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. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices…

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. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices…

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." Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices…

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. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices…

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. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices…

The Republican Party has long been lacking in courage. But profiles in it can still be found among the scores of Trump administration staffers who have come out against their former boss, at potentially immense personal cost. One among them: Sarah Matthews , who served as Donald Trump ’s deputy press secretary until January 6th. On the latest episode of Inside the Hive , Matthews opens up about the “cognitive dissonance” she experienced as a spokesperson for Trump, recalls how the Capitol riot became her breaking point, and unpacks why she has thrown her support behind Kamala Harris ’s campaign, even if doing so puts a target on her back. “Donald Trump is so much bigger than just me,” she says. “The guilt that I would feel” from sitting on the sidelines,” Matthews adds, “would have been much greater than the fear that I might feel right now.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices…

Kamala Harris is making the media rounds in the final weeks of the 2024 face, talking to everyone from Howard Stern to Fox News, “Call Her Daddy” to “The Breakfast Club.” On this episode, Brian Stelter catches up with senior spokesman Ian Sams about the campaign’s campaign strategy and the creative ways they’re trying to reach, and persuade, the small sliver of undecided voters who may tip the election. Plus, Stelter talks with Hive editor Michael Calderone about Donald Trump’s attempt to nail down the bro vote by stopping by podcasts geared toward young, male audiences. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices…

Host Brian Stelter is joined by author, organizer, and former Georgia representative Stacey Abrams to examine Kamala Harris’s chances this November inside the swing state, ongoing efforts by Republicans to suppress voting rights and sow chaos across the country, and Abrams’ plans to help salvage democracy. Abrams, whose playbook and organizing power in 2020 helped Joe Biden deliver Georgia, a red–now purple–state that hadn’t voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in more than 20 years, and a trifecta in Washington with the state’s 2021 runoffs, says that part of her strategy is to find voters who wouldn’t otherwise turn out and encourage people to participate in the democratic process even if they don’t plan to vote for the Democrat. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices…

James Carville is not known for mincing words. Back in 2021, the legendary Democratic strategist ruffled quite a few feathers when he blamed “wokeness” for the party’s electoral defeats. He still hasn’t backed down from that belief—but he’s also willing to accept that Kamala Harris has a lot more to worry about than safe spaces and language policing when it comes to trouncing Donald Trump . One challenge in particular, he tells Brian Stelter on the latest episode of Inside the Hive , is presenting herself a bold persona with a bright new vision in a period of Trump-era malaise. "I think the best construct for her is ‘fresh versus stale,'" Carville says of Harris. "I've said the most thunderous sound in all of politics is the sound of a turning page." Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices…