From a conversation between New York Times columnists Gail Collins and Bret Stephens headlined “The Midterms Aren’t the Only Thing That’s Looming”:

Gail Collins: Bret, let me throw you what I suspect is a softball. What did you think of Joe Biden’s move to pardon people with federal marijuana convictions?

Bret Stephens: Some of my conservative friends think it sends a soft-on-crime message, but I’m OK with it. It doesn’t actually let anyone out of jail, since nobody is in federal prison today solely for simple possession of weed. But it lifts a burden on roughly 6,500 people whose employment and housing chances are harmed by their past convictions.

From a conversation between New York Times columnists Gail Collins and Bret Stephens headlined “The Biden Comeback. The Mar-a-Lago Blowback. The Cheney Takedown. Where Do We Start?”:

Gail Collins: Welcome back from your trip to Greenland, Bret. Was it beautiful? Was it … melting?

Bret Stephens: Greenland is a bit like a James Joyce novel: formidable and largely impenetrable. And the ice is definitely melting up there — which I’ll get to in the long feature I’m writing about the trip.

Gail: Been looking forward to that since you left.

From a New York Times conversation between Gail Collins and Bret Stephens headlined “Sometimes the Earth Makes the Rest of the Universe Look Very Good”:

Gail Collins: Bret, we should talk a bit about the passing of Donald Trump’s first wife, Ivana. Any first thoughts?

Bret Stephens: A sad moment. She represented immigrant striving, something her former husband should have learned to appreciate — but didn’t. Did you know her?

Gail: No, my interactions with The Donald, as Ivana called him, didn’t begin until around the time of their divorce, when I was covering city government and he was trying to squeeze some deals out of the Council.

From a conversation between New York Times columnists Gail Collins and Bret Stephens headlined “And the Next President Will Be…”:

Bret Stephens: Hi, Gail. Have I ever mentioned to you that I’m not an Elon Musk fan?

Gail Collins: Well, no. But I have to admit, Bret, it’s been a long time since I heard anybody say, “Elon Musk is making the world a better place.”

Still, I’m guessing that his Twitter experience is really irritating you. Explain.

From a oonversation between New York Times columnists Gail Collins and Bret Stephens headlined “It’s July 4, 2022, and Somehow We Are Still Talking About Trump”:

Gail Collins: Happy Independence Day, Bret! Want to celebrate by talking about the Supreme Court?

Bret Stephens: I was sorta thinking of a cookout on the patio with a nice bottle of rosé, but fire away.

Gail: We were in such accord, gnashing our teeth over the decisions on abortion and guns. How about their deep-sixing environmental regulation? You still gnashing with me?

From a New York Times conversation between Gail Collins and Bret Stephens headlined “Mike Pence Was of Two Minds”: