The New Yorker: Politics And More

The two-hundred-and-fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence arrives during intense disputes about American history, as the Trump Administration demands a more glorifying view of the nation’s past at federally run historical sites and in federally funded projects. The staff writer Jill Lepore (who won the Pulitzer Prize in History this month for her book “We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution”) guest-hosts a special episode of The New Yorker Radio Hour about this fraught moment, reflecting on the responsibility of academic historians to shape the public debate. She compares our moment with the bicentennial—which fell in the wake of the Vietnam War and the scandals of Richard Nixon’s Presidency—in a conversation with the Yale historian Beverly Gage. Lepore looks at the nature of the country’s war over history with Jelani Cobb, the dean of Columbia Journalism School and a staff writer at The New Yorker. They discuss the Donald Trump-approved “Freedom 250” projection on the Washington

The Washington Roundtable is joined by Representative Jason Crow, of Colorado, an Army Ranger veteran, member of the House Intelligence and Armed Services Committees, and one of the so-called Seditious Six, members of Congress whom Donald Trump threatened to have arrested for recording a video which reminded servicemembers that they are not required to follow illegal orders. Crow is also co-leading the Democratic Party’s effort to recruit and train a new generation of congressional candidates, placing him at the center of an urgent dilemma: how can the Party translate growing anxiety over the economy and the war in Iran into a coherent, winning message? His answer, in part, is to go “hyper-local,” build coalitions, and ignore the noise. “I tell these folks that you’re basically running your campaign like you’re running for mayor of your district,” Crow says. “Ignore Fox News, ignore the cable news networks, ignore the algorithms. You can’t control that, anyhow.”See the Washington Roundtable live at 92NY on Ju

The New Yorker staff writer Andrew Marantz joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss Péter Magyar, the new Prime Minister of Hungary, whom Marantz recently interviewed for the magazine. Marantz tells Foggatt about how Magyar defeated the longtime incumbent, Viktor Orbán—despite intervention by Donald Trump and his allies, and Orbán’s extensive influence over the Hungarian media—and why many Hungarians, after years of democratic backsliding and alleged corruption, ultimately turned against their deeply entrenched leader. Foggatt and Marantz also explore the challenges of governing after authoritarianism without reproducing its abuses of power, and whether Hungary’s political transition offers lessons for other democracies confronting illiberal movements.This week’s reading: “Péter Magyar Led Hungarians out of Autocracy. Where Will He Take Them Now?,” by Andrew Marantz  “Why Spain Is Standing Up to Donald Trump,” by Ishaan Tharoor “Why Trump’s Spiritual Adviser Dedicated a Golden Statue to the President,” by Isaac Chotine

The contributing writer Peter Slevin met with Barack Obama at the new Obama Presidential Center, which opens next month, in Chicago, and asked him the question on a lot of Democrats’ minds: Where is he, and why isn’t he doing more to help the country in a moment of crisis? Slevin shares excerpts from his interview, during which Obama explains the limits of his role, and why he should no longer be the figurehead for his party. Slevin also speaks with David Remnick about why the famously optimistic President has lost some of his confidence in the American prospect. “I would be dishonest if I didn’t acknowledge that,” Obama admitted. Further reading:  “Barack Obama Considers His Role in the Age of Trump,” by Peter Slevin “Presidents’ Days: From Obama to Trump,” by David Remnick The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine’s writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about

The über-rich have enjoyed a remarkable degree of sway in Donald Trump’s Washington—but they may now be facing a backlash. The Washington Roundtable traces the signs of invigorated “pitchfork politics,” such as Zohran Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax in New York, a wealth tax on the ballot in California, and recent protests against the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s involvement in the Met Gala—and what these efforts reveal about the cultural and political limits of oligarchy. The panel is joined by Brooke Harrington, a Dartmouth professor of economic sociology who trained as a wealth manager to embed inside the world of the super-rich. Together they examine whether the “broligarchs” have overplayed their hand, what history tells us about when élites lose their grip on power, and whether the left or the right is better positioned to harness growing inequality and anger as a political weapon heading into the 2026 midterms and beyond.This week’s reading: “All the President’s Contractors,” by Antonia Hitchens “Two Hundred

