The Political Scene | The New Yorker

The Washington Roundtable will be back next week. In the meantime, we would like to introduce “The Journey,” an audio investigation hosted by our colleague Ava Kofman. Throughout five episodes, it unravels the mystery of how Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang, a wealthy Los Angeles couple, obtained dozens of children through nearly as many surrogates—and exposes a scandal that threatens to undermine the entire surrogacy industry.

In Episode 1, “Gifts,” a woman in Texas agrees to carry a child for the couple. She thinks she’s helping a family in need. Then she becomes a whistle-blower.

In the Dark is an acclaimed investigative-journalism podcast that launched in 2016. Its third season won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for audio.

To keep listening to “The Journey,” search for In the Dark wherever you get your podcasts.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The New Yorker staff writer Joshua Rothman joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss recent calls from industry leaders to slow the development of A.I. technology for safety reasons. They talk about an industry-wide fear that A.I. could disrupt or even end human life within a decade, what an A.I.-related extinction event might look like, and whether the people developing the technology can be trusted to play a role in regulating it. They also explore recent incidents involving A.I. models going “rogue” and the difficulty of making increasingly capable autonomous systems trustworthy and controllable.

This week’s reading:

“The Long Doomsday of A.I.,” by Joshua Rothman

“My Weekend with an A.I. Agent,” by Brady Brickner-Wood

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 more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Colin Kaepernick had a stunning rise as an N.F.L. quarterback after becoming a full-time starter, in 2012. He was a legitimate dual threat—as effective running the ball as he was throwing it. And, to this day, Kaepernick still holds the record for rushing yards by an N.F.L. quarterback in a playoff game. But his formidable skills as a player were quickly overshadowed by his decision—quiet at first—to engage in protest for social justice a decade ago. He knelt during the national anthem at games, and that generated an enormous amount of controversy, with everyone from his fellow-players to a future President weighing in on his decision. In the aftermath of his demonstrations, the San Francisco 49ers told him that they were going to cut him, and no other team would sign him. In his new memoir, “The Perilous Fight,” Kaepernick describes how this wasn’t even the full extent of the league’s efforts to punish him. He and David Remnick discuss his new book and the consequences of his political activism. “I had football taken away from me,” Kaepernick explains. “I didn’t get to leave on my terms. And I didn’t get to leave because, ‘Oh, you're not good enough to play anymore.’ It was because of the causes I was supporting and the change I was trying to effect. So that leaves a sour taste in your mouth.”

Further reading:

“The N.F.L.’s Change of Tone, and the Limits of Merely Listening,” by Louisa Thomas

“Colin Kaepernick’s Contested Workout and the Power Plays of the N.F.L.,” by Louisa Thomas

“Behind Nike’s Decision to Stand by Colin Kaepernick,” by Jelani Cobb

“What Will Taking the Knee Mean Now?,” by Doreen St. Félix

“The Racial Demagoguery of Trump’s Assaults on Colin Kaepernick and Steph Curry,” 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.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Washington Roundtable is joined by Amy Walter, the editor-in-chief of the Cook Political Report and a political analyst for PBS NewsHour, to take stock of the midterms map. With Donald Trump’s approval rating at a historic low and economic issues squeezing voters nationwide, conventional wisdom suggests that a decisive Democratic blue wave is coming. But the margins are razor-thin. “The odds are definitely with Democrats here because of how few seats they need to actually flip,” Walter says. “They just don’t have a lot of room for error.” Plus, the hosts reflect on the quarter century since 9/11, and share their memories of that day.

This week’s reading:

“Troy Jackson Is Still Surprised That He’s Running for Senate,” by Jesús Rodríguez

“Is the Democratic Party Still Too Woke?,” by Jason Zengerle

“Has the A.I. Job Apocalypse Been Postponed?,” by John Cassidy

“The U.S. Was Never Going to Win the ‘War on Terror,’” by Robin Wright

Tune in to The Political Scene wherever you get your podcasts.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The New Yorker staff writer Jennifer Wilson joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss how the right’s embrace of lingerie and cleavage signals the changing politics of sexuality. They talk about how the actress Sydney Sweeney’s appearance and political affiliation became a cause célèbre for a segment of the conservative movement, and how it reflects a broader right-wing backlash against more inclusive notions of beauty and body positivity. They also examine the rise of the magazine Evie, which has billed itself as the “conservative Cosmo,” and explore how the left has been grappling with the politics of sexuality and sex appeal in the wake of the #MeToo movement.

This week’s reading:

“Have Conservatives Taken Sexy Back?,” by Jennifer Wilson

“The Warning Benjamin Netanyahu Ignored,” by Ruth Margalit

“Remembrance of September 11th,” by Adam Gopnik

“The America That 9/11 Made,” by Jill Lepore

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 more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices