Podcast appearances and mentions of Peter Baker

Last week, Denmark. This week, Canada. Why does Donald Trump go out of his way to embarrass allies? Is Trump bored of peace? He seems to be, at least when it comes to America's traditional allies. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Peter Baker of The New York Times, Leigh Ann Caldwell of Puck, Stephen Hayes of The Dispatch and Idrees Kahloon of The Atlantic to discuss this and more.

Trump marks one year of his second term with new threats to take Greenland. Then, markets tumble with the fear of a trade war with Europe. Plus, tensions rise in Minnesota as the DOJ subpoenas the state's top Democratic officials. Peter Baker, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Tim O'Brien, Ron Insana, Jon Meacham, Bharat Ramamurti, and Berit Berger join The 11th Hour this Tuesday night. To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dear Mr. Baker,I am but one in a sea of many Americans viewed as a threat to the established order. I was once a part of that order. I helped build it. It would turn out I couldn't survive because I couldn't follow the rules of thought and speech that are mandated by everyone on the Left, especially those at the New York Times.It's personal, you see. I used to believe that if all I did was read Page One of the New York Times, I'd be well-informed. Brainwashed is more like it.It's easy to spot the bias now where it wasn't before. For instance, this was the New York Times on January 12th, and one of the strongest activists for the Democrats pretending they're pushing some sort of objective conclusion on X.But that's just another day at the New York Times. I know you didn't write this piece, Michelle Goldberg did, but it is worth mentioning as an aside that no, the “resistance libs” were not right. They were never right. I was one of them until I wasn't. It's been an ugly road out of the Doomsday Cult of the Left, but now, I live free as an exile.We were never the “resistance.” We were always the empire. We colonized the internet, after all, and, together with Barack Obama, the rise of Silicon Valley, social media, and the iPhone, as society migrated online, we were in control of all of it.But that's a story for a different time, Mr. Baker. This letter is much more urgent regarding the matters at hand. Your “analysis” and observation about Trump and protests is so wildly off base, a complete distortion of reality, that I felt compelled to write you this letter. You wrote:You write:President Trump had a ringing message of solidarity on Tuesday for demonstrators in the streets. “KEEP PROTESTING - TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!” he wrote on social media. He decried “the senseless killing of protesters,” and added that those pulling the triggers “will pay a big price.”He meant the protesters in Tehran, not Minneapolis. By contrast, the people in the streets of Minnesota, he wrote just 63 minutes earlier, were “anarchists and professional agitators” trying to cover up a fraud scandal. He vowed that “THE DAY OF RECKONING & RETRIBUTION IS COMING!”The eruption of protests on opposite sides of the planet at this moment in history has brought Mr. Trump's views of democracy and popular dissent into stark relief. The situations in Iran and Minnesota, of course, are different and complicated, but the president's rule of thumb seems simple enough: Those who take to the streets supporting a cause he favors are laudable heroes. Those who take to the streets to oppose him are illegitimate radicals.I read this, and my jaw dropped open, Mr. Baker. Where have you been for the past five years as we watched a split screen of protests in the Summer of 2020 and then on January 6th? Are you actually saying that you at the New York Times and anyone on the Left saw these things as comparable? Democracy and popular dissent in stark relief, boy, I couldn't have said it better myself.Tell me this is satire. Tell me you do not live in such an isolated bubble that you can't possibly see the blatant hypocrisy here? The treatment of these two events was very different and will be written about in opposite ways in history books forever. One will be seen as heroic and democracy in action, and the other, as dangerous. An insurrection in action. People like me were pulling our hair out, not because we would justify the riot at the Capitol, but because all of you said nothing about what happened in the Summer of 2020, a year that broke America and broke me.It wasn't only your paper that lied that Trump “incited” a mob to storm the Capitol and that it was a threat to “democracy.” That was the narrative pushed by every legacy media outlet, with no kind words for the protesters who were also doing what protesters do - getting angry and having their voices heard by a government and a culture that had demonized them, dehumanized them, and abandoned them. Trump included.The Democrats put up a Green-Zone-like fence around the Capitol. Ordinary Americans had their doors kicked in as the FBI hauled them off to jail. Anyone who even attended the “mostly peaceful” protest on January 6th was called an “insurrectionist” and “election denier,” and anyone who dared to question the 2020 election or who voted for Trump was inspected under a microscope by you all as some kind of insect or insurgent terrorist. Vice President Kamala Harris likened it to 9/11 and the attack on Pearl Harbor. These were American citizens, many of whom had been on lockdown, their businesses destroyed after COVID, and had watched the absurd events of 2020 play out. Masks, no masks, “systemic racism was more urgent than COVID,” then the pivot back to COVID, changing election rules, preventing people from gathering and thus, preventing campaigning, a surge of mail-in voting that won the election all before Election Day, a revolution in the streets that almost no one in the mainstream was even talking about once they got really bad, lest they hurt the Democrats.Oh, I know the game. I know we're all supposed to see the Trump supporters as racists, angry that Black and Brown people were in government, a second Confederacy flying their Dixie flags on January 6th, and that the protests over the Summer were about racial inequality and therefore justified. But here's the thing about democracy. You don't get to decide. We either all have the same rights or we don't have a democracy.There was nothing in your coverage, or the Liz Cheney show trial, that was, in any way, fair to the Americans who protested that day, and even to Donald Trump, who had a right to have their voices heard. No, they didn't have the right to riot. Ashli Babbitt lost her life over it, and then her memory was dragged through the mud by all of you.Here is how the Times covered Ashli Babbitt:And here is how they covered Renee Good:You see, one is treated like human garbage, and the other is treated like a hero. So just say it. Just admit that this has become a two-tiered society, you are among the ruling class, and the underclass has none of the same rights. You will decide they are “racists” and thus have no real stake in what happens in this country, even when they win the popular vote. Now that the protests in Minneapolis are violent, as violent as, if not more so than, January 6th, still you say nothing and pretend they are fighting the good fight. What has changed in ten years? Nothing except the Democrats failing to address the problem, allowing millions to flood over the border, and shaming Americans for caring about it. It's a sickness on the Left by now, a reality distortion that spilled out into real-world violence. Just look at what happened at Evergreen College. These students believed they were protesting “racism” at one of the most liberal colleges in America. Why? Because Bret Weinstein did not think it was right that white people should be asked to leave the campus on a “day of absence.”This kind of strange, new, justified violence by people who don't live in the same reality as the rest of us has become the new normal on the Left, backed up by all of you. How dare you compare them to the protesters in Iran? Complicated, you say? Oh, it's way beyond that. Pampered, privileged, bored white women and bratty college kids attacking ICE are, in no way, risking their lives. Yes, if you attack a police officer or an ICE officer, you are risking your life. Every American knows that if they live in the real world. In Iran, you are risking your life just for standing there and protesting peacefully, or speaking out of turn, or anything they decide is a crime punishable by death, which include adultry, dissent against the government, and blasphemy. At the New York Times, you want the tragic death of Renee Good to be the symbol for protesters dying at the hands of the regime, but, as usual, it is not the truth. That won't stop you from perpetuating the mass delusion and injecting it into the veins of your already unhinged readership.Here is Page One of the New York Times today. Every headline is about Renee Good. That is still the most important news of the day, even as hundreds, maybe thousands of Iranians are slaughtered.Followed by non-stop negative Trump coverage:The protests in Minneapolis are not against ICE. They are against democracy. The wrong people won the election, and that means the Left throws a fit. They've been throwing fits for ten years, starting in 2015 when they attacked a group of Trump supporters in California, calling them “racists,” because all of you sold them that lie. The violence continued on through Trump's inaugural and protests all through his first term. The Summer of 2020 was the biggest by far in modern American history, yet the legacy media, your paper, Mr. Baker, did not capture the truth of what happened. The baby tyrants who run your newsroom insisted the one op-ed by Tom Cotton, Send in the Troops, was itself violence and that caused the resignation of Bari Weiss and James Bennett, a shamefulprotst moment that should live on in infamy if people tell the truth. The Left's protesting now says one thing: Do what we want, or else. That is, Mr. Baker, closer to fascism than Trump will ever be. // This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.sashastone.com/subscribe

