Join The New Yorker’s writers and editors for reporting, insight, and analysis of the most pressing political issues of our time. On Mondays, David Remnick, the...
How Trump’s Federal-Aid Fiasco Is Testing the Separation of Power
On Tuesday, the Trump Administration sent out a memo attempting to put a blanket pause on most federal funding, sowing confusion about financing for student loans, SNAP benefits, nonprofits, and more. The next day, after a backlash, the Administration rescinded the memo, while maintaining that a freeze remains in “full force and effect.” The order created chaos across the federal government, threatening a power struggle between the President, Congress, and the courts. The New Yorker contributor and Harvard Law professor Jeannie Suk Gersen joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss how Trump’s directives are testing how far a President can go. This week’s reading:
“Trump's Attempt to Redefine America,” by Benjamin Wallace-Wells
“The Unchecked Authority of Trump's Immigration Orders,” by Jonathan Blitzer
“Donald Trump Throws the Doors to the Patriot Wing Open,” by Antonia Hitchens
“Trump Is Already Drowning Us in Outrages,” by Susan B. Glasser
“Britain’s Foreign Secretary Braces for the Second Trump Age,” by Sam Knight
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29:34
A Spirit of Vengeance in Trump’s First Week
The Washington Roundtable discusses President Trump’s first week in office, during which he broke a record for the most executive orders any modern-day President has signed on Day One. The President’s inaugural address and barrage of orders seemed driven by a sense of grievance, accrued in the course of four years out of office, four criminal prosecutions, and a deep desire for revenge. Will an apparatus of rage, taking form as vengeance, ultimately inhibit the government from performing its functions? Plus, they discuss the Episcopal Bishop Marianne Buddy’s remarks at the interfaith prayer service, and the importance of speaking truth to power. This week’s reading:
“Trump Is Already Drowning Us in Outrages,” by Susan B. Glasser
“The Unchecked Authority of Trump’s Immigration Orders,” by Jonathan Blitzer
“The Big Tech Takeover of American Politics,” by Jay Caspian Kang
“Why Is the Mastermind of Trump’s Tariff Plan Still Sitting at Home in Florida?,” by Benjamin Wallace-Wells
“How Much Power Does President Trump Have?,” by Jeannie Suk Gersen
“Donald Trump Invents an Energy Emergency,” by Bill McKibben
“What Trump 2.0 Means for Ukraine and the World,” by Isaac Chotiner
To discover more podcasts from The New Yorker, visit newyorker.com/podcasts. To send in feedback on this episode, write to [email protected] with “The Political Scene” in the subject line.
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45:06
David Remnick on the Dawn of Trump’s Second Term
Within hours of his Inauguration, and shortly after proclaiming that his victory had been preordained by God, Donald Trump signed dozens of executive orders. These included exiting the World Health Organization, attempting to end birthright citizenship in the United States, and renaming the Gulf of Mexico. He also issued pardons for hundreds of the January 6th convicts. David Remnick, the editor of The New Yorker, joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss what Trump’s first days back in office portend for the next four years. “[Trump] hasn’t changed one iota,” Remnick says, “except that his confidence has increased, and his base has increased, and the obedience of the Republican Party leadership is absolute.”This week’s reading:
“Donald Trump’s Inaugural Day of Vindication,” by Susan B. Glasser
“Donald Trump Plays Church,” by Vinson Cunningham.
“ ‘An Oligarchy Is Taking Shape,’ ” by David Remnick
“What Trump 2.0 Means for Ukraine and the World,” by Isaac Chotiner
“Donald Trump Returns to Washington,” by Antonia Hitchens
“Donald Trump Invents an Energy Emergency,” by Bill McKibben
To discover more podcasts from The New Yorker, visit newyorker.com/podcasts. To send feedback on this episode, write to [email protected].
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35:12
Big Money and Trump’s New Cabinet
The Washington Roundtable discusses this week’s confirmation hearings for Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense and Pam Bondi as Attorney General, and the potential for a “shock and awe” campaign in the first days of Donald Trump’s second term. Plus, as billionaires from many industries gather around the dais on Inauguration Day, what should we make of President Biden’s warning, in the waning days of his Administration, about “an oligarchy taking shape in America”? This week’s reading:
““The Trump Effect”: On Deal-Making and Credit-Claiming in Trump 2.0,” by Susan B. Glasser
“The Pressure Campaign to Get Pete Hegseth Confirmed as Defense Secretary,” by Jane Mayer
“Why the Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Is Happening Now,” by Isaac Chotiner
“ ‘An Oligarchy Is Taking Shape,’ ” by David Remnick
“How Much of the Government Can Donald Trump Dismantle?” by Jeannie Suk Gersen
“The Shock of a Gaza Ceasefire Deal,” by Ruth Margalit
To discover more podcasts from The New Yorker, visit newyorker.com/podcasts. To send in feedback on this episode, write to [email protected] with “The Political Scene” in the subject line.
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36:15
How the Blazes in L.A. Got Swept Into the Culture War
The Eaton and Palisades fires continue to wreak destruction across Los Angeles. They are predicted to become the most expensive fire recovery in American history. As the fires have burned, a torrent of right-wing rage has emerged online. Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and Charlie Kirk have attacked liberal mismanagement and blamed D.E.I. programs and “woke” politics for the destruction. Meanwhile, California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, has expressed concerns that the future Trump Administration may add conditions to federal financial-assistance relief for California, something that Republican Congress members have already floated. The New Yorker staff writer Jay Caspian Kang joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss what happens when disaster relief is swept up in the culture war. This week’s reading:
“The Insurance Crisis That Will Follow the California Fires,” by Elizabeth Kolbert
“On the Ground During L.A.’s Wildfire Emergency,” by Emily Witt
“An Arson Attack in Puerto Rico,” by Graciela Mochkofsky
“Elon Musk’s Latest Terrifying Foray Into British Politics,” By Sam Knight
“The Pressure Campaign to Get Pete Hegseth Confirmed as Defense Secretary,” by Jane Mayer
To discover more podcasts from The New Yorker, visit newyorker.com/podcasts. To send feedback on this episode, write to [email protected].
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Join The New Yorker’s writers and editors for reporting, insight, and analysis of the most pressing political issues of our time. On Mondays, David Remnick, the editor of The New Yorker, presents conversations and feature stories about current events. On Wednesdays, the senior editor Tyler Foggatt goes deep on a consequential political story via far-reaching interviews with staff writers and outside experts. And, on Fridays, the staff writers Susan B. Glasser, Jane Mayer, and Evan Osnos discuss the latest developments in Washington and beyond, offering an encompassing understanding of this moment in American politics.
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