The Opinions

A rout. A tsunami. A landslide. Whatever you call it, Democrats won big in the midterm elections. What happens next?Our politics round table regulars — the national politics writer Michelle Cottle and the columnists Jamelle Bouie and David French — were at the Brooklyn Public Library on Thursday for a live taping of “The Opinions.” They unpacked the results and looked ahead to what they mean for the next two years, the future of both parties and the 2028 presidential race.This discussion was recorded live. Panelists’ remarks were not fact-checked by The Times.Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Derek Arthur. It was edited by Jillian Weinberger and Kaari Pitkin. Mixing by Isaac Jones. Original music by Aman Sahota. Video editing by Kristen Williamson. The postproduction manager is Mike Puretz. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta, Kristina Samulewski and Ali Baluch. The directors of photography are Marina King and Kyle I. Kelley. The director of Opinion Video is Jonah M. Kessel. The director of audio engineering is Isaac Jones. The deputy director of Opinion Shows is Alison Bruzek. The director of Opinion Shows is Annie-Rose Strasser. Special thanks to the Brooklyn Public Library. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Democrats campaigned on affordability. Now comes the hard part: delivering. In this episode, the economist Natasha Sarin and Elizabeth Wilkins, the president and C.E.O. of the Roosevelt Forward, discuss how Democrats can take on powerful interests and make the economy work for ordinary Americans.Thoughts? Email us at [email protected]. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Democrats are celebrating one of their biggest midterm victories in decades. What does this overwhelming win mean for the party, for Republicans and for the country? The morning after the election, the Opinion writer Michelle Cottle, the columnist Carlos Lozada and the contributing writer E.J. Dionne Jr. gathered live on YouTube to discuss the biggest takeaways and what the final two years of President Trump’s term could bring.Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Alison Bruzek. It was edited by Annie-Rose Strasser. Mixing by Isaac Jones. Video editing by Jan Kobal. Original music by Pat McCusker. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Kristina Samulewski. The director of Opinion Video is Jonah M. Kessel. The director of audio engineering is Isaac Jones. The deputy director of Opinion Shows is Alison Bruzek. The director of Opinion Shows is Annie-Rose Strasser. Special thanks to Vishakha Darbha and Jillian Weinberger. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

With just days to go until the midterms, the Opinion contributor Robert Siegel joins the contributing writer E.J. Dionne Jr. and the columnist Jamelle Bouie to discuss potential outcomes, the polls and what the result might signal for the country moving forward.Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] to catch “The Opinions” live?Join us at the Brooklyn Public Library on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. The Opinion columnists Jamelle Bouie and David French and the Opinion writer Michelle Cottle will unpack the midterm election results and look ahead to 2028. Register here: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/calendar/new-york-times-opinion-central-library-dweck-20261105-0700pmThis episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Vishakha Darbha. It was edited by Jillian Weinberger. Mixing by Carole Sabouraud. Video editing by Arpita Aneja and Mahdokht Mahmoudabadi. The postproduction manager is Mike Puretz. Original music by Pat McCusker and Carole Sabouraud. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta, Kristina Samulewski and Ali Baluch. The director of Opinion Video is Jonah M. Kessel. The director of audio engineering is Isaac Jones. The deputy director of Opinion Shows is Alison Bruzek. The director of Opinion Shows is Annie-Rose Strasser. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rising inequality is a big problem in America. But a ballot measure like California’s proposed billionaire tax is not the solution, argues the economist Natasha Sarin. By driving billionaires out of the state, it could cost California more revenue than it raises. Luckily, she offers other ways to make the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share.Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] to catch “The Opinions” live? Join us at the Brooklyn Public Library on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. The Opinion columnists Jamelle Bouie and David French and the Opinion writer Michelle Cottle will unpack the midterm election results and look ahead to 2028. Register here: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/calendar/new-york-times-opinion-central-library-dweck-20261105-0700pmThis episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Emily Holzknecht. It was edited by Kaari Pitkin and Alison Bruzek. Mixing by Pat McCusker and Isaac Jones. Video editing by Jan Kobal, Dani Dillon and Steph Khoury. The postproduction manager is Mike Puretz. Original music by Pat McCusker, Carole Sabouraud, Isaac Jones and Aman Sahota. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker and Kate Sinclair. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta, Kristina Samulewski and Ali Baluch. The director of Opinion Video is Jonah M. Kessel. The director of audio engineering is Isaac Jones. The deputy director of Opinion Shows is Alison Bruzek. The director of Opinion Shows is Annie-Rose Strasser. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We’re less than two weeks out from Election Day. In their last conversation before Americans head to the midterm polls, the national politics writer Michelle Cottle joins the columnists Jamelle Bouie and David French to take stock. While Jamelle makes the case for cautious optimism about a possible blue wave, David worries about what could happen if Trump doesn’t like the results.Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] to catch “The Opinions” live? Join us at the Brooklyn Public Library on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. The Opinion columnists Jamelle Bouie and David French and the Opinion writer Michelle Cottle will unpack the midterm election results and look ahead to 2028. Register here: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/calendar/new-york-times-opinion-central-library-dweck-20261105-0700pmThis episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Derek Arthur. It was edited by Jillian Weinberger. Mixing by Gautam Srikishan. Video editing by Kristen Williamson. The postproduction manager is Mike Puretz. Original music by Pat McCusker. Fact-checking by Annika Robbins and Mary Marge Locker. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Ali Baluch. The director of Opinion Video is Jonah M. Kessel. The director of audio engineering is Isaac Jones. The deputy director of Opinion Shows is Alison Bruzek. The director of Opinion Shows is Annie-Rose Strasser. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

