 - How legal is all this?
52:25 - Higher education in 2030

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

A full transcript of this episode is also available on the Times website.

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Ezra Klein Is Worried — but Not About a Radicalized Left

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 09:00:00 +0000

Ezra Klein argues that the left desperately needs a unifying project — for its own survival and for the sake of the country. In this episode of Ross Douthat’s “Interesting Times,” Ross and Ezra assess the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination and debate whether the left has taken a dark turn.

00:25 How liberalism became “uncertain and exhausted”
08:37 The void in the Democratic Party
12:21 Does progressive despair lead to radicalism?
15:04 “Violence is contagious"
19:24 Can the left be more malleable?
28:20 The hippies, Peter Thiel and technology
32:11 Does the American left need cosmic hope?
41:59 A vision of the “good life”

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

A full transcript of this episode is also available on the Times website.

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I was set to interview Charlie Kirk. Then he was assassinated.

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 20:10:00 +0000

In moments of political shock and horror, where can we turn? Ross was supposed to interview Charlie Kirk next month for the show and now offers his reflections on Kirk, his political movement and his assassination.

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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Does the Future Belong to China?

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 4 Sep 2025 09:00:00 +0000

Is the United States still a worthy opponent for China? In this episode, Ross Douthat talks to Dan Wang, the author of “Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future,” about the alarming speed at which China is able to build and could blow America out of the water.

01:44 - “A life full of ease and beauty”
05:30 - Rule by engineers
11:00 - China’s Technological Mastery
16:04 - Is autocracy driving innovation?
25:00 - What are the real stakes of the competition?
35:47 - How could China fail?
53:00 - Advice for America

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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The MAGA Woman Dress Code

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 09:00:00 +0000

While “Interesting Times” is on vacation, we’re sharing a conversation from “The Opinions” between Meher Ahmad, an editor for Times Opinion, and the Opinion writer Jessica Grose. They talk about the aesthetics of MAGA women — think Kristi Noem and Nancy Mace — and what they signal about femininity and power within the Republican Party.

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.

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Ross and Ezra Klein Discuss Trump, Mysticism and Psychedelics

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 09:00:00 +0000

This week, we’re sharing a great conversation Ross had on “The Ezra Klein Show” this past spring. Ezra asks Ross about his most recent book, “Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious.” But along the way, they debate not just how religion influences the Trump administration but also their own lives. Come for their seeking and stay for their thoughts on ayahuasca and mystical encounters.

02:39 - Trump: man of destiny?
19:55 - Political power, cruelty and Godliness
36:13 - Religion and spirituality in the modern world
42:53 - The mysteries of the universe…
48:38 - Aliens! Fairies! (and some Catholic history)
56:51 - Contending with uncertainty and evil
1:05:24 - Psychedelic experiences
1:20:56 - Official knowledge
1:38:58 - Book recommendations

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.

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Abolish the Senate. End the Electoral College. Pack the Court.

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 09:00:00 +0000

For Democrats, President Trump’s victories have revealed the antidemocratic flaws at the core of our government. But could it be an opening for a constitutional revolution as the party searches for its next leader?

This week, Ross explores what that revolution would entail with Osita Nwanevu, the author of the book, “The Right of the People: Democracy and the Case for a New American Founding.”

3:46 - What's wrong with our democracy?
9:07 - Our undemocratic founding
17:00 - The case for more U.S. states and a new constitution
23:52 - Where economic reform fits into this problem
29:26 - Does Trump represent the will of the people?
37:17 - What Trump’s presidency says about democracy
40:30 - The elusive Bernie Sanders moment
46:29 - The mystical element of our politics

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.

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The Next Parenting Trend Starts Before Conception

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 7 Aug 2025 09:00:00 +0000

Would you use an algorithm to select your embryos? Enter Orchid, a company that promises parents the ability to protect their future children through genetic testing for embryos before pregnancy. The founder, Noor Siddiqui, and Ross debate the scientific, moral and ethical implications of designing a “healthy” child and what we lose in separating reproduction from sex.

01:27 - Orchid’s vision
04:59- The process and benefits
17:20 - Noor explains why Orchid was developed
22:00- Criticism and skepticism around genetic screening
36:21 - Does IVF need to change?
44:00 - “The moral status of the embryo”
53:36 - How does this technology change us?

