
Politics
The New Yorker Radio Hour
WNYC Studios and The New Yorker
Profiles, storytelling and insightful conversations, hosted by David Remnick.
Episodes to Learn English1051

A Genocide Scholar Asks “What Went Wrong” in Israel
Apr 17, 202639 min<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 “<a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250436184/israel/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Israel: What Went Wrong?</a>,” 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 because there is a rise of . . . antisemitism from the Tucker Carlsons of the world, who are a rising force right now.”</p> <p> </p> <p>Further reading: </p> <ul> <li>“<a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250436184/israel/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Israel: What Went Wrong?</a>,” by Omer Bartov</li> <li>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/a-holocaust-scholar-meets-with-israeli-reservists#rid=1c89eda6-8015-4785-b666-23f881f418d5&q=omer+bartov" rel="noopener noreferrer">A Holocaust Scholar Meets with Israeli Reservists</a>,” by Isaac Chotiner</li> <li>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/how-to-define-genocide#rid=1c89eda6-8015-4785-b666-23f881f418d5&q=omer+bartov" rel="noopener noreferrer">How to Define Genocide</a>,” by Isaac Chotiner</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, <i>New Yorker</i> staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

Anna Wintour as Vogue Icon
Apr 14, 202639 min<p>Anna Wintour graces the cover of <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/meryl-streep-anna-wintour-may-cover-2026-interview" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i>Vogue’s May issue</i></a> alongside her theatrical double: Meryl Streep in the role of Miranda Priestly, from “The Devil Wears Prada,” whose much-anticipated sequel comes out on May 1st. Wintour and David Remnick spoke last fall on the day that a sea change took place at <i>Vogue</i>: it was announced that Chloe Malle would take over the editorial direction of the American edition of the publication. They discussed her storied career; her decision to wear Prada to the premiére of “The Devil Wears Prada”; and how Remnick might up his fashion game: “Forgive me, David, but how boring would it be if everybody was just wearing a dark suit and a white shirt all the time?”</p> <p><i>This segment originally aired on September 5, 2025.</i></p> <p> </p> <p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, <i>New Yorker</i> staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

Sam Altman’s Trust Issues at OpenAI
Apr 10, 202650 min<p>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 <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-inquiry/the-pentagon-went-to-war-with-anthropic-whats-really-at-stake" rel="noopener noreferrer">had balked</a> 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 <i>New Yorker</i> writers Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz spoke with Altman multiple times and interviewed more than a hundred people for their <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/04/13/sam-altman-may-control-our-future-can-he-be-trusted" rel="noopener noreferrer">investigation</a> 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 over the future. </p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Further reading:</strong></p> <ul> <li>"<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/04/13/sam-altman-may-control-our-future-can-he-be-trusted" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sam Altman May Control Our Future—Can He Be Trusted?</a>,” by Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz</li> <li>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-financial-page/the-dangerous-paradox-of-ai-abundance#rid=24f44c6e-b5cf-4d4b-aea3-6b74e42d6b19&q=ai" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Dangerous Paradox of A.I. Abundance</a>,” by John Cassidy</li> <li>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/infinite-scroll/the-ai-bubble-is-coming-for-your-browser#rid=24f44c6e-b5cf-4d4b-aea3-6b74e42d6b19&q=ai" rel="noopener noreferrer">The A.I. Bubble Is Coming for Your Browser</a>,” by Kyle Chayka</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, <i>New Yorker</i> staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

Pick Three: Spring Sports News
Apr 7, 202614 min<p>The <i>New Yorker</i> staff writer Louisa Thomas, who writes the <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/sports/sporting-scene" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sporting Scene</a> column, talks with David Remnick about the biggest basketball stories this season: how LeBron James embraced a new late-career persona as a great supporting player for the Los Angeles Lakers; the coaching genius of the Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla; and the ongoing scandal over teams deliberately tanking games to secure better prospects in the N.B.A. draft. </p> <p>Further reading: </p> <ul> <li>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/sports/sporting-scene/how-much-is-a-home-team-worth" rel="noopener noreferrer">How Much Is a Home Team Worth?</a>,” by Louisa Thomas</li> <li>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/sports/sporting-scene/lebron-james-is-making-his-last-great-adjustment" rel="noopener noreferrer">LeBron James Is Making His Last Great Adjustment</a>,” by Louisa Thomas</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, <i>New Yorker</i> staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

