America's Next 250 with Ezra Klein

America's Next 250 with Ezra Klein

Author: Sarah & Beth July 3, 2026 Duration: 1:01:49
For America's 250th, we asked Ezra Klein what freedom actually requires of us — and he took us somewhere we didn't expect: attention. We get into why the older idea of freedom was about self-mastery, not just endless choice, and what that means for how we live, parent, and govern right now. It's a Fourth of July conversation about virtue, institutions, and whether we can still build something new.Topics discussed:• The vision of abundance and why the future is so hard to imagine• Attention as a collective resource — and why ours is deranged• Freedom as choice vs. freedom as self-mastery• Virtue, vice, and the illiberal moment• Institutional trust, corruption, and the education debate• Natalism, AI, and whether we're living through an aberration• Outside of Politics: which founder would make the best podcast guestResources mentioned:• Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson https://bookshop.org/a/124929/9781668023488• Why We're Polarized by Ezra Kleinhttps://bookshop.org/a/124929/9781476700366• The Lost History of Liberalism by Helena Rosenblatt https://bookshop.org/a/124929/9780691203966• The Pursuit of Happiness by Jeffrey Rosen https://bookshop.org/a/124929/9781668002483• The British Are Coming by Rick Atkinson https://bookshop.org/a/124929/9781250231321• "Now Is a Time of Monsters" by Ezra Klein, The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/12/opinion/ai-climate-change-low-birth-rates.html?eafs_enabled=false Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a media landscape often defined by shouting matches and partisan trenches, Pantsuit Politics offers a different kind of conversation. Hosts Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers, two friends from Kentucky, built this independent podcast on a simple but radical premise: you can discuss the news and culture of the day with both conviction and genuine curiosity. What you’ll hear here isn’t debate for its own sake, but a sustained effort to understand the complexities behind the headlines. Sarah and Beth approach each topic with a blend of thorough research and personal reflection, modeling how to engage with difficult subjects without surrendering to outrage or anxiety. Their dialogue proves that thoughtful disagreement and common ground aren't mutually exclusive. This podcast provides a consistent, calming space for listeners who feel exhausted by the usual political noise but still want to stay meaningfully informed. New episodes arrive every Tuesday and Friday, offering regular check-ins that prioritize nuance over kneejerk reactions. It’s the kind of compelling listening that doesn’t just analyze the world, but quietly suggests a better way to talk about it.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Pantsuit Politics
Podcast Episodes
The Normie Problem: Can Democrats Win with Platner? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:52
Graham Platner is running for Senate in Maine and trailing a string of controversies — a tattoo with Nazi-era symbolism, old Reddit posts, and now a Wall Street Journal exposé on explicit texts with multiple women. Sarah…
Ken Paxton, Redistricting, and the Midterms Map [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:19
On today's Pantsuit Politics: Ken Paxton defeats John Cornyn by 28 points — the widest primary margin against a sitting senator in nearly 50 years — and we dig into what it means for the Senate map and the midterms. Plus…
Consumption Is Eating Art [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:11
Beth’s daughter, Ellen, asked why our books aren’t on the bestseller list, and honestly? Great question, Ellen. That one question opens up the whole can of worms today: how popular consensus gets manufactured — from the…
Trump's China Trip, the $1.7 Billion Slush Fund, and the AI Backlash [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:45
Trump's China trip barely makes a headline, a $1.7 billion taxpayer-funded slush fund raises alarms, and we check in on where we're really at with AI — as users, as parents, and as small business owners trying to keep up…
Jacqueline Coleman is Running for Governor [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:40
As Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman launches her run for governor of Kentucky, we were honored to sit down with her and discuss her path to public service and hopes for the future of Kentucky. Ready to go deeper? Visit ⁠⁠our…
Gerrymandering, Iran, Ukraine & the Future of the American Family [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:17:53
This weekend, the Virginia Supreme Court struck down the voter-approved congressional maps, while the Tennessee legislature eliminated its only Democratic Congressional District — but Sarah and Beth think despondence is…
The Abortion Pill, the Courts, and the Mess They Made [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:53
The Fifth Circuit ruled again on mifepristone and the legal, political, and medical mess that followed is anything but settled. Sarah and Beth break down what Louisiana's "sovereign injury" theory means for mail-access a…
The Gerrymandering Death Spiral [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:47
Sarah and Beth break down the Supreme Court's decision gutting the Voting Rights Act and what it means for the gerrymandering arms race reshaping our electoral map. They check on Trump's promises to lower prices and fix…
The Education Crisis Nobody Wants to Fix [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:24
Rahm Emanuel came ready to talk — and y'all, we were ready. This conversation covers the education crisis in America (which I don’t think a single person in this audience needs to be convinced about), what Mississippi ac…