Impolitic with John Heilemann

John welcomes Council on Foreign Relations president Michael Froman to discuss the three central topics in American foreign policy today: the war in Iran, U.S.-China relations, and the war in Ukraine. Froman offers his interpretation of the Trump administration’s mixed messages, glib metaphors, and ever-shifting strategy in its military campaign against Tehran; previews this week’s summit in Beiji...

In the second installment of this week’s special two-part episode featuring Wu-Tang Clan’s sonic Svengali and de facto leader, RZA discusses the seminal hip-hop collective’s recent, first-ballot inclusion in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame; the group's ongoing farewell tour and lasting cultural legacy; how RZA’s self-described dictatorial tendencies were key to making it all happen; and why it’s stil...

John welcomes acclaimed rapper, producer, composer, actor, filmmaker, and Wu-Tang Clan prime mover RZA to discuss his new movie “One Spoon of Chocolate,” which opened in theaters across the country last week. In Part One of this special, two-part episode, RZA describes the decade-plus odyssey of the film, which he wrote and directed, from idea to premiere; how the shifting state of race relations...

John welcomes Pennsylvania Democratic congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan to discuss Pete Hegseth’s testimony before the House and King Charles’s address on Capitol Hill this week. Houlahan, a former active duty Air Force officer and member of the House Armed Services and Intelligence committees, also weighs in on the state of the war in Iran as it passes the 60-day mark—and Donald Trump’s increasingly...

John welcomes The Economist's editor-in-chief, Zanny Minton Beddoes, to discuss the economic fallout from the war in Iran, her magazine’s midterm election special issue, and more. Zanny outlines the scale of the coming global oil supply shock due to the two-month closure of the Strait of Hormuz; why the U.S. stock market has remained buoyant regardless; whether Kevin Warsh will be an independent F...

John welcomes back U.S. Naval War College professor emeritus and Atlantic staff writer Tom Nichols to discuss the Iran war at the eight-week mark—where things stand, what comes next, and whether there’s any end in sight. Tom weighs in on Donald Trump’s strategic incoherence and tactical flailing; the embarrassing spectacle of Iran jerking J.D. Vance around; Pete Hegseth's holy roller cosplay and o...

John welcomes author Sebastian Mallaby to discuss his new bestselling book, “The Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis, DeepMind, and the Quest for Superintelligence.” Mallaby explains why Hassabis, the leader of Google’s efforts in artificial intelligence, remains an obscure and under-covered figure compared with Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, and Elon Musk, the poster boys of the A.I. revolution; why, des...

John welcomes his partner and Puck Superfriend Peter Hamby to discuss former California congressman and gubernatorial candidate Eric Swalwell’s ignominious implosion and its implications for the race to succeed Gavin Newsom. Hamby also weighs in on Donald Trump and J.D. Vance’s ongoing battle with Pope Leo XIV and whether it might cause lasting damage to MAGA with Catholic voters—and Hamby’s highl...

John welcomes longtime Silicon Valley chronicler, bestselling author, and host of two hit podcasts—“On with Kara Swisher” and “Pivot” with Scott Galloway—to discuss her new, six-part CNN docu-series “Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever” on the science, culture, and business of longevity. Swisher weighs in on what’s real and what isn’t in the wellness industry, the narcissism driving the tech bro fa...

John welcomes former NeverTrump Republican gadfly and current New York Democratic congressional primary candidate George Conway to discuss Donald Trump’s behavior this past week viz a viz the war in Iran and its implications for his presidency, the world, and the future of the MAGA movement. Conway also lays out the single-issue thrust of his campaign: removing Trump from office asap. To learn mor...

John welcomes NYU law professor, co-host of the Strict Scrutiny podcast, and MS Now legal analyst Melissa Murray to discuss Donald Trump's firing of Pam Bondi as attorney general and the future of the Justice Department. Murray weighs in on Bondi’s tenure, legacy, and potential replacements as AG—as well as the oral arguments before the Supreme Court last week in the birthright citizenship case. T...

John welcomes Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to discuss his city’s harrowing battle this winter with ICE, CBP, and Donald Trump. Frey explains what it was like living under violent federal occupation; the combination of fierce resistance and neighborly love that enabled Minneapolis not just to emerge triumphant but set an example for other cities around the country; and why the embrace of Bruce Spri...