The New Yorker’s general counsel, Fabio Bertoni, joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss Kash Patel’s two-hundred-and-fifty-million-dollar lawsuit against The Atlantic, on claims that the magazine defamed the F.B.I. director in an article that alleges on-duty inebriation and other misconduct by Patel. Bertoni and Foggatt examine the legal rationale behind Patel’s accusations, and the questions that the case raises about the use of anonymous sources, by The Atlantic and other publications. They also explore how Patel’s suit fits into President Donald Trump’s longstanding litigious relationship with the press, and the broader wave of lawsuits that Trump has brought against media organizations. Will these cases influence the kind of reporting that outlets are willing to publish, let alone pursue? Bertoni and Foggatt consider whether existing press protections are strong enough to withstand the mounting legal attacks.This week’s reading: “Kash Patel’s Implausible Lawsuit Against The Atlantic,” by Fabio Bertoni “How the Ir

In the governor’s race in California, the leading Republican candidate appears to be Steve Hilton, a British-born political consultant and former Fox News contributor. Hilton has been endorsed by Donald Trump, which may not help him in the heavily Democratic state. His lead may owe something to California’s unusual primary system, but it’s not the first time a Republican has had a strong showing in the state: former Republican governors include Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Hilton is running on a platform emphasizing affordability, cutting waste in the government, and increasing oil and natural-gas production. He talks with David Remnick about how a Republican might win this election, and how he would govern with a minority of Californians supporting him.The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine’s writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections,

The New Yorker staff writer Antonia Hitchens joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss a surreal week in Washington: the attempted assassination of Donald Trump during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, followed days later by a state visit from King Charles III and Queen Camilla. They talk about what Hitchens witnessed inside the Hilton ballroom during the shooting attempt, and how Washington responded in the days that followed. They also discuss the state of the “special relationship” between the United States and the United Kingdom, how Trump embraced the pageantry of the royal visit, and what King Charles’s trip was meant to signal diplomatically. They also explore what the week’s whiplash reveals about covering politics during the second Trump term.This week’s reading: “D.C. Gets a King It Actually Wants,” by Antonia Hitchens “Inside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner as Gunshots Rang Out,” by Antonia Hitchens “Can the E.P.A. Survive Lee Zeldin?,” by Elizabeth Kolbert “The Kirkification of Our T

One of Donald Trump’s few critics within his party is the libertarian-leaning senator Rand Paul, from Kentucky. Paul was recently the sole Republican to vote in favor of restricting the President’s power to make war in Iran. He also opposed Trump on tariff policy, and on his budget bill in 2025. “He loves voting ‘NO’ on everything,” the President fumed. Paul ran for President in 2016, and is considering another run for the White House in 2028. He talks with David Remnick about how he would differentiate himself from J. D. Vance and Marco Rubio; about his opposition to the attack on Iran; and about Pete Hegseth invoking Christianity in the war. “People quoting the Old Testament about smiting the enemy” concerns Paul greatly: “If this becomes Christians versus Muslims, I don’t see a quick end to a war.” Further reading:  “The End of Limits on a President’s Wars,” by Ruth Marcus “Why Rand Paul Ran Aground,” by Kelefa Sanneh The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for livel

The Washington Roundtable discusses the global consequences of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz with Edward Fishman, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and the author of the book “Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare.” The group explores how Donald Trump’s embrace of economic weapons such as tariffs, along with his military escalation in Iran, has upended the world’s economy and weakened his popularity at home. “I think we have not seen the worst of this war yet,” Fishman says. “I don’t see how anyone can view that as a victory, and we all know Donald Trump doesn’t like to look like a loser.”See the Washington Roundtable live at 92NY on June 4th.This week’s reading: “Trump and the Iran Deal That Wasn’t,” by Susan B. Glasser “Donald Trump’s Triumphal Arch and the Architecture of Autocracy,” by Adam Gopnik “How Big a Threat Are Iranian-Backed Cyberattacks?,” by Sue Halpern “How Beijing Views the War in Iran,” by Isaac Chotiner The Political Scene draws on the reporting

