The Political Scene | The New Yorker

Obsession-Worthy Stories: A Washington Summer Roundtable

August 1, 2026·46 min·7-min readroundtablenews
Podzilla Summary (7 min)
TLDR
The episode explores how American political culture has shifted toward spectacle, personalization of power, and historical revisionism, exemplified by Lindsey Graham’s funeral and the targeting of Anthony Fauci. Meanwhile, the U.S. is losing global standing to China, not just in soft powe

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Mentions

Books, people, and resources mentioned in this episode.

People

Jane MayerEvan OsnosSusan GlasserLindsey GrahamAnthony FauciDonald TrumpXi JinpingLarry LessigJill Lepore

Books

All the King's Menby Robert Penn WarrenThe Rise and Fall of the Artificial Stateby Jill LeporeSupremacy

Topics

CongressCriminal JusticeFact CheckForeign PolicyGeopoliticsLong Form JournalismSupreme CourtUs Politics

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