The Book That Changed How I Think About Liberalism

GLP-1s and the ‘Wild West’ of Wellness

Here’s a shocking number: One out of eight American adults is taking a GLP-1, like Ozempic or Zepbound, according to a KFF poll. GLP-1s are the biggest pharmaceutical story since antidepressants. But there’s still so much we don’t know. “We’re only at the beginning of what’s been called this Ozempic era,” the journalist Julia Belluz told me. “I think we’re really just at the beginning of discovering the benefits and the harms of these drugs.” These discoveries begin in the research but are also expanding into how we think about our punishing beauty standards and the blurry lines between illness and wellness. Belluz is a contributing Opinion writer and the author, with Kevin Hall, of “Food Intelligence [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/671334/food-intelligence-by-julia-belluz-and-kevin-hall-phd/].” She’s one of the best health and science reporters I know and has been reporting on GLP-1s [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/04/15/opinion/glp1-health-effects.html] for years. In this conversation, Belluz takes me through what we know — and don’t know — about GLP-1s, their unexpected uses, how they are clashing with a culture obsessed with thinness and looksmaxxing, and whether everyone should be on them. Mentioned: “The obesity pay gap is worse than previously thought [https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2023/11/23/the-obesity-pay-gap-is-worse-than-previously-thought]” by The Economist “The Great Ozempic Experimen [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/04/15/opinion/glp1-health-effects.html]t” by Julia Belluz Book Recommendations: Behave [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/311787/behave-by-robert-m-sapolsky/] by Robert M. Sapolsky The Poison Squad [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/312067/the-poison-squad-by-deborah-blum/] by Deborah Blum Ultra-Processed People [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/744755/ultra-processed-people-by-chris-van-tulleken/] by Chris van Tulleken Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com. You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast [https://www.nytimes.com/column/ezra-klein-podcast], and you can find Ezra on Twitter @ezraklein. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs [https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs.html]. This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Annie Galvin. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris, with Julie Beer. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing by Johnny Simon. Our recording engineer is Aman Sahota. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Marie Cascione, Rollin Hu, Kristin Lin, Emma Kehlbeck, Jack McCordick, Marina King and Jan Kobal. Original music by Pat McCusker. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta. The director of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser. Transcript editing by Sarah Murphy and Marlaine Glicksman. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://nytimes.com/podcasts] or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher [https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher]. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Book That Changed How I Think About Liberalism

In the U.S., illiberalism is in power. I don’t think anybody really argues against that. But I’ve been surprised by how weak liberalism has felt in response. Donald Trump isn’t a popular president; he isn’t making people want more of what he is. But if the forces of illiberalism are really going to be turned back in this country, I think more people need to be excited and inspired by liberalism itself. We need a liberalism that stands for more than “not Trump.” So I’ve been on my own esoteric journey, reading a lot of books on the history of liberalism, trying to understand what excited and inspired people in the past, and how liberals overcame crises like the one we’re in. And reading one of those books, “The Lost History of Liberalism [https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691170701/the-lost-history-of-liberalism?srsltid=AfmBOooyZ1wCeaN4zx_icFkdKznb0g-WyqLxTSRcAkke5NyPE3eRY78q]” by Helena Rosenblatt, it felt like an epiphany — that this was a piece of the puzzle. So I wanted to have Rosenblatt on the show to talk about it. Rosenblatt is a professor of history, political science and French at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and in this conversation, she walks me through the history of liberalism that she uncovered, and the values that once lived at its heart. Mentioned: Democracy in America [https://www.gutenberg.org/files/815/815-h/815-h.htm] by Alexis de Tocqueville Liberalism [https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691180380/liberalism?srsltid=AfmBOoqFWrqx9dX9GqQ0NqG1wDRe6D1Z1b8nxzqT2GPQo7ePcH7CkeJ2] by Edmund Fawcett Book Recommendations: Liberalism against Itself [https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300280128/liberalism-against-itself/] by Samuel Moyn Liberalism as a Way of Life [https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691203744/liberalism-as-a-way-of-life?srsltid=AfmBOorT0PkGi41G3bDYYKAlnj2obgw6PAPg7Y0BiBcR65O2Jp9WRHsB] by Alexandre Lefebvre Thinking With Machines [https://www.wiley.com/en-ie/Thinking+With+Machines%3A+The+Brave+New+World+of+AI-p-9781394359066] by Vasant Dhar Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com. You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast [https://www.nytimes.com/column/ezra-klein-podcast], and you can find Ezra on Twitter @ezraklein. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs [https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs.html]. This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Jack McCordick. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris with Kate Sinclair and Julie Beer. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing by Johnny Simon. Our recording engineer is Aman Sahota. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Marie Cascione, Annie Galvin, Rollin Hu, Kristin Lin, Emma Kehlbeck, Marina King and Jan Kobal. Original music by Pat McCusker. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Lauren Reddy. The director of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser. Transcript editing by Filipa Pajevic and Marlaine Glicksman. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://nytimes.com/podcasts] or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher [https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher]. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What We Got Right — and Wrong — in ‘Abundance’

“Abundance” came out a little over a year ago. It’s been exciting — and a little disorienting — seeing how it’s rippled out into the world, and the ways it’s been embraced and debated and critiqued. So I wanted to take a moment to talk through what’s really happened in the last year – with Derek Thompson, my “Abundance” co-author, and Marc Dunkelman, whose book “Why Nothing Works” came out around the same time, and circles the same ideas. What has the abundance movement actually achieved in the last year? Where has it fallen short? And what have the three of us learned from our critics? Mentioned: Ezra is moderating a forum on housing and affordability with some of the top California gubernatorial candidates. The event is on Friday, May 8, in Oakland, CA. You can buy tickets here [https://ci.ovationtix.com/36995/production/1272472?performanceId=11795850]. Use the code EKSHOW for 20 percent off your order. Abundance [https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Abundance/Ezra-Klein/9781668023488] by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson Why Nothing Works [https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/marc-j-dunkelman/why-nothing-works/9781541700215/] by Marc J. Dunkelman Derek Thompson’s Substack [https://substack.com/@derekthompson] The Power Elite [https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/abs/power-elite-by-c-wright-mills-new-york-oxford-university-press-1956-pp-423-600/E3B9F446F210ECCFE2C96E7D2F2B9FA1] by C. Wright Mills The Power Broker [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/24312/the-power-broker-pulitzer-prize-winner-by-robert-a-caro/] by Robert A. Caro “The Most Expensive Mile of Subway Track on Earth [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/28/nyregion/new-york-subway-construction-costs.html]” by Brian M. Rosenthal “Why Are Palantir and OpenAI Scared of Alex Bores? [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/21/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-alex-bores.html]” by The Ezra Klein Show “The Anti-Social Century [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/02/american-loneliness-personality-politics/681091/]” by Derek Thompson Bowling Alone [https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Bowling-Alone-Revised-and-Updated/Robert-D-Putnam/9781982130848] by Robert D. Putnam The Permanent Problem [https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-permanent-problem-9780197803967?cc=us&lang=en&] by Brink Lindsey “Bernie Sanders: ‘There Ain’t Much of a Democratic Party [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/opinion/bernie-sanders-oligarchs-americas-story.html]” by Bernie Sanders and David Leonhardt Book Recommendations: Making a New Deal [https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/making-a-new-deal/2F42D09D61099BD9221F0210415263FB] by Lizabeth Cohen Stuck [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/700580/stuck-by-yoni-appelbaum/] by Yoni Appelbaum Cadillac Desert [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/323685/cadillac-desert-by-marc-reisner/] by Marc Reisner Mere Christianity [https://www.harpercollins.com/products/mere-christianity-c-s-lewis?variant=43671532470306] by C. S. Lewis The Secret History [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/176619/the-secret-history-by-donna-tartt/] by Donna Tartt Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, Narrated by Richard Poe Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com. You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast [https://www.nytimes.com/column/ezra-klein-podcast], and you can find Ezra on Twitter @ezraklein. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs [https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs.html]. This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Annie Galvin. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris, with Annika Robbins and Kate Sinclair. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing by Isaac Jones and Aman Sahota. Our recording engineer is Aman Sahota. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Marie Cascione, Rollin Hu, Kristin Lin, Emma Kehlbeck, Jack McCordick, Marina King and Jan Kobal. Original music by Pat McCusker. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Lauren Reddy. The director of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser. And special thanks to Brianna Johnson. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://nytimes.com/podcasts] or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher [https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher]. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Stewart Brand, Silicon Valley’s Favorite Prophet, on Life’s Most Important Principle