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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The DOGE Alum Asking if Foreign Aid Is America’s Problem

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 09:00:00 +0000

Does America have a moral obligation to the world? The former Department of Government Efficiency staffer Jeremy Lewin, now deputy administrator for the United States Agency for International Development, explains how he is implementing President Trump’s foreign aid philosophy and what it means for humanitarian assistance going forward.

01:59 - From the private sector to interviewing with Elon Musk
09:18 - The rapid restructuring of U.S.A.I.D.
19:44 - Lewin’s critiques of U.S.A.I.D.’s focus
25:15 - The most controversial cuts: humanitarian aid
29:50 - America’s interests first, values-based interests second
40:14 - What is the future vision for foreign aid?

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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What if the Government Believes in U.F.O.s More Than You Do?

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 09:00:00 +0000

U.F.O.s, fairies and abductions! This week, Ross talks to Diana Walsh Pasulka, a professor of religious studies, about how a deep dive into Catholic archives led her down a path to unravel the connections between religion, extraterrestrial encounters and government secrecy.

01:53 - How Pasulka’s religious studies led to the U.F.O. debate
06:08 - Modern U.F.O. encounters and telepathic communication
13:29 - What are the actual beliefs of the U.F.O. community?
19:28 - Whistleblowers and government contradictions
31:35 - Angels, demons and “actual things in the sky”
45:38 - Disclosure
52:51 - “Amazing.”

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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She Exposed Epstein, and Shares MAGA’s Anger

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Sat, 19 Jul 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Julie K. Brown thinks Jeffrey Epstein didn’t act alone. On this episode of “Interesting Times,” Ross talks to Brown, the investigative reporter whose work ultimately led to Epstein’s re-arrest, about what the government could release that it hasn’t and how the story is bigger than Epstein.

2:32 - Brown's initial interest in the Epstein case
5:26 - Discovering Epstein's crimes and the plea deal
13:13 - Epstein's victims and the impact of Brown's reporting
18:20 - Epstein's wealth and connections
25:20 - Epstein's social circles
35:01 - Certainty and unsolved mysteries
45:25 - The role of government in the case
51:04 - Trump and the political fallout

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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Is ‘Toxic Empathy’ Pulling Christians to the Left?

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 09:00:00 +0000

The conservative Christian podcaster Allie Beth Stuckey joins Ross on “Interesting Times” this week to explain why “toxic empathy” has a stranglehold on politics, whether evangelical Christians have a red line President Trump could cross and why her commentary has echoes of Phyllis Schlafly.

01:26 “The New Phyllis Schlafly”
9:46 Untangling the web of Evangelical Protestants
15:50 Female authority in the church
22:12 What is “toxic empathy”?
30:55 Toxic empathy and cruelty in American politics
40:19 Do conservative christians have a red line?
57:24 “The mushy middle”

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com.

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Israel’s Moral Balance Beam

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 09:00:00 +0000

How has the war in Gaza reverberated throughout American politics? Opinion columnist Bret Stephens and Ross Douthat debate the implications of the Israel-Gaza conflict on antisemitism, the morality of war, and why “Monday morning quarterbacking” is not productive when taking stock of military actions in the Middle East.

01:56 Israel actions in Gaza
04:39 The moral baseline
13:31 What is the end game?
15:52 The role of Israel in American politics
23:44 Can you criticize Israel without becoming antisemetic?
36:05 Does Israel have obligations to the Jewish diaspora?

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com.

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Why Trump’s Blood-and-Guts Strategy Worked

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 3 Jul 2025 09:00:00 +0000

Happy Independence Day! We’ll be back next week with a new episode, but today we’re sharing the episode that started us on the path to “Interesting Times.” Ross Douthat talks to Reihan Salam, the president of the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. Together they wrote the book “Grand New Party: How Republicans Can Win the Working Class and Save the American Dream.”

They review their George W. Bush-era prescriptions for the Republican Party to reclaim the working-class vote and the ways they were right (and wrong) about building a new Republican majority.

03:47 George W. Bush era
12:06 Rise and fall of the Tea Party
18:19 Trump’s 2016 “blood and guts” message
28:11 Trump’s effect on the right and left
35:48 Trump’s first term economic agenda
39:30 Elon Musk vs JD Vance
46:50 Imagining an activist, conservative government

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com.

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A Mind-Bending Conversation with Peter Thiel

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 09:00:00 +0000

The billionaire Peter Thiel is unimpressed with our pace of innovation. In this episode, he critiques artificial intelligence, longevity science and space travel — and warns that our lack of progress could lead to catastrophic outcomes, including the emergence of the Antichrist.

