In 'Proto', Laura Spinney delves into the history of the Indo-European languages, tracing their origins from the steppes of Europe and Asia to their global spread. The book combines historical narratives with scientific insights from genetics and archaeology, offering a comprehensive view of how one ancient language transformed the world. Spinney's journey takes readers across continents and millennia, highlighting the diverse cultures connected by these languages.
This book, written by Paul Starr, provides a comprehensive history of the U.S. healthcare system. It details the efforts of the American Medical Association to improve academic training for physicians, establish standards for professional malpractice, and enhance the professional status of physicians. The book also explores the ideological and societal changes that have shaped American medicine, offering insights into medical sociology and its significance in modern life. A second edition with a new epilogue was published in 2017.
Published in 1847, 'Wuthering Heights' is a novel that tells the story of the tumultuous relationship between Catherine Earnshaw and the foundling Heathcliff, whom her father brings home to Wuthering Heights. The narrative, framed by the visitor Lockwood and the housekeeper Nelly Dean, explores themes of love, revenge, and the cyclical nature of life. Heathcliff's bitter vengeance against those who wronged him drives the plot, which spans generations and delves into the dark, passionate, and often destructive aspects of human nature. The novel is renowned for its dramatic and poetic presentation, its unique structure, and its vivid depiction of the Yorkshire moors as a reflection of the characters' inner lives.
In 'The System', Robert B. Reich examines how wealth and power have combined to install an oligarchy, eroding democracy and exacerbating income inequality. He critiques myths like meritocracy and corporate social responsibility, arguing that these concepts are used to justify the accumulation of wealth by the elite. Reich advocates for systemic change to reclaim power for the majority.
President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” is a bad piece of legislation. It includes trillions of dollars in tax cuts that are very much tilted toward the rich, along with savage cuts to Medicaid, nutrition assistance and green energy.
And on Tuesday, July 1, the Senate passed it in a 51-50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance as the tiebreaker.
But bad policy only matters if people know about it, and a lot of people don’t — partly because there are an overwhelming number of provisions, and partly because the Trump administration is already flooding the zone with so many other major policy fights.
So I asked Matt Yglesias, the author of the Slow Boring newsletter, back on the show to go through what is in this bill and why it has been so hard to build momentum for pushback. We spoke on Thursday, June 26.
Mentioned:
“A List of Nearly Everything in the Senate G.O.P. Bill, and How Much It Would Cost or Save” by Alicia Parlapiano, Margot Sanger-Katz, Aatish Bhatia and Josh Katz
The System by David S. Broder and Haynes Johnson
The Ten Year War by Jonathan Cohn
Book recommendations:
Proto by Laura Spinney
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
The Social Transformation of American Medicine by Paul Starr
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 Jack McCordick and Rollin Hu. Fact-checking by Kelsey Kudak. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing by Aman Sahota. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Marie Cascione, Annie Galvin, Michelle Harris, Elias Isquith, Marina King, Jan Kobal, and Kristin Lin. 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.
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