The Opinions

Ken Jennings, the “Jeopardy!” host, doesn’t think trivia is trivial. In this episode, he makes the case that shows like “Jeopardy!” aren’t just games — they might be among the last cultural spaces where facts still matter.

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This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Vishakha Darbha. It was edited by Alison Bruzek, Kaari Pitkin and Jillian Weinberger. The rest of the show's production ...

In this episode, the editorial director David Leonhardt talks to a conservative former federal judge, Michael McConnell, about the role of the courts in President Trump’s second term.

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This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Jillian Weinberger. It was edited by Alison Bruzek and Kaari Pitkin. The rest o...

The New York Times columnists Michelle Cottle and David French discuss whether the moment might be right for a third party. And French tells the story of the time he briefly considered a run for president as a third-party candidate.

Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.

This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Vishakha Darbha. It was edited by Alison Bruzek and Kaari Pitkin. Mixing by Carole Sabouraud. Original music b...

Trump’s immigration policy has closed America’s doors and could change the way Americans think about citizenship and belonging. The Opinion columnists Carlos Lozada and Lydia Polgreen talk about the reporting that took her to countries all over the world to better understand what America’s future might look like.

Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.

This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Derek Arthur, Vishakha Darbh...

In the wake of the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, Congress passed the most substantial bipartisan legislation around guns in decades. As part of the bill, Republicans pushed for mental health treatment as a solution to school violence. In April the Trump administration abruptly cut $1 billion in funding for that program. Not one Republican has spoken out since. Our senior producer, Jillian Weinberger, tells th...

The United States Agency for International Development no longer exists. As of July 1, what’s left of it has been absorbed into the State Department. President Trump and Elon Musk dismissed the agency as wasteful spending. But on a reporting trip to West Africa, the columnist Nicholas Kristof found that by eliminating U.S.A.I.D., America has left lifesaving resources to deteriorate — with deadly consequences.

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There will be many short- and long-term consequences if Republicans succeed in passing President Trump’s signature policy bill, as they aim to do before the July 4 holiday, David Leonhardt, the director of the Times editorial board, tells the national politics writer Michelle Cottle in this episode.

Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.

This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Derek Arthur. It was edited by Alison Bruz...

War. Did President Trump get America into one? On this episode of “The Opinions,” the columnists Carlos Lozada, Jamelle Bouie and David French dissect the legality and constitutionality of President Trump’s recent strike on Iran, and the gray areas on who has the power to send out American troops.

Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.

This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Derek Arthur. It was edited by Alison Bruzek...

Will Trump’s Iran strikes make the country’s regime “see the light”? In this episode of “The Opinions,” the director of the editorial board David Leonhardt moderates a discussion between the Opinion columnist Bret Stephens, who applauds U.S. military action on Iran, and Rosemary Kelanic, a director of the Middle East program at Defense Priorities, who warns the United States against striking Iran.

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The Times Opinion columnist Nick Kristof weighs in on the uncertainties following the United States’ surprise bombing of Iran and Tehran’s retaliation. “President Trump thinks that this is going to be successful and worth it, but the enemy gets a vote as well,” Kristof cautions.

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This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Vishakha Darbha. It was edited by Alison Bruzek and Kaari Pitki...

Given the recent protests against ICE raids, is President Trump alienating some of his supporters? In this episode, the Opinion national politics writer Michelle Cottle and the columnists David French and Jamelle Bouie convene to discuss.

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 i...

As tensions between Iran and Israel escalate, questions are mounting about America’s role in the conflict and how President Trump should navigate the crisis. In this episode, the deputy international editor for Times Opinion, speaks with the columnist Tom Friedman to discuss Trump’s next moves, Iran’s regime and Israel’s intentions in the Middle East.

Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.

This episode of “The Opinions” was p...

In this episode, the editorial board director David Leonhardt talks to Arlie Russell Hochschild about why voters in Appalachia continue to support the president, despite the broken promises of Trump’s first term and looming cuts to social programs they depend on.

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 o...

This week, President Trump ordered the National Guard and the Marines to Los Angeles to confront protesters. Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., he is pushing to advance his policy agenda through a giant spending bill. The Opinion columnists Tressie McMillan Cottom, David French and the national politics writer Michelle Cottle convene to explore how Trump’s attempt to consolidate power is reshaping the American political landscape — po...

Liat Beinin Atzili was held hostage by Hamas in Gaza for 54 days. When she returned to Israel, she learned her husband was murdered on Oct. 7. In this episode of “The Opinions,” the editor Sarah Wildman speaks to Beinin Atzili about her radically different experience from most other hostages and why she doesn’t believe in revenge.

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This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Vishakha D...

In this episode, the editorial director David Leonhardt and the Opinion columnist M. Gessen discuss the very human inclination to try to return to normal life in the midst of a serious crisis.

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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...

After speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, Donald President Trump says Moscow plans to retaliate against Ukraine for the country’s drone strike over the weekend. Despite President Trump’s ambitious campaign promises, an end to the war still seems far away. On this episode of “The Opinions,” the columnist David French joins Megan K. Stack, a contributing Opinion writer and former Moscow bureau chief for The L...

The writer and performer John Cameron Mitchell has a message for members of Generation Z: Stop playing it safe and embrace punk. Mitchell, who wrote “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” sits down with Opinion’s deputy editorial director of culture, Carl Swanson, to talk about what he learned touring around the country and talking with college students about rebellion.

Thoughts? Emails us at theopinions@nytimes.com.

This episode of “The Opini...

In this episode, the Times Opinion politics correspondent Michelle Cottle speaks to the columnists Jamelle Bouie and David French about the rise of “toxic empathy” and how the right has turned compassion into weakness.

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 Art...