Trump's low approval ratings may be giving people the idea that he is weak and disempowered. But Trump backed into a corner could well be more unconstrained and more dangerous—and it could also fuel his imperialist ambitions toward Greenland, an island he has been obsessed with owning since his first term. Meanwhile, DHS always knew people would die because of their mass deportation efforts and it still wholly accepted the risk of its military-style operations. But the opposition on the street is building. Plus, a year after the LA fires, a look at the role of disinformation in the disaster, the slow recovery, and the lack of emergency planning by government officials.Jacob Soboroff and Susan Glasser join Tim Miller.show notes Tim on the new videos coming out of Minneapolis Jacob's book, "Firestorm: The Great Los Angeles Fires and America's New Age of Disaster" Susan's latest New Yorker column Friday's episode of The New Yorker's 'Political Scene' podcast Susan's book with Peter Baker, “The Divider” Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/BULWARK and use promo code BULWARK at checkout. Get up to 30% off OneSkin with the code BULWARK at https://www.oneskin.co/BULWARK #oneskinpod

The Trump administration launches a criminal investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Then, Minnesota and the Twin Cities sue the government over immigration enforcement actions as more agents are sent in. Plus, protests intensify in Iran as the White House weighs potential military strikes. Alicia Menendez hosts as Peter Baker, Laura Barron-Lopez, Luke Broadwater, Jon Collins, Andrea Flores, Kristy Greenberg, Bharat Ramamurti & David Rohde join "The 11th Hour" this Monday night. To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Donald Trump often says he's not a neoconservative and not a nation-builder, but he seems to be trying to remake the world. And at home, he's unleashed ICE to remake America's demographic reality. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Peter Baker of The New York Times, Susan Glasser of The New Yorker, Stephen Hayes of The Dispatch and Vivian Salama of The Atlantic to discuss this and more.

The fatal shooting of a woman in Minneapolis by an ICE agent sparks another night of protests, as more federal agents head to the city. Then, two people in Portland are shot and wounded in an incident involving U.S. border patrol agents, according to DHS. Plus, the President suggests U.S. control over Venezuela could last years. Michele Norris, Peter Baker, Joyce Vance, Reed Galen, Justin Wolfers, Rohit Chopra, and Jacob Soboroff join The 11th Hour this Thursday night. To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We begin 2026 with a look ahead. New York Times chief White House correspondent Peter Baker joins host Ravi Agrawal to share his take on what's to come in the new year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Bill Press Pod taken from of Bill's live event, 'Talk of the Hill,' Peter Baker, Chief White House Correspondent for The New York Times and Susan Glasser who writes the online column "Letter from Trump's Washington" in The New Yorker, where she is a staff writer. They discuss their experiences and insights into modern journalism, particularly during the Trump presidency. The discussion delves into how Donald Trump has reshaped the presidency and American politics, as well as his administration's impact on national and international affairs, including the situation in Venezuela and Russia. They also touch on media challenges, highlighting the intimidation tactics used by Trump against journalists and media outlets. The conversation concludes with a brief update on their upcoming book focused on Vladimir Putin and recent updates on their son's impactful journalism career.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Despite Donald Trump's energetic effort on the campaign trail to distance himself from the controversial Project 2025, he was very quick to implement many of the report's recommendations over the past year. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Peter Baker of the New York Times, Leigh Ann Caldwell of Puck, Laura Barrón-López of MS NOW and David Graham of The Atlantic to discuss this and more.

DOJ says it will release more documents related to the Epstein investigation even as it faces backlash for partial disclosures so far. Plus, Turning Point USA's flagship event puts an unwelcome spotlight on the splits inside MAGA. And, Paramount doesn't back down from the Warner Bros. Discovery rejection as it raises the stakes with a "personal guarantee" form Larry Ellison. Susan Glasser, Peter Baker, Daniella Diaz, Tim Miller, Dan Nathan, Rohit Chopra, and Joseph Kahn join The 11th Hour this Monday night. To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

New York Times chief White House correspondent Peter Baker sits down with Ravi Agrawal for a 2025 review. What have we learned from the first year of the Trump administration's second term? And how have the White House's foreign-policy choices in particular differed from previous presidencies? Vanity Fair Exclusive: Susie Wiles, JD Vance, and the “Junkyard Dogs”: The White House Chief of Staff on Trump's Second Term (Part 1 of 2) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WTOQ?! Ep 72 - We Three QueensRecorded Thursday 18th December 2025The Old Queens are back in the Throne Room for a Yuletide special with guest presenter Peter Baker (hot of the stage from MoulinScrooge) squeezing in beside Bernie, while Tommy dials in remotely like the Ghost of Wi-Fi Yet To Come.Together they unwrap the queer chaos of midwinter: ancient role-reversals, festive misrule, and why December turns even the most sensible Queer into a candle-hoarding theatre kid. There's also chat about the film Pillion, plus all the seasonal essentials in Queens of Agony with exes resurfacing, situationships multiplying, and whether dating apps count as an Advent calendar!Grab something warm, something strong, and join the Old Queens for a cosy, camp, if slightly feral holiday catch-up.These Old Queens gotta eat!The ads don't pay unfortunately unless we get 1000's of listeners - so please share our episodes and/or consider supporting us by making a donation via PayPal, buying some WTOQ?! Merchandise buying us a Kofi or by becoming a Patreon.Follow the links below:https://ko-fi.com/thatoldqueenhttps://teespring.com/stores/what-that-old-queen https://www.paypal.com/donate/hosted_button_id=ZUP5YXG874H4Qhttps://www.paypal.com/https://www.patreon.com/Wtoq Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles tells all to Vanity Fair and pulls back the curtain on Trump's policies and his cabinet. Latest jobs report includes a warning sign for the economy as unemployment hits a four-year high. And Trump escalates tensions with Venezuela, ordering a blockade of all 'sanctioned oil tankers' in and out of the country. Peter Baker, Leigh Ann Caldwell, David Drucker, Justin Wolfers, Gene Sperling, Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, and Barbara McQuade join The 11th Hour this Tuesday night. To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Senate rejects health care bills as premiums are set to spike for millions next month. Then, new reporting on the White House preparing to seize more oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela. Plus, Disney's deal with OpenAI, and what it could mean for the future of media and artificial intelligence. Peter Baker, David Drucker, Julie Rovner, Brian Barrett, Max Chafkin, Rep. Jake Auchincloss, and Rabbi Marc Schneier join The 11th Hour this Thursday night. To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The first classified briefings on the deadly US boat strike that killed two survivors. Then, a grand jury refuses to reindict New York Attorney General Letitia James just weeks after her case was dismissed. Plus, a former MAGA warrior turns his back on the movement; why he's now helping other MAGA diehards defect. Peter Baker, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Tom Nichols, Joyce Vance, Natasha Sarin, Rohit Chopra, and Rich Logis join The 11th Hour this Thursday night. To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Trump administration's self-styled Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, has spent most of this week on defense, facing accusations that he committed war crimes and that he endangered the lives of U.S. pilots. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Peter Baker of The New York Times, Susan Glasser of The New Yorker and Nancy Yousef of The Atlantic to discuss this and more.

The first classified briefings on the deadly US boat strike that killed two survivors. Then, a grand jury refuses to reindict New York Attorney General Letitia James just weeks after her case was dismissed. Plus, a former MAGA warrior turns his back on the movement; why he's now helping other MAGA diehards defect. Peter Baker, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Tom Nichols, Joyce Vance, Natasha Sarin, Rohit Chopra, and Rich Logis join The 11th Hour this Thursday night. To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Litchfield Distillery (Litchfield, CT) WF078 Join me as I enter New England as part of the Great 48 Tour. Today I chat with Peter Baker, a co-founder of Litchfield Distillery in Connecticut. Along with his two brothers they made a decision to expand beyond their three-generation family bottled water business and get into the world of whiskey. We'll talk talk about their development of an American single malt, their use of Connecticut grain, taste a couple of whiskeys including their oldest release to date. And we'll dig a little into the history of bottled water (no, it isn't a recent phenomena). We'll also hear the story behind their logo and tagline, and the importance of legislative changes that allowed them to offer tastings and on-site sales. And, if you'd like to gift a signed copy of Whiskey Lore's Travel Guide to Experiencing Kentucky, The Lost History of Tennessee Whiskey, or Experiencing Irish Whiskey for Christmas, make sure to order at whiskeylore.org/shop before December 12th to get them for a great low price and free shipping. Cheers and slainte mhath, Drew

A federal judge dismisses the criminal charges against former FBI director James Comey and NY AG Letitia James, ruling that U.S. Attorney Halligan was unlawfully appointed – White House doubles down on costs coming down, claiming America's “Golden Age” is coming – & questions over who drafted the original U.S.-backed peace deal between Russia and Ukraine: the U.S. or Russia? Peter Baker, Susan Glasser, Charles Coleman Jr, Ron Insana, Max Chafkin, Ivo Daalder, and Charlotte Alter join The 11th Hour this Monday night. To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Host Talmage Boston interviews Peter Baker and Susan Glasser: journalists, presidential historians and bestselling authors of The Man Who Ran Washington and the Divider. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Trump is under considerable pressure and has been lashing out in fairly unprecedented ways, even for him. And then he called for the execution of Democratic members of Congress. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Peter Baker of The New York Times, Leigh Ann Caldwell of Puck, Jonathan Karl of ABC News and Toluse Olorunnipa of The Atlantic to discuss this and more.

Trump calls for the arrest of congressional Democrats who urged U.S. troops to refuse illegal orders. Then, polls show more voters are feeling the pain of skyrocketing prices, while JD Vance defends Trump's economic policies and asks the American people for “a little patience”. Plus, the White House is selling some of the America's most advanced fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, even amid warnings the move could threaten national security. Peter Baker, David Drucker, Doug Jones, Dan Nathan, Matt Peterson, Kevin Baron, and Laura Barron-Lopez join The 11th Hour this Thursday night. To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tim Cook and the other tech titans who dined with bone saw murderer MBS—and who've given millions to Trump to knock down our history for his gilded ballroom—expect the people who use their products every day to protect American democracy, while they reap its benefits to freely act against the public's interest. Meanwhile, Trump's special envoy is acting like an agent of the Russian government, and POTUS shows yet again that he is not a tough negotiator. Plus, Stephen Miller is spreading fear by design, Trump's Epstein capitulation is still worth savoring, and Tim shares his postmortem on his Kamala interview. The New Yorker's Susan Glasser joins Tim Miller. show notes Susan and Peter Baker's book, “The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021” Tim's interview with Kamala in Nashville TAKE THE SURVEY

Talmage Boston holds a live cross-examination style interview of authors Peter Baker and Susan Glasser. Baker and Glasser are the bestselling authors of The Man Who Ran Washington and the Divider.

