The New Yorker Radio Hour

In April, the four crew members of NASA’s Artemis II mission were the first humans to ever glimpse something that cannot be seen from Earth—the so-called dark side of the moon. The mission’s commander, the former Navy captain Reid Wiseman, is fifty years old, which also makes him the oldest person ever to travel beyond low Earth orbit. Wiseman sat down recently with the New Yorker contributor David W. Brown. They talked about the challenge of NASA returning to the moon after many decades, Wiseman’s struggle to parent his two daughters while training, and the strangeness and beauty of returning to Earth. “One thing that really did surprise me was how quickly Earth gets so small out the window,” Wiseman explains. “It’s like a fingernail, almost; the size of a quarter. It’s just impossibly tiny out there. There’s a little tiny super-bright crescent of an Earth.” 

Further reading and listening: 

“The Leader of NASA’s Artemis II Mission Is Still Moonstruck,” by David W. Brown

“What Will the Artemis II Moon Mission Teach Us?,” by David W. Brown

“A New Era of Moon Exploration Is Upon Us,” by David W. Brown

 

New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, New Yorker staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.

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Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of John F. Kennedy, was one of a number of Kennedy family members who spoke out against the policies and the character of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Schlossberg became a public figure on social media, often trolling the right, doing his imitation of Vladimir Putin, or claiming that Usha Vance was carrying his baby. But, when Schlossberg decided to run for an open seat in Congress, critics pointed to his lack of experience in governing, or even holding a job. In some ways, Schlossberg seems a test case for how social-media influence may translate into electoral politics. “I understand that content creation is a new profession, and that it’s not synonymous for many people with a quote-unquote real job,” Schlossberg tells David Remnick. “I think that my experience is exactly what the Democratic Party needs right now from candidates.” 

Further reading: 

“How a Congressional Primary Became a Proxy Battle Over A.I.,” by Gideon Lewis-Kraus

“ ‘Love Story’ Is a Forgettable Elegy for Gen X,” by Doreen St. Félix

“A Battle with My Blood,” by Tatiana Schlossberg

 

New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, New Yorker staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In a guest appearance on WNYC’s “Brian Lehrer Show,” David Remnick, who hosts the New Yorker Radio Hour, discusses the Democratic Party’s identity crisis and the candidates vying in the midterm elections; the late newspaper magnate Donald Newhouse, and the importance of editorial independence in journalism; Remnick’s upcoming live taping at the Tribeca Festival, with “Pod Save America” ’s Jon Lovett, on June 10th; and, most important of all, the Knicks. 

Join David Remnick and Jon Lovett at the Tribeca Festival.

 

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Colson Whitehead is one the few novelists, and the only still alive, to win two Pulitzer Prizes for Fiction—for “The Underground Railroad” and “The Nickel Boys.” Whitehead’s protagonist in the Harlem trilogy is Ray Carney, a small-time crook who fences stolen goods while working as a furniture salesman. Ray first appeared in “Harlem Shuffle,” and the final book of the trilogy, “Cool Machine,” will be published in July. David Remnick and Whitehead discuss the trilogy’s second book, “Crook Manifesto,” and how David Bowie inspired Whitehead’s genre-hopping approach to fiction.

This segment originally aired on July 21, 2023.

Further reading and listening: 

“The Theresa Job,” by Colson Whitehead

“Colson Whitehead on Historical Heists,” by Deborah Treisman

“The Match,” by Colson Whitehead

 

New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, New Yorker staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As control of the Senate hangs in the balance, many eyes are on Dan Osborn, of Nebraska. He’s a dream candidate for the Democrats: a mechanic in the food-processing industry, a former president of his local union, and a veteran of the Navy and the Army National Guard. But Osborn isn’t a Democrat; he’s running as an independent. Polls show a close or tied race with the Republican incumbent, Pete Ricketts, an heir to a financial fortune. David Remnick talks with Osborn about leading a strike at a Kellogg’s plant; how Donald Trump’s tariffs are affecting voters in an agricultural state; and Osborn’s decision to not caucus with either party if he wins the seat.

Further reading: 

“Can the Democrats Take Back the Senate?,” by Amy Davidson Sorkin

 

New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, New Yorker staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.