Stewart Brand might be the most influential philosopher of the internet – at least in its more idealistic era. In the 1960s, Brand was the central bridge figure between the San Francisco counterculture and the emerging technology scene. He created the legendary Trips Festival with Ken Kesey in 1966, and was there at “the mother of all demos” in 1968. And he created and edited the Whole Earth Catalog, which Steve Jobs called “one of the bibles of my generation” and “Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along.”  Brand has seen Silicon Valley evolve in the decades since. And along the way, he has written many brilliant books about our relationship to technology, the built environment and the natural world. His latest book is “Maintenance: Of Everything, Part One.”  In this conversation, we discuss everything from dropping acid to the genesis of the Whole Earth Catalog, what he thinks A.I. will reveal about humanity, the 40 years he’s spent living on a tugboat and the importance of maintenance in a culture that prizes novelty and disposability. Mentioned: Ezra is moderating a forum on housing and affordability with some of the top California gubernatorial candidates. The event is on Friday, May 8, in Oakland, CA. You can buy tickets here [https://ci.ovationtix.com/36995/production/1272472?performanceId=11795850]. Use the code EKSHOW for 20 percent off your order. Maintenance: Of Everything, Part One [https://press.stripe.com/maintenance-part-one] by Stewart Brand “We Didn’t Ask for This Internet [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-doctorow-wu.html]” with Cory Doctorow and Tim Wu, The Ezra Klein Show I And Thou [https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/I-And-Thou/Martin-Buber/9780684717258] by Martin Buber Book Recommendations: The Beginning of Infinity [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/293575/the-beginning-of-infinity-by-david-deutsch/] by David Deutsch The Perfectionists [https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-perfectionists-simon-winchester?variant=32128770932770] by Simon Winchester The Scottish Enlightenment [https://harpercollins.co.uk/products/the-scottish-enlightenment-the-scots-invention-of-the-modern-world-arthur-herman?variant=32758526935118] by Arthur Herman Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com. You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast [https://www.nytimes.com/column/ezra-klein-podcast], and you can find Ezra on Twitter @ezraklein. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs [https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs.html]. This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Annie Galvin. Fact-checking by Kelsey Lannin. Our recording engineers are Aman Sahota and Johnny Simon. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Marie Cascione, Michelle Harris, Rollin Hu, Kristin Lin, Emma Kehlbeck, Jack McCordick, Marina King and Jan Kobal. Original music by Pat McCusker. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The director of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser. Special thanks to Fred Turner. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://nytimes.com/podcasts] or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher [https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher]. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Why Are Palantir and OpenAI Scared of Alex Bores?

Leading the Future, a super PAC whose funders include the founders of companies like Palantir and OpenAI, is spending millions of dollars this election cycle, and a considerable amount of that money is going toward attack ads against Alex Bores – even though Bores himself used to work for Palantir. Bores is a New York state assemblyman who is running for Congress to represent New York’s 12th District. His campaign includes an extensive A.I. policy platform, including demands for A.I. companies to be more transparent about safety, and an idea for an “A.I. dividend” that would redistribute some of the profits of A.I. companies to the public. So his race has turned into a central battleground over the future of the A.I. industry and who has the power to shape it. In this conversation, we discuss how Bores went from working for Palantir to running a campaign that would regulate the A.I. industry, the major issues he thinks A.I. policy needs to address, and his response to the attacks against him. Mentioned: Give People Money [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/551618/give-people-money-by-annie-lowrey/] by Annie Lowrey “Alex Bores’ AI Policy Framework For Congress [https://www.alexbores.nyc/files/Bores_AI_Framework.pdf]” “NY Congressional Candidate Faced Palantir Sexual Comments Claim [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-13/ny-congressional-candidate-faced-palantir-sexual-comments-claim?embedded-checkout=true]” by Laura Nahmias “AI populism’s warning shots [https://jasmi.news/p/warning-shots]” by Jasmine Sun Book Recommendations: A Theory of Justice [https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674000780] by John Rawls World Eaters [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/723091/world-eaters-by-catherine-bracy/] by Catherine Bracy Bird by Bird [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/97395/bird-by-bird-by-anne-lamott/] by Anne Lamott Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com. You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast [https://www.nytimes.com/column/ezra-klein-podcast], and you can find Ezra on Twitter @ezraklein. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs [https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs.html]. This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Annie Galvin. Fact-checking by Lori Segal. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing by Aman Sahota [aman.sahota@nytimes.com] and Isaac Jones. Our recording engineer is Aman Sahota. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Marie Cascione, Michelle Harris, Rollin Hu, Kristin Lin, Emma Kehlbeck, Jack McCordick, Marina King and Jan Kobal. Original music by Pat McCusker. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Lauren Reddy. The director of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser. And special thanks to Gregory C. Allen. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://nytimes.com/podcasts] or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher [https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher]. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.