Category: 3-SometimeCommentary

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The Ezra Klein Show - The Rural Power Behind Trump’s Assault on Blue Cities

President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard from red states into blue cities isn’t just a partisan attack; it’s also a geographic one. In the 2024 election, Donald Trump won rural areas by 40 percentage points. And you could see what’s been happening in Washington, D.C., and Chicago as a rural political coalition militarily occupying urban centers. The rural-urban divide in America has become so big it’s dangerous — for our politics, and for democracy. And yet, just a few decades ago, this divide didn’t exist. Urban and rural areas voted pretty much in lockstep. And for Democrats to gain power again, they’ll need to figure out how to win some of those voters back.

So how did the Democratic Party lose rural voters? And what could they do to win their votes back?

Suzanne Mettler is a political scientist at Cornell University and the co-author with Trevor E. Brown of the new book “Rural Versus Urban: The Growing Divide That Threatens Democracy.”

Mentioned:

Rural Versus Urban by Suzanne Mettler and Trevor E. Brown

Four Threats by Robert C. Lieberman and Suzanne Mettler

Book Recommendations:

The Politics of Resentment by Katherine J. Cramer

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Devotions by Mary Oliver

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, 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.

This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Jack McCordick. Fact-checking by Will Peischel. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing by Aman Sahota. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Marie Cascione, Annie Galvin, Rollin Hu, Kristin Lin, Michelle Harris, Marina King, Emma Kehlbeck and Jan Kobal. Original music by Isaac Jones, Carole Sabouraud, and Pat McCusker. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The director of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.

Subscribe today at 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. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

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Pod Save America - Trump Unloads on No Kings

After millions rally at No Kings protests, Donald Trump posts an AI-generated video of himself wearing a crown, spraying poop from a fighter jet onto the crowds below. Jon, Lovett, and Tommy discuss how far we've fallen and then get into the news, including the political prosecution of John Bolton, Trump's threat to send troops to another California city, and the prospects for peace in Ukraine, war in Venezuela, and the breakdown of the Gaza peace deal. Then, Tommy sits down with Graham Platner, Democratic candidate for Senate in Maine, to discuss his recently resurfaced Reddit comments and the disillusionment he experienced after returning from Afghanistan.

Get tickets to CROOKED CON November 6-7 in Washington, D.C at http://crookedcon.com


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Chapo Trap House - 979 – Cat People (Running For Mayor) feat. Jon Bois (10/20/25)

Secret Base’s sports-data auteur Jon Bois is back to preview a new series: a history and analysis of mound charges in baseball, coming this November. We talk a little bit about recent sports news including Dana White’s new boxing league, Shohei Ohtani’s generational run, and the Seattle Mariners (RIP). We then do a deep dive on former Reform Party member Curtis Sliwa, his statements about parades, Hasids, and cats, and his eating competition scandals. Finally, a quick check-in on Jordan Peterson’s recent health woes. Subscribe to Secret Base: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDRmGMSgrtZkOsh_NQl4_xw YEAR ZERO: A Chapo Trap House Comic Anthology is back on sale! Buy it at badegg.co/products/year-zero-1. Hurry while supplies last! NEW MERCH IS OUT NOW! Go to https://chapotraphouse.store/ and buy a new hat or shirt, especially our great new “Carousel Club” design. AND be sure to pre-save the date of October 28 for Will and Hesse’s LIVE WATCH PARTY of Re-Animator with Bryan Yuzna! Tickets available now – use the promo code CHAPO20 for 20% off! https://checkout.stagepilot.com/collections/chapo-trap-house
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The Commentary Magazine Podcast - No Kings—Now What?

A huge show of anti-Trump force this weekend raises the question—to what end and for what purpose? And was Israel's decision to hit back hard at Hamas for violating the Trump deal really a sign of a division between the administration and the Israeli government or more of a tactical pause to see how Hamas reacts? Give a listen.


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The Gist - Michael Townsend & Jeremy Workman: “Secret Mall Apartment”

Michael Townsend and director Jeremy Workman tell the wild true story of an eight-artist collective that built a hidden home inside Providence Place Mall—part prank, part art project, and a pointed reply to gentrification. They revisit grainy 2003–07 footage, a tape-art 9/11 memorial, and the logistics (and ethics) of living behind a cinderblock wall in America's retail cathedral. Plus: a look at Christine Lagarde's plan to collateralize frozen Russian assets for a Ukraine loan—and why that's diplomacy by euphemism. Also: "No Kings" rallies, protest as pressure valve, and the politics of bounce houses versus Red Scare rhetoric.

Produced by Corey Wara

Production Coordinator Ashley Khan

Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠ad-sales@libsyn.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠

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The Source - With pending cuts, Texas rural hospitals struggle to stay open

Texas rural hospitals are in a struggle to stay open.In the last decade, 14 rural hospitals have closed down. Of the 156 rural hospitals currently in the state, about 70% have lost services, and more than half are at risk of closing. Federal cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and Affordable Care Act coverage are expected to significantly increase the uninsured rate in Texas and could cause more rural hospitals to shutter. What’s being done to keep these vital lifelines open?array(3) { [0]=> string(20) "https://www.tpr.org/" [1]=> string(0) "" [2]=> string(1) "0" }
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The Bulwark Podcast - Bill Kristol: Trump Hates America

Nearly seven million Americans peacefully took to the streets out of their love for this country, and Trump in response acted out like a toddler obsessed with own poop. Indeed, our commander-in-chief really does have more affinity for the Sharia law dictators in the sand kingdoms than he does for Saturday’s true patriots. This may be the moment when the Dems and its allies take the patriotism banner back from Republicans. Plus, the lengths the administration went to imprison immigrants in El Salvador, the Dem base wants a fight over the shutdown, and Trump keeps serving up reasons why the Trump/Russia conspiracy has survived for so long.

Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller.

show notes


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1A - ‘If You Can Keep It’: Trump Takes Aim At Academic Freedom

The Trump administration has cut federal funding to colleges and universities it says don’t align with conservative priorities. And now, the White House says it will reward schools that follow in its ideological footsteps.

Earlier this month, the administration sent a list of demands to nine schools. Officials are calling it the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.” Its stipulations include ending considerations of race and sex in admissions and hiring, capping international student enrollment, and limiting what faculty can say about certain issues.

Five institutions — Brown University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Southern California, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Virginia — have rejected the proposal. The others have yet to comment.

Trump’s compact is the latest chapter in the story of how his administration is trying to exert influence over higher education. In March, the White House canceled $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University over allegations of antisemitism.

In this edition of “If You Can Keep It,” our weekly series on the state of democracy, we talk about higher education and what’s at stake if academic freedom is compromised.


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The Daily - Why the Stock Market Just Keeps Going Up

Tariffs are at their highest rate in nearly a century, and the labor market is weakening. These are volatile times for the U.S. economy — but the stock market keeps going up.

Joe Rennison, a reporter covering financial markets for The New York Times, explains what is going on.

Guest: Joe Rennison, a financial reporter for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

Photo: Jeenah Moon/Reuters

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Subscribe today at 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. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.