How Donald Trump’s War on Iran Helps Vladimir Putin’s War on Ukraine
Apr 3, 202636 min<p>In 2021, when Olga Rudenko and other journalists launched the English-language news outlet the Kyiv <i>Independent</i>, 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.</p> <p>Further reading: </p> <ul> <li>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/the-assault-on-ukraines-power-grid#rid=4787afe3-9de1-4af1-bf77-2fab92fd3d3f&q=ukraine" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Assault on Ukraine’s Power Grid</a>,” by Michael Holtz</li> <li>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/what-are-putins-ultimate-demands-for-peace-in-ukraine#rid=4787afe3-9de1-4af1-bf77-2fab92fd3d3f&q=ukraine" rel="noopener noreferrer">What Are Putin’s Ultimate Demands for Peace in Ukraine?</a>,” by Joshua Yaffa</li> <li>“<a href="https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-has-irrefutable-evidence-of-russia-providing-intelligence-to-iran-zelensky-says/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ukraine Has ‘Irrefutable Evidence’ of Russia Providing Intelligence to Iran, Zelensky Says</a>,” by <a href="https://kyivindependent.com/author/asami-terajima/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Asami Terajima</a>, of the Kyiv Independent</li> <li>“<a href="https://kyivindependent.com/china-irans-helping-russia-keep-the-economy-of-occupied-ukrainian-territories-afloat-new-report-reveals/" rel="noopener noreferrer">China, Iran Help Russia Prop Up Economy in Occupied Ukrainian Territories, Report Says</a>,” by <a href="https://kyivindependent.com/author/yuliia/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Yuliia Taradiuk</a>, of the Kyiv Independent</li> <li>“<a href="https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-heads-to-us-with-drone-proposal-trump-dismissed/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ukraine Heads to US with Drone Proposal Trump Dismissed Before War with Iran</a>,” by Tim Zadorozhnyy, of the Kyiv Independent</li> <li>“<a href="https://kyivindependent.com/we-interviewed-irans-envoy-in-ukraine-and-it-was-absolutely-wild/" rel="noopener noreferrer">We Interviewed Iran’s Envoy to Ukraine and It Was Absolutely Wild</a>,” by <a href="https://kyivindependent.com/author/polina-morozyuk/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Polina Moroziuk</a>, of the Kyiv Independent</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, <i>New Yorker</i> staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

A Former Federal Prosecutor on Why He Quit Donald Trump’s Department of Justice
Mar 31, 202623 min<p>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.) <i>The New Yorker’s</i> legal correspondent <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/ruth-marcus" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ruth Marcus</a> 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. </p> <p><strong>Further reading: </strong></p> <ul> <li>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/pam-bondis-contempt-for-congress" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pam Bondi’s Contempt for Congress</a>,” by Ruth Marcus</li> <li>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/the-flimsy-dangerous-indictment-of-james-comey" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Flimsy, Dangerous Indictment of James Comey</a>,” by Ruth Marcus</li> <li>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/08/25/pam-bondi-profile" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pam Bondi’s Power Play</a>,” by Ruth Marcus</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, <i>New Yorker</i> staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

