Episodes
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The Democratic Party needs to take a look in the mirror, and fast. This week, our old friend Lydia Polgreen joins the hosts to dissect what went wrong for Democrats, and what kind of leadership the party needs to win back voters in Trump’s America.
Plus, something to do other than doomscrolling.
(A full transcript of this audio essay will be available within 24 hours of publication in the audio player above.)
Recommended in this episode:
“A Party of Prigs and Pontificators Suffers a Humiliating Defeat” by Bret Stephens“Stop Pretending Trump Is Not Who We Are” by Carlos LozadaToshi ReagonThoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (212) 556-7440.
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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In this special post-election episode, the hosts take stock of Donald Trump’s triumphant night and what a return of his right-wing populism says about America.
(A full transcript of this audio essay will be available within 24 hours of publication in the audio player above.)
Thoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (212) 556-7440.
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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Missing episodes?
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Is this really the most consequential election of our lifetimes?
On this last episode of “Matter of Opinion” before the election, the hosts reflect on some defining moments of the campaign (other than President Biden dropping out), from Donald Trump’s indictments to Project 2025 to Ron Desantis’s lack of charisma. Plus, a visit from the ghosts of election nights past.
(A full transcript of this audio essay will be available within 24 hours of publication in the audio player above.)
Recommended in this episode:
“Why Biden Is Unlikely to Defy the Naysayers” by Ross Douthat“Democrats Have a Better Option Than Biden” by Ezra Klein“The Presidential Fantasy Draft America Needs” from “Matter of Opinion”“The Woke Burnout Is Real — and Politics is Catching Up” from “Matter of Opinion”“Politics Without Winners: Can Either Party Build a Majority Coalition?” by Ruy Teixeira and Yuval Levin“Why the Heck Isn’t She Running Away With This?” by David Brooks“The Polls Show a Dead Heat, but They Don’t All Tell the Same Story” by Kristen Soltis AndersonThoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (212) 556-7440.
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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There’s a whole world of 2024 elections that don’t involve Donald Trump or Kamala Harris. These races will be key to determining America’s future. As we inch closer to Election Day, the hosts zoom in on the congressional races that reveal something deeper — and stranger — about our politics.
Plus, Ross has a new Vice.
(A full transcript of this audio essay will be available within 24 hours of publication in the audio player above.)
Recommended in this episode:
“The Hard Truth About Montana and Jon Tester’s Senate Race” by Michelle Cottle“The Senate May Come Down to a Blue State Surprise” by Michelle Cottle“Tokyo Vice” on MaxThoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (212) 556-7440.
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have been neck and neck in the polls for weeks. But past elections have proved the polls wrong. Can we trust them this time? This week, the hosts are joined by Kristen Soltis Anderson, a Republican pollster and Times Opinion contributor, to talk through what polls can — and can’t — tell us about how voting day will go.
Plus, a taste for All Hallow’s Eve.
(A full transcript of this episode will be available within 24 hours of publication on the Times website.)
Recommended in this episode:
“The Selfie Vote” by Kristen Soltis Anderson“Millennials See the GOP as Old-Fashioned and Prejudiced. Here’s How to Change That.” by Carlos Lozada in The Washington Post“These 9 Women Were Solidly With Trump. Here’s What Has Changed.” by Patrick Healy, Kristen Soltis Anderson and Adrian J. RiveraThoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (212) 556-7440.
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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Michelle loves Halloween. Ross watches horror movies against his will. And Carlos is making textual comparisons across satanic franchises. It’s a very MoO Halloween bonus ep, y’all!
Share your favorite horror recs with us by emailing [email protected] or calling 212-556-7440. And tell us what we should chat about next time so Ross doesn’t have to read “Return of the King” to us.
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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When Democrats coalesced around Kamala Harris this summer, they set their differences aside in the interest of preventing a second Trump presidency. But at what cost?
On this episode, Lydia is joined by her fellow Opinion columnists Jamelle Bouie and Michelle Goldberg to discuss whether this temporary unity is good or bad for the future of the Democratic Party.
(A full transcript of this episode will be available within 24 hours of publication on the Times website.)
