Gavin Newsom is the 2028 Democratic front-runner. That’s what many of the polls and the Polymarket betting odds say. It’s been widely believed that Newsom wants to run for president someday. But belief that he could be a front-runner was less common. A liberal white guy from a state that much of the country considers badly governed just didn’t seem like the profile the Democratic Party was looking for. But as a Californian who has watched Newsom for a long time, I was surprised by him this year. After President Trump returned to the White House, Newsom started a podcast, interviewing people like Charlie Kirk, Steve Bannon and Michael Savage, which made a lot of Democrats mad. At the same time, Newsom turned himself into the leader of the resistance — trolling Trump on social media and pushing a ballot initiative to end California’s independent redistricting to counter the partisan redistricting effort in Texas. Newsom has been willing to try things and take risks. He has shown a feel for this moment — in politics and in the way attention works now. But it’s still true that he runs a state that the country considers badly governed. California tops the rankings of unaffordable states, at a time when affordability has become a central electoral issue. In this conversation, I ask Newsom about all of this — what he learned this year from talking to figures on the right, how he thinks the Democratic Party can win back voters it lost, why California is so unaffordable and what he’s doing about it. Mentioned: Applebee’s America by Ron Fournier, Douglas B. Sosnik and Matthew J. Dowd “And, This Is Charlie Kirk” “And, This Is Gaming Culture & Gen-Z Nihilism With Content Creator Brandon “Atrioc” Ewing” “And, This Is Michael Savage” “And, This Is Steve Bannon” “Newsom Says Trump’s Attacks Are ‘Not Normal’” “Barack Obama 2004 Democratic National Convention Keynote Speech” Book Recommendations: Built to Last by Jim Collins, Jerry I. Porras Meditations by Marcus Aurelius 1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin 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 Rollin Hu. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing by Isaac Jones. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Marie Cascione, Annie Galvin, Kristin Lin, Emma Kehlbeck, Jack McCordick, Marina King and Jan Kobal. Original music by Pat McCusker and Aman Sahota. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The director of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.

Lucy Kaplansky is a folk music star and singer-songwriter. She’s been called “the troubadour laureate of modern city folk”. She’s released 9 acclaimed albums. She was part of the folk supergroup “Cry Cry Cry” with Dar Williams and Richard Shindell. She’s been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Morning Edition, the BBC and CBS Sunday Morning. She has sung with Suzanne Vega, Bryan Ferry, Nanci Griffith and Shawn Colvin.  Her song “Guilty as Sin” was featured in the NBC television show “Ed,”  and her vocals were featured in the Tom Cruise film “The Firm.” My featured song is “The Captain Of Her Heart” from the album Play by my band Project Grand Slam. Spotify link. —----------------------------------------------------------- The Follow Your Dream Podcast: Top 1% of all podcasts with Listeners in 200 countries! Click here for All Episodes  Click here for Guest List  Click here for Guest Groupings  Click here for Guest Testimonials Click here to Subscribe  Click here to receive our Email Updates Click here to Rate and Review the podcast —---------------------------------------- CONNECT WITH LUCY: www.lucykaplansky.com —---------------------------------------- ROBERT’S LATEST SINGLE: “MA PETITE FLEUR STRING QUARTET” is Robert’s latest release. It transforms his jazz ballad into a lush classical string quartet piece. Praised by a host of classical music stars. CLICK HERE FOR YOUTUBE LINK CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS —--------------------------------------- ROBERT’S RECENT SINGLE “MI CACHIMBER” is Robert’s recent single. It’s Robert’s tribute to his father who played the trumpet and loved Latin music.. Featuring world class guest artists Benny Benack III and Dave Smith on flugelhorn CLICK HERE FOR YOUTUBE LINK CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS —-------------------------------------- ROBERT’S LATEST ALBUM: “WHAT’S UP!” is Robert’s latest compilation album. Featuring 10 of his recent singles including all the ones listed below. Instrumentals and vocals. Jazz, Rock, Pop and Fusion. “My best work so far. (Robert)” CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL VIDEO CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS —---------------------------------------- Audio production: Jimmy Ravenscroft Kymera Films   Connect with the Follow Your Dream Podcast: Website - www.followyourdreampodcast.com Email Robert - robert@followyourdreampodcast.com   Follow Robert’s band, Project Grand Slam, and his music: Website - www.projectgrandslam.com YouTube Spotify Music Apple Music Email - pgs@projectgrandslam.com