John Lithgow on the Controversial Authors Roald Dahl and J. K. Rowling
Mar 27, 202628 min<p>The new play “Giant,” on Broadway, dramatizes the scandal around Roald Dahl, the beloved children’s-book author who, in the nineteen-eighties, began making antisemitic statements and invoking stereotypes about Jewish influence. John Lithgow portrays Dahl as he faces off against his American publisher, who presses him to retract his statements. The events that the show focusses on took place more than forty years ago, but they couldn’t be more relevant today, as antisemitism surges during a war in the Middle East. Lithgow joins David Remnick to discuss the question of whether to separate the art from the artist—and about his own hesitation regarding his role as the wizard Dumbledore in HBO’s new “Harry Potter” series, because of J. K. Rowling’s history of anti-trans statements. </p> <p><strong>Further reading: </strong></p> <ul> <li>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/03/16/mark-rosenblatt-profile-theatre" rel="noopener noreferrer">‘Giant’ Takes on Roald Dahl and his Antisemitism</a>,” by John Lahr</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, <i>New Yorker</i> staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

Julio Torres Makes Everything Funny—Including Color Theory
Mar 24, 202619 min<p>Julio Torres got his big break as a writer on “Saturday Night Live,” and went on to make the cult favorites “Los Espookys” and “Fantasmas” for HBO. He also wrote and directed the film “Problemista,” about a toy designer facing deportation. There’s a particular kind of surrealism to Torres’s humor; “I just don’t think his mind works quite like anyone else’s,” the staff writer <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/michael-schulman" rel="noopener noreferrer">Michael Schulman</a> says, comparing Torres to “a guest lecturer at an art school . . . laying out his very particular way of seeing the world.” They met in New York to discuss the unique, synesthetic ideas about color which Torres describes in a new HBO special, “Color Theories,” and to check out a few hues at a nearby dollar store. </p> <p><i>Thanks to </i><a href="https://seeyouinheven.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i>Home in Heven</i></a><i> and Third Avenue Dollar and More. </i></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Further reading:</strong></p> <p>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/12/28/the-otherworldly-comedy-of-julio-torres" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Otherworldly Comedy of Julio Torres</a>,” by Michael Shulman</p> <p> </p> <p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, <i>New Yorker</i> staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

Is Cuba Trump’s Next Target?
Mar 20, 202634 min<p>The staff writer <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/jon-lee-anderson" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jon Lee Anderson</a> has reported from Cuba for many years, and recently wrote about the deteriorating economic conditions on the island. His newest piece for the magazine dives into the potential outcomes of Donald Trump’s desire to pursue regime change. Anderson explores the economic impact of the United States blocking Venezuelan oil from reaching Cuba, which could be a death knell for the Communist government. Anderson and David Remnick discuss the current negotiations between the two countries, Marco Rubio’s strategy, and what cards the Cuban government might still hold. “They’re going to go into this,” Anderson suggests, “like maybe a canny poker player.”</p> <p>Plus, the historian Ada Ferrer won the Pulitzer Prize for her 2022 book, “Cuba: An American History,” and she has one of the clearest views of the long and vexed relationship between the island and its giant neighbor. Ferrer left Cuba as an infant, coming to the United States with her mother in 1963 when Fidel Castro’s regime was arguably at its peak. David Remnick talks with Ferrer about the impact of U.S. sanctions, the economic collapse of Cuba, and what Donald Trump’s threat of a “takeover” means to the Cuban people and to Cuban Americans in the U.S. </p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Further reading: </strong></p> <ul> <li>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/10/06/a-cuban-exodus-faces-trumps-america" rel="noopener noreferrer">Have Cubans Fled One Authoritarian State for Another?</a>,” by Jon Lee Anderson</li> <li>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/03/23/whats-behind-trumps-new-world-disorder" rel="noopener noreferrer">What’s Behind Trump’s New World Disorder?</a>,” by Daniel Immerwahr</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, <i>New Yorker</i> staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