Recommended in this episode:
“Poll Finds Harris Rising as She Challenges Trump on Change” by Adam Nagourney, Ruth Igielnik and Camille Baker“Kamala Harris and Tim Walz: More From Their ‘60 Minutes’ Interviews” by Brit McCandless FarmerVice President Kamala Harris’s interview on “The View”“Silicon Valley, the New Lobbying Monster” by Charles Duhigg in the New YorkerThoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (212) 556-7440.
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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This week the hosts discuss what was obscured by the civility of the V.P. debate, and consider what JD Vance and Tim Walz really offer their running mates and their parties’ futures.
Plus, Michelle won’t be washing away her stresses any time soon.
(A full transcript of this episode will be available within 24 hours of publication on the Times website.)
Recommended in this episode:
‘There’s a Trap Here’: Four Columnists Brace for the Vance-Walz Debate by David Brooks, Ross Douthat, Tressie McMillan Cottom and Pamela PaulThoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (212) 556-7440.
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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This week we're taking a break from the election and turn our attention to the allegations against Sean Combs: Where has #MeToo succeeded or fallen short? And what happens when the lines blur between rumor mill and conspiracy theory? The Opinion columnist Tressie McMillan Cottom and the Opinion writer Jessica Grose join the conversation. Plus, Jessica has a recommendation for Plath-heads.
(A full transcript of this episode will be available on the Times website.)
Recommended in this episode:
“With Love, Sean Combs” by Tressie McMillian Cottom in Vanity Fair“Sean Combs and the Limits of the ‘Family Man’ Defense” by Jess Grose“Entitled | How Male Privilege Hurts Women” by Kate Manne, who coined the term “himpathy”“#MeToo Comes for the Archbishop” by Ross Douthat“Why We Can’t Quit Brad Pitt” by Scaachi Koul in Slate“Red Comet” by Heather ClarkThoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (212) 556-7440.
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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Donald Trump and JD Vance have sparked panic over immigration in Springfield, Ohio. This week, the hosts talk about why our country’s immigration debate is now focused on a distraction instead of the core of the issue.
Plus, Ross is hot and cold about a particular pet obsession.
(A full transcript of this episode will be available within 24 hours of publication on the Times website.)
Recommended in this episode:
"Trump Has Crossed a Truly Unacceptable Line" by Lydia Polgreen"What JD Vance Believes" by Ross Douthat“How the Trump Campaign Ran With Rumors About Pet-Eating Migrants — After Being Told They Weren’t True” by Kris Maher, Valerie Bauerlein and Tawnell D. Hobbs in The Wall Street JournalThe Real ‘Border Czar’ Defends the Biden-Harris Record, “The Ezra Klein Show”“Go West” by Lily Lynch in The Baffler“Melting Pot or Civil War? A Son of Immigrants Makes the Case Against Open Borders” by Reihan Salam“Chimp Crazy" on HBOThoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (212) 556-7440.
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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Kamala Harris may have won the debate by baiting Donald Trump. But is it enough to sway undecided voters?
This week on “Matter of Opinion,” the Opinion columnist Jamelle Bouie joins our hosts to talk about how each campaign should reconsider its nominee’s visibility in the next seven weeks to win the White House.
Plus, Michelle wants to be seen less.
Want to see the Valentine's Day card for C-SPAN that Carlos's kids made him? Click here
Thoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (212) 556-7440.
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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Opinion columnist David French is voting for Kamala Harris to save conservatism. Ross is… skeptical. On this very special episode, the two Christian conservatives debate how to chart the right’s course out of Trumpism and to the future.
(A full transcript of this episode will be available on the Times website.)
Recommended in this episode:
“To Save Conservatism From Itself, I Am Voting for Harris” by David French“This Is Probably Not the Deal the Pro-Life Movement Bargained for With Trump” by Ross DouthatThoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (212) 556-7440.
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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While we take a quick summer break, we wanted to recommend a new show: “The Opinions.” Four times a week, in ten minutes or less, you’ll hear one of our columnists — Matter of Opinion hosts included — walk you through their take on an issue or idea you might not have considered. It’s like the Opinion pages come to life.
In this episode, our very own Carlos shares what he learned reading Kamala Harris’s two memoirs. He reflects on how her criminal justice message has changed over time, and considers what that may reveal about her candidacy. Listen and subscribe to "The Opinions" on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Thoughts about Matter of Opinion? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (212) 556-7440.
