America's Next 250 with Ezra Klein

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 guest Resources mentioned: • Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson https://bookshop.org/a/124929/9781668... • Why We're Polarized by Ezra Klein https://bookshop.org/a/124929/9781476... • The Lost History of Liberalism by Helena Rosenblatt https://bookshop.org/a/124929/9780691... • The Pursuit of Happiness by Jeffrey Rosen https://bookshop.org/a/124929/9781668... • The British Are Coming by Rick Atkinson https://bookshop.org/a/124929/9781250... • "Now Is a Time of Monsters" by Ezra Klein, The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/12/op... — New episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Subscribe so you never miss one. Support the show and get access to News Briefs, Spicy Live bonus episodes, and community: https://pantsuitpolitics.substack.com Listen on Apple Podcasts: [add link] Listen on Spotify: [add link] Follow us on Instagram: @pantsuitpolitics — Pantsuit Politics is hosted by Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers. Produced by Studio D Podcast Production. Our theme music was composed by Xander Singh with inspiration from original work by Dante Lima. This podcast and every episode of it are wholly owned by Pantsuit Politics LLC and are protected by US and international copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. #PantsuitPolitics #Politics #AmericanPolitics #PoliticalPodcast #EzraKlein #Abundance #July4th #America250 #Freedom #Democracy #Attention #Institutions #Natalism #AI