Inside the Hive

On this episode, executive editor Claire Howorth and Hive editor Michael Calderone sit down with CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’s Alex Thompson, authors of the bombshell political book, “Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again.” The authors discuss new revelations behind Biden’s fateful decision, including the roles of his family and close advisers, and why Democrats—and the news media—need to reckon with the bungled candidacy. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The scandal-scarred Defense Secretary is hanging on—but for how long? On this episode, Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Radhika Jones, along with executive editor Claire Howorth and Hive editor Michael Calderone, discuss Pete Hegseth’s pugilistic style and tumultuous tenure atop the Department of Defense. Plus, special correspondent Gabriel Sherman joins the conversation to provide perspective from inside Trumpworld and reveals why the president is reluctant to break with his friend from Fox. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Sam Altman didn’t want to be the subject of a biography, suggesting the AI revolution is about more than one person, says Keach Hagey, a Wall Street Journal reporter and author of “The Optimist.” But on this episode, host and Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Radhika Jones, along with executive editor Claire Howorth and Hive editor Michael Calderone, go deep on the man himself, speaking with Hagey about Altman’s progressive politics, friendship with Peter Thiel, feud with Elon Musk, and dealings with Donald Trump, along with his brief exit from OpenAI—aka “The Blip”—and vision for this potentially world-altering technology. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

It may seem like an odd time to party in Washington, but journalists and politicos will gather again this weekend at the White House Correspondents Dinner (and slew of late-night soirees and boozy brunches.) Host and Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Radhika Jones, along with executive editor Claire Howorth and Hive editor Michael Calderone, decode this long-running media ritual, which plays out this year as Donald Trump shatters precedents with the press and puts a chill on speech. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

When protesters converged this past weekend across America, they seized on two central villains: Donald Trump and Elon Musk. On this episode, host and Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Radhika Jones, along with executive editor Claire Howorth and Hive editor Michael Calderone, discuss how perceptions of Musk have radically shifted from rocket-building billionaire to government hatchet man and right-wing troll. Contributing editor Zoe Bernard joins the show to discuss how Musk’s ethos reflects Silicon Valley and whether his more libertarian views on tariffs could hasten his exit from Washington. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

While the Democratic Party is in the doldrums, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders are packing arenas and electrifying crowds with a clear message of opposition to greed and corruption. On this episode, host and editor-in-chief Radhika Jones, along with executive editor Claire Howorth and Hive editor Michael Calderone, discuss the 35-year-old Congresswoman’s political skills, social media prowess, and ability to persevere in the face of right-wing media mockery and violent threats. Michelle Ruiz, who profiled AOC in 2020 for Vanity Fair, joins the show to reflect on that cover story and what’s transpired since. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

As “masculine energy” pulses through the manosphere, it’s time to take a look at the women of the right, from Fox News-friendly Trump officials to Gen-Z YouTube talkers to nap dress-clad lifestyle influencers. Host and Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Radhika Jones, along with executive editor Claire Howorth and Hive editor Michael Calderone, unpack what it means to be a MAGA woman today, whether that's wielding power in Washington or amassing followers on TikTok—and what these political and cultural roles say about the state of feminism in America. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Gavin Newsom is taking time away from running the world’s 5th largest economy to… talk to Steve Bannon? On this episode, host Radhika Jones, along with Claire Howorth and Michael Calderone, discuss the California Governor’s outreach to right-wingers through his new podcast, ‘This Is Gavin Newsom,’ and whether he’s effectively countering the MAGA media machine. They also revisit Newsom’s trailblazing decision on gay marriage, along with that infamous rug photo, and explore whether the Govcaster’s chat show could help—or hinder—his chances of one day landing atop the Democratic ticket. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, once a Roe-killing conservative darling, triggered the Trump faithful with a post-speech side-eye and ruling against the president who appointed her. On this episode, host and Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Radhika Jones, along with executive editor Claire Howorth and Hive editor Michael Calderone, explore Barrett’s path to the high court, her judicial philosophy and faith, and the right's re-framing of RBG’s replacement as a “DEI” hire. Plus, legal affairs contributor Cristian Farias joins the show to break down how Donald Trump and Elon Musk are causing constitutional chaos—and what role Barrett, and her fellow justices, could play in reining them in. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Step inside Vanity Fair’s exclusive Oscars party with host and editor-in-chief Radhika Jones, who, along with executive editor Claire Howorth and Hive editor Michael Calderone, dish on what A-listers were wearing and eating. (Spoiler: In-N-Out burger). They also discuss the political dimensions of Hollywood’s biggest night and how the culture is responding to a second Trump presidency. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Michael Wolff’s dishy account of Donald Trump’s incredible return to power, “All of Nothing,” is already grabbing headlines and drawing rebukes from the president and his allies. On this episode, host Radhika Jones, along with Claire Howorth and Michael Calderone, chat with Wolff about once again infiltrating the inner circle, what to expect from uber-insiders like Elon Musk and Jared Kushner, and how, for even the most loyal subjects, working for Trump “ends in tears.” Plus, Wolff recalls his unlikely Mar-a-Lago dinner with Donald and Melania! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Mark Zuckerberg has gone from Donald Trump’s enemies list to Mar-a-Lago guest, and enjoyed a prime seat at inauguration with his fellow tech titans. On this episode, host and Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Radhika Jones, along with executive editor Claire Howorth and Hive editor Michael Calderone, trace Zuckerberg’s transformation of Meta alongside the Facebook cofounder's own style upgrade and desire for more “masculine energy” in the corporate world. How might Zuckerberg survive—and perhaps, even thrive—in a second Trump term? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