When I look around at the crumbling empire I helped build, I wonder how it all went so wrong. How did so many people lose their minds, the legacy media lose its objectivity, and so many so-called “educated” people lose their grip on reality?What is Trump Derangement Syndrome anyway? I think, as someone who lived it and has been online for the last 30 years, that the people with all of the power could not let go of that power, just like the South during the last Civil War. The South had built for itself a utopian version of America, one not rooted in reality, but one they deeply believed in. The same is true for the Left today. I know, I helped build it. I believed in it too and thought it would last forever. Trump's win in 2016 was a sign that half of the country was not happy with how things were going and wanted change, just as much of America understood that a country that proclaimed all men are created equal could not keep slaves.And just as the freeing of the slaves sent the South into mass psychosis that would lead to Jim Crow laws and the oppression of Black Americans, after eight years of deeply rooted propaganda that said Trump was a racist and for him to win would be an existential threat to our way of life, one our country could not survive, sent those of us inside utopia cascading into madness.And so we began fighting a Civil War. Not at Gettysburg or Shiloh, but on Facebook, Twitter/X, YouTube, and TikTok. But only one side is cutting off friends and family. Only one side has no plan for the rest of America on the outside. Only one side seems prepared to become violent to preserve their utopia. I thought November of 2024 was like the burning of Atlanta. Not quite the end of the war, but almost. Now, after Charlie Kirk's assassination and the fracturing of the Right, I'm not so sure.What I do know is that so much of what defines our Civil War, so much of what explains the Left's mass psychosis, took root in 2008.What is an American?2008 was the crisis that sparked the Fourth Turning, according to Neil Howe, who co-wrote the book with William H. Strauss. It wasn't just the election of the first Black president, or the launch of the iPhone, the rise of social media, or the $800 billion bailout of Wall Street that birthed two populist movements on the Left with Occupy and on the Right with the Tea Party. It was also the year an idea contagion began to spread.In April of 2008, Obama was recorded writing off half the country as people who were “bitter” and clinging to “guns and religion.”“Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton activated her entire campaign apparatus to portray Mr. Obama's remarks as reflective of an elitist view of faith and community. His comments, she said, were “not reflective of the values and beliefs of Americans.”Those comments were not seen as racist, yet months later, in October, when Sarah Palin said more or less the same thing, she was called an “Islamaphobe.” Seven years after 9/11, that is what the Left was worried about, not “Radical Islamic terrorism.”From the Washington Post, “Palin's words avoid repulsing voters with overt racism. But is there another subtext for creating the false image of a black presidential nominee “palling around” with terrorists while assuring a predominantly white audience that he doesn't see their America?”Race and racism became the dividing line after that. By 2010, the idea that the Tea Party was racist became a big story. ABC News still had some objectivity and attempted to tell both sides.Reason's Michael Moynihan made a video montage showing how widely accepted it was to call the Tea Party racist. Two years later, in 2012, amid Obama's re-election, Mitt Romney and the Republicans had no idea what they were up against. I was among those fighting Obama's media wars on Twitter, having followed him since the beginning. We were his loyal flock, building the narratives, correcting the bad news, reshaping, retooling, deconstructing, and reconstructing reality to push pure propaganda and keep our side in power.As wealth shifted leftward, thanks to the rise of Silicon Valley, Big Tech also leaned Left. Google, YouTube, Facebook, Amazon, Audible, and book publishing. It was in every university and every institution as society began migrating online. We were in control of all of it.To combat the idea of the racists and the “bitter clingers,” public schools and universities began teaching Critical Race and Gender Theory. It was the beginning of the Great Feminization and the Great Awokening. This contagion was seeded on sites like Tumblr with the oppressor/oppressed mindset, free Palestine, open borders, and a choose-your-gender worldview. It wasn't just Twitter by then. It was all of Hollywood, too, and most of our culture. That's why, in February of 2012, HBO released the movie Game Change, a retelling and repurposing of the 2008 election.Where Palin had been portrayed as a ditsy know-nothing we all laughed at on SNL…Now, Julianne Moore's version was darker and more sinister. A Never Trump narrative was just beginning as Steve Schmidt of the Lincoln Project and Nicolle Wallace were portrayed as the heroes, not to mention the only “good Republican,” John McCain, who stood up to the “racists” and “bitter clingers.” Our superpower in the Obama years was manipulating the flexible nature of words to make them mean anything we wanted them to mean, like “binders full of women.” That would become “Good people on both sides.” Or “Fight like hell.” “When you're famous, they let you do it.”The reality we shaped was everywhere - at gas stations, airports, and magazine covers in the check-out line. Having control of that - the background noise - is what the Left has been fighting to preserve. It is a fight they are losing thanks to the rising voices on the Right, and Trump himself, who are exposing them.But it was accusations of racism and Islamaphobia that would become Obama's most powerful weapon to win. It is the cryptonite of the Ruling Class and what has divided this country for ten years. What a difference 17 years makesBack in 2008, Obama was accused of being a Muslim Socialist, not born in America, who “palled around with terrorists.” Now, one of the new leaders of the Democratic Party is a Muslim socialist, not born in America, who pals around with terrorists. Zohran Mamdani not only feels no shame in admitting this, but he also won because of it. Identity is everything now, so why not scream it from the rooftops? Anyone who complains can easily be dismissed as a racist or an Islamaphobe. In Mamdani's New York, there is an oppressive ruling class keeping the Black and Brown workers poor, instead of the reality, an enclave for the guilty white liberals who fund their movement. But for those checks to keep flowing in, they have to give those guilty whites what they so desperately crave, confirmation that they are the Good White People Doing Good Things, and those “bitter clingers” over there are the “racists” who want to oppress the Black and Brown people they protect. Just give us absolution from our sins of wealth and privilege.Guys like Ken Burns live comfortably away from the harder realities of everyday life in America. Trust me, I know. I used to see him every year at the Telluride Film Festival. His telling of the American story must lead with race and must be yet another lecture to those with less wealth, less power, and less representation in culture - hated people in their own country, forced to accept that America is a corrupt, rotten, imperialist, and white supremacist empire. Making everything about race justifies the ruling class's place atop the wealth hierarchy. Nothing in that hierarchy can be disrupted, so the oppressed must remain oppressed. And for now, there is no way out except to do what I did, escape. Find the truth. Get to know the people they've been told to dehumanize. The Left's idea of utopia erases the value of being an American citizen. It seeks to align with a global world order of like-minded people. Yet, for so many in MAGA, being born American is hitting the jackpot. Nothing is more valuable than the rights all of us have as citizens, no matter our skin color. And yet, the ruling class in America for the past 17 years has decided none of that should matter because our identity is not where we were born. Our identity is whether we are white or not. If you oppose illegal immigration and support mass deportations, you are a racist, according to them, and your citizenship matters less than your white privilege. And that is how illegal immigrants became the oppressed group that governors like Gavin Newsom and JB Pritzker are willing to fight to protect. And ordinary American citizens can be thrown away like human garbage. The New York Times' Peter Baker loved reporting how bad the ticket sales are at the Kennedy Center, never once acknowledging how Trump tried to open it up to the underclass who'd been shut out for years. They see Trump's inclusion of the wrong half of America as taking something away from them, their glory days of utopia. The ballroom will be something lasting, a monument to the half of the country that fought for representation and a permanent structure to remind them of that fight. Here are Walter Kirn and Matt Taibbi from America This Week.The Bitter ClingersNow, it's the Left who are the bitter clingers. They can't accept defeat, and they won't let go of the past, of utopia. Hillary Clinton is a bitter clinger who can't get over the 2016 election. Barack Obama is a bitter clinger who had to call Charlie Kirk a racist when he felt his own legacy dimming. Nancy Pelosi is a bitter clinger who helped manufacture a delusion about January 6th just to obtain absolute power. Barbra Streisand, Rosie O'Donnell, Katie Couric, Richard Gere, Rob Reiner, Bruce Springsteen, Martin Sheen, Robert De Niro, and Jane Fonda are all bitter clingers who have never even seen the other half of the country, much less understood it.Those of us on the other side see the danger of utopia, what 17 years of it has done to the minds and bodies of children, what it's done to women and girls, and boys and men. What infusing propaganda into culture has done to truth and art. It is a manufactured reality that reflects an American utopia that doesn't exist and never did, just like the antebellum South. As the Southerners back then were the “bitter clingers,” so too are today's Woketopians, the virtue signaling army at war with the trolls. They are the ones who can't stand people who are not like them and the ones who can't move on from the past. So they fight on, hoping that this time it's not gone with the wind. end// This is a public episode. 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On tonight's Nightcap: The meeting between Trump and President Xi Jinping. Then, the financial costs of the government shutdown continue to grow. Plus, Trump's crypto venture gets promotion from Binance days after the President pardons its founder. Vaughn Hillyard, Peter Baker, Dan Nathan, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Nayyera Haq, and Arthur Brooks join The 11th Hour this Wednesday night. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

President Trump took a wrecking ball to the East Wing of the White House, and in so doing obliterated the line between metaphor and literal reality. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Peter Baker of The New York Times, Susan Glasser of The New Yorker, David Ignatius of The Washington Post and Toluse Olorunnipa of The Atlantic to discuss this and more.

Federal workers are set to miss their first full paycheck as lawmakers are nowhere close to ending the shutdown.  Then, the President pardons a convicted crypto titan who was critical in boosting the Trump family's crypto business. Plus, what American ranchers are saying about Trump's plan to import meat from Argentina. Peter Baker, Andrew Desiderio, Doug Jones, Ken Vogel, Max Chafkin, Art Cullen, and Joyce Vance join The 11th Hour this Thursday night. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Layoffs continue in week two of the government shutdown as Trump hosts Argentina's President Milei to discuss a $20b bail out. Then, new tariffs on key goods take effect and former FBI Director Comey asks a federal court to reject the Trump DOJ prosecutor handling his case. Peter Baker, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Sam Stein, David Gura, Brendan Greeley, Joyce Vance, Jeremy Saland and Bob Pittman join The 11th Hour. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We approach the third day of the government shutdown with no end in sight, as Democrats and Republicans remain at an impasse on federal spending. Trump threatens sweeping layoffs and freezing billions in federal aid. Plus, the potential risk for the economy as the shutdown drags on. Peter Baker, Daniella Diaz, Dave Drucker, Natasha Sarin, Max Chafkin, Jonathan Cohn, and Marc Santia join The 11th Hour this Thursday night. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

EASY LISTENING DEP'T.: This is how Peter Baker decided to respond to the spectacle of the complete collapse of the rule of law, by somehow simultaneously assuming the posture of a kindergarten teacher and of a child sucking its thumb on a sleepy mat. Boy, those Republicans sure wouldn't like it if someone treated them the way that they're treating their opponents right now. Yeah, right. That's why they're trying to fix it so that political power never changes hands again. That's the heart of their entire approach. What even is the use of exploring the dumb hypothetical that the Democrats might prove equally lawless in the future? The real question that demands NEWS ANALYSIS right now is whether if the Democrats do manage to take power again, they will shed their own chronic inhibitions and ignore the hand-wringing of people like Baker, and take swift and decisive action not to emulate crimes of the Trump administration but to punish those crimes decisively, abandoning the presumption going all the way back to Gerald Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon, if not to the violent unwinding of Reconstruction after the Civil War, that the proper way to deal with lawlessness corruption and misrule is to grant the wrongdoers impunity so as not to stir up a fuss and provoke future bad behavior. Please visit, read, and support INDIGNITY! https://www.indignity.net/

The latest on the investigation into the assassination of right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk, and what the FBI is saying about DNA found at the crime scene. Then, the Epstein Estate turns over more documents to the House Oversight Committee – including a previously redacted name from his infamous fiftieth birthday book. Plus, the White House says the United States has the “framework” for a TikTok deal with China, however the terms of the deal remain a mystery. Peter Baker, Philip Bump, McKay Coppins, Gillian Tett, Max Chafkin, and Dan Kleban join The 11th Hour this Monday night. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and former Sec. Pete Buttigieg react to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Kimberly Atkins Stohr, Peter Baker, Sara Fagen and Jeffrey Goldberg join the roundtable. 

Utah County Attorney prepares to file formal charges against the suspect accused of killing right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk - what to expect. Then, urgent pleas to turn away from the politics of rage as the country grapples with a violent week. Plus, graphic images of Kirk's assassination circulate online, raising new fears on the influence of social media, particularly on children. Peter Baker, Vaughn Hillyard, Kristy Greenberg, Jim Cavanaugh, Brandy Zadrozny, and Bryan Schott join The 11th Hour this Friday night.

The assassination Charlie Kirk, conservative activist and close ally of President Donald Trump, has raised new questions about escalating political violence in the country. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Peter Baker of The New York Times, Laura Barrón-López of MSNBC, Susan Glasser of The New Yorker and Tom Nichols of The Atlantic to discuss this and more.

Health Secretary RFK Jr. defends his vaccine policies and CDC firings as he faces tough questions on Capitol Hill from both sides of the aisle. Then, the DOJ opens a criminal probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. Plus, we hear from former Democratic Senator Jon Tester on what rural America is saying about Trump's tariffs. Peter Baker, Dave Weigel, Jake Lahut, Peter Goodman, Ron Insana, Dr. Tom Frieden, Dr. Michael Osterholm, and former Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) join The 11th Hour this Thursday night.

Guest host Jonathan Alter convenes Peter Baker, Molly Jong-Fast, and Charlie Sykes to talk through Trump's latest lunge for unchecked power. The quartet dig into the week's flurry of controversial firings and the prospects for a long-promised, now long-overdue peace deal in Ukraine. They then put Trump's mafioso tactics under a microscope, investigating why they've worked so well, and what everyone can do to resist them.Mentioned in this episode:Jonathan's Substack: https://oldgoats.substack.com/Peter's reporting: https://www.nytimes.com/by/peter-baker#latestMolly's podcast: https://fastpoliticspod.com/Charlie's Substack: https://charliesykes.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A high stakes legal battle begins as Fed Governor Lisa Cook sues President Trump, as she fights to keep her job.  Then, ousted CDC Director Susan Monarez refuses to step aside. Meanwhile, the White House stands by their decision to oust her as they name her replacement. Plus, why more companies and consumers are feeling the squeeze from tariffs, while the market booms. Peter Baker, Natasha Korecki, Amy McGrath, Bill Cohan, Justin Wolfers, David Jolly, and Joyce Vance join The 11th Hour this Thursday night.

Hillsdale College Radio General Manager and Radio Free Hillsdale Hour host Scot Bertram fills in for Jim on Tuesday's 3 Martini Lunch. Join Scot and Greg as they cover the political comeback of former Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, furious left-wing reactions to President Trump federalizing the D.C. police, a new poll exposing a sharp partisan divide over pride in America, and troubling consequences from legalizing marijuana.First, after a quick discussion about Sherrod Brown running for U.S. Senate again, they highlight former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blaming Pres. Trump for not activating the National Guard before the January 6th riots, the former U.S. Capitol Police Chief slams Pelosi for denying his request for National Guard forces leading up to that day. They also rip Peter Baker of the New York Times for claiming DC has a "non-existent crime crisis."Next, they examine a Cygnal poll revealing that 63 percent of Americans believe the nation is worth celebrating as it nears its 250th birthday. But the numbers split sharply along party lines. 89 percent of Republicans agree, compared to just 37 percent of Democrats. Scot and Greg try to explain why the difference is so stark.Finally, they groan over the menace that legalized marijuana is to our society. A New York Times report reveals that weed gummies are sending thousands of small kids going to the hospital. In fact, kids were 75 percent of the 22,000 people taken to the hospital for marijuana-related health problems in 2024 . Scot and Greg rip the greedy politicians who made pot legal and point out the threat marijuana presents to public safety and overall quality of life in a community.Please visit our great sponsors:Sleep on an award-winning mattress from Brooklyn Bedding. Get 30% off sitewide at https://BrooklynBedding.com with promo code 3ML, and don't forget to mention our show after checkout!No missed calls, no missed customers with OpenPhone. Get 20% off your first 6 months at https://Openphone.com/3mlIf your business can't adapt in real-time, you're in a world of hurt.  Get the free e-book “Navigating Global Trade: 3 Insights for Leaders” from NetSuite by Oracle.  Download today at https://NetSuite.com/MARTINI

