The Ezra Klein Show - Ta-Nehisi Coates on Bridging Gaps vs. Drawing Lines

The writer Ta-Nehisi Coates was harshly critical of my response to Charlie Kirk’s assassination. In an article in Vanity Fair, he suggested I was whitewashing Kirk’s legacy, comparing it to the whitewashing of the Southern cause after the Civil War.

So I wanted to have Coates on the show to talk out our disagreement, as well as some deeper questions that I think exist underneath it about the work of politics.

What should the left do about the fact that so many Americans share Kirk’s views? What kinds of disagreements should we try to bridge? When is that work moral and necessary, and when is it a betrayal?

This episode contains strong language.

Mentioned:

Charlie Kirk, Redeemed: A Political Class Finds Its Lost Cause” by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

My President Was Black” by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Book Recommendations:

The Brothers by Stephen Kinzer

Race and Reunion by David W. Blight

The Sirens’ Call by Chris Hayes

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 Rollin Hu. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris, with Mary Marge Locker. 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, Kristin Lin, Jack McCordick, Marina King and Jan Kobal. Original music by Pat McCusker. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. Transcript editing by Sarah Murphy. 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.

More or Less: Behind the Stats - The Case of the Missing US Data

In early February 2025, something strange started happening across US government websites.

Decades of data began disappearing from webpages for agencies such as the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health and the Census Bureau. In many cases the entire website went dark. Within a few days some 8,000 government pages and 3,000 datasets had been taken down. Since then, many have been reinstated - but some have not. We speak to Professors Maggie Levinstein and John Kubale to find out why this data was taken away, and why any of it matters.

If you spot any numbers or statistical claims that you think we should check out contact: moreorless@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Tim Harford Producer: Lizzy McNeill Series Producer: Tom Colls Editor: Richard Vadon Production Co-Ordinator: Rosie Strawbridge Audio Mix: Neil Churchill

Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova - Did the LA Clippers Take a Page from the Mob?

The NBA is investigating the LA Clippers and team owner Steve Ballmer over allegations that star player Kawhi Leonard accepted a $28 million endorsement as a way to get around the league’s salary cap. The endorsement deal was with the now-defunct sustainable banking company Aspiration—a company in which Ballmer has invested. Nate and Maria talk about whether Ballmer tried to take a page out of the mob playbook, and how the league could deter this kind of behavior in the future. 

Plus: Nate and Maria discuss a report from the Citizens Budget Commission that claims that New York’s share of millionaires is falling—and with it, the potential for revenue generation from taxes.

Further Reading:

From Pablo Torre Finds OutKawhi Leonard Signed a Secret $28M Deal. Steve Ballmer Funded a Fraud. We Followed the Money.

Citizens Budget Commission Report: The Hidden Cost of New York’s Shrinking Millionaire Share 

From the New York TimesNew York Needs More Millionaires, Fiscal Watchdog Says

For more from Nate and Maria, subscribe to their newsletters:

The Leap from Maria Konnikova

Silver Bulletin from Nate Silver 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Consider This from NPR - Goodbye, Ari Shapiro

After 25 years at NPR and 10 years hosting All Things Considered and the last few years hosting Consider This, Ari Shapiro is moving on to his next adventure.


We’re saying bye.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

This episode was produced by Connor Donevan, Matt Ozug, Mia Venkat, Mallory Yu and Alejandra Marquez Janse.

It was edited by Ashley Brown.

Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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Audio Mises Wire - Presidents Have a Long History of Using the FCC to Silence Their Critics

President Trump’s latest anti-broadcast media actions are portrayed in legacy media as being unprecedented. While they definitely are outrageous, they hardly are the first time presidents have used federal agencies to go after broadcast opposition.

Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/presidents-have-long-history-using-fcc-silence-their-critics

Pod Save America - Trump Has James Comey Indicted

Just days after the President demanded the Justice Department prosecute his political enemies and ousted a career prosecutor who refused to comply, Trump's handpicked replacement indicts former FBI Director James Comey. Jon and Dan react to Trump's weaponization of the Justice Department and then discuss Jimmy Kimmel's powerful pro-free speech monologue, a government shutdown that now seems inevitable, and why Vice President JD Vance called Jon a "dipshit" on Twitter earlier this week. Then, Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff stops by the studio to talk to Tommy about his office's investigations into ICE and the defining feature of the Trump administration: corruption.

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


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The Indicator from Planet Money - Argentina’s bailout, a new way to cool data centers, and a cold holiday hiring season

It’s Indicators of the Week! It is that show where we parse the most fascinating financial numbers in the news and bring them to you. 

On today's show: Argentina needs a bailout, Microsoft’s new way to cool data centers, and retail hiring is not looking like it’s in the holiday spirit.

Related episodes:  

A radical plan to fix Argentina's inflation

What $10 billion in data centers actually gets you

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter 

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Consider This from NPR - They warned about AI before it was cool. They’re still worried

A superhuman artificial intelligence so smart it can decide to get rid of slower-witted humans is a pretty terrifying concept.

What was once strictly the stuff of science fiction is now closer than ever to being a reality.

And if it does, some A-I researchers have gloomy predictions about humanity’s chances of survival.


While the A-I boom continues and companies across the country are heavily investing in the technology, some researchers are begging humanity to pump the brakes.


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