Chloé Zhao on “Hamnet,” Which Is Nominated for Eight Academy Awards
Mar 15, 202622 min<p>Chloé Zhao became only the second woman to win an Oscar for Best Director, for 2020’s “Nomadland,” and she is nominated once again for “Hamnet,” starring Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley. Based on Maggie O’Farrell’s novel of the same name, the film follows a young William Shakespeare and his wife, and their grief at the loss of their only son. “Hamnet” is also nominated for Best Picture, Best Actress, and five other awards. Speaking with <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/michael-schulman" rel="noopener noreferrer">Michael Schulman</a>, Zhao talked about the origins of “Hamnet,” the centrality of nature imagery in her work, and how the I.P. in a Marvel film is not so different from adapting a literary novel. </p> <p><i>This segment originally aired on December 5, 2025.</i></p> <p><strong>Further reading:</strong></p> <p>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/chloe-zhao-has-looked-into-the-void" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chloé Zhao Has Looked into the Void</a>,” by Michael Schulman</p> <p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, <i>New Yorker</i> staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

Social Media Goes to Court
Mar 13, 202629 min<p>In the book “The Anxious Generation,” Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist at New York University, argues that social-media platforms are detrimental to youths’ well-being, and that society needs to treat them as literally addictive. It has spent nearly a hundred weeks on the New York <i>Times</i> best-seller list, and has helped galvanize a movement seeking limits to social media in legislatures, in school districts, and in the courts. David Remnick speaks with Haidt about an Australian law to verify the age of social-media users, the first of its kind in the world, and about lawsuits in California that are aiming to pin liability for harms on social-media companies themselves. </p> <p><strong>Further reading: </strong></p> <ul> <li>“<a href="https://www.worldhappiness.report/news/leading-experts-to-examine-the-impact-of-social-media-in-world-happiness-report-2026/" rel="noopener noreferrer">World Happiness Report 2026</a>,” featuring a contribution from Jonathan Haidt and other researchers </li> <li>“<a href="https://www.afterbabel.com/p/mountains-of-evidence" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mountains of Evidence</a>,” by Jonathan Haidt</li> </ul> <p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, <i>New Yorker</i> staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

Ryan Coogler on “Sinners,” His Epic Film about Race, Music, and the Undead
Mar 10, 202619 min<p>When the Oscar nominations were announced this year, Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” set a record. It received sixteen nominations, the most for any film ever. The fact that it’s, in part, a vampire movie, made by a director who’s not yet forty, makes that feat all the more remarkable. Coogler—who previously directed “<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/creed-is-a-knockout" rel="noopener noreferrer">Creed</a>” and “<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/the-passionate-politics-of-black-panther" rel="noopener noreferrer">Black Panther</a>”—sat down with the <i>New Yorker</i> staff writer <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/jelani-cobb" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jelani Cobb</a> to discuss the recurrent themes of history, faith, and race in his work, and how he refracted them through the lens of horror in “Sinners.”</p> <p><i>This segment originally aired on April 11, 2025.</i></p> <p> </p> <p>Further reading: </p> <p>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/05/05/ryan-coogler-profile" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ryan Coogler’s Road to ‘Sinners</a>,’ ” by Jelani Cobb</p> <p> </p> <p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, <i>New Yorker</i> staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

The Global Fallout of Donald Trump’s War on Iran
Mar 6, 202631 min<p>As Iran’s retaliation hit American allies throughout the Middle East this week, David Remnick was joined by two <i>New Yorker</i> writers with decades of experience reporting from the region. <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/robin-wright" rel="noopener noreferrer">Robin Wright</a> has reported from Iran extensively, and she met with Ali Khamenei before he became the Supreme Leader of Iran; <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/dexter-filkins" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dexter Filkins</a> covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he has been reporting on the Pentagon and military readiness. Filkins and Wright discuss the possibilities for future leadership in Iran; the Administration’s chaotic statements in regard to its goals and time frame; and the economic impact of the war, which is already being felt around the globe. </p> <p> </p> <p>Further reading:</p> <p>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/what-ayatollah-ali-khamenei-meant-to-iran-and-what-comes-next#rid=d2c89d6d-4990-4ebe-86a1-9adb7c2f0cd2&q=robin+wright" rel="noopener noreferrer">What Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Meant to Iran, and What Comes Next</a>,” by Robin Wright</p> <p>"<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/01/19/marco-rubio-profile" rel="noopener noreferrer">How Marco Rubio Went from “Little Marco” to Trump’s Foreign-Policy Enabler</a>,” by Dexter Filkins</p> <p>“<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/49387/the-forever-war-by-dexter-filkins/" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Forever War</a>,” by Dexter Filkins</p> <p> </p> <p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, <i>New Yorker</i> staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

