Host Brian Stelter explores the fracturing of the evangelical church with Tim Alberta, an Atlantic staff writer and author of “The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory.” Alberta, the son of an evangelical pastor, charts the church’s rightward trajectory and embrace of Donald Trump, who is seen as a champion in an Us vs. Them political showdown. Stelter and Alberta also discuss how a steady diet of outrage on cable news, talk radio, and social media has helped radicalize the flock.

Host Brian Stelter talks with Vanity Fair contributing editor Monica Lewinsky about her proposal to add six amendments to the Constitution to help safeguard democracy, such abolishing the electoral college, establishing term limits in Washington, and blocking presidents from pardoning themselves. They’re joined by Georgetown Law Professor Neal Katyal, who addresses the merits of Lewinsky's proposal—and the steep legislative bar to making it a reality.

Host Brian Stelter joins author Garrett Graff for a deep dive into the world of unidentified anomalous phenomena and intelligent life elsewhere, the subject of his new book, “UFO: The Inside Story of the US Government’s Search for Alien Life Here—And Out There.” They discuss how we might discover another civilization and what Hollywood gets wrong, the government’s focus on greater transparency of UFO research, and where conspiracies stem from.

Host Brian Stelter speaks with Stephen Shackelford and Davida Brook, two of the lead attorneys in Dominion Voting Systems' lawsuit against Fox. "We have so much work ahead of us," Shackelford says, because even though Fox paid $787.5 million earlier this year to settle the case, Dominion is still suing many other defendants, including Newsmax and Rudy Giuliani. Those cases are "all proceeding towards trial," Brook says. Shackelford says Dominion was "put through hell" by Donald Trump's...

Host Brian Stelter joins Naomi Klein for a trip into the mirror world, the subject of her unsettling new book, “Doppelganger.” They discuss Klein’s own mirror self—the conspiratorial writer Naomi Wolf—how Steve Bannon shapes political narratives, and the challenges of understanding what’s happening on the ground in Israel and Gaza as an information war plays out alongside the carnage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The GOP's least favorite party pooper had some choice words after Donald Trump complained about McKay Coppins' new book. Host Brian Stelter explores Mitt Romney's path from Republican standard-bearer to party pariah with Coppins, who interviewed Romney dozens of times for “Romney: A Reckoning.” Coppins discussed Romney’s decision to unburden himself after the January 6 attack; the senator's own complicity in the GOP’s Trumpian trajectory; and fears about the future of democracy.  Share your...

Host Brian Stelter breaks down the GOP dysfunction in Congress with Vanity Fair national political reporter Abigail Tracy, who has been covering the speaker fracas from the Capitol, and Brian Rosenwald, the author of “Talk Radio’s America.” They discuss Jim Jordan’s rise from fringe firebrand to the party’s pick, and the toxic synergy between House hardliners and right-wing media. Share your thoughts via our Listener Survey here:...

Host Brian Stelter gets firsthand perspective on the Israel-Hamas war, first from Avi Mayer, the editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post, followed by Mohammed Mhawish, a Palestinian journalist reporting from Gaza City. Both journalists discuss the physical dangers and psychological toll of covering an unfolding tragedy, along with the challenges of combating disinformation.  Share your thoughts via our Listener Survey here:...

With RFK Jr. expected to launch a third-party bid for president, Vanity Fair special correspondent Joe Hagan tells host Brian Stelter about visiting the Kennedy family compound in Hyannis Port and why he thinks the candidate isn't great for the Kennedy name and legacy. Hagan traces the once-celebrated environmental lawyer’s path down a conspiratorial rabbit hole and describes how Kennedy, despite being a charmless "bully" in person, could be a spoiler in the 2024 campaign.  Share your...

Host Brian Stelter talks with WNYC’s Nancy Solomon and The Messenger’s Dan Merica about the corruption scandal dogging Bob Menendez and how the seemingly teflon senator from New Jersey may finally lose his grip on power. Allegations of gold bars and cash-filled envelopes have led Democrats to call for his resignation, with a 2024 senate race on the horizon. But what if Menendez doesn’t budge? Share your thoughts via our Listener Survey here:...

On a special episode, host Brian Stelter talks to Vanity Fair’s Gabriel Sherman about Rupert Murdoch stepping down as chairman of News Corp and Fox, the 92-year-old media mogul’s legacy, and the future of his sprawling empire. Theories are flying as to why Murdoch officially passed the reins now to his oldest son, Lachlan, including that it might help the family patriarch avoid testifying in another 2020 election case. Share your thoughts via our Listener Survey here:...

Host Brian Stelter talks to Vanity Fair’s Abigail Tracy and veteran political journalist John Harwood about Kevin McCarthy’s failure to control his House GOP caucus as a government shutdown looms. Bombthrowers like Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Lauren Boebert are “not serious people,” says Harwood, a Polis Distinguished Fellow at Duke University. “They're on television, they have podcasts or whatever,” he adds, “but they're not built to do what politicians have to do to make...

