https://simplecast.com Interesting Times with Ross Douthat The first draft of our future. Mapping the new world order through interviews and conversations. Every Thursday, from New York Times Opinion. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. © 2018-2025 THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY; The New York Times encourages the use of RSS feeds for personal use in a news reader or as part of a non-commercial blog, subject to your agreement to our Terms of Service. en Thu, 7 May 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Thu, 7 May 2026 11:13:33 +0000 https://www.nytimes.com/column/matter-of-opinion Interesting Times with Ross Douthat https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/4105a47a-42e5-4ccc-887a-832af7989986/1755eb11-344c-4732-bac7-d1a5daafb473/3000x3000/nyt-rossdouthat-albumart-3000px.jpg?aid=rss_feed https://www.nytimes.com/column/matter-of-opinion episodic The first draft of our future. Mapping the new world order through interviews and conversations. Every Thursday, from New York Times Opinion. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. New York Times Opinion false https://feeds.simplecast.com/bS1LZG8m journalism, news, new york times, ross douthat New York Times Opinion interestingtimes@nytimes.com 21bbbdf9-a64b-41fa-87d3-6868cb309a74 A Legendary Investor on How to Prevent America’s Coming ‘Heart Attack’ A stalemated war. Fractured alliances. A rival waiting in the wings. It feels to me that we’re having an “end of the American empire” moment. My guest this week, Ray Dalio, is an unlikely prophet of doom — the billionaire Bridgewater investor conquered Wall Street by studying history and mastering global trends. He foresaw the 2008 financial crisis,and these days he’s warning that the U.S. is repeating the patterns that ended great empires of the past.

  • 0:00 - Intro
  • 01:24 - The rise and fall of empires through big cycles
  • 08:35 - Geopolitical tensions: China, Iran and the Suez Canal
  • 14:27 - Fiat currency or gold?
  • 24:19 - America’s coming ‘heart attack’
  • 30:37 - Acts of nature, A.I. and technology
  • 43:37 - ‘Could we have a Japanese future?’

(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.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.


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]]> Thu, 7 May 2026 09:00:00 +0000 interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/07/opinion/a-legendary-investor-on-how-to-prevent-americas-coming-heart-attack.html A stalemated war. Fractured alliances. A rival waiting in the wings. It feels to me that we’re having an “end of the American empire” moment. My guest this week, Ray Dalio, is an unlikely prophet of doom — the billionaire Bridgewater investor conquered Wall Street by studying history and mastering global trends. He foresaw the 2008 financial crisis,and these days he’s warning that the U.S. is repeating the patterns that ended great empires of the past.

  • 0:00 - Intro
  • 01:24 - The rise and fall of empires through big cycles
  • 08:35 - Geopolitical tensions: China, Iran and the Suez Canal
  • 14:27 - Fiat currency or gold?
  • 24:19 - America’s coming ‘heart attack’
  • 30:37 - Acts of nature, A.I. and technology
  • 43:37 - ‘Could we have a Japanese future?’

(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.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.


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]]> A Legendary Investor on How to Prevent America’s Coming ‘Heart Attack’ New York Times Opinion 00:51:04 A stalemated war. Fractured alliances. A rival waiting in the wings. It feels to me that we’re having an “end of the American empire” moment. My guest this week, Ray Dalio, is an unlikely prophet of doom — the billionaire Bridgewater investor conquered Wall Street by studying history and mastering global trends. He foresaw the 2008 financial crisis,and these days he’s warning that the U.S. is repeating the patterns that ended great empires of the past. A stalemated war. Fractured alliances. A rival waiting in the wings. It feels to me that we’re having an “end of the American empire” moment. My guest this week, Ray Dalio, is an unlikely prophet of doom — the billionaire Bridgewater investor conquered Wall Street by studying history and mastering global trends. He foresaw the 2008 financial crisis,and these days he’s warning that the U.S. is repeating the patterns that ended great empires of the past. false full edb17314-f38a-4267-bd80-71359c16718f Why Are We Still Driving? Self-driving cars are here. But what kind of future will they bring: safe roads and extra time or dystopian traffic jams? My guest this week is Andrew Miller, who writes about self-driving cars and transportation policy. I love the open road, so I press him on what’s lost when we give away driving to the robots.

  • 0:00 - Intro
  • 01:27 - The sales pitch for Waymo, Tesla, and Zoox 
  • 12:24 - How autonomous are autonomous cars? 
  • 20:14 - Liability: Who is responsible for an accident?
  • 31:56 - Political obstacles: Spying, data, labor
  • 38:53 - 20:35: The good and bad scenarios
  • 48:25 - Are we losing the “romance of the road”?