One of the biggest issue driving the midterm elections? The economy. On “The Opinions,” the economist Natasha Sarin and the Bulwark editor Catherine Rampell examine the strange disconnect between how the economy is doing and how Americans feel about it. How much of the blame belongs to President Trump? And how much goes deeper?Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] to catch “The Opinions” live?Join us at the Brooklyn Public Library on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. The Opinion columnists Jamelle Bouie and David French and the Opinion writer Michelle Cottle will unpack the midterm election results and look ahead to 2028. Register here: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/calendar/new-york-times-opinion-central-library-dweck-20261105-0700pmThis episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Emily Holzknecht. It was edited by Alison Bruzek and Kaari Pitkin. Mixing by Carole Sabouraud. Video editing by Jan Kobal, Dani Dillion and Steph Khoury. Cinematography by Kyle I. Kelley and Marina King. The postproduction manager is Mike Puretz. Original music by Carole Sabouraud and Aman Sahota. Fact-checking by Julie Beer, Mary Marge Locker, Michelle Harris and Kate Sinclair. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta, Kristina Samulewski and Ali Baluch. The director of Opinion Video is Jonah M. Kessel. The director of audio engineering is Isaac Jones. The deputy director of Opinion Shows is Alison Bruzek. The director of Opinion Shows is Annie-Rose Strasser. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Advertisers are projected to spend more money on political ads in the 2026 midterms than in any previous election cycle. What are campaigns selling — and what do they think voters want? The Opinion editor Steve Stromberg examines the ads shaping these elections with the Opinion columnist Carlos Lozada and Emily Keegin, a photo editor and creative consultant.Want to catch “The Opinions” live?Join us at the Brooklyn Public Library on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. The Opinion columnists Jamelle Bouie and David French and the Opinion writer Michelle Cottle will unpack the midterm election results and look ahead to 2028. Register here: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/calendar/new-york-times-opinion-central-library-dweck-20261105-0700pmThoughts? Email us at [email protected] episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Jillian Weinberger. It was edited by Alison Bruzek and Kaari Piktin. Mixing by Gautam Srikishan. Video editing by Brandon Belk-Yee and Britt Shacham Bernstein. The postproduction manager is Mike Puretz. Original music by Pat McCusker. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta, Kristina Samulewski and Ali Baluch. The director of Opinion Video is Jonah M. Kessel. The director of audio engineering is Isaac Jones. The deputy director of Opinion Shows is Alison Bruzek. The director of Opinion Shows is Annie-Rose Strasser. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Many of President Trump’s policies have brought changes to the international order that will last long after his second term ends.On this episode of “The Opinions,” the columnist Lydia Polgreen speaks with the political scientist Rahmane Idrissa and the “Sinica Podcast” host Kaiser Kuo about how the United States and China view global leadership and what their evolving positions mean for smaller nations.Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] to catch “The Opinions” live?Join us at the Brooklyn Public Library on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. The Opinion columnists Jamelle Bouie and David French and the Opinion writer Michelle Cottle will unpack the midterm election results and look ahead to 2028. Register here: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/calendar/new-york-times-opinion-central-library-dweck-20261105-0700pmThis episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Derek Arthur. It was edited by Kaari Pitkin and Alison Bruzek. Mixing by Carole Sabouraud and Gautam Srikishan. Video editing by Brandon Belk-Yee and Britt Shacham Bernstein. The postproduction manager is Mike Puretz. Original music by Pat McCusker and Carole Sabouraud. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker and Kate Sinclair. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta, Kristina Samulewski and Ali Baluch. The director of Opinion Video is Jonah M. Kessel. The director of audio engineering is Isaac Jones. The deputy director of Opinion Shows is Alison Bruzek. The director of Opinion Shows is Annie-Rose Strasser. Special thanks to Daniel J. Wakin and Tim Schneider. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

From the midterm elections to advances in artificial intelligence, there’s no dearth of political news this week. The Opinion contributor Robert Siegel joins the contributing writer E.J. Dionne Jr. and the columnist Carlos Lozada to discuss the role money plays in political campaigns, how the Democrats should proceed in November and whether A.I. has the ability to feel emotions.Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] to catch “The Opinions” live? Join us at the Brooklyn Public Library on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. The Opinion columnists Jamelle Bouie and David French and the Opinion writer Michelle Cottle will unpack the midterm election results and look ahead to 2028. Register here: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/calendar/new-york-times-opinion-central-library-dweck-20261105-0700pmThis episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Vishakha Darbha. It was edited by Kaari Pitkin. Mixing by Carole Sabouraud. Video editing by Steph Khoury and Mahdokht Mahmoudabadi. The postproduction manager is Mike Puretz. Original music by Pat McCusker and Carole Sabouraud. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta, Kristina Samulewski and Ali Baluch. The director of Opinion Video is Jonah M. Kessel. The director of audio engineering is Isaac Jones. The deputy director of Opinion Shows is Alison Bruzek. The director of Opinion Shows is Annie-Rose Strasser. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.