Interesting Times with Ross Douthat

Has immigration become the new litmus test for the Republican Party? In this episode, Ross talks to Matthew Continetti, the author of “The Right: The Hundred-Year War for American Conservatism,” about the party’s shifting coalition, the defining role of immigration and how today’s right echoes its past.01:50 - What the Elon experiment (and fallout) tells us about the Republican Party06:55 - Is there a tech right beyond DOGE?10:09 - Is the “new right” really all that new?18:16 - Where Trump’s agenda fits within the larger conservative story25:16 - “Immigration is the biggest issue of our time”28:39 - How border control will define conservatism around the world34:05 - Is Silicon Valley out of step with Trump's immigration crackdown?39:43 - Will Trump's ideas outlast Trump?(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. 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.

Does Hollywood have anything interesting left to say? In a world where franchises dominate and grown-up movies have fallen by the wayside, Ross talks to the showrunner Tony Gilroy, whose “Star Wars” spinoff “Andor” has, according to Ross, succeeded in being both original and smartly political in a Hollywood that is often neither.03:04 - The political world of ”Andor”08:36 - Tony Gilroy's syllabus for “Andor”10:40 - Is “Andor” a left-wing show?17:07 - What makes Hollywood progressive or liberal?24:22 - Debating the politics of “Michael Clayton”29:42 - Why aren't there more movies for grown-ups?32:56 - “There are no movie stars anymore.”35:55 - How A.I. changing the movie business39:28 - Tony Gilroy's advice for future filmmakers(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. 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.

What would make you want to have more children? This week on “Interesting Times,” 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 isn’t just a gender issue — it’s “a solitude issue” – and whether there’s 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.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. 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.

On this episode of “Interesting Times,” Ross Douthat interviews Vice President JD Vance about the Trump administration’s deportations, the tariff backlash and how Vance’s faith influences his politics.01:49 - How faith shapes JD Vance’s politics04:26 - ‘Papal interventions in politics’14:44 - How will the Trump administration measure success on immigration?21:22 - ‘The courts are trying to overturn the will of the American people’23:55 - 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.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. 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.

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 company’s commitment to A.I. safety. This week, he joins Ross to talk about “AI 2027,” 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 - AI’s 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.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. 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.

Democrats are stumbling — badly. While the Trump administration redefines the limits of executive overreach, the Democratic party remains at odds over how to — even whether to — 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 Wasn’t 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 - “A Democracy Dies Without a High Stakes Confrontation”(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. 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.

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 “vibe shift” on American politics and culture.2:09 - Jonathan Keeperman’s Lomez days5:25 - 2014: An inflection point in American culture?7:40 - The emergence of a “conservative counter elite”9:41 - The creation of a right wing counterweight to the dominant left12:32 - What makes something “conservative art”?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 counterculture’s obsession with “vitalism”22:56 - Longhouse culture: Is the “over feminization” of society making America weaker?27:55 - Is the longhouse argument just a “long male whine”?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 “Moby Dick” and watch “No Country for Old Men”(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. 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.

On this episode of “Interesting Times,” 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 Francis’s 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.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. 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.

President Trump may forever reshape the boundaries of executive power. This week on “Interesting Times,” Ross and Jack Goldsmith, who was the head of the White House’s 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 — for better or worse.00:02:03 Donald Trump’s “moonshot on executive power”00:04:16 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 Godel’s loophole and Supreme Court enforcement30:10 Trump’s firings of federal employees and restructuring of U.S.A.I.D.36:11 Trump’s power over congressionally appropriated funding41:29 Obama v. Trump’s discretion on enforcing laws passed by Congress43:03 The TikTok case45:46 Lawsuit over Trump’s 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.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. 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.

Is the short-term economic pain of President Trump’s 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 — sort of. On the first episode of “Interesting Times,” the founder and chief economist of the think tank American Compass joins Ross Douthat to discuss and debate the Trump administration’s drastic trade war.(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. 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.

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. 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.

The tech investor Marc Andreessen and his fellow Silicon Valley giant Elon Musk weren’t 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 Valley’s rightward shift and the new agenda of the tech-right faction. Editors’ note: This episode originally aired on the “Matter of Opinion” podcast on Jan. 17, 2025.(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. 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.

In this conversation, Ross talks to Steve Bannon, the chief strategist from Donald Trump’s 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.Editors’ note: This episode originally aired on the “Matter of Opinion” podcast on Jan. 31, 2025.(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. 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.

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."Editors’ note: This episode originally aired on the “Matter of Opinion” podcast on Mar. 7, 2025.(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)  Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. 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.