Lora Logic is a British punk and post-punk musician. In 1977, when she was 16, she became the saxophonist in Poly Styrene’s seminal English punk band, X-Ray Spex. They had a hit with “Oh Bondage! Up Yours!”. She went on to form Essential Logic, a post-punk band with duelling saxophones that released one album in 1979. 43 years later she released a second Essential Logic album together with a box set of her back catalogue. Essential Logic plays a post-punk mix of punk, jazz, reggae and funk. Her life took a detour in the ‘80s when she joined a Krishna community, became a mother, and dropped out of music for 25 years. But she’s back now. My featured song is “I Just Want To Love You” from the album Bobby M and the Paisley Parade. Spotify link. —----------------------------------------------------------- The Follow Your Dream Podcast: Top 1% of all podcasts with Listeners in 200 countries! Click here for All Episodes  Click here for Guest List  Click here for Guest Groupings  Click here for Guest Testimonials Click here to Subscribe  Click here to receive our Email Updates Click here to Rate and Review the podcast —---------------------------------------- CONNECT WITH LORA: www.essential-logic.co.uk —---------------------------------------- ROBERT’S LATEST SINGLE: “MA PETITE FLEUR STRING QUARTET” is Robert’s latest release. It transforms his jazz ballad into a lush classical string quartet piece. Praised by a host of classical music stars. CLICK HERE FOR YOUTUBE LINK CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS —--------------------------------------- ROBERT’S RECENT SINGLE “MI CACHIMBER” is Robert’s recent single. It’s Robert’s tribute to his father who played the trumpet and loved Latin music.. Featuring world class guest artists Benny Benack III and Dave Smith on flugelhorn CLICK HERE FOR YOUTUBE LINK CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS —-------------------------------------- ROBERT’S LATEST ALBUM: “WHAT’S UP!” is Robert’s latest compilation album. Featuring 10 of his recent singles including all the ones listed below. Instrumentals and vocals. Jazz, Rock, Pop and Fusion. “My best work so far. (Robert)” CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL VIDEO CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS —---------------------------------------- Audio production: Jimmy Ravenscroft Kymera Films   Connect with the Follow Your Dream Podcast: Website - www.followyourdreampodcast.com Email Robert - robert@followyourdreampodcast.com   Follow Robert’s band, Project Grand Slam, and his music: Website - www.projectgrandslam.com YouTube Spotify Music Apple Music Email - pgs@projectgrandslam.com

Patrick Hahn is an Austrian-born pianist and one of Europe’s most in-demand classical conductors. He’s the Music Director of Germany’s Wuppertal Symphony Orchestra and Opera, he’s the Principal Guest Conductor of the Munich Radio Orchestra, and the Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. He also regularly performs with the Munich Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, the Vienna Symphony and the Munich State Opera. All of this and he’s only 30 years old! My featured song is “Ma Petite Fleur String Quartet”, my latest single. Spotify link. —----------------------------------------------------------- The Follow Your Dream Podcast: Top 1% of all podcasts with Listeners in 200 countries! Click here for All Episodes  Click here for Guest List  Click here for Guest Groupings  Click here for Guest Testimonials Click here to Subscribe  Click here to receive our Email Updates Click here to Rate and Review the podcast —---------------------------------------- CONNECT WITH PATRICK: www.patrick-hahn.com —---------------------------------------- ROBERT’S LATEST SINGLE: “MA PETITE FLEUR STRING QUARTET” is Robert’s latest release. It transforms his jazz ballad into a lush classical string quartet piece. Praised by a host of classical music stars. CLICK HERE FOR YOUTUBE LINK CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS —--------------------------------------- ROBERT’S RECENT SINGLE “MI CACHIMBER” is Robert’s recent single. It’s Robert’s tribute to his father who played the trumpet and loved Latin music.. Featuring world class guest artists Benny Benack III and Dave Smith on flugelhorn CLICK HERE FOR YOUTUBE LINK CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS —-------------------------------------- ROBERT’S LATEST ALBUM: “WHAT’S UP!” is Robert’s latest compilation album. Featuring 10 of his recent singles including all the ones listed below. Instrumentals and vocals. Jazz, Rock, Pop and Fusion. “My best work so far. (Robert)” CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL VIDEO CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS —---------------------------------------- Audio production: Jimmy Ravenscroft Kymera Films   Connect with the Follow Your Dream Podcast: Website - www.followyourdreampodcast.com Email Robert - robert@followyourdreampodcast.com   Follow Robert’s band, Project Grand Slam, and his music: Website - www.projectgrandslam.com YouTube Spotify Music Apple Music Email - pgs@projectgrandslam.com

I answer your questions on the year’s political lessons, the struggles of young men and handling heat on the show. The end-of-year Ask Me Anything episode has become a tradition on the show. So as 2025 comes to a close, I’m joined by Claire Gordon, the show’s executive producer, to answer your questions about an eventful year — how my thinking on the Trump administration has evolved, how well the Democratic Party has played its chips, what I think it means to be a Democrat right now, whether “Abundance” is centrist, how politicians might address adriftness of young people, how I’ve handled the criticism the show has received and how many packets of Splenda I consume in a day. Note: This conversation was recorded on Tuesday, Dec. 2, and does not reflect more recent developments in Congress’s review of the Sept. 2 boat attack. Mentioned: “Don’t Believe Him” by Ezra Klein “The Supreme Court Is Backing Trump’s Power Grab” by Ezra Klein “What if Trump Just Ignores the Courts?” by Ezra Klein “The Republican Party’s NPC Problem — and Ours” by Ezra Klein “Abundance and the Left" by Ezra Klein “The Emergency Is Here” by Ezra Klein “Stop Acting Like This Is Normal” by Ezra Klein “What Were Democrats Thinking?” by Ezra Klein “The Goon Squad” by Daniel Kolitz Dragonriders of Pern Series by Anne McCaffrey and Todd J. McCaffrey 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 Claire Gordon, Kristin Lin and Marie Cascione. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing by Isaac Jones. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Annie Galvin, Rollin Hu, Emma Kehlbeck, Jack McCordick, Marina King and Jan Kobal. Original music by 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. Transcript editing by Andrea Gutierrez, Sarah Murphy and Marlaine Glicksman.

Rachel Flowers is an extraordinary musician. She’s been blind practically since birth but that hasn’t held her back one bit. She is an amazing multi-instrumentalist. Her genres include classical, jazz, rock and pop. She plays piano, keyboards, flute, guitar, bass, saxophone and something called the Chapman Stick. She’s performed with Arturo Sandoval, “Skunk” Baxter, Dweezil Zappa, Rik Wakeman of Yes and Burt Bacharach among others. She was mentored by Greg Lake and Keith Emerson of ELP and by Herbie Hancock. She’s won numerous awards as a pianist and a flutist. And she is the subject of a 2016 documentary film called “Hearing Is Believing”. My featured song is “Sostice”, one of my recent singles, which is also on my latest album called “What’s Up!”. Spotify link. —----------------------------------------------------------- The Follow Your Dream Podcast: Top 1% of all podcasts with Listeners in 200 countries! Click here for All Episodes  Click here for Guest List  Click here for Guest Groupings  Click here for Guest Testimonials Click here to Subscribe  Click here to receive our Email Updates Click here to Rate and Review the podcast —---------------------------------------- CONNECT WITH RACHEL: www.rachelflowersmusic.com —---------------------------------------- ROBERT’S LATEST SINGLE: “MA PETITE FLEUR STRING QUARTET” is Robert’s latest release. It transforms his jazz ballad into a lush classical string quartet piece. Praised by a host of classical music stars. CLICK HERE FOR YOUTUBE LINK CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS —--------------------------------------- ROBERT’S RECENT SINGLE “MI CACHIMBER” is Robert’s recent single. It’s Robert’s tribute to his father who played the trumpet and loved Latin music.. Featuring world class guest artists Benny Benack III and Dave Smith on flugelhorn CLICK HERE FOR YOUTUBE LINK CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS —-------------------------------------- ROBERT’S LATEST ALBUM: “WHAT’S UP!” is Robert’s latest compilation album. Featuring 10 of his recent singles including all the ones listed below. Instrumentals and vocals. Jazz, Rock, Pop and Fusion. “My best work so far. (Robert)” CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL VIDEO CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS —---------------------------------------- Audio production: Jimmy Ravenscroft Kymera Films   Connect with the Follow Your Dream Podcast: Website - www.followyourdreampodcast.com Email Robert - robert@followyourdreampodcast.com   Follow Robert’s band, Project Grand Slam, and his music: Website - www.projectgrandslam.com YouTube Spotify Music Apple Music Email - pgs@projectgrandslam.com

My colleague Ross Douthat talks to the journalist who exposed Jeffrey Epstein. This episode of “Interesting Times,” with the Miami Herald investigative journalist Julie K. Brown, came out back in July. But since Epstein has very much stayed in the news, I wanted to share it now. The conversation is such a fascinating and helpful explainer of the whole case, and the questions that remain unanswered — with the woman whose reporting led to Epstein’s re-arrest.  If you haven’t had a chance to check out “Interesting Times” this year, you really should. The team has produced so many great episodes, especially with leading thinkers and activists on the right. You can find them on the NYT Audio app, Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.

