While democracy isn't always predictable, one thing's for sure -- no matter who wins an election, for any party, in any country, some part of the population will claim the game is rigged. That's what happened in Mexico in 1988, when Carlos Salinas de Gortari became president in a hotly-disputed election. For years rumors circulated about the illegal actions that led to this outcome, an opposition parties often accused Gortari's party of rigging the vote. And, in 2004, another person stepped forward to confirm the election was rigged. This wasn't a fringe journalist, either -- it was former President of Mexico Miguel de la Madrid, Gortari's predecessor, who had worked to ensure his chosen candidate 'won' the vote. Tune in to learn more about this strange story ... and what makes it so important today.
Marjorie Taylor Greene announced she’ll leave Congress amid a bitter split with Donald Trump and a looming primary fight. In Europe, allies cautiously welcome U.S. revisions to a Ukraine peace plan that once appeared to favor Russia. In California, UCLA is moving forward on its plan to build a 19-story student housing tower in Westwood that will ease the campus housing crunch, and 17 TV projects received California’s updated film tax credits, which is projected to boost the local economy and employ thousands.
A federal judge on Monday tossed out separate criminal charges against the former F.B.I. director James B. Comey and New York’s attorney general, Letitia James.
The manner in which the judge dismissed the Comey indictment could now lead to a legal fight over whether the government can try to refile the charges with another grand jury.
Devlin Barrett, who covers the Justice Department and the F.B.I. for The New York Times, discusses President Trump’s campaign of retribution against his perceived enemies and walks us through the judge’s rulings
Guest: Devlin Barrett, a New York Times reporter covering the Justice Department and the F.B.I..
Background reading: The cases against Mr. Comey and Ms. James are dismissed.
Photo: Drew Angerer for The New York Times
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
In a blow to the Justice Department, a federal judge tosses the charges against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. The Pentagon announces it’s investigating Sen. Mark Kelly. And a death on a cruise ship prompts questions about the victim’s own stepbrother.
For decades governments have found minimum-wage rises a politically expedient means of redistribution. But the onward economic distortions have at last become clear. Of course AI can write a faster cover letter — perhaps even a better one. But there are knock-on costs when everyone is doing it. And a look at Florida’s bold experiment in the free choice of unbundled education.
The holidays are an unusually social time, filled with parties and family get-togethers. But for most of the year, we feel isolated and unsatisfied with our social lives. Our society isn’t structured to support connection year-round. So it’s an apt time to re-air this episode — a conversation with the writer Sheila Liming about rediscovering the lost art of hanging out.
Liming is an associate professor of professional writing at Champlain College and the author of “Hanging Out: The Radical Power of Killing Time.” In the book, Liming investigates the troubling fact that we’ve grown much less likely to simply spend time together outside our partnerships, workplaces and family units. What would it look like to reconfigure our world to make social connection easier for all of us?
I spoke to Liming in April 2023. But I find that this conversation provides a clearer sense of what’s gone wrong in our social lives — and how to make “hanging out” with others more fulfilling.
Note: We're still gathering questions for an upcoming "Ask Me Anything" episode we'd like to record. If you have any questions for Ezra, please email ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com using the subject line "AMA."
This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” is produced by Annie Galvin, with Jeff Geld, Rogé Karma and Kristin Lin. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris, Mary Marge Locker and Kate Sinclair. Mixing by Jeff Geld. Original music by Isaac Jones. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta. The executive producer of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser. Special thanks to Sonia Herrero and Kristina Samulewski.
For over a century, people have enjoyed the thrill of visiting an amusement park and riding roller coasters.
The very first thing we can point to and call a proto-roller coaster had neither rollers nor did it coast. It was more of a slide.
Over time, Roller coasters have evolved into massive steel giants, testing the limits of physics and engineering to create thrilling, unique rides that thrill some and terrify others.
Learn more about the history and development of roller coasters on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
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Few lines in the Constitution have provoked as much passion—or confusion—as this one:
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
What did the Founding Fathers mean by “well regulated”? What did they mean by “Militia”? And, do any of those definitions hold in 21st-century America?
Guns are one of the most divisive symbols in the country. At the same time, the idea of surrendering weapons and trusting the state feels dangerous, and to many, guns are not symbols of violence, but symbols of freedom.
Still, the question remains: freedom at what cost? With mass shootings now a fixture of American life, with countless families being wrecked by gun violence—what exactly are we protecting?
This debate is about what the Second Amendment really means, what its limits should be, what the root causes of our gun violence are. And how, if at all, we can address them.
We think about this subject a lot: Would America be safer without the Second Amendment?
To debate this topic we brought together Dana Loesch and Alan Dershowitz recently in Chicago—a city that has had more than its fair share of gun violence.
Alan argued yes, that America would be safer without the Second Amendment. Alan is a lawyer, a law professor for 50 years at Harvard, and the author of too many books to mention. He has litigated and won hundreds of cases in multiple countries, including his pro bono defense of dissidents such as Natan Sharansky, Václav Havel, and Julian Assange. And he is a fierce advocate for tighter gun control in the United States.
Dana Loesch argued no, that America would not be safer without the Second Amendment. Dana is one of the country’s top nationally syndicated talk radio hosts with The Dana Show, a television commentator, preeminent Second Amendment advocate, and author of several books, including the best-selling Hands Off My Gun: Defeating the Plot to Disarm America. She is also a former spokesperson for the National Rifle Association.
It wasn’t long after Melody Warnick moved to Blacksburg, Va., that she realized its nickname—“Bleaksburg”—wasn’t a joke. Feeling stuck, she devised a research-based experiment to acclimate to her new city. On this episode: Melody explains how she went from hating Blacksburg to loving it (and how you can deepen your connection to the place where you live).
Do you have a problem that needs solving? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show. Subscribe for free on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
The show is produced by Rosemary Belson and Sophie Summergrad. Our technical director is Merritt Jacob and our supervising producer is Joel Meyer.
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