Host Brian Stelter discusses the Republican Party’s anti-democracy trajectory with Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, Harvard professors and co-authors of the new book “Tyranny of the Minority.” The pair, who sounded the alarms with their acclaimed 2018 book, “How Democracies Die,” discuss increasing threats ahead of the 2024 election, and which constitutional changes could keep America on the path toward multiracial democracy.  Share your thoughts via our Listener Survey here:...

Host Brian Stelter talked to Politico columnist Jonathan Martin about Mitch McConnell refusing to step down despite a couple on-camera, freeze-ups–and how Republican senators (for now, at least) are standing by him. They discuss the 81-year-old Minority Leader’s relationship with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the senate stalwart's response to Trumpism, and how he factors into America’s political gerontocracy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Host Brian Stelter takes the pulse of the Democratic Party with Vanity Fair contributing editors Chris Smith and Jennifer Palmieri. They discuss the party's strong bench and possible scenarios if the president and presumptive 2024 nominee, Joe Biden, were to exit the race before election day—from a governor like JB Pritzker or Gretchen Whitmer getting in the ring to Vice President Kamala Harris moving to the top of the ticket. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Host Brian Stelter explores Donald Trump’s tangled relationship with Fox News with Sarah Ellison, national enterprise reporter at The Washington Post, and Oliver Darcy, senior media reporter at CNN. Trump’s decision this week to skip the first Republican debate on Fox News only escalates his war with the Murdochs, even as the cable channel’s hosts remain largely in the former president's corner. And given Trump’s commanding lead in the 2024 primary, it’s looking like Fox needs Trump more than...

Host Brian Stelter breaks down the Georgia racketeering charges against Donald Trump with Anthony Michael Kreis, a professor at Georgia State College of Law, and Anna Bower, a Georgia native covering legal affairs in Fulton County for Lawfare. They discuss how the case brought by District Attorney Fani Willis differs from Trump's three previous indictments, the likelihood of any of the ex-president's 18 co-defendents flipping, the potential for cameras in the courtroom, and if this trial can...

Host Brian Stelter talks to Rudy Giuliani biographer Andrew Kirtzman and Vanity Fair executive editor Claire Howorth about the epic fall of “America’s Mayor” and his decades-long, symbiotic relationship with Donald Trump. “There's something about Rudy that makes Donald Trump swoon,” says Kirtzman, a veteran political reporter who recalled Giuliani as a “calm, fatherly general” in responding to the Sept. 11 attacks, only to spiral after his failed 2008 presidential bid and sink even lower in...

Host Brian Stelter breaks down the latest indictment against Donald Trump with Andrew Weissmann, a former federal prosecutor, NYU professor, and co-host of MSNBC’s “Prosecuting Donald Trump” podcast. The “variety of sources of evidence” in the DOJ’s election case against Trump is “rock-solid,” says Weissmann, and the forthcoming trial, he adds, should not be viewed through a political lens, but about “whether we are going to adhere to the rule of law.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Host Brian Stelter talks with Marc Caputo, national political reporter at The Messenger, about Ron DeSantis’s early stumbles on the campaign trail, as he trims staff and shifts strategy. The Florida-based reporter breaks down why his state’s twice-elected governor (and Fox-friendly culture warrior) has so far failed to wrest the MAGA mantle from Donald Trump.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Host Brian Stelter discusses the cultural impact of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” with Vanity Fair Executive Hollywood Editor Jeff Giles and Senior Vanities Correspondent Delia Cai, along with the state of an industry in disarray as actors join writers on the picket line. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Trump-loving Congresswoman just got booted from the far-right Freedom Caucus, yet is wielding more power than ever on Capitol Hill. Host Brian Stelter talks with author and New York Times staff writer Robert Draper about Greene’s political path, from pushing QAnon conspiracies to working closely with Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (and feuding with Lauren Boebert.) “I’ve never seen this level of school-yard taunting and juvenile misbehavior,” Draper said, “that I’ve seen amongst these...

Host Brian Stelter talks with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Wesley Lowery about the historic challenges of building a multiracial democracy, the focus of his new book, American Whitelash: A Changing Nation and The Cost of Progress. The pair also address how race plays out in the courtroom, on the heels of the Supreme Court striking down affirmative action in college admissions, and in the newsroom, where journalists, at times, struggle to provide clarity and context. Learn more about your...

Host Brian Stelter goes deep on the state of California with Vanity Fair special correspondent Joe Hagan, whose feature on California’s crises is stirring debate this week, and Marisa Lagos, a government and politics correspondent for KQED in San Francisco. They discuss the state’s pressing issues, from homelessness to climate change to crime, along with how California’s challenges are perceived by locals and portrayed in the national media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

CBS News's Robert Costa joins Brian Stelter to dig into the existing indictments against the former President — and take a close look at the swirling waters ahead. "What has happened here with January 6," Costa says, "remains a systemic shock to the American system." Costa, who co-authored "Peril" with Bob Woodward, says "witnesses, lawyers to witnesses, people familiar with the investigation" into election interference have said the probe is "moving like a shark beneath the water." Learn...