Failed “Finance Bros” Find Success with HBO’s “Industry”
Mar 1, 202616 min<p>David Remnick sits down with Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, the creators of a show he loves, “Industry,” which is currently airing its fourth season. The show is centered on the financial and personal dramas of junior employees at a fictional London investment bank. Down and Kay are old friends who both did unsuccessful stints in banking. “Before we could formulate our own identities, we allowed the institution to make them for us,” Down tells Remnick. But, having left finance for television, he says, “I still feel like I want to make money. . . . I’m never content with my career. The reason our show feels like it’s constantly changing and vibrating with electricity is because me and Konrad are, in terms of our careers. And, you know, we want to be successful. We were finance bros in the first instance.”</p> <p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, <i>New Yorker</i> staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

What Could Go Wrong, or Right, in a War with Iran
Feb 27, 202634 min<p>As Donald Trump and his Administration threaten to attack Iran, their motivations remain unclear. Does the President want to force Iran to make a nuclear deal, to replace the one that he scrapped in his first term, or is he really seeking regime change? To understand how this all might play out, David Remnick speaks with Karim Sadjadpour, a policy analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, who writes about the Middle East for <i>Foreign Affairs</i> and other publications. Citing the disastrous precedents in Afghanistan and Iraq, Sadjadpour notes, “the last two decades has proven that we don’t have the ability to dictate . . . who comes to power the day after a military attack.”</p> <p>Plus, After protests over the economy erupted across Iran late last year, reports emerged that the regime was killing protesters. Donald Trump threatened to intervene, but did not. Estimates vary widely, but some note that thirty thousand people or more may have been killed. Now, as the U.S. sends a huge military force to the Gulf, Iranians are waiting for war—and many in the country are in the shocking position of hoping for conflict, if it will end the Ayatollah’s government. The reporter <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/cora-engelbrecht" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cora Engelbrecht</a> has been recording her conversations with sources on the ground about what that could mean. Their voices were altered or overdubbed for our story, to protect them from reprisal.</p> <p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, <i>New Yorker</i> staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

The Evidence on Ozempic to Treat Addiction
Feb 24, 202619 min<p>Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs have had a major impact in their short time on the market—currently, one in eight Americans say that they have been on GLP-1 drugs. As tens of millions of people take these medications, anecdotal evidence has emerged that they have a positive effect on alcohol abuse and drug addiction. Researchers are starting to run trials of the drugs for these purposes, and some speculate that GLP-1 drugs could even affect addiction behaviors such as gambling and online shopping. The physician and <i>New Yorker </i>medical correspondent <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/dhruv-khullar" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dhruv Khullar</a> spoke with scientists and patients. “Over the course of my reporting,” he tells David Remnick, “I became more and more bullish on the idea that these are actually going to be really important molecules for the treatment of addiction.”</p> <p><i>Dhruv Khullar’s “</i><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/02/16/can-ozempic-cure-addiction" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i>Can Ozempic Cure Addiction</i></a><i>?” was published on February 9th.</i></p> <p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, <i>New Yorker</i> staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

Conan O’Brien on What Can Go Wrong at the Oscars
Feb 20, 202631 min<p>Hosting the Academy Awards ceremony is a notoriously tricky gig, but Conan O’Brien nailed it in 2025, and he will return for this year’s event. Since leaving late-night television, in 2021, O’Brien has been busy: his hit podcast “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” commands perhaps a larger audience than he had on late night; he launched the travel series “Conan O’Brien Must Go”; and he’s played a therapist in the 2025 film “<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/persons-of-interest/rose-byrne-hits-the-mother-lode" rel="noopener noreferrer">If I Had Legs I’d Kick You</a>.” O’Brien talks with David Remnick about the things that have gone wrong at the Oscars; why he won’t get too “sentimental” about the gradual collapse of late night; and his shock at the deaths of Rob and Michele Reiner, who had been at O’Brien’s house on the night they were killed. </p> <p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, <i>New Yorker</i> staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