01:19 - What does stagnation mean in 2025?
06:30 - Peter Thiel's case for more progress and innovation
11:30 - Does taking more scientific risk include life extension?
15:14 - Peter Thiel's political history
18:34 - Did Trump live up to Thiel's expectations?
25:10 - Does Elon Musk still want to go to Mars?
28:09 - How Thiel defines A.I.
33:20 - Is A.I. Too Modest An Ambition?
35:23 - How will the human race evolve? Should it?
41:53 - Thiel's critique of Silicon Valley
43:40 - Who is the real Antichrist?

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com.

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The Progressive Regulator Winning Over the Populist Right

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 19 Jun 2025 09:00:00 +0000

Is the key to freedom a life without Amazon? This week, Ross talks to Lina Khan, former Chair of the Federal Trade Commission about how unchecked corporate power has limited choice in our day-to-day lives, and how her fight against Big Tech unites left and right.

02:41 - What’s wrong with big business?
09:27 - The political costs of corporate consolidation
11:39 - How the 2008 financial crisis shaped Lina Khan's philosophy
17:49 - The antitrust consensus from Reagan to Obama
21:54 - How the left and right align against big business
26:12 - Khan's wins and losses at the FTC
36:53 - Is the Trump administration embracing or rejecting Khan's vision?
42:32 - Is anti-monopoly policy the solution to our economic problems?
48:38 - Can Big Tech be broken up?

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com.

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Trump’s Future Depends on His Immigration Crackdown

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 09:00:00 +0000

Has immigration become the new litmus test for the Republican Party? In this episode, Ross talks to Matthew Continetti, the author of “The Right: The Hundred-Year War for American Conservatism,” about the party’s shifting coalition, the defining role of immigration and how today’s right echoes its past.

01:50 - What the Elon experiment (and fallout) tells us about the Republican Party
06:55 - Is there a tech right beyond DOGE?
10:09 - Is the “new right” really all that new?
18:16 - Where Trump’s agenda fits within the larger conservative story
25:16 - “Immigration is the biggest issue of our time”
28:39 - How border control will define conservatism around the world
34:05 - Is Silicon Valley out of step with Trump's immigration crackdown?
39:43 - Will Trump's ideas outlast Trump?

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com.

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What Makes Art ‘Left Wing’?

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 5 Jun 2025 09:00:00 +0000

Does Hollywood have anything interesting left to say? In a world where franchises dominate and grown-up movies have fallen by the wayside, Ross talks to the showrunner Tony Gilroy, whose “Star Wars” spinoff “Andor” has, according to Ross, succeeded in being both original and smartly political in a Hollywood that is often neither.

03:04 - The political world of ”Andor”
08:36 - Tony Gilroy's syllabus for “Andor”
10:40 - Is “Andor” a left-wing show?
17:07 - What makes Hollywood progressive or liberal?
24:22 - Debating the politics of “Michael Clayton”
29:42 - Why aren't there more movies for grown-ups?
32:56 - “There are no movie stars anymore.”
35:55 - How A.I. changing the movie business
39:28 - Tony Gilroy's advice for future filmmakers

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com.

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How the iPhone Drove Men and Women Apart

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 29 May 2025 09:00:00 +0000

What would make you want to have more children? This week on “Interesting Times,” Ross Douthat speaks with Dr. Alice Evans, a social scientist who is as concerned about the global decline in fertility as he is. The two discuss why this isn’t just a gender issue — it’s “a solitude issue” – and whether there’s a way to bring relationships back.

02:03 - What are the stakes of declining fertility?
06:41 - Alice's master theory for why birth rates are falling
09:04 - There are too many single people
10:27 - We can thank technology for the coupling crisis
12:58 - The digital segregation of men and women
16:31 - Men have less to offer these days
20:11 - What can bring the sexes back together
24:31 - Could Hollywood help fix the problem?
25:46 - Can the government incentivize people to have babies?
27:30 - What role does religion play in all this?
28:59 - The role of IVF
40:50 - Does the fantasy of youth impact the numbers?
43:43 - The world in 2080...

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com.

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JD Vance on His Faith and Trump’s Most Controversial Policies

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Wed, 21 May 2025 09:00:00 +0000

On this episode of “Interesting Times,” Ross Douthat interviews Vice President JD Vance about the Trump administration’s deportations, the tariff backlash and how Vance’s faith influences his politics.

01:49 - How faith shapes JD Vance’s politics
04:26 - ‘Papal interventions in politics’
14:44 - How will the Trump administration measure success on immigration?
21:22 - ‘The courts are trying to overturn the will of the American people’
23:55 - Are migrants really at war against the US?
28:48 - The parallels between the War on Terror and Trump's deportation policies
40:29 - What does a successful trade policy look like?
48:10 - The "big, beautiful bill"
58:57 - Does the Trump administration expect the AI revolution will take jobs?
54:05 - What worries Vance about AI
58:33 - JD Vance's message to shocked Trump voters

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com.

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An Interview With the Herald of the Apocalypse

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 15 May 2025 09:00:00 +0000

Is artificial intelligence about to take your job? According to Daniel Kokotajlo, the executive director of the A.I. Futures Project, that should be the least of your worries. Kokotajlo was once a researcher for OpenAI, but left after losing confidence in the company’s commitment to A.I. safety. This week, he joins Ross to talk about “AI 2027,” a series of predictions and warnings about the risks A.I. poses to humanity in the coming years, from radically transforming the economy to developing armies of robots.

03:59 - What effect could AI have on jobs?
06:45 - But wait, how does this make society richer?
10:08 - Robot plumbers and electricians
14:53 - The geopolitical stakes
18:58 - AI’s honesty problem
22:43 - The fork in the road
27:55 - The best case scenario
29:38 - The power structure in an AI-dominated world
32:32 - What AI leaders think about this power structure
38:30 - AI's hallucinations and limitations
43:45 - Theories of AI consciousness
47:05 - Is AI consciousness inevitable?
50:59 - Humanity in an AI-dominated world

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com.

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The Democratic Senator Taking Cues From Trumpism

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 8 May 2025 09:00:00 +0000

Democrats are stumbling — badly. While the Trump administration redefines the limits of executive overreach, the Democratic party remains at odds over how to — even whether to — respond. But Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut has a plan for beating Republicans in 2026, and it involves taking a cue from President Trump. He shares it with Ross Douthat on this episode of Interesting Times.

02:07 - The First 100 Days for Trump and the Democrats
04:06 - The Threat to Democracy Wasn’t Enough Then or Now.
06:49 - How Dems Fight Trump
13:41 - Where Chris Murphy Can Agree With the Populist Right
16:38 - Is Connecticut a Model of What is Wrong with Democrats?
25:54 - The Spiritual Crisis in American Life
27:56 - The Problem with Big Tech
33:45 - How Do Democrats (And Murphy) Talk About Religion? Should They?
45:35 - Is Trump Really Running An Oligarchy?
50:34 - Does the Democratic Party Need a Bigger Tent?
53:54 - A Need for a National Consensus on Immigration
57:09 - “A Democracy Dies Without a High Stakes Confrontation”

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com.

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The New Culture of the Right: Vital, Masculine and Intentionally Offensive

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 1 May 2025 09:00:00 +0000

The Trump era is ushering in a new age of right wing counterculture, one defined by masculinity and transgression. In this episode of Interesting Times, Ross speaks with Jonathan Keeperman, the founder of Passage Press, about the influence of an edgy, reactionary, right-wing “vibe shift” on American politics and culture.

2:09 - Jonathan Keeperman’s Lomez days
5:25 - 2014: An inflection point in American culture?
7:40 - The emergence of a “conservative counter elite”
9:41 - The creation of a right wing counterweight to the dominant left
12:32 - What makes something “conservative art”?
15:18 - Are David Lynch films right wing art? Is Girls?
18:11 - Is there such a thing as good left wing art?
19:32 - Right wing counterculture’s obsession with “vitalism”
22:56 - Longhouse culture: Is the “over feminization” of society making America weaker?
27:55 - Is the longhouse argument just a “long male whine”?
30:41 - Is right wing counterculture anti-Christian?
35:48 - Trump as mythic hero
43:31 - What is the function of racism in right wing counterculture?
53:50 - Are racist means transgressive or just racist?
1:05:43 - Will the rightward vibe shift show up in pop culture?
1:07:37 - Why every high school senior should read “Moby Dick” and watch “No Country for Old Men”

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com.

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Can the Catholic Church Quit the Culture Wars?

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 09:00:00 +0000

On this episode of “Interesting Times,” Ross Douthat is joined by the Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and an editor of America Magazine, to reflect on the legacy of Pope Francis and the challenges facing the next papacy.

