Episodes
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What would make you want to have more children? This week on āInteresting Times,ā 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 isnāt just a gender issue ā itās āa solitude issueā ā and whether thereās 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 falling09:04 - There are too many single people10:27 - We can thank technology for the coupling crisis12:58 - The digital segregation of men and women16:31 - Men have less to offer these days20:11 - What can bring the sexes back together24:31 - 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 IVF40:50 - 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.)
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On this episode of āInteresting Times,ā Ross Douthat interviews Vice President JD Vance about the Trump administrationās deportations, the tariff backlash and how Vanceās faith influences his politics.
01:49 - How faith shapes JD Vanceās politics04:26 - āPapal interventions in politicsā14:44 - How will the Trump administration measure success on immigration?21:22 - āThe courts are trying to overturn the will of the American peopleā23:55 - Are migrants really at war against the US?28:48 - The parallels between the War on Terror and Trump's deportation policies40:29 - 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 AI58:33 - JD Vance's message to shocked Trump voters(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)
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Missing episodes?
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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 companyās commitment to A.I. safety. This week, he joins Ross to talk about āAI 2027,ā 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 electricians14:53 - The geopolitical stakes18:58 - AIās honesty problem22:43 - The fork in the road27:55 - The best case scenario29:38 - The power structure in an AI-dominated world32:32 - What AI leaders think about this power structure38:30 - AI's hallucinations and limitations43:45 - Theories of AI consciousness47:05 - Is AI consciousness inevitable?50:59 - Humanity in an AI-dominated world(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)
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Democrats are stumbling ā badly. While the Trump administration redefines the limits of executive overreach, the Democratic party remains at odds over how to ā even whether to ā 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 Democrats04:06 - The Threat to Democracy Wasnāt Enough Then or Now.06:49 - How Dems Fight Trump13:41 - Where Chris Murphy Can Agree With the Populist Right16:38 - Is Connecticut a Model of What is Wrong with Democrats?25:54 - The Spiritual Crisis in American Life27:56 - The Problem with Big Tech33:45 - 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 Immigration57:09 - āA Democracy Dies Without a High Stakes Confrontationā(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)
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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 āvibe shiftā on American politics and culture.
2:09 - Jonathan Keepermanās Lomez days5:25 - 2014: An inflection point in American culture?7:40 - The emergence of a āconservative counter eliteā9:41 - The creation of a right wing counterweight to the dominant left12:32 - What makes something āconservative artā?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 countercultureās obsession with āvitalismā22:56 - Longhouse culture: Is the āover feminizationā of society making America weaker?27:55 - Is the longhouse argument just a ālong male whineā?30:41 - Is right wing counterculture anti-Christian?35:48 - Trump as mythic hero43:31 - 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 āMoby Dickā and watch āNo Country for Old Menā(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)
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On this episode of āInteresting Times,ā 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 Pope05:23 Google Translate and Exchanging Emails 06:05 The Visual Element of Francisās Legacy07:48 The Concrete Changes Made16:19 Christian Sexual Ethics25:22 The Church in the Modern World27:14 What Kind of Leader Will the Next Pope Be?31:57 The Latin Mass Controversy34:54 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.)
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President Trump may forever reshape the boundaries of executive power. This week on āInteresting Times,ā Ross and Jack Goldsmith, who was the head of the White Houseās 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 ā for better or worse.
00:02:03 Donald Trumpās āmoonshot on executive powerā00:04:16 What has surprised Goldsmith the most00:06:57 Are we in a constitutional crisis?00:08:59 Alien Enemies Act00:14:02 The case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia00:25:23 Godelās loophole and Supreme Court enforcement30:10 Trumpās firings of federal employees and restructuring of U.S.A.I.D.36:11 Trumpās power over congressionally appropriated funding41:29 Obama v. Trumpās discretion on enforcing laws passed by Congress43:03 The TikTok case45:46 Lawsuit over Trumpās tariffs51:57 How the Supreme Court (maybe) thinks about picking its battles54:24 Worst case scenarios56:59 What the Supreme Court can do if the Trump administration does not comply01:01:32 What a Trump executive power revolution could look like in 2028 and beyond01:04:39 If Democrats win in 2028, what happens?(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)
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Is the short-term economic pain of President Trumpās 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 ā sort of. On the first episode of āInteresting Times,ā the founder and chief economist of the think tank American Compass joins Ross Douthat to discuss and debate the Trump administrationās drastic trade war.
(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)
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Thereās a saying that comes to mind these days: May you live in interesting times. Itās understood to be a curse, even though it sounds like a blessing.
āInteresting Times With Ross Douthatā 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 ā all of culture ā in our digital and A.I.-dominated age?
Thoughts? Email us at [email protected].
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The tech investor Marc Andreessen and his fellow Silicon Valley giant Elon Musk werenāt 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 Valleyās rightward shift and the new agenda of the tech-right faction.
Editorsā note: This episode originally aired on the āMatter of Opinionā podcast on Jan. 17, 2025.
(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)
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In this conversation, Ross talks to Steve Bannon, the chief strategist from Donald Trumpās 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.
Editorsā note: This episode originally aired on the āMatter of Opinionā podcast on Jan. 31, 2025.
(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)
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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."
Editorsā note: This episode originally aired on the āMatter of Opinionā podcast on Mar. 7, 2025.
(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)
Thoughts? Email us at [email protected].
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