Richard Brody Presents the 2026 Brody Awards
Feb 17, 202615 min<p>Every year, ahead of Oscar night, the film critic <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/richard-brody">Richard Brody</a> joins the New Yorker Radio Hour to discuss his picks for the year’s best films. David Remnick sits down with Brody and the staff writer <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/alexandra-schwartz">Alexandra Schwartz</a> to discuss the movies that didn’t get enough credit, the ones that got too much, and the lesser-known gems among the year’s releases.</p><p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, <i>New Yorker</i> staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

What Donald Trump and “Everyone” Knew About Jeffrey Epstein
Feb 13, 202636 min<p>In January, the Justice Department released over three million documents, including many redacted e-mails, related to Jeffrey Epstein. “Should we share the Julie Brown text with Alan [Dershowitz],” Epstein wrote in one note to a lawyer. “She is going to start trouble. Asking for victims etc.” Brown’s reporting on Epstein for the Miami <i>Herald</i>, and her revelations about the federal plea deal he received, had an enormous impact on public perception of Epstein and his ties to Trump. Brown joins David Remnick to discuss the latest tranche of redacted e-mails, which show, as she <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article314631578.html">reported</a>, that Trump knew about his friend’s crimes far earlier than he has admitted. Brown and Remnick also talk about Epstein’s relationship with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and why she does not believe that Epstein died by suicide. </p><p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, <i>New Yorker</i> staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

Jenin Younes on Threats to Free Speech from the Left and the Right
Feb 10, 202625 min<p>Jenin Younes rose to prominence on the right by defending medical professionals like Jay Bhattacharya who claimed that they were being censored over opposition to vaccination and masking mandates. Younes worked for the New Civil Liberties Alliance, a group described as libertarian, and appeared at events with the Federalist Society. As the political winds have shifted, she says that the Trump Administration’s attacks on free speech are worse than anything that she saw during the Biden Administration. Younes is currently the national legal director for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. David Remnick speaks with her about her unlikely trajectory and about how her commitment to free speech—regardless of which side of the aisle the issue arises from—has left her in a uniquely lonely political position. </p><p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, <i>New Yorker</i> staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

Ben Shapiro Is Waging Battle Inside the MAGA Movement
Feb 6, 202649 min<p>Ben Shapiro, the host of his eponymous podcast and the co-founder of the conservative website the <i>Daily Wire</i>, has lambasted the left and the Democratic Party for decades. Recently, though, Shapiro has taken to criticizing some of the loudest voices in the MAGA universe, including <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/02/02/tucker-carlsons-nationalist-crusade">Tucker Carlson</a> and Megyn Kelly. The rift is over the acceptance and promulgation of conspiracy theories and, in particular, the normalization of antisemitism. Shapiro discusses the <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/trump-epstein-and-the-women">Epstein files</a> and what they show—and do not show—about the powerful people connected to Jeffrey Epstein. The belief in conspiracies of the élite reflects “people’s desire to abdicate control over their own lives,” Shapiro tells David Remnick. They discuss Shapiro’s adherence to the conservative value of personal responsibility, and how he squares that with MAGA and its champions.</p><p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, <i>New Yorker</i> staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