02:20 The First Jesuit Pope
05:23 Google Translate and Exchanging Emails
06:05 The Visual Element of Francis’s Legacy
07:48 The Concrete Changes Made
16:19 Christian Sexual Ethics
25:22 The Church in the Modern World
27:14 What Kind of Leader Will the Next Pope Be?
31:57 The Latin Mass Controversy
34:54 What Draws People to Christianity?
39:21 What Holds Such a Diverse Church Together?
43:09 The Influence of the Pope and the Hierarchy
46:41 A Renewed Interest in Religion
48:30 The Church as a Field Hospital
49:13 What Father Martin Hopes to See in the Next Pope
49:59 Where Should the New Pope Go?
52:27 Who Will Be the Next Pope?

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com.

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What if There’s No Way to Stop Trump’s Approach to Power?

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 09:00:00 +0000

President Trump may forever reshape the boundaries of executive power. This week on “Interesting Times,” Ross and Jack Goldsmith, who was the head of the White House’s Office of Legal Counsel under President George W. Bush, discuss which cases are most likely to win in the courts and permanently expand the executive branch — for better or worse.

00:02:03 Donald Trump’s “moonshot on executive power”
00:04:16 What has surprised Goldsmith the most
00:06:57 Are we in a constitutional crisis?
00:08:59 Alien Enemies Act
00:14:02 The case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia
00:25:23 Godel’s loophole and Supreme Court enforcement
30:10 Trump’s firings of federal employees and restructuring of U.S.A.I.D.
36:11 Trump’s power over congressionally appropriated funding
41:29 Obama v. Trump’s discretion on enforcing laws passed by Congress
43:03 The TikTok case
45:46 Lawsuit over Trump’s tariffs
51:57 How the Supreme Court (maybe) thinks about picking its battles
54:24 Worst case scenarios
56:59 What the Supreme Court can do if the Trump administration does not comply
01:01:32 What a Trump executive power revolution could look like in 2028 and beyond
01:04:39 If Democrats win in 2028, what happens?

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com.

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This Instability May Be Worth It. Here's Why.

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 09:00:00 +0000

Is the short-term economic pain of President Trump’s unpredictable approach to tariffs a reasonable price to pay for a more resilient America? Mr. Trump appears to think so, and so does Oren Cass — sort of. On the first episode of “Interesting Times,” the founder and chief economist of the think tank American Compass joins Ross Douthat to discuss and debate the Trump administration’s drastic trade war.

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com.

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Introducing ‘Interesting Times’

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Sun, 6 Apr 2025 17:55:00 +0000

There’s a saying that comes to mind these days: May you live in interesting times. It’s understood to be a curse, even though it sounds like a blessing.

“Interesting Times With Ross Douthat” is a new weekly podcast from New York Times Opinion. Every Thursday, he will map the new world order through interviews and conversations. Answering questions like: What does our new political era really look like? What is the future of democracy around the world, with American empire in retreat? What happens to movies and books — all of culture — in our digital and A.I.-dominated age?

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com.

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How Democrats Drove Silicon Valley Into Trump’s Arms

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Sun, 6 Apr 2025 17:50:40 +0000

The tech investor Marc Andreessen and his fellow Silicon Valley giant Elon Musk weren’t always the Donald Trump supporters they are today. In this episode, Ross asks Andreessen, a founder of the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, about what led to Silicon Valley’s rightward shift and the new agenda of the tech-right faction.

Editors’ note: This episode originally aired on the “Matter of Opinion” podcast on Jan. 17, 2025.

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com.

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Steve Bannon on ‘Broligarchs’ vs. Populism

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Sun, 6 Apr 2025 17:45:00 +0000

In this conversation, Ross talks to Steve Bannon, the chief strategist from Donald Trump’s first term and part of the original MAGA movement. Despite his clashes with new factions emerging in the Republican Party, Bannon argues that Trump is still central to advancing a populist agenda.

Editors’ note: This episode originally aired on the “Matter of Opinion” podcast on Jan. 31, 2025.

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com.

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The Anti-D.E.I. Crusader Who Wants to Dismantle the Department of Education

interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) — Sun, 6 Apr 2025 17:40:00 +0000

Christopher Rufo brought the term "critical race theory" into mainstream conversation. Now, the anti-DEI activist is bringing his critiques of education to the White House. In this episode, Ross explores Rufo's mission to make universities feel "existential terror."

Editors’ note: This episode originally aired on the “Matter of Opinion” podcast on Mar. 7, 2025.

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com.

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