The New Yorker staff writer Zach Helfand joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss his Profile of Linda McMahon, the Secretary of Education. They talk about the sweeping layoffs and downsizing at the Department of Education during Donald Trump’s second term—a fulfillment of a long-standing conservative effort to dismantle the agency—and the consequences for students and schools that rely on its services. They also explore how McMahon’s tenure as C.E.O. of World Wrestling Entertainment set her up to be one of Trump’s most reliable and effective Cabinet members, across both his terms—and why the President has long been drawn to McMahon, her husband, Vince, and the world of professional wrestling.This week’s reading: “How Professional Wrestling Prepared Linda McMahon for Trump’s Cabinet,” by Zach Helfand “J. D. Vance’s Bumpy Ride,” by Amy Davidson Sorkin “Donald Trump’s Triumphal Arch and the Architecture of Autocracy,” by Adam Gopnik “What Nicolás Maduro’s Life Is Like in a Notorious Brooklyn Jail,” by Diego Lasarte The P

Omer Bartov is an Israeli professor of Holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University. He grew up in a Zionist home and served as an officer in the Israel Defense Forces, but he has long been concerned about Israel’s use of military power. In a new book called “Israel: What Went Wrong?,” Bartov argues that Zionism has morphed into an ideology of extremism that led to genocide in Gaza following the Hamas attacks of October 7th. “There is growing criticism of American support for these kinds of Israeli policies, both on the American left and on the American right,” Bartov tells David Remnick. Bartov believes that Israel requires “shock therapy” because “it has not still come to identify the limits of its own power, because those limits are in Washington, DC and it's there that those limits have to be set.” “For Israel, that would be good, because I think Israel needs to be liberated from that kind of dependence on American power. I think, for American society and for American Jewry, that’s a very bad thing

The Washington Roundtable discusses how the anti-corruption candidate Péter Magyar brought down Hungary's autocratic Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, and what implications that victory holds for the far-right movements around the world that Orbán helped embolden. The panel is joined by Kim Lane Scheppele, a Princeton professor who has lived in Hungary and studied its democratic backsliding. Together, they unpack how Magyar’s campaign succeeded by connecting Orbán’s corruption to the everyday struggles of Hungarians, and how that approach might inform Democratic strategy in the 2028 Presidential election.This week’s reading: “America’s Orange Jesus,” by Susan B. Glasser “The Hungarian Election Shows That Even Strongmen Can Lose,” by Andrew Marantz “TMZ Gets Political,” by Paula Mejía “Who Is the U.S. Negotiating with in Iran?,” by Sudarsan Raghavan “ ‘The Peace President’ Gets Belligerent with Iran and the Pope,” by Robin Wright “How Much Has the War in Iran Depleted the U.S. Missile Supply?,” by Garrett M. Graff

The New Yorker staff writer Molly Fischer joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss Zohran Mamdani’s first hundred days as mayor of New York. They talk about how Mamdani has carried his highly disciplined, media-forward messaging style into office—and how his governing style combines practical city management with a focus on visible and public-facing execution. They also explore the status of his core initiatives, including universal child care and other affordability measures, whether he has scaled back or recalibrated some campaign promises, and how he has navigated relationships with figures such as Governor Kathy Hochul and President Donald Trump as he tries to harness his political momentum into durable results.This week’s reading: “Zohran Mamdani, Perpetual Student of the City,” by Molly Fischer “ ‘The Peace President’ Gets Belligerent with Iran and the Pope,” by Robin Wright “What Brought Down Eric Swalwell,” by Jon Allsop “TMZ Gets Political,” by Paul Mejía “The Hungarian Election Shows That Even Strongmen Can L

At the end of February, OpenAI’s C.E.O., Sam Altman, made headlines by swiftly cutting a deal with the Pentagon for his company to replace Anthropic, which had balked at the Trump Administration’s bid to use its A.I. technology to power autonomous weapons and aid in mass surveillance. Days earlier, Altman had publicly supported Anthropic’s position in the dispute. Altman’s rise to power and his founding of OpenAI were predicated on placing safety above other concerns in developing artificial general intelligence. Why did he change his stance on such a fundamental issue? The New Yorker writers Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz spoke with Altman multiple times and interviewed more than a hundred people for their investigation into the leader of one of the most powerful companies in the world, comparing Altman to J. Robert Oppenheimer. Although there is no smoking gun in Altman’s hand, the writers find that persistent allegations about his conduct underscore the danger of entrusting him to wield such vast power ov

