I am a columnist for the New York Times and I have a lot of takes! Here is where you can find a few of them, in audio form. For video, checkout my YouTube page.
(Note: “Takes™” is not actually trademarked. It’s a joke.)
Pastor Pierre Damas Bel's family pastor expresses grief and calls for justice regarding his untimely death.
14 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
There Was No Vibe Shift
Host Kara Swisher interviews Congressman Seth Moulton about his misreading of the 2024 election and its impact on his career.
14 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
We need to cut the Supreme Court down to size
Host Jeffrey Toobin interviews legal scholar Erwin Chemerinsky about the Supreme Court's perceived imperious attitude and the need to reduce its power.
14 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
"America First" has been the worst failure in American history
Host John Heilemann interviews historian Nicole Hemmer about how the "America First" agenda represents a profound failure for national security and prosperity.
3 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
It looks like Democrats are getting serious about Supreme Court reform
Rep. Jim Clyburn told Meet the Press on Sunday that he would support expanding the court to 13 justices. That is a very strong indication that should Democrats win a trifecta in 2028, they will try court reform in 2029.
Video at YouTube (https://youtu.be/anwxjf58Q4c).
3 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
Donald Trump's presidency is a conspiracy against the Constitution
It is useful to remind ourselves that this president is engaged in an open conspiracy against the Constitution and the basic rights of the entire American people.
Video at YouTube (https://youtu.be/nbPRVSHruzU).
28 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT
Everything is Gender: Trump's Anti-Canada Trade War Edition
Another look at how gender anxiety and highly reactionary notions of gender identity shape the Trump administration. Also, some classical Greek political history.
Video on YouTube (https://youtu.be/AuCENXlqLl8).
28 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT
To be a Trump Republican you have to dare to be stupid
The title is pretty self-explanatory.
Video on YouTube (https://youtu.be/7eoanXKDICU).
28 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT
The Democratic Establishment Needs Ideas, Badly
One of the problems facing moderate and establishment candidates in their competition with their more progressive counterparts is a serious dearth of ideas.
28 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT
No matter what, we have to tear down Trump’s corrupt ballroom
Demolish it, blow it up, I don't care. But the ballroom has to go.
Video on YouTube (https://youtu.be/pkFNAd1DaaA).
28 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT
What Democrats Can Learn from Mitch McConnell
The task ahead of them in the majority, as McConnell understood when he won the Senate under Obama, is to be an opposition to the White House and not a partner.
22 Aug 2026
"The Odyssey" or what if Christopher Nolan did "The Dark Knight" in Ancient Greece?
From my Letterboxd:
This, to be clear, is not a bad thing. Nolan is covering the same thematic territory he did nearly 20 years ago and more recently with OPPENHEIMER. And it is compelling! A kind of Burkean liberalism that sees the heroism of “great men” as a necessary bulwark against disorder and chaos but understands the great men as merely men — who themselves bear some responsibility for the chaos — and sees heroism as a terrible burden to bear, more akin to a curse than a crown. There are no parades or honors. In the end you bear the scars and fade away, an exile remembered in legend.
Anyway, I am glad Hollywood keeps giving the man hundreds of millions of dollars to make his didactic and idiosyncratic blockbusters. Keep ‘em coming!
21 Aug 2026
How close is Donald Trump to the "crazification" line?
For any given question you ask the public, around 25 percent of people will embrace the most unhinged or ridiculous answer available. That is the "crazification" line and it is the reason that you'll never find a politician with 80 or 90 percent opposition. How close is Donald Trump to that point?
Video on YouTube (https://youtu.be/efxV1-2rQ2o).
20 Aug 2026
How Donald Trump's partisan presidency is splitting the union
The president is treating Democratic-led states like colonies to be dominated, and it is the kind of thing that undermines the very notion of a federal union.
Watch on YouTube. (https://youtu.be/Zsjdefpj4UQ)
20 Aug 2026
Why Natalie Harp is the most important, and powerful, person in Trump’s White House
[Vladimir Harkonnen voice] She who controls the information controls the president.
Watch on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcyBfHL9BmU).
20 Aug 2026
What's the deal with Natalie Harp?
Why is it that we're talking about one of the president's minor aides, what is her significance to Trump, and why the whole scandal demonstrates the political importance of being aggressive and getting attention.
Watch the video on YouTube. (https://youtu.be/XqpTkbNRAjY)
Reach and audience
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Apple Podcasts (US)
4.9 / 5
23 ratings
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