Trump celebrates his sweeping new tariffs that took effect last night, which are the highest in nearly a century. Then, top White House officials held a meeting to discuss their strategy for handling the Epstein case, as the Justice Department faces a deadline tomorrow to decide whether to ask a judge to release the grand jury transcripts. Plus, a federal judge orders a two-week pause in the construction of Florida's immigration detention center. Peter Baker, Dave Weigel, Mark Leibovich, John Harwood, Max Chafkin, Joyce Vance, and John Meacham join The 11th Hour this Thursday. 

Stephanie Ruhle – in for Nicolle Wallace – is joined by Peter Baker, Dan Nathan, Gene Sperling, Sen. Adam Schiff, David Enrich, Mara Gay, Sam Stein, Matthew Dowd, Rev. Al Sharpton, and Elizabeth Castillo.  

Trump announces new tariff rates set to take effect in a week, as we reach his August 1st deadline. Then, growing backlash over Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's comments suggesting that Trump's child savings accounts could be a "backdoor for privatizing social security." Plus, Virginia Giuffre's family sits down with NBC News and urges Trump not to pardon former Epstein associate and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. Peter Baker, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Steve Liesman, Matthew Dowd, Rohit Chopra, Max Chafkin, and Texas State Senator Roland Gutierrez join The 11th Hour this Thursday. 

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) talk about their bipartisan push to release the Epstein files. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) defends the administration's handling of the Epstein issue. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-Ga.) discusses his calls to investigate former President Obama. Amna Nawaz, Peter Baker, Jeh Johnson and Carlos Curbelo join the roundtable.

Epstein, Epstein, Epstein. Six months into President Trump's second term, lingering questions about his relationship with the sex trafficker are consuming his White House and paralyzing Congress. Join guest moderator Franklin Foer of The Atlantic, Peter Baker of The New York Times, Eugene Daniels of MSNBC, Susan Glasser of The New Yorker and Jonathan Karl of ABC News to discuss this and more.

New reporting breaks on Jeffrey Epstein's ties with Trump as NBC News reports that the White House is choosing silence as their best strategy amid the backlash. Then, top DOJ lawyer Todd Blanche meets with Epstein associate and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, and schedules a second visit with her tomorrow. Plus, Trump gets fact-checked live by Fed Chair Powell during the president's visit to the Fed's headquarters. Peter Baker, Amna Nawaz, Sam Stein, Joyce Vance, Steve Liesman, John Harwood, and Matt Goldstein join The 11th Hour this Thursday.

Trump threatens 35 percent tariff on Canada, as the administration fails to announce any new trade deals. Then, Trump approves the delivery of more weapons to Ukraine starting tomorrow, as Russia launches a new attack on Kyiv today. Plus, young Democratic officials launch an initiative to reshape the party's image and recruit fresh faces. Peter Baker, Daniella Diaz, Nayyera Haq, John Harwood, Rohit Chopra, Mallory McMorrow, John Della Volpe, and Aaron Reichlin-Melnick join The 11th Hour this Thursday. 

House passes Trump's massive tax bill and both parties are pushing to shape public opinion. Then, the jobs report shows that U.S. job growth exceeded expectations this month. Plus, presidential historian Jon Meacham weighs in on where the country is heading on its 249th birthday. Peter Baker, Sam Stein, Basil Smikle, Ron Insana, Max Chafkin, Jon Meacham, and Emma Goldberg join The 11th Hour this Thursday. 

Senators get first classified briefing on Trump's strikes, as Pete Hegseth attacks the media for reporting on the intelligence community's cautious early assessments. Then, Trump's spending bill sees major setback in the Senate today. Plus, why Wall Street is freaking out -- not over trade wars and conflict with Iran, but Zohran Mamdani, the democratic-socialist who could be the next mayor of NYC. Jon Allen, Peter Baker, Mychael Schnell, Ron Insana, Bill Cohan and Mark Joseph Stern join The 11th Hour this Thursday.

For decades, Israel has wanted American support to bomb Iranian nuclear sites. But U.S. presidents, both Republican and Democrat, have resisted — until President Trump. So, what changed? And what are the likely consequences of that decision?Aaron David Miller is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a longtime diplomat in the region. He joins me to discuss recent events and how the latest attacks on Iran have changed the balance of power in the Middle East.This episode contains strong language.Book Recommendations:Master of the Game by Martin IndykThe Man Who Ran Washington by Peter Baker and Susan GlasserTomorrow Is Yesterday by Hussein Agha and Robert MalleyThoughts? 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.htmlThis episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Annie Galvin. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris and Jack McCordick. 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.Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.