The Political Scene | The New Yorker

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 June 4th.
This week’s reading:

“When Trump’s Away,” by Antonia Hitchens

“What the Gerrymandering Wars Mean for the Midterms—and 2028,” by Isaac Chotiner

“Will Donald Trump be Allowed to Destroy His Records?,” by Ruth Marcus

“The Looming Disaster of the Border Wall in Big Bend, Texas,” by Rachel Monroe

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 economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week. 

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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 Chotiner 

“The Art of the Ceasefire,” by Sudarsan Raghavan

“Rumors of Instability in Moscow,” by Joshua Yaffa

See the Washington Roundtable live at 92NY on June 4th.
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 economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week. 

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

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 elections, the economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week. 
Tune in to The Political Scene wherever you get your podcasts.

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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 and Fifty Years of Complicated Commemoration,” by Jelani Cobb

“For Putin, Problems (and Paranoia) Keep Mounting,” by Joshua Yaffa

“The Pope’s First Anniversary Is Marked by More Sparring from the White House,” by Paul Elie

“Barack Obama Considers His Role in the Age of Trump,” by Peter Slevin

“How the Iran War Is Shifting Power Toward China,” by Ishaan Tharoor

“The A.I. Industry Is Booming. When Will It Actually Make Money?,” by John Cassidy

“How a Congressional Primary Became a Proxy Battle Over A.I.,” by Gideon Lewis-Kraus

“The Real Cost of Downsizing Social Security,” by E. Tammy Kim

See the Washington Roundtable live at 92NY on June 4th.
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 economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a w…

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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 Iran War Is Shifting Power Toward China,” by Ishaan Tharoor

“Was the Declaration of Independence Better Before the Edits?,” by Jill Lepore

“Barack Obama Considers His Role in the Age of Trump,” by Peter Slevin

“How the Supreme Court Demolished the Voting Rights Act,” by Jeannie Suk Gersen

See the Washington Roundtable live at 92NY on June 4th.
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 economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week. 
Tune in to The Political Scene wherever you get your podcasts.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices