Matter of Opinion The New York Times

We’re getting ready for this week’s presidential debate. In the meantime, we wanted to share an audio essay from Michelle Cottle on a make-or-break vote for the MAGA warrior Lauren Boebert. The controversial lawmaker is facing a primary in Colorado that will determine her political future. Michelle visited a biker bar in Douglas County, Colo., to understand the ways Boebert is tweaking her image in a new district in hopes of winning over more traditional conservatives. Can she do it without losing hard-core Trump fans?

This audio essay was originally made for the NYT Audio app, free for Times subscribers in the Apple App Store.

Populism, offered as a solution to economic and cultural woes, has gained ground in Europe following a slew of recent elections. Across the pond, the Ohio senator and potential Trump running mate J.D. Vance is championing an American version of populist politics that is also gaining traction. On this week’s episode, the hosts discuss Vance’s embrace of the ideology and consider why many voters find it so appealing.

Plus, Ross shares a literary deep cut that not even Carlos has heard of.

Amid politically charged flag flying, secret recordings, and eyebrow-raising financial disclosures, there’s something fishy about the behavior of the nation’s top judges. Are they ruining faith in the Supreme Court? Or is that the partisan reaction to the decisions coming from on high?

Michelle, Carlos and Lydia are joined by the Times editorial board member Jesse Wegman to discuss just how low the bar has gotten for the justices, and what could be done to restore America’s faith in the court.

Plus, Michelle weighs in on the beef of the summer.

Former President Donald J. Trump’s appearance at a U.F.C. match this week seems to be part of a larger strategy to attract men — especially young men — to his cause. But what can President Biden do to change the narrative that “the left doesn’t like men”?

This week, Michelle Cottle and Carlos Lozada are joined by their (male) Opinion colleagues Jamelle Bouie and David French to debate why men are becoming more conservative and whether Trump’s masculine appeal is about policy or his “manliness.”

In a special intercontinental episode, Lydia Polgreen reports from South Africa as the country challenges Israel for its attack on Rafah in southern Gaza.

The post-apartheid nation has emerged as a critical leader and a moral voice in some (but not all) superpower struggles. Yet back at home, South Africa’s 30 years of multiracial democracy is undergoing major political upheaval. What does the nation’s recent election offer young nations hoping for postcolonialist democracy? Lydia opens her reporter’s notebook and explores these questions with the South African journalist William Shoki and her editor, Max Strasser.

With Lydia in South Africa covering their election, Ross out on parental leave and Michelle reporting from a saloon in Colorado, Carlos turns the mic over to his Times Opinion colleagues to respond to the news about Donald Trump’s guilty verdict in the New York hush-money trial.

The columnists Michelle Goldberg and David French — who calls himself “a recovering litigator” — join the deputy Opinion editor, Patrick Healy, to discuss Trump’s 34 guilty counts and debate what they mean for the former president, whether he’ll face jail time and how it will affect the 2024 presidential race.