Impolitic with John Heilemann

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 incomprehensible strategy and tactics in waging it.

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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 Fed chair or a toady to Donald Trump; and the prospects that Trump will succeed in interfering with the midterms.

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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 ongoing purge of the military's senior ranks; and Tucker Carlson’s public apology for his role in Trump’s reelection.

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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, despite his relative public obscurity, Hassabis may prove more important in shaping our future than any of them; and whether he is, at bottom, the kind of person we should comfortable entrusting with such power.

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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 highlights (Geese!) from his latest sojourn to Coachella.

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