Welcome to Part 2 of the two-part Special Episode introducing my new release, “MA PETITE FLEUR STRING QUARTET”. This work transforms my jazz ballad into a lush classical string quartet piece. The work has been praised by a host of Classical Music Stars, all of whom are listed below.  In Part 1 yesterday we listened to this new work. In Part 2 today we're going to introduce the incredible musicians who brought this piece to life. David Shenton is the genius arranger behind this work. David is an English pianist, violinist, composer and arranger. He started playing the violin at age 7 and he’s composed hundreds of works from small piano pieces to full-length operas.  Violinist Katie Thomas is a soloist, chamber musician, studio violinist and concert-mistress. She’s played on Grammy winning albums and also recorded with artists like Rosanne Cash, The O’Jays, Jimmy Fallon and the animation series “Dragons”.  Violinist Erica Dicker works in a wide variety of musical settings in both notated and improvised music. She is a member of the electro-acoustic trio Vaster Than Empires. She is also a founding member of the horn-trio Kylwyria. And she’s known for her work with composer and multi-instrumentalist Anthony Braxton. J.J. Johnson has been the violist at Radio City Music Hall. His Broadway musical experience has included On The Town, Cats, Fiddler On The Roof, An American In Paris, Wicked, My Fair Lady, and Sunset Boulevard. He has also appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman.  Dave Eggar is a Rock Star cellist who recently was a guest on the podcast. He’s a 5x Grammy nominee. He’s worked with Paul Simon, John Legend, Norah Jones, Foreigner, Josh Groban and Train. And it’s his cello that opens Coldplay's massive hit "Viva La Vida". CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL VIDEO CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS ---------------------------------------------------------- Praised by: Steven Beck - Concert Pianist Jeffrey Biegel - Concert Pianist Marina Chiche - Concert Violinist JoAnn Falletta - Conductor, Buffalo Philharmonic Yolanda Kondonassis - Concert Harpist Shawn Okpebholo - Composer Amit Peled - Concert Cellist Lucas Richman - Conductor, Bangor Symphony Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner - Concert Pianist Jason Vieaux, Classical Guitarist —----------------------------------------------------------- The Follow Your Dream Podcast: Top 1% of all podcasts with Listeners in 200 countries! Click here for All Episodes  Click here for Guest List  Click here for Guest Groupings  Click here for Guest Testimonials Click here to Subscribe  Click here to receive our Email Updates Click here to Rate and Review the podcast Click here for Robert’s “Dream Inspire” App —---------------------------------------- ROBERT’S NEW “DREAM INSPIRE” APP Your personalized Coach to Motivate, Pursue and Succeed at Your Dream CLICK HERE —---------------------------------------- ROBERT’S LATEST SINGLE: “MI CACHIMBER” is Robert’s latest single. It’s Robert’s tribute to his father who played the trumpet and loved Latin music.. Featuring world class guest artists Benny Benack III and Dave Smith on flugelhorn CLICK HERE FOR YOUTUBE LINK CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS —-------------------------------------- ROBERT’S LATEST ALBUM: “WHAT’S UP!” is Robert’s latest compilation album. Featuring 10 of his recent singles including all the ones listed below. Instrumentals and vocals. Jazz, Rock, Pop and Fusion. “My best work so far. (Robert)” CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL VIDEO CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS —---------------------------------------- Audio production: Jimmy Ravenscroft Kymera Films   Connect with the Follow Your Dream Podcast: Website - www.followyourdreampodcast.com Email Robert - robert@followyourdreampodcast.com   Follow Robert’s band, Project Grand Slam, and his music: Website - www.projectgrandslam.com YouTube Spotify Music Apple Music Email - pgs@projectgrandslam.com

