Minneapolis Feels ‘Like Being in a Civil War’

Minneapolis Feels ‘Like Being in a Civil War’

Author: New York Times Opinion January 16, 2026 Duration: 47:04
Can cellphone cameras and whistles impede President Trump’s immigration policy? On this week’s episode of “Interesting Times,” Ross speaks with Francisco Segovia, the executive director of a Minneapolis-based nonprofit on the front lines of anti-ICE activism, about how his organization is training citizens to become constitutional observers. “It’s your right to video record what your government is doing,” he says. Ross asks if there’s any enforcement he’d accept. 2:56 Current dynamics on the ground in Minneapolis 5:03 Communities Organizing Power and Action for Latinos (COPAL) 6:53 Francisco Segovia's story 14:26 What is a constitutional observer? 22:27 Reflections on Renee Good 28:59 Training efforts to try and keep protesters safe 34:42 What kind of immigration enforcement is legitimate? Hey, Los Angeles! Come see Ross in conversation with the columnist Jamelle Bouie and the editor of New York Times Opinion, Katie Kingsbury, on Tuesday, Jan. 20. They’ll take stock of the first year of Trump’s second term and debate the administration’s biggest actions so far and what it all means for our country. Get tickets here while they’re still available.

Every Thursday, Ross Douthat sits down to make sense of a world that feels perpetually off-balance. This isn't about quick takes or yesterday's headlines. Interesting Times with Ross Douthat is a series of deep, considered conversations that explore the undercurrents shaping our politics, our culture, and the very structure of society. From the New York Times Opinion section, each episode acts as a first draft of our collective future, attempting to map a new world order as it emerges in real time. You'll hear from thinkers, writers, and doers who are challenging conventional wisdom, all through Ross's distinctive lens. The discussions are built on the premise that we are living through a historical pivot, and understanding it requires patience, curiosity, and a willingness to engage with complex ideas. The result is a podcast that feels both urgent and reflective, a necessary pause amid the noise to examine how we got here and where we might be headed. It’s for anyone who finds the present moment bewildering and seeks a more substantive dialogue about the forces at play. Tune in for a thoughtful analysis that you won't find anywhere else, naturally evolving from week to week as the story of our age continues to unfold.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 63

Interesting Times with Ross Douthat
Podcast Episodes
Trump Is the End of a 100-Year Experiment [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:59
President Trump has tested the limits of presidential power since he returned to office — from his assertion of total control over federal agencies to his war in Iran. But so far, many of Trump’s most aggressive moves ha…
How Ben Sasse Is Living Now That He Is Dying [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:32
How would you live if you knew when you were going to die? I sat down with the former Republican senator Ben Sasse to hear how he is facing his own mortality after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis. For Sasse, cancer…
Did Jesus Rise From the Dead? A Debate. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:24:09
Even if you don’t believe he walked on water, the teachings of Jesus still have a certain power. My guest this week, the New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman, calls himself a “Christian atheist.” I asked Ehrman to come on t…
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Duration: 51:24
Is the U.S. winning the war with Iran? Even though President Trump claims success, it doesn’t quite feel like it — oil and gas prices are high, the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed, and the Iranian regime is still…
White Identity Is Galvanizing the Right [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:39
The idea that white people — and white men in particular — face discrimination has become something of an obsession on the American right. It’s a view that my guest this week shares. Jeremy Carl was nominated to a State…
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Duration: 1:06:31
Can the Democrats finally seize on President Trump’s increasing unpopularity and end their slump? It seems to me as though 2026 is providing them ample opportunity. But I wanted to know what they actually stand for. Have…
Does the Iran War Put America First? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:47
I don’t think a war with Iran is what Trump — or his voters — had in mind when he campaigned on “America first.” My guest this week is Curt Mills, the executive director of The American Conservative, a magazine that cham…
The New Space Race [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:52
We’re going back to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. That is, if Artemis II can get off the ground. I sat down with Jared Isaacman, the billionaire leading NASA, to hear his perspective on everything fr…
Welcome to the Indian Century [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:04
The next global leader is waiting in the wings — and no, I don’t mean China. India is the major power with the fastest-growing economy and the world’s largest population, and on the heels of trade deals with the United S…