The Political Scene Podcast
Discussions about politics and more.
In a Divided Era, the New York Times’ Publisher Makes a Stand
At a moment of political polarization and attacks on the media, A. G. Sulzberger goes public in defense of traditional journalistic values.
June 12, 2023
Trump’s Latest Indictment Is Also About the Future of the Country
With the former President facing federal charges, our political roundtable considers how much baggage is too much to win the Republican nomination.
June 9, 2023
The Flimsy Legal Theory That Could Upend American Elections
How the independent-state-legislature theory—originally a cynical gambit by George W. Bush’s campaign team—became a threat to democracy.
June 7, 2023
The Creator of ChatGPT on the Rise of Artificial Intelligence
Sam Altman, the C.E.O. of OpenAI, discusses the surge of A.I. tools, such as ChatGPT, explaining their applications, limitations, and the need for government regulation.
June 5, 2023
Is the Debt-Ceiling Deal a Template to Fix Washington, or a Mere Blip?
As lawmakers at the Capitol avoid financial catastrophe, our political roundtable looks at the debt-ceiling compromise and asks whether the center can hold in today’s rage-filled politics.
June 2, 2023
How “Succession” Captured the Trump-Era Hangover
Naomi Fry on the HBO series as a post-hopefulness piece of entertainment, and on the political implications of the finale.
May 31, 2023
E. Jean Carroll and Roberta Kaplan on Defamatory Trump
The writer, who was sexually abused and defamed by Donald Trump, fights back against his continued statements, asking for more damages. But can anything stop Trump’s campaign to malign her?
May 29, 2023
How Do You Interview Donald Trump?
Jelani Cobb and Steve Coll, the current and past deans of the Columbia Journalism School, discuss the challenges that reporters face in covering the former President’s 2024 campaign.
May 25, 2023
What Washington Doesn’t Understand about China
With President Biden shuttling from the G-7 summit in Japan to debt-limit negotiations in Washington, our political roundtable looks at the state of U.S.-China relations.
May 22, 2023
Jia Tolentino and Stephania Taladrid on a Year Without Roe v. Wade
The staff writers return to The Political Scene to discuss the state of abortion rights and what has changed since the Dobbs decision.
May 18, 2023