Welcome to Part 1 of a two-part Special Episode introducing my new release, “MA PETITE FLEUR STRING QUARTET”. This work transforms my jazz ballad into a lush classical string quartet piece. I’m pleased to say that the work has been praised by all of the Classical Music Stars listed below.  In Part 1 today we’re going to listen to this new work. In Part 2 tomorrow we're going to introduce the incredible musicians who brought this piece to life. But first, here’s the back story. Last year, following my podcast interview with Michael Abene, Grammy award winning big band arranger, I asked him if he would create a new arrangement of my jazz ballad, “The Gift”. Michael agreed and transformed my song into an extraordinary big band Samba. My band mates and I were the rhythm section on the recording. Spotify link. I then got the idea to take another of my jazz ballads and have it arranged into a classical string quartet piece. I was introduced to David Shenton, a genius arranger, who took my song, “Ma Petite Fleur” - my little flower - and arranged it as a classical string quartet piece inspired by my song. He then brought in four world class musicians to record the work. With this as the back story, please listen now to “MA PETITE FLEUR STRING QUARTET”. CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL VIDEO CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS -------------------------------------------------------- Praised by: Steven Beck - Concert Pianist Jeffrey Biegel - Concert Pianist Marina Chiche - Classical Violinist JoAnn Falletta - Conductor, Buffalo Philharmonic Yolanda Kondonassis - Concert Harpist Shawn Okpebholo - Composer Amit Peled - Concert Cellist Lucas Richman - Conductor, Bangor Symphony Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner - Concert Pianist Jason Vieaux - Classical Guitarist —----------------------------------------------------------- The Follow Your Dream Podcast: Top 1% of all podcasts with Listeners in 200 countries! Click here for All Episodes  Click here for Guest List  Click here for Guest Groupings  Click here for Guest Testimonials Click here to Subscribe  Click here to receive our Email Updates Click here to Rate and Review the podcast Click here for Robert’s “Dream Inspire” App —---------------------------------------- ROBERT’S NEW “DREAM INSPIRE” APP Your personalized Coach to Motivate, Pursue and Succeed at Your Dream CLICK HERE —---------------------------------------- ROBERT’S LATEST SINGLE: “MI CACHIMBER” is Robert’s latest single. It’s Robert’s tribute to his father who played the trumpet and loved Latin music.. Featuring world class guest artists Benny Benack III and Dave Smith on flugelhorn CLICK HERE FOR YOUTUBE LINK CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS —-------------------------------------- ROBERT’S LATEST ALBUM: “WHAT’S UP!” is Robert’s latest compilation album. Featuring 10 of his recent singles including all the ones listed below. Instrumentals and vocals. Jazz, Rock, Pop and Fusion. “My best work so far. (Robert)” CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL VIDEO CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS —---------------------------------------- Audio production: Jimmy Ravenscroft Kymera Films   Connect with the Follow Your Dream Podcast: Website - www.followyourdreampodcast.com Email Robert - robert@followyourdreampodcast.com   Follow Robert’s band, Project Grand Slam, and his music: Website - www.projectgrandslam.com YouTube Spotify Music Apple Music Email - pgs@projectgrandslam.com

Noel Brown is a Professor of Film in Liverpool, England where he’s a scholar of film, TV and animation. He’s published eight books, mostly on children's films, the most recent on the subject of Radical Children's Film and Television. And he’s also an expert on the Beatles animated film, “Yellow Submarine”, which he considers subversive.  My featured song is “I Wanna Be Your Girl” from the album East Side Sessions by my band Project Grand Slam. Spotify link. —----------------------------------------------------------- The Follow Your Dream Podcast: Top 1% of all podcasts with Listeners in 200 countries! Click here for All Episodes  Click here for Guest List  Click here for Guest Groupings  Click here for Guest Testimonials Click here to Subscribe  Click here to receive our Email Updates Click here to Rate and Review the podcast Click here for Robert’s “Dream Inspire” App —---------------------------------------- CONNECT WITH NOEL: profiles.hope.ac.uk/brownn —---------------------------------------- ROBERT’S NEW “DREAM INSPIRE” APP Your personalized Coach to Motivate, Pursue and Succeed at Your Dream CLICK HERE —---------------------------------------- ROBERT’S LATEST SINGLE: “MI CACHIMBER” is Robert’s latest single. It’s Robert’s tribute to his father who played the trumpet and loved Latin music.. Featuring world class guest artists Benny Benack III and Dave Smith on flugelhorn CLICK HERE FOR YOUTUBE LINK CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS —-------------------------------------- ROBERT’S LATEST ALBUM: “WHAT’S UP!” is Robert’s latest compilation album. Featuring 10 of his recent singles including all the ones listed below. Instrumentals and vocals. Jazz, Rock, Pop and Fusion. “My best work so far. (Robert)” CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL VIDEO CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS —---------------------------------------- Audio production: Jimmy Ravenscroft Kymera Films   Connect with the Follow Your Dream Podcast: Website - www.followyourdreampodcast.com Email Robert - robert@followyourdreampodcast.com   Follow Robert’s band, Project Grand Slam, and his music: Website - www.projectgrandslam.com YouTube Spotify Music Apple Music Email - pgs@projectgrandslam.com

