Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax on Beethoven’s Politi...

An incumbent mayor of Los Angeles normally faces smooth sailing for reëlection, but for the Democrat Karen Bass her term has been marked by criticism of her handling of last year’s devastating wildfires and the city’s ongoing homelessness crisis. The city-council member Nithya Ra ...  Show more

Michigan’s Senate seat is a must-win for Democrats hoping to take control of the Senate in 2026. The midterms are reflecting a surge of energy behind left-leaning Democratic candidates—sometimes known as the Mamdani effect—challenging their party’s establishment and its tarnished ...  Show more

An accomplished cellist, TED Fellow Joshua Roman has practiced his instrument daily since he was a child — until a severe case of long COVID almost robbed him of his ability to play. In an inspiring talk, he plays a piece by Johann Sebastian Bach, shares how he found his way back ...  Show more

From his studio in Boston, Yo-Yo Ma tells us how music eases tensions between American and Chinese people, even as Washington and Beijing are at each other’s throats.  Guests: Yo Yo Ma; Hai Ye Ni, principal cellist, Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra Sound design, original score, mi ...  Show more

In the first movement of his famous symphony, Beethoven sets up a battle between hope and despair. The dark side of that spectrum is represented by the anguished opening notes of the first movement: DUN DUN DUNNN. Over the course of the next three movements, Beethoven keeps tryin ...  Show more

Throughout the pandemic, the music’s flexibility has become an asset. Where will artists take it next? Guests: Giovanni Russonello and Marcus J. Moore. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app h ...  Show more