When Samaiya Mushtaq was growing up, she imagined marrying a kind Muslim man, and at 21, she did. But while studying to become a psychiatrist in medical school, she realized her husband couldn’t meet her emotional needs — something she deeply craved. Despite the shame she felt, she got a divorce.
In this episode, Mushtaq shares the twists and turns of her unexpected second chance at love, where service is at the center. From working in health care during the pandemic to building a family to undertaking harrowing service trips to Gaza, she found what she truly needed in a marriage — only after letting go of what she thought she wanted.
Samaiya Mushtaq’s memoir will be published by Daybreak Press next winter.
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Elon Musk is back in the news, with a New York Times investigation detailing his rampant drug use right as he hightails it out of Washington. Lovett and Dan compare notes on their own White House drug tests, then dig into Trump’s most recent comments on his Big Beautiful Bill, the legislation’s fate in the Senate, and Sen. Joni Ernst’s psychopathic consolation for people being kicked off Medicaid. Then Lovett sits down with author and history professor Erik Loomis to talk about whether the U.S. is still capable of mass mobilization—do liberals actually care about workers? How do we meet people where they’re at? And are we all too individualistic to show true solidarity?
The Grammy-winning singer on overcoming child stardom, accepting her parents and being in control. Also, we have exciting news: You can check us out on YouTube. To watch our videos, go to: youtube.com/@theinterviewpodcast
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Oxford political scientist Ben Ansell discusses the meme-worthy but deeply explanatory concept of FAFO—f**k around and find out—and its subtler cousin FADFO, where reckless policy choices oddly fail to produce blowback. Why bad ideas often go unpunished, from Brexit to tariffs to defund-the-police slogans and MMT. Ansell argues that liberal democracies build buffers that delay "finding out," which populists and ideologues exploit. Plus, thoughts on the limits of idealism in higher ed diplomacy, especially when it comes to the assumed cultural benefits of hosting thousands of Chinese nationals at U.S. universities.
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 Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: PescaProfundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
This week Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the U.S. will begin revoking the visas of some Chinese students.
Elon Musk isn't leaving Washington quietly. In an interview with CBS news Musk took aim at the tax bill making its way through Congress, saying it undermines the work he and DOGE undertook.
Israel's latest offensive in Gaza is drawing criticism from world leaders. This week officials in Germany, Italy, and Spain called for the Israeli military to cease its campaign against Palestinian civilians.
And King Charles opens his address to the Canadian parliament with comments on the nation's sovereignty saying "the true north is indeed strong and free."
We cover the week's most important stories during the News Roundup.
The Trump administration is trying to exert ideological control over every knowledge-producing institution in the country. And the assault on colleges is not only about having fewer highly-educated voters, but also depriving Americans of trusted sources of information—much in the way Trump in 2020 wanted to stop counting Covid cases so it looked like he had the pandemic under control. Meanwhile, we're getting too much information about Elon's bladder control problems on his way out the door. Plus, The Bulwark's Lauren Egan and Tennessee's Justin Jones on courage, conscience, fighting a party drunk with power, and the future of the South.
The Atlantic'sAdam Serwer joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod, with a side serving from our live Nashville show.
A panel of federal judges ruled on Wednesday that many of President Trump’s tariffs were illegal, a decision that has threatened to derail his trade agenda.
Victor Schwartz, the wine importer at the center of the case, explains why he decided to take on the president, and Jeanna Smialek, the Brussels bureau chief for The Times, discusses what options Mr. Trump has to save his trade war.
Guest:
Victor Schwartz, a small wine importer and the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against Mr. Trump’s tariffs.
Jeanna Smialek, the Brussels bureau chief for The New York Times.
Background reading:
The U.S. Court of International Trade said Mr. Trump had overstepped his authority in imposing his “reciprocal” tariffs globally.
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Photo: Doug Mills/The New York Times
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This is a bit of a strange episode. It’s an attempt to explore the difficulty of everything we’re supposed to feel in a day. We’re in a time when to open the news is to expose yourself to horrors — ones that are a world away, others that are growing ever closer, or perhaps have already made landfall in our lives. And then many of us look up from our screens into a normal spring day. What do you do with that?
But that’s not new or exceptional. It’s the human condition. It exists for all of us, and it always has: life intermingling with death, grief coexisting with joy. Kathryn Schulz’s memoir, “Lost & Found,” is all about this experience — the core of her book isn’t losing a parent or finding a life partner. It’s the “and” that connects them both. How do we hold all that we have to hold, all at once? How do we not feel overwhelmed, or emotionally numbed?
I found this to be a beautiful conversation. But it’s also a conversation — particularly at the beginning — about loss and grief. That was the part that felt truest to me, and so I hope noting it doesn’t warn you off. But I wanted to note it.
Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com.
You can find the transcript and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at 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. 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, Rollin Hu, Elias Isquith, Marina King, Jan Kobal, Kristin Lin and Jack McCordick. 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 the Talbot County Free Library.
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