Frank Dupree is an award winning German pianist and conductor. He plays both classical and jazz. He performs with orchestras and also as the leader of his own jazz trio. Career highlights include performances with the London Philharmonic, the Bern Symphony and the Sinfónica Nacional de México. He’s performed at festivals around the world and at venues like Lincoln Center, Royal Albert Hall and Wigmore Hall. And he’s a devotee of Ukrainian composer Nikolai Kapustin. My featured song is “It’s The Beat” from the album The Queen’s Carnival by my band Project Grand Slam. Spotify link. —----------------------------------------------------------- The Follow Your Dream Podcast: Top 1% of all podcasts with Listeners in 200 countries! Click here for All Episodes  Click here for Guest List  Click here for Guest Groupings  Click here for Guest Testimonials Click here to Subscribe  Click here to receive our Email Updates Click here to Rate and Review the podcast Click here for Robert’s “Dream Inspire” App —---------------------------------------- CONNECT WITH FRANK: www.frank-dupree.de —---------------------------------------- ROBERT’S NEW “DREAM INSPIRE” APP Your personalized Coach to Motivate, Pursue and Succeed at Your Dream CLICK HERE —---------------------------------------- ROBERT’S LATEST SINGLE: “MI CACHIMBER” is Robert’s latest single. It’s Robert’s tribute to his father who played the trumpet and loved Latin music.. Featuring world class guest artists Benny Benack III and Dave Smith on flugelhorn CLICK HERE FOR YOUTUBE LINK CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS —-------------------------------------- ROBERT’S LATEST ALBUM: “WHAT’S UP!” is Robert’s latest compilation album. Featuring 10 of his recent singles including all the ones listed below. Instrumentals and vocals. Jazz, Rock, Pop and Fusion. “My best work so far. (Robert)” CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL VIDEO CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS —---------------------------------------- Audio production: Jimmy Ravenscroft Kymera Films   Connect with the Follow Your Dream Podcast: Website - www.followyourdreampodcast.com Email Robert - robert@followyourdreampodcast.com   Follow Robert’s band, Project Grand Slam, and his music: Website - www.projectgrandslam.com YouTube Spotify Music Apple Music Email - pgs@projectgrandslam.com

Larry Blank is a prolific Composer, Conductor and Orchestrator across Theatre, TV and Film. He is a 3x Tony Nominee and a 6x Drama Desk nominee. His works include orchestrations of Catch Me If You Can, White Christmas, Fiddler On The Roof and La Cage Aux Folles. He was co-orchestrator for the stage and film versions of The Producers, and additional TV credits include The Grammy Awards and The Academy Awards. My featured song is “New York City Groove” from the album Made In New York by my band Project Grand Slam. Spotify link. —----------------------------------------------------------- The Follow Your Dream Podcast: Top 1% of all podcasts with Listeners in 200 countries! Click here for All Episodes  Click here for Guest List  Click here for Guest Groupings  Click here for Guest Testimonials Click here to Subscribe  Click here to receive our Email Updates Click here to Rate and Review the podcast Click here for Robert’s “Dream Inspire” App —---------------------------------------- CONNECT WITH LARRY: www.larryblankmusic.com —---------------------------------------- ROBERT’S NEW “DREAM INSPIRE” APP Your personalized Coach to Motivate, Pursue and Succeed at Your Dream CLICK HERE —---------------------------------------- ROBERT’S LATEST SINGLE: “MI CACHIMBER” is Robert’s latest single. It’s Robert’s tribute to his father who played the trumpet and loved Latin music.. Featuring world class guest artists Benny Benack III and Dave Smith on flugelhorn CLICK HERE FOR YOUTUBE LINK CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS —-------------------------------------- ROBERT’S LATEST ALBUM: “WHAT’S UP!” is Robert’s latest compilation album. Featuring 10 of his recent singles including all the ones listed below. Instrumentals and vocals. Jazz, Rock, Pop and Fusion. “My best work so far. (Robert)” CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL VIDEO CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS —---------------------------------------- Audio production: Jimmy Ravenscroft Kymera Films   Connect with the Follow Your Dream Podcast: Website - www.followyourdreampodcast.com Email Robert - robert@followyourdreampodcast.com   Follow Robert’s band, Project Grand Slam, and his music: Website - www.projectgrandslam.com YouTube Spotify Music Apple Music Email - pgs@projectgrandslam.com

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." Mentioned: “You’d Be Happier Living Closer to Friends. Why Don’t You?” by Anne Helen Petersen “The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake” by David Brooks Full Surrogacy Now by Sophie Lewis Regarding the Pain of Others by Susan Sontag Letters from Tove by Tove Jansson Book Recommendations: Black Paper by Teju Cole On the Inconvenience of Other People by Lauren Berlant The Hare by Melanie Finn 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” 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.

Christian Wiggs is a musical polymath. He’s a singer, bandleader, lyricist, producer, director, record label executive, manager, and the host of “Off The Bandstand”. He’s performed at all the major clubs like Birdland, the Blue Note, Dizzy’s and at SXSW. He’s produced hit records for Benny Benack III and Emmet Cohen, two terrific young musicians. He manages Grammy and Tony Award winner Bryan Carter and also Jeff Goldblum. His CW Big Band features original compositions and hits from different genres and artists. My featured song is “Mi Cachimber”, my recent single and my tribute to my father. Spotify link. —----------------------------------------------------------- The Follow Your Dream Podcast: Top 1% of all podcasts with Listeners in 200 countries! Click here for All Episodes  Click here for Guest List  Click here for Guest Groupings  Click here for Guest Testimonials Click here to Subscribe  Click here to receive our Email Updates Click here to Rate and Review the podcast Click here for Robert’s “Dream Inspire” App —---------------------------------------- CONNECT WITH CHRISTIAN: www.christianwiggs.com —---------------------------------------- ROBERT’S NEW “DREAM INSPIRE” APP Your personalized Coach to Motivate, Pursue and Succeed at Your Dream CLICK HERE —---------------------------------------- ROBERT’S LATEST SINGLE: “MI CACHIMBER” is Robert’s latest single. It’s Robert’s tribute to his father who played the trumpet and loved Latin music.. Featuring world class guest artists Benny Benack III and Dave Smith on flugelhorn CLICK HERE FOR YOUTUBE LINK CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS —-------------------------------------- ROBERT’S LATEST ALBUM: “WHAT’S UP!” is Robert’s latest compilation album. Featuring 10 of his recent singles including all the ones listed below. Instrumentals and vocals. Jazz, Rock, Pop and Fusion. “My best work so far. (Robert)” CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL VIDEO CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS —---------------------------------------- Audio production: Jimmy Ravenscroft Kymera Films   Connect with the Follow Your Dream Podcast: Website - www.followyourdreampodcast.com Email Robert - robert@followyourdreampodcast.com   Follow Robert’s band, Project Grand Slam, and his music: Website - www.projectgrandslam.com YouTube Spotify Music Apple Music Email - pgs@projectgrandslam.com

On Monday night, in front of a live audience, I talked to Fareed Zakaria about the different political age he believes we’ve entered. Zakaria is the host of “Fareed Zakaria GPS” on CNN and the author of the 2024 book “Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash From 1600 to the Present.” To mark the release of the book in paperback, Zakaria invited me to have this conversation at Symphony Space in New York City. We discuss the “revolution” we may be living through, the forces driving it,  and how the Democratic Party can adapt. Mentioned: The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism by Theda Skocpol and Vanessa Williamson "The Time Tax" by Annie Lowrey "Behind Trump and Vance Is This Man’s Movement" by Ezra Klein "The end of progress against extreme poverty?" by Max Roser "What Does the ‘Post-Liberal Right’ Actually Want?" by The Ezra Klein Show Escape from Freedom by Erich Fromm Book Recommendations: A Preface to Morals by Walter Lippmann The Coming Of Post-Industrial Society by Daniel Bell The Lost City by Alan Ehrenhalt 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 Michelle Harris, with Kate Sinclair and Mary Marge Locker. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld. Mixing by Isaac Jones. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Marie Cascione, Annie Galvin, Rollin Hu, Kristin Lin, Emma Kehlbeck, Marina King and Jan Kobal. Original music by Dan Powell and Pat McCusker. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The director of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.