The City of Minneapolis vs. Donald Trump
Jan 30, 202649 min<p>The staff writers Emily Witt and Ruby Cramer discuss the situation in Minneapolis, a city effectively under siege by militaristic federal agents. “This is a city where there’s a police force of about six hundred officers [compared] to three thousand federal agents,” Witt points out. Cramer shares her interview with Mayor Jacob Frey, who talks about how Minneapolis was just beginning to recover from the trauma of George Floyd’s murder and its aftermath, and with the police chief Brian O’Hara, who critiques the lack of discipline he sees from immigration-enforcement officers. Witt shares her interviews with two U.S. citizens who were detained after following an ICE vehicle; one describes an interrogation in which he was encouraged to identify protest organizers and undocumented people, in exchange for favors from immigration authorities. </p><p>Ruby Cramer’s <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-political-scene/the-mayor-of-an-occupied-city">“The Mayor of an Occupied City</a>” was published on January 23rd. Emily Witt’s “<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/the-battle-for-minneapolis">The Battle for Minneapolis</a>” was published on January 25th. </p><p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, <i>New Yorker</i> staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

How Bari Weiss Is Changing CBS News
Jan 27, 202623 min<p>Last October, Bari Weiss—best-known as a contrarian opinion writer who launched the right-leaning <i>Free Press</i>—was appointed the new editor-in-chief of CBS News. Donald Trump has called her new regime “the greatest thing that’s happened in a long time to a free and open and good press.” The <i>New Yorker</i> staff writer <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/clare-malone">Clare Malone</a> wrote about Weiss’s <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/01/26/inside-bari-weisss-hostile-takeover-of-cbs-news">hostile takeover of CBS</a> for the January 26, 2026, issue of the magazine. In a conversation with David Remnick, Malone discusses her reporting on Weiss: how resigning from the New York <i>Times</i> launched Weiss to prominence as a crusader against what she has characterized as woke groupthink; how Weiss gained the support of Silicon Valley titans who had their own political grievances; and the headlines about Weiss’s rocky beginning as head of a news network, including the on-air travails of her new anchor, Tony Dokoupil.</p><p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, <i>New Yorker</i> staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

How Tucker Carlson Became the Prophet of MAGA
Jan 23, 202627 min<p>Tucker Carlson has long been a standard-bearer for far-right views, such as the racist conspiracy theory known as the “great replacement.” He recently did a chatty interview with the white supremacist <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/fault-lines/nick-fuentes-is-not-just-another-alt-right-boogeyman">Nick Fuentes</a>, an admirer of Hitler. And yet, <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/11/11/the-tucker-carlson-road-show">Carlson</a> started out as a respected, well-connected, albeit contrarian, political journalist. Jason Zengerle, who recently joined <i>The New Yorker</i> as a staff writer, talks with David Remnick about his new book, “<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/808029/hated-by-all-the-right-people-by-jason-zengerle/">Hated by All the Right People: Tucker Carlson and the Unraveling of the Conservative Mind</a>.” They trace how Carlson’s sense of personal resentment toward the establishment grew; how launching his own website radicalized his politics in the years before MAGA; and his political ambitions as a potential heir to Donald Trump. “I think, if Tucker Carlson concludes that J. D. Vance can’t get elected President, maybe he has to do it himself,” Zengerle says. “So much of politics now is just being a media figure and being an entertainer. And Tucker does those things very well. . . . I think our politics are at a place where that really doesn’t seem as outrageous as it would have even just a couple years ago.” </p><p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, <i>New Yorker</i> staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

How Betting Took Over Sports
Jan 20, 202618 min<p><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/danny-funt">Danny Funt</a> has been reporting on the gambling boom for <i>The New Yorker</i>, which has generated startling recent headlines, including the arrest of a former N.B.A. coach and the indictment of two M.L.B. pitchers—not to mention the Polymarket user who won four hundred thousand dollars wagering on the seizure of Nicolás Maduro. The legalization of sports gambling, combined with the accessibility of betting apps, has made gambling so pervasive that children in elementary school are routinely placing bets, Funt tells David Remnick. Funt’s new book is “<a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Everybody-Loses/Danny-Funt/9781668062029">Everybody Loses: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling</a>.” </p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

