Episode 209: "The West Wing" at 25—Inside the Landmark Show

Fifty years after Hunter S. Thompson brought us Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, we have a look at a 21st-century Vegas that is unlike anything you could ever imagine. Our writer Darius J. Rubin traveled to Laos, where an opulent casino lies at the heart of a vast human-drug-and-wildlife-trafficking operation, and he shares his report. Then, we all know Elaine May, who was Mike Nichols’s partner in the transformative comedy duo Nichols and May. She’s 92 now and has not retired, and Roger Friedman caught up with her recently over deviled eggs at Sardi’s. And finally, speaking of legendary duos, during World War II, Lee Miller and Dave Scherman were one of the great photojournalistic teams. Their story is now the subject of a new movie, with Kate Winslet portraying Miller and Andy Samberg as Scherman. Scherman’s son Tony shares his memories of his father and Miller and their exploits during the war. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you’re still trying to understand what exactly is, or was, a Brat summer, you are not alone. These days, “vibe trends” are increasingly incoherent—whether it is “the strawberry girl summer” or “hot rodent boyfriend.” Fortunately, the always wise Cazzie David joins us to make sense of all the madness. Then, many of you know the tragic story of Dorothy Stratten, the former actress and Playboy Playmate who was murdered by her husband in 1980. It was a horrible ending to her life, and this week her sister, Louise, tells her side of the story. Later, Ravi Somaiya explains how a turf war between rival gangs has turned Sweden into Europe’s most violent country. And finally, the new Labour government in the U.K. wants to hike taxes substantially on the tuition parents pay to put their children in a private school. Ashley Baker has her report on whether the proposed tax will level the playing field or wreck one more of the country’s revered institutions.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, Mark Seal brings us part two of his story about Sergio Pino, the millionaire real-estate developer at the center of a murder case that has shocked the seemingly un-shockable home of bizarre and scandalous crimes: Florida. Then, speaking of scandals: What happens when one of New York’s tony private schools decides that a homeless shelter will take over one of its buildings? Well, the neighborhood’s long-standing liberal pieties are put to the test. Sage Lattman will take us inside the conflict. And finally, we have a special guest. No doubt many of you are fans of the show The West Wing. It’s celebrating its 25th anniversary, and Janel Moloney, who played the idealistic assistant Donna Moss, joins us.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, Paulina Prosnitz and Carolina de Armas reveal the victims of the Vogue Wedding Curse and explain how it strikes. Then Mark Seal looks at a murder scheme that shocked the seemingly unshockable state of Florida—when a millionaire real-estate developer named Sergio Pino allegedly poisoned his wife of 32 years when she demanded a divorce. And finally, Bruce Handy tells us all about the most ill-advised sitcom in television history, which was canceled after a single episode—Heil Honey, I’m Home!, a domestic comedy about—yes—Adolf Hitler. You have to hear it to believe it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, Howard Blum shares new details about Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students, and how the F.B.I. may have compromised the case against him. Then George Kalogerakis makes sense of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s now suspended campaign. And finally, India Hicks tells us all about the extraordinary life of her mother, Lady Pamela Hicks.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Does she or doesn’t she? This week, Linda Wells, the Editor of Air Mail Look, has the scoop on Gwyneth Paltrow’s “holistic” plastic surgeon. Then Henry R. Schlesinger shares the wild story of how the U.S. Navy used the lavish yachts of New York’s richest robber-baron families—replete with Tiffany interiors—to fight German submarines in the North Atlantic during World War I. And speaking of wild stories, Marta Represa has one that’s like something out of an Almodóvar film: how a group of chocolate-making Spanish nuns, a fake bishop, a mixologist, and a former Vatican ambassador with ties to Steve Bannon are trying to MAKE CATHOLICISM GREAT AGAIN. You’ll have to hear it to believe it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, Carrie Monahan joins us from East Hampton with her fascinating story about a volunteer fireman, a reclusive old man who lived in a dilapidated mansion on one of the town’s most exclusive streets, and what happened to the man’s property after he died. Then, Samantha Leach will tell us how the television show Real Housewives of Salt Lake City is leading more than a few members of the Mormon church to choose pomp over piety. And finally, David Christopher Kaufman joins us with his story about how, at a time of growing discord between Jewish Americans and Black Americans, an often overlooked chapter in the history of America’s historically Black colleges and universities is providing a model for renewed cooperation between these once heavily allied minorities.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kamala Harris announced her choice of running mate this week, but right now we need to talk about J. D. Vance. And who better to lead that chat than Andy Borowitz, who will explain why Mr. Hillbilly Elegy is so bad. Then Bruce Bozzi tells us about his recent sit-down with one of Hollywood’s most elegant and handsome men, George Hamilton. And finally, Johanna Berkman reveals what she learned in her special investigation into Hamas in America.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, it’s all about scandals. First, John von Sothen reports from the French Riviera on what feels like a real-life Saltburn. Then Pippa Cuckson joins us from the U.K. with her insights into the news that’s rocked the Olympics—how one of the brightest stars of equestrianism was caught whipping a horse. And finally, Daphne Merkin looks at Nobel Prize–winning writer Alice Munro and her daughter’s shocking claims that Munro