Interesting Times with Ross Douthat

Does America have a moral obligation to the world? The former Department of Government Efficiency staffer Jeremy Lewin, now deputy administrator for the United States Agency for International Development, explains how he is implementing President Trump’s foreign aid philosophy and what it means for humanitarian assistance going forward. * 01:59 - From the private sector to interviewing with Elon Musk * 09:18 - The rapid restructuring of U.S.A.I.D. * 19:44 - Lewin’s critiques of U.S.A.I.D.’s focus * 25:15 - The most controversial cuts: humanitarian aid  * 29:50 - America’s interests first, values-based interests second * 40:14 - What is the future vision for foreign aid? (A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat. [www.youtube.com/@InterestingTimesNYT] > 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.

U.F.O.s, fairies and abductions! This week, Ross talks to Diana Walsh Pasulka, a professor of religious studies, about how a deep dive into Catholic archives led her down a path to unravel the connections between religion, extraterrestrial encounters and government secrecy. * 01:53 - How Pasulka’s religious studies led to the U.F.O. debate * 06:08 - Modern U.F.O. encounters and telepathic communication * 13:29 - What are the actual beliefs of the U.F.O. community? * 19:28 - Whistleblowers and government contradictions * 31:35 - Angels, demons and “actual things in the sky” * 45:38 - Disclosure * 52:51 - “Amazing.” (A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat. [https://dashboard.simplecast.com/accounts/5781b951-30d9-47a7-b73a-39c0cdca7700/shows/1fe58c15-392f-4bd2-9c69-5e2935220d3c/episodes/adfff4cf-51f9-4983-b5f0-8430923cf436/www.youtube.com/@InterestingTimesNYT%20Joined%20Mar%2010,%202025%2036.6K%20subscribers%2048%20videos%202,752,422%20views]   > 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.

Julie K. Brown thinks Jeffrey Epstein didn’t act alone. On this episode of “Interesting Times,” Ross talks to Brown, the investigative reporter whose work ultimately led to Epstein’s re-arrest, about what the government could release that it hasn’t and how the story is bigger than Epstein. * 2:32 - Brown's initial interest in the Epstein case * 5:26 - Discovering Epstein's crimes and the plea deal * 13:13 - Epstein's victims and the impact of Brown's reporting * 18:20 - Epstein's wealth and connections * 25:20 - Epstein's social circles * 35:01 - Certainty and unsolved mysteries * 45:25 - The role of government in the case * 51:04 - Trump and the political fallout (A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat. [www.youtube.com/@InterestingTimesNYT Joined Mar 10, 2025 36.6K subscribers 48 videos 2,752,422 views] > 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 conservative Christian podcaster Allie Beth Stuckey joins Ross on “Interesting Times” this week to explain why “toxic empathy” has a stranglehold on politics, whether evangelical Christians have a red line President Trump could cross and why her commentary has echoes of Phyllis Schlafly. * 01:26 “The New Phyllis Schlafly” * 9:46 Untangling the web of Evangelical Protestants * 15:50 Female authority in the church * 22:12 What is “toxic empathy”? * 30:55 Toxic empathy and cruelty in American politics * 40:19 Do conservative christians have a red line? * 57:24 “The mushy middle” (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.

How has the war in Gaza reverberated throughout American politics? Opinion columnist Bret Stephens and Ross Douthat debate the implications of the Israel-Gaza conflict on antisemitism, the morality of war, and why “Monday morning quarterbacking” is not productive when taking stock of military actions in the Middle East. * 01:56 Israel actions in Gaza * 04:39 The moral baseline * 13:31 What is the end game? * 15:52 The role of Israel in American politics * 23:44 Can you criticize Israel without becoming antisemetic?  * 36:05 Does Israel have obligations to the Jewish diaspora? (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.