The Washington Roundtable discusses Vice-President J. D. Vance’s week on the world stage: stumping for the Kremlin-aligned Hungarian autocrat Viktor Orbán and being tasked with leading American negotiations in Pakistan to resolve the war with Iran, a conflict he reportedly opposed. The panel explores the events and people that shaped Vance, and how his political evolution toward MAGA may not be enough to make him the Republican Presidential nominee in 2028. “Anyone who comes after Trump is going to have a really hard time inheriting a cult of personality and turning that back into a party,” the staff writer Susan B. Glasser says. Vance is “not this kind of charismatic movement leader.”This week’s reading: “The Costs of Trump’s Iran-War Folly,” by Susan B. Glasser “Trump’s Strategic and Moral Failure in Iran,” by David Remnick “The Global Stakes of Hungary’s Pivotal Election,” by Kapil Komireddi “A U.S.-Iran Ceasefire Is Here, but Trump’s Stone Age Mentality Endures,” by Ishaan Tharoor “How the Internet Fringe

The New Yorker contributing writer Ruth Marcus joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss Pam Bondi’s removal from her post as Attorney General. They examine the series of missteps and failures that led to her firing—from her continued mishandling of the Jeffrey Epstein files to her inability to effectively carry out Donald Trump’s efforts to target his political enemies. They also explore the long-term damage Bondi has done to the Department of Justice, and whether her ouster—alongside Kristi Noem’s dismissal as Secretary of Homeland Security—signals a new era of shakeups within the Trump Administration.This week’s reading: “Pam Bondi’s Legacy of Flattery and Destruction,” by Ruth Marcus “A U.S.-Iran Ceasefire Is Here, but Trump’s Stone Age Mentality Endures,” by Ishaan Tharoor “Sam Altman May Control Our Future—Can He Be Trusted?,” by Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz “How the Internet Fringe Infiltrated Republican Politics,” by Antonia Hitchens “The Forest Service—a Force Across Rural America—‘Reorganizes’ Under Trump,”

In 2021, when Olga Rudenko and other journalists launched the English-language news outlet the Kyiv Independent, they were committed to making a publication that wouldn’t face political pressure from an owner. A few months later, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the Independent began reporting breaking news from the front lines, and conducting investigations of the Ukrainian government. David Remnick talks with Rudenko, the Independent’s editor-in-chief, about the challenges of reporting in wartime; President Volodymyr Zelensky’s pushback on independent journalism; how Iran and Russia have been providing military aid to one another; and why Ukraine cannot accept the peace deal with Russia that Donald Trump is insisting that it take. Further reading:  “The Assault on Ukraine’s Power Grid,” by Michael Holtz “What Are Putin’s Ultimate Demands for Peace in Ukraine?,” by Joshua Yaffa “Ukraine Has ‘Irrefutable Evidence’ of Russia Providing Intelligence to Iran, Zelensky Says,” by Asami Terajima

The Washington Roundtable discusses Donald Trump’s address on the Iran war and the playbook that has defined his career in business and politics when confronted with a crisis: escalate and blame others. The panel discusses how that same playbook is being applied to the Iran conflict with potentially disastrous results. “He’s immune to any possibility of accountability,” the staff writer Evan Osnos says. “That became not just one of the ways he tells his own story but actually how he imagines history will unfold in his hands.”This week’s reading: “Donald Trump’s Case for War Fails to Mention How to Win It,” by Susan B. Glasser “The Team Behind a Pro-Iran, Lego-Themed Viral-Video Campaign,” by Kyle Chayka “He Helped Stop Iran from Getting the Bomb,” by David D. Kirkpatrick “How Pakistan Became a Major Player in Peace Negotiations Between the U.S. and Iran,” by Isaac Chotiner “The Spectacle of War and the Struggle to Protest,” by Jay Caspian Kang The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in T

Thousands of federal prosecutors have been fired or have resigned from their roles since Pam Bondi took over as Attorney General. She has made no secret of weaponizing the Justice Department to pursue Donald Trump’s vendettas. One of those prosecutors is Troy Edwards, who quit a senior national-security position in the Eastern District of Virginia. As an assistant U.S. attorney in DC, Edwardshad won convictions against members of the Oath Keepers for January 6th-related offenses. Edwards is also the son-in-law of the former F.B.I. director James Comey, and, when the Justice Department indicted Comey on grounds widely seen as flimsy, Edwards knew he had reached his red line. (The charges were quickly dismissed, though without prejudice.) The New Yorker’s legal correspondent Ruth Marcus talks with Edwards about his decision to leave, how he broke it to his family, and why he thinks other prosecutors should not follow his lead. Further reading:  “Pam Bondi’s Contempt for Congress,” by Ruth Marcus “The Flimsy, Da