JD Vance emerged as a media darling with “Hillbilly Elegy,” his best-selling 2016 memoir of growing up poor in Ohio, but it's just one of several hats he's worn—Yale-trained lawyer, Silicon Valley venture capitalist, Never Trump pundit, Pro-Trump senator, and Vice President of the United States—all by the age of 40. On this episode, host and Vanity Fair editor Radhika Jones is joined by executive editor Claire Howorth and Hive editor Michael Calderone to trace Vance’s populist ride through America’s power centers and how his right-wing ideology dovetails with a burgeoning constitutional crisis. They also explore how Vance is shaping up as Trump’s Veep—and whether he has the political chops to one day land the top job. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

With Robert F. Kennedy Jr. poised to become the nation’s most powerful public health official, Inside the Hive is back and going deep on the leader of the MAHA movement. Host and Vanity Fair editor in chief Radhika Jones, along with executive editor Claire Howorth and Hive editor Michael Calderone, chart Kennedy’s path from Camelot to the halls of Congress, where he made clear he’d carry out Donald Trump’s radical agenda. Could this Democratic scion be the true MAGA heir? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

There was no shortage of finger-pointing and recrimination among the chattering classes after Donald Trump’s election. But now, as the dust settles and 2024 comes to a close, it’s high time for some soul-searching and reflection, That’s the goal of this year’s final episode of Inside the Hive, where Brian Stelter—who returned to his alma mater as Chief Media Analyst at CNN earlier this year—is joined by Hive Editor Michael Calerone and Executive Editor Claire Howorth to unpack what they got wrong in 2024 as well as the lessons they can take into next year. For one, as Howorth points out, that means redefining what constitutes “alternative media,” which proved unexpectedly instrumental in turning out new parts of Trump’s base. Calderone also adds that political charisma and celebrity also can’t go underestimated, arguing that Democrats should strive to elevate leaders who can communicate effectively in a variety of formats. “The next person,” he says, “is gonna need star power.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Democrats effectively lost the 2024 presidential race a year earlier by rallying behind a deeply unpopular incumbent, New York Times politics reporter Astead Herndon argues in a frank discussion with host Brian Stelter about Joe Biden’s legacy. Herndon, who also hosts “The Run-Up” podcast, talks about how Democrats (and some in the media) missed major warning signs about how Biden’s age and accomplishments were perceived outside the D.C. bubble—and where the party goes next.

Host Brian Stelter is joined by Ian Bassin, a lawyer who served in the Obama administration and co-founder of Protect Democracy, and Michael Calderone, editor of Vanity Fair’s the Hive, just days after Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough revealed their Mar-a-Lago detente with Donald Trump, to discuss what the meeting suggests about the president-elect’s influence on the media and, more broadly, how news outlets are already reeling from Trump’s potential retaliatory efforts. The group also discusses how the press will respond in courageous ways, telling the truth loudly in the face of a president known to threaten journalists.

There was a time, not long ago, in which most people might have scoffed at the idea that Elon Musk, an entrepreneur with aspirations to save the world from climate change, would become a right-wing folk hero. And yet, that's precisely the transformation he underwent this year. The billionaire CEO of Tesla—now known for his ardent support of Donald Trump and his endless philippics against the “woke mind virus”—has become a major power player in the MAGAverse, and is set to head up a new initiative in Trump’s second administration, so called the "Department of Government Efficiency." In the latest episode of Inside the Hive, VF special correspondent Nick Bilton and New York Times tech reporter Kate Conger unpack what brought Musk into the MAGAverse, how he plans to gut the regulatory state under Trump, and why the duo’s ego-fueled bromance may be destined to blow up. “I think we are on a collision course of personalities with these two,” Conger predicts. “[Musk is] going to want complete control...and I don't think Trump is going to be willing to give him that."

On this post-election episode, host Brian Stelter checks in with Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Radhika Jones and contributing editor Jeff Sharlet, getting their gut-level reactions to Donald Trump’s triumph and perspective on the evolving MAGA movement, which now include the likes of Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. They discuss the language of fascism, male identity politics, and the need to cut through the Trumpian noise to uncover what’s really happening in a second term at a national and local level.

With the election just days away, host Brian Stelter is joined by Vanity Fair executive editor Claire Howorth and politics correspondent Bess Levin to talk about the vibes going into November 5, why this particular election is so close and so stressful, some down-ballot races you should keep an eye on, and how the media will likely approach election night. The team agrees, "Hope is a terrible thing to waste," and confidence is too terrifying to project. Instead, they discuss some good reasons people might go into Election Day with a positive attitude and ways to keep calm as we await results.