The Opinions

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What Trump’s Peace Deal Really Means for Gaza Oct 15, 2025

Show notes

What does President Trump’s peace deal between Israel and Hamas mean for Palestinians in the region? On this episode, the Opinion editor Dan Wakin interviews Diana Buttu, a former adviser to the Palestine Liberation Organization, about her concerns over the agreement and what it really means for Palestinians. “My fear is that in this agreement, we’re just going to go back to the way it was before,” she says. “It’s just going to be yet another papering over the harm that has been caused by these decades of occupation.”

Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.

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America’s Next Story: Pete Buttigieg Oct 14, 2025

Show notes

Pete Buttigieg has a clear vision of where his party lost its way. Now Buttigieg, the former transportation secretary, wants to use those lessons to shape the Democratic Party of the future and America’s next story.

“Sooner or later, one day Donald Trump will not be active in American politics. And the sooner we spend our energy thinking about what to do next, I actually think the sooner that day will come,” he tells David Leonhardt, an editorial director in Times Opinion. In this conversation, Buttigieg explains why DOGE’s destruction of government institutions may be an opportunity for Democrats and what working to revive his hometown taught him about the threats we face from artificial intelligence.

Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.

Read the full transcript here: https://nytimes.com/2025/10/14/opinion/next-american-story-pete-buttigieg.html

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

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

Who Can Stop a President Deploying Troops? Oct 11, 2025

Show notes

President Trump has deployed the National Guard to Memphis and Chicago and has his sights on Portland, Ore. It’s his latest effort to punish his enemies and provoke a response. In this episode, the Opinion national politics writer Michelle Cottle, the Opinion columnist David French and the contributing Opinion writer E.J. Dionne Jr. discuss the state of a divided America and what history can tell us about this moment.

Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.

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

Tom Friedman on the Only Way to Solve the Israel-Hamas War Oct 08, 2025

Show notes

Two years after Hamas’s attack on Israel, delegates from Hamas, Israel and the United States are in Egypt this week to see if President Trump’s cease-fire proposal can lead to an end to the war. In this episode of “The Opinions,” the columnist Thomas L. Friedman explains why this round of peace talks could be different and what obstacles still stand in the way of making lasting peace a reality.

Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.

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

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

America’s Next Story: Trumpism After Trump Oct 06, 2025

Show notes

What and who comes after President Trump? That’s the question behind America’s Next Story, a limited series from “The Opinions.” In this episode David Leonhardt, an editorial director in Times Opinion, talks to Gladden Pappin, a national conservative dedicated to furthering MAGA’s success in the United States. Pappin lays out his vision for the movement after Trump leaves office and argues with Leonhardt over whether the president and his imitators abroad present a worldwide threat to democracy.

Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.

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

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

‘If You Don’t Want This Consequence, Don’t Vote for Republicans’ Oct 04, 2025

Show notes

It’s Day 4 of the current government shutdown, and the Trump administration is threatening to use the moment to fire federal workers. In this episode, the Opinion columnists David French, Jamelle Bouie and Michelle Goldberg debate what this power struggle means for Democrats, Republicans and, most importantly, the American people.

Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.

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

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

The ‘Thursday Murder Club’ Author Wants Us to Rethink Aging Oct 01, 2025

Show notes

Aging isn’t easy, and topics like dementia and medically assisted dying can be hard to talk about. The British mystery writer Richard Osman is trying to change that. Osman has reimagined the notion of aging through his best-selling “Thursday Murder Club” series, centered on four seniors living in a posh retirement community who solve murders.

In this episode, he sits down with the Opinion writer Michelle Cottle to discuss why seniors make ideal fictional detectives and how a “cozy” murder mystery is the perfect frame to explore growing old.

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. The rest of the show's production team includes Derek Arthur, Kristina Samulewski and Jillian Weinberger. Mixing by Carole Sabouraud. Original music by Sonia Herrero, Pat McCusker and Carole Sabouraud. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Kristina Samulewski. The director of Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.

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

Ken Burns on America’s Next Story Sep 29, 2025

Show notes

President Trump’s threats to democracy have prompted a number of experts to warn that the United States is in the midst of a constitutional crisis. As the country grapples with how to move forward, David Leonhardt looks back to America’s founding, with the filmmaker Ken Burns. Burns’s upcoming documentary focuses on the Revolutionary War, and in this conversation he discusses the ideals of the country’s flawed founders, how he thinks about patriotism and what he says is the “greatest existential threat to the existence of the United States right now.”

Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.

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

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

What a Book of Excuses Reveals About the Democrats’ Future Sep 27, 2025

Show notes

Kamala Harris’s new memoir, “107 Days,” reads like a book of excuses. In this episode, the Opinion national politics writer Michelle Cottle and the Opinion columnists Carlos Lozada and Lydia Polgreen unpack why it misses the mark, and what it says about the “big, messy battle” Democrats need to have to find fresh leadership in 2028.

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. The rest of the show's production team includes Derek Arthur and Jillian Weinberger. Mixing by Efim Shapiro and Carole Sabouraud. Original music by Pat McCusker and Aman Sahota. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Kristina Samulewski. The director of Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.

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

Trump Is America’s First Meme President Sep 23, 2025

Show notes

President Trump’s way of communicating has wormed itself deep into American culture. His speeches, interactions with the press and social media posts have inspired countless memes and impersonations from both fans and critics. But according to the linguist and author Adam Aleksic, these memes are now becoming part of how we all speak. Aleksic, also known by his alter ego Etymology Nerd, joins the New York Times Opinion editor Meher Ahmad and the Opinion columnist Tressie McMillan Cottom to explore what that means for how we think.

Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.

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

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

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