John welcomes Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal to discuss the ongoing impasse on Capitol Hill over funding D.H.S. (and the resulting T.S.A-related chaos at America’s airports) and reforming ICE, as well as the fierce debates over the SAVE Act and the war in Iran. Regarding the war, Blumenthal argues that “Donald Trump is boxing himself into putting troops on the ground”—and that the only winn...

John welcomes John Ellis, founder and editor of the newsletters News Items and Political News Items, to discuss the military, economic, and political dynamics at play in the war in Iran; how Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's political stature has been enhanced by playing David to Donald Trump's Goliath and its influence on America's allies in Europe; and why the question of Trump’s mental fitn...

John welcomes Jason Zengerle, author of the new book “Hated by All the Right People: Tucker Carlson and the Unraveling of the Conservative Mind,” to discuss Carlson's opposition to Donald Trump's war in Iran. Zengerle explains Tucker's evolution from conventional (if contrarian) Republican to a leader of the nationalist, nativist, America First faction of the MAGA movement; how his embrace of raci...

John welcomes erstwhile neocon stalwart and current Bulwark seditor-at-large Bill Kristol to discuss the war in Iran, amid mounting signs that it is spiraling out of control. Kristol weighs in on the economic and military dynamics propelling the conflict; whether the U.S. is in danger of being ensnared in an escalation trap; the resignation of Trump’s top counterterrorism adviser, Joe Kent; Israel...

John welcomes acclaimed documentarian Ken Burns to discuss his latest PBS magnum opus, “The American Revolution.” Burns recounts the 10-year gestation of the six-part, 12-hour series, culminating with its fortuitous (but entirely coincidental) debut on the eve of the U.S. Semiquincentennial; how he assembled the remarkable array of Hollywood stars—Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Morgan Freeman, and dozen...

John welcomes former Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman to discuss the war in Iran. Sherman, who led the U.S. team that negotiated the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran, assesses the current state of the conflict as its scope widens and economic reverberations intensify; the ever-shifting rationales offered by Donald Trump and his administration for attacking Iran and their miscalculations as to...

John welcomes Jake Sullivan, former National Security Adviser to Joe Biden and a key architect of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, to discuss the war against the regime in Tehran as it enters its second week — with no clear plan, strategy, or end game in sight, and having blown the lid off a Pandora’s Box of potentially calamitous unintended consequences. To learn more about listener data and our priva...

First, John welcomes Arizona Democratic senator, retired U.S. Navy captain, and former combat pilot Mark Kelly to discuss the Trump administration's shifting rationales for, and the huge strategic risks of, the war in Iran. Then John’s Puck partners Leigh Ann Caldwell and Abby Livingston assess the domestic political reaction to the unfolding conflict, plus the results of Tuesday’s Senate primarie...

John welcomes back podcasting Ubermensch and personal-finance guru Scott Galloway to discuss his recent foray into activism with Resist & Unsubscribe—an “economic strike targeted at the companies driving the markets and enabling” President Trump. Galloway also weighs in on Sam Altman’s apparent preference for machines over humans; A.I. founders loudly fretting over the technology they created afte...

John welcomes former Republican Senate staffer Amanda Carpenter, who currently works for the non-profit Protect Democracy, to discuss the first State of the Union address of Donald Trump's second term — the interminable length and apparent aimlessness of which, she argues, obscured the ways it was designed to further lay the groundwork for Trump to interfere with the 2026 and 2028 elections. To le...

John welcomes former Treasury Department chief of staff and Quadrangle Group cofounder Josh Steiner to discuss his new book, with former Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton, “From Mistakes to Meaning: Owning Your Past So It Doesn’t Own You.” Currently a partner at SSW Partners, Steiner delves into the news-making screwup that headlined his career in government and the broader topic of life-alter...

John welcomes Reverend Al Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network, to discuss the life and legacy of Reverend Jesse Jackson. Sharpton, whose relationship with Jackson – his friend, political mentor, personal taskmaster, and father figure – stretched back nearly 60 years, reflects on Jackson’s place in history as the preeminent civil rights leader of his time and pathbreaking...

John welcomes back Democratic election lawyer Marc Elias to discuss Donald Trump’s recent slew of suggestions about changing the way elections are run in the U.S.—and his apparent plans to mess with the November midterms. Elias also analyzes Attorney General Pam Bondi’s cringeworthy performance last week before the House Judiciary Committee, the Justice Department’s failure to secure indictments (...