Ezra Klein

Is the New Yorker being chilled? Are they?

Is the New Yorker being chilled? Are they?

I think it's always important to actually be clear on what is the operative metaphor happening in analysts' minds. And the operative metaphor, I think, in this era has been Hungary. You wrote this piece that I think exists in an interesting tension with Zacks where you went to Hungary. And you spent a lot of time with the opposition, opposition media, opposition figures.

I think it's always important to actually be clear on what is the operative metaphor happening in analysts' minds. And the operative metaphor, I think, in this era has been Hungary. You wrote this piece that I think exists in an interesting tension with Zacks where you went to Hungary. And you spent a lot of time with the opposition, opposition media, opposition figures.

You went to these universities that have been shut down, but they exist in this strange liminal space. And what emerged out of that piece for me was a felt sense that losing may not feel or look like what you think it feels or looks like.

You went to these universities that have been shut down, but they exist in this strange liminal space. And what emerged out of that piece for me was a felt sense that losing may not feel or look like what you think it feels or looks like.

And this is something you also say in the piece, but that some of what is happening here is worse than what is happening there. There are places where you can say, well, they've not, figured out how to consolidate control in the way Viktor Orban has. There are also places where they're going much further with the power of the state than Viktor Orban seems to have dared.

And this is something you also say in the piece, but that some of what is happening here is worse than what is happening there. There are places where you can say, well, they've not, figured out how to consolidate control in the way Viktor Orban has. There are also places where they're going much further with the power of the state than Viktor Orban seems to have dared.

Let me talk to you about that felt sense because I think it's really important. And let me lay out my own position, which I don't think we know what timeline we're in because it is not coherent into a timeline yet. It's too early. We're in quantum superposition. A lot of things might happen. We'll see who opens the box.

Let me talk to you about that felt sense because I think it's really important. And let me lay out my own position, which I don't think we know what timeline we're in because it is not coherent into a timeline yet. It's too early. We're in quantum superposition. A lot of things might happen. We'll see who opens the box.

One reason I take Zach's argument on this seriously, though, is that the felt sense of it has changed a little bit for me for where we were three months ago. One of the things that I've been watching for myself is does it feel like opposition is weakening or strengthening? Are people losing backbone or are they gaining it?

One reason I take Zach's argument on this seriously, though, is that the felt sense of it has changed a little bit for me for where we were three months ago. One of the things that I've been watching for myself is does it feel like opposition is weakening or strengthening? Are people losing backbone or are they gaining it?

My impression, and I'm not saying my impression is right, is that they're gaining it, not losing it. That the view is that the law firms that folded are embarrassments, that they'll go down in history with a black mark, that the ones who stood up are looking better. It was just a story the other day. We don't really know what's behind it, but it is notable Microsoft moving

My impression, and I'm not saying my impression is right, is that they're gaining it, not losing it. That the view is that the law firms that folded are embarrassments, that they'll go down in history with a black mark, that the ones who stood up are looking better. It was just a story the other day. We don't really know what's behind it, but it is notable Microsoft moving

some core work from, you know, one of the law firms that folded to one of the law firms that was fighting. That struck people as an interesting sign. Harvard looking a lot better than Columbia and sort of creating more backbone among other universities and the Trump administration coming out and saying, oh, this was a mistake. Maybe we could just go back to the table together.

some core work from, you know, one of the law firms that folded to one of the law firms that was fighting. That struck people as an interesting sign. Harvard looking a lot better than Columbia and sort of creating more backbone among other universities and the Trump administration coming out and saying, oh, this was a mistake. Maybe we could just go back to the table together.

And when I look at the media, I was quite concerned about when we saw the settling of the defamation cases, when you saw what Bezos was doing, when he came out and said, well, we're going to have this free markets and individual liberties opinion page. That could mean a lot of things depending on how you defined it.

And when I look at the media, I was quite concerned about when we saw the settling of the defamation cases, when you saw what Bezos was doing, when he came out and said, well, we're going to have this free markets and individual liberties opinion page. That could mean a lot of things depending on how you defined it.

But you've not seen a purge of the liberal writers from the Washington Post opinion page. I'm not saying there's not a lot to worry about here, but the thing that feels to me like it's happening is, is there is more cohering of like coordination between among the administration's targets rather than less. The students are a completely different category.

But you've not seen a purge of the liberal writers from the Washington Post opinion page. I'm not saying there's not a lot to worry about here, but the thing that feels to me like it's happening is, is there is more cohering of like coordination between among the administration's targets rather than less. The students are a completely different category.