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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The hosts react to Kamala Harris’s convention speech in this special late-night edition of “Matter of Opinion”. Lydia, Ross and Carlos unpack how Harris had a “deft threading of a number of tricky needles” as she accepted her party’s nomination, and look at what the entire week revealed about the Democratic Party.
(A full transcript of this episode will be available on the Times website.)
Thoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (212) 556-7440.
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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If you believe JD Vance, the American family is in crisis. But are attacks on “childless cat ladies” and pitches for enfranchising kids actual policy platforms or merely culture war cudgels?
This week on “Matter of Opinion,” Jessica Grose joins Michelle, Ross and Carlos to debate the weird ways gender and family are showing up in the election and share their own roads to parenthood.
Plus, Jessica suggests a deep dive into a culture of “tin pot dictators wearing LoveShackFancy.”
(A full transcript of this episode will be available within 24 hours of publication on the Times website.)
Recommended in this episode:
“Red Families vs. Blue Families: Legal Polarization and the Creation of the Culture” by Naomi Cahn and June Carbone“The Two-Parent Privilege: How Americans Stopped Getting Married and Started Falling Behind” by Melissa S. Kearney“The Party of Julia” by Ross Douthat“Welcome to Bama Confidential,” Anne Helen Peterson’s essay series on her Culture Study newsletterThoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (212) 556-7440.
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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This week on the show, Michelle Goldberg joins Michelle and Ross to debate the gambles or gains Kamala Harris has made by picking Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota as her running mate. They also discuss the ways the Trump-Vance ticket could recalibrate to regain their lead. Plus, Goldberg is sunny on a new show you probably haven’t heard of.
(A full transcript of this episode will be available within 24 hours of publication on the Times website.)
Recommended in this episode:
Don’t Listen to the Right. The Kamalanomenon Is Real. by Michelle GoldbergThe Focus Group Podcast episode “Kamala Needs a DEI Pick (Straight White Dude)” with Sarah LongwellSunny from Apple TV+Thoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (212) 556-7440.
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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The 2024 presidential race is officially in its identity politics stage. From “White Dudes for Harris,” to “D.E.I. candidate” accusations, the hosts debate how race and racism are being deployed in the second week of the Harris v. Trump election.
(A full transcript of this episode will be available within 24 hours of publication on the Times website.)
Mentioned in this episode:
“Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance” by Barack Obama“Rising Stare: The Making of Obama” by David J. Garrow“Barack Obama: The Story” by David Maraniss“The Olympic Flame Isn’t a Flame at All” by Andrew KehThoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (212) 556-7440.
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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Vice President Kamala Harris has gone from being one of President Biden’s many problems to the hope of the Democratic Party. This week Ross, Lydia and Carlos dissect the seismic campaign vibe shift in both parties. Plus, Ross criticizes another self-indulgent addition to the modern era’s Western canon.
(A full transcript of this episode will be available within 24 hours of publication on the Times website.)
Mentioned in this episode:
Ross Douthat, David French, Michelle Goldberg, and Lydia Polgreen: Is It a Mistake for Democrats to Go All In on Harris? Four Columnists on the Party’s Moves.Harris’s Michigan event on abortionHarris’s first presidential rally in Milwaukee speechThoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (212) 556-7440.
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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The former president was expected to offer “unity” in his convention acceptance speech. But, after a wild week, the speech revealed the same old Donald Trump. In this episode, the hosts debate: Is Trump a “man of destiny”?
(A full transcript of this episode will be available within 24 hours of publication on the Times website.)
Recommended in this episode:
Donald Trump, Man of DestinyThoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (212) 556-7440.
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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“The dam is breaking!” Have the Democrats reached their “break glass in case of emergency” moment? This week, Michelle, Ross and Lydia dig into the Democratic Party fissures, consider what could happen if President Biden refuses to bow out, and debate just how much this moment mirrors the Republican scramble against Trump in 2016.
(A full transcript of this episode will be available within 24 hours of publication on the Times website.)
Mentioned in this episode:
George Clooney: I Love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee.The Case for Joe Biden by Ross DouthatEzra Klein: A Path to Defeat from “The Bulwark Podcast”Thoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (212) 556-7440.
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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