With the Podcast “I’ve Had It,” Jennifer Welch Goes “Dark Woke” on Politics
Jan 16, 202633 min<p>Before becoming a podcaster, Jennifer Welch had a successful career as an interior designer and co-starred in a reality show on Bravo. But, since 2022, she and Angie Sullivan, her co-host on the podcast “I’ve Had It,” have gained millions of fans as a sounding board for left-leaning political frustrations. These aren’t only concerns about MAGA but also about the Democratic establishment that she views as captive to a corporate agenda. Welch talks with David Remnick about her contentious interviews with Cory Booker and Rahm Emanuel, her belief in “dark woke,” and how a white Oklahoma woman in her fifties emerged as one of the most provocative voices on today’s left. </p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

Does Every Marriage Need a Prenup?
Jan 13, 202619 min<p>Prenups have gone from a tool of the ultra-wealthy, carrying a whiff of scandal, to a more widespread request for aspirational young couples with few assets. Wilson spoke with celebrity divorce attorney Laura Wasser, and found that generations who grew up in the era of universal no-fault divorce “just don’t trust marriage” as their elders did; “they want it in writing,” and they have developed apps that make it easy. Clauses calling for nondisparagement on social media are a common feature. But the boom in prenups, Wilson tells David Remnick, has led to couples trying to negotiate even intimate issues such as frequency of sex and body-mass index. </p><p><i>Jennifer Wilson’s “</i><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/12/29/why-millennials-love-prenups"><i>Why Millennials Love Prenups</i></a><i>” appeared in the December 29, 2025 & January 5, 2026 issue of The New Yorker.</i></p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

Trump’s New Brand of Imperialism
Jan 9, 202632 min<p>U.S. intervention in other countries, whether overt or covert, is by no means new, and <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/daniel-immerwahr">Daniel Immerwahr</a> notes that the open embrace of expansionism by the President and associates such as Stephen Miller goes back to the nineteenth century. Immerwahr is a professor at Northwestern University and the author of the 2019 best-seller “<a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250251091/howtohideanempire/">How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States</a>.” He discusses Trump’s disdain for international law; tensions between the U.S. and Russia and China; and the historical link between imperialism and appeals to masculine pride.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

Demi Moore Talks with Jia Tolentino
Jan 6, 202622 min<p>Since she reëmerged as a star in the 2024 film “<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/09/23/a-different-man-movie-review-the-substance">The Substance</a>,” Demi Moore has been very busy. She has a major role in the current season of Taylor Sheridan’s “<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/on-television/landman-goes-down-like-a-michelob-ultra">Landman</a>” series, and she has two highly anticipated films coming out this year: a science-fiction film directed by Boots Riley, and “Strange Arrivals,” alongside Colman Domingo, about a couple who claimed to have been abducted by aliens. She sat down at The New Yorker Festival in the fall with the staff writer <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/jia-tolentino">Jia Tolentino</a> to discuss her varied career and how she has dealt with the pressures of the industry.</p><p><i>This episode was recorded live at The New Yorker Festival, on October 25, 2025. </i></p><p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, <i>New Yorker</i> staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

Salsa Star Rubén Blades on Acting, Politics, and the Power of Music
Jan 2, 202629 min<p>For roughly half a century, the singer Rubén Blades has been spreading the gospel of salsa music to every corner of the globe. “You could say that Blades did for salsa what Bob Marley did for reggae,” says <i>The New Yorker’s</i> <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/graciela-mochkofsky">Graciela Mochkofsky</a>. “He brought it into the global consciousness.” This year, Blades’s record “Fotografías” is up for a Grammy Award; should he win, it would be his thirteenth. Blades once ran for President of Panama and later served in the country’s cabinet; he’s also notable for bringing social commentary to the dance floor, from his earliest work to the recent “Inmigrantes,” a song about the impact of the climate crisis on refugees. And yet, he tells Mochkovsky, songwriters should beware of political messages. “Political songs are propaganda by definition. If you start singing about political ideology, you’re not an artist—you’re doing propaganda, basically. I try to be as close to a newspaper [reporter] as I can.”</p><p><i>This segment originally aired on October 6, 2023.</i></p><p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, <i>New Yorker</i> staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>