Patti Smith, “the Godmother of Punk,” has lived a wild life and accumulated so much wisdom in the process. In the 1960s and ’70s, Smith was a fixture of the New York City creative scene — hanging out with the likes of Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Allen Ginsberg and Robert Mapplethorpe. Merging her own poetry with an ace backing band, she became a global rock star. Then she gave it up, moved to Michigan, raised a family, and remade herself into a best-selling author. Her stunning memoir “Just Kids” won the National Book Award and is one of the books that I’ve kept returning to, again and again. There is clearly something unusual about Smith. People who know her have described her as “shamanistic.” But even for those of us who will never become rock stars, there’s something inspiring — and oddly relatable — in how she thinks about life. So I was excited to have the opportunity to sit down with her and learn more. Smith is out with a new memoir, “Bread of Angels,” and is on tour for the 50th anniversary of her breakthrough album, “Horses.” We talk about that book and that album and so much more: the boundless curiosity that drives her; the books that shaped her; her childhood communion with a snapping turtle; what Andy Warhol was like; what color she thinks the soul is; and a lot more that’s hard even to describe. This episode contains strong language. Mentioned: “Pan’s Labyrinth” by Guillermo del Toro Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm Bread of Angels by Patti Smith Just Kids by Patti Smith “The Dark Blot” by Gérard de Nerval “Genie” by Arthur Rimbaud “Guernica” by Pablo Picasso “The Last Supper” by Andy Warhol Book Recommendations: The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi Frankenstein by Mary Shelley The Poetry of Sylvia Plath Edited by Claire Brennan 2666 by Roberto Bolaño 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 Annie Galvin. Fact-checking by Annika Robbins. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing by Isaac Jones. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Marie Cascione, Rollin Hu, Kristin Lin, Emma Kehlbeck, Jack McCordick, Michelle Harris, Marina King and Jan Kobal. 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 Caryn Rose and Annika Robbins.

Is this the future of MAGA? Tucker Carlson’s interview with the white nationalist influencer Nick Fuentes has caused a firestorm on the right. Carlson and Fuentes’s friendly chat about American Jews — whether they fit into this country or were loyal to Israel above all — was the kind of conversation that for decades would have been unimaginable among mainstream figures in politics. And by crossing that line, Carlson was making a statement — about the power of Fuentes’s movement and the future of MAGA. To help me think through this, I wanted to talk to the political writer John Ganz. He’s studied the roots of antisemitism on the right and has followed the evolution of MAGA closely. He’s behind the newsletter Unpopular Front and the author of “When the Clock Broke: Con Men, Conspiracists, and How America Cracked Up in the Early 1990s.” This episode contains strong language. Mentioned: “Unpopular Front” by John Ganz “Finding Neverland” by John Ganz “Groyperfication” by John Ganz Book Recommendations: Taking America Back by David Austin Walsh Furious Minds by Laura K. Field Prophets of Deceit by Norbert Guterman & Leo Lowenthal 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 Ashley Braun. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing by Isaac Jones. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Marie Cascione, Annie Galvin, Rollin Hu, Kristin Lin, Emma Kehlbeck, Marina King and Jan Kobal. 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.

Democrats’ case for the government shutdown was just starting to break through to voters. Why fold now? 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 column read was produced by Kristin Lin. Fact-checking by Jack McCordick. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with mixing by Isaac Jones. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Marie Cascione, Annie Galvin, Michelle Harris, Rollin Hu, Marina King, Emma Kehlbeck and Jan Kobal. Original music by Aman Sahota 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.

Democrats won big on Tuesday. It looks like the MAGA coalition has started to crack. Ezra is joined by his column editor, Aaron Retica, to discuss the big lessons for Democrats as they eye the midterms next year, and whether an anti-MAGA playbook is coming into focus. This episode contains strong language. NOTE: We're recording an "Ask Me Anything" episode soon. You can send your question to ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com with the subject line "AMA." We'll consider any questions submitted on or before the morning of Monday November 11 at 10am ET. Mentioned: “This Is the Way You Beat Trump — and Trumpism” by Ezra Klein Ordinary Vices by Judith N. Shklar Marc Maron's podcast with Barack Obama “Zohran’s Smile” by Anand Ghiridharadas 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 Annie Galvin. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris, Kate Sinclair and Marie Cascione. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld. Mixing by Isaac Jones. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Rollin Hu, Kristin Lin, Emma Kehlbeck, Jack McCordick, Marina King and Jan Kobal. 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.

Democrats don’t just need to win more people; they also need to win more places. And that requires a different kind of thinking. Mentioned: "How Liberalism Wins" by Ezra Klein 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 Claire Gordon, Marie Cascione and Kristin Lin. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Annie Galvin, Rollin Hu, Emma Kehlbeck, Jack McCordick, Marina King and Jan Kobal. 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 Isaac Jones.