(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.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

]]> Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:00:00 +0000 interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/opinion/why-are-we-still-driving.html Self-driving cars are here. But what kind of future will they bring: safe roads and extra time or dystopian traffic jams? My guest this week is Andrew Miller, who writes about self-driving cars and transportation policy. I love the open road, so I press him on what’s lost when we give away driving to the robots.

  • 0:00 - Intro
  • 01:27 - The sales pitch for Waymo, Tesla, and Zoox 
  • 12:24 - How autonomous are autonomous cars? 
  • 20:14 - Liability: Who is responsible for an accident?
  • 31:56 - Political obstacles: Spying, data, labor
  • 38:53 - 20:35: The good and bad scenarios
  • 48:25 - Are we losing the “romance of the road”?

(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.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.


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]]> Why Are We Still Driving? New York Times Opinion 00:57:21 Self-driving cars are here. But what kind of future will they bring: safe roads and extra time or dystopian traffic jams? My guest this week is Andrew Miller, who writes about self-driving cars and transportation policy. I love the open road, so I press him on what’s lost when we give away driving to the robots. Self-driving cars are here. But what kind of future will they bring: safe roads and extra time or dystopian traffic jams? My guest this week is Andrew Miller, who writes about self-driving cars and transportation policy. I love the open road, so I press him on what’s lost when we give away driving to the robots. false full 9da0adbd-ae2c-4d93-acfb-32c4e5ef9b0a A Bitcoin Evangelist Tries to Convert Me One question has haunted my investment strategy for years: What is cryptocurrency actually for? It feels as though the vibes are constantly shifting — one day it’s the dollar’s successor, and the next it’s little more than a meme. My guest this week is bitcoin evangelist Anthony Pompliano, the chief executive of ProCap Financial. We get into whether crypto is a bet against the American empire and whether its volatility is actually a strength.

  • 0:00 - Intro
  • 01:27 - Physical to digital: The evolution of financial assets
  • 05:00 - The wealth inequality gap
  • 09:58 - The global adoption of crypto
  • 14:51 - Bitcoin vs. Ethereum
  • 20:26 - Why "stability" is a financial lie
  • 29:30 - A “digital savings account”
  • 41:57 - The role of Bitcoin in political dynamics
  • 56:05 - “A bet against 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.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

]]> Thu, 23 Apr 2026 09:00:00 +0000 interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/23/opinion/a-bitcoin-evangelist-tries-to-convert-me.html One question has haunted my investment strategy for years: What is cryptocurrency actually for? It feels as though the vibes are constantly shifting — one day it’s the dollar’s successor, and the next it’s little more than a meme. My guest this week is bitcoin evangelist Anthony Pompliano, the chief executive of ProCap Financial. We get into whether crypto is a bet against the American empire and whether its volatility is actually a strength.

  • 0:00 - Intro
  • 01:27 - Physical to digital: The evolution of financial assets
  • 05:00 - The wealth inequality gap
  • 09:58 - The global adoption of crypto
  • 14:51 - Bitcoin vs. Ethereum
  • 20:26 - Why "stability" is a financial lie
  • 29:30 - A “digital savings account”
  • 41:57 - The role of Bitcoin in political dynamics
  • 56:05 - “A bet against 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.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

]]> A Bitcoin Evangelist Tries to Convert Me New York Times Opinion 01:05:58 One question has haunted my investment strategy for years: What is cryptocurrency actually for? It feels as though the vibes are constantly shifting — one day it’s the dollar’s successor, and the next it’s little more than a meme. My guest this week is bitcoin evangelist Anthony Pompliano, the chief executive of ProCap Financial. We get into whether crypto is a bet against the American empire and whether its volatility is actually a strength. One question has haunted my investment strategy for years: What is cryptocurrency actually for? It feels as though the vibes are constantly shifting — one day it’s the dollar’s successor, and the next it’s little more than a meme. My guest this week is bitcoin evangelist Anthony Pompliano, the chief executive of ProCap Financial. We get into whether crypto is a bet against the American empire and whether its volatility is actually a strength. false full c9239365-7bac-4069-a039-7671f66816ba Introducing ‘Interesting Times’ 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.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

]]> Sun, 6 Apr 2025 17:55:00 +0000 interestingtimes@nytimes.com (New York Times Opinion) https://nytimes.com/2025/04/07/opinion/interesting-times.html 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.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

]]> Introducing ‘Interesting Times’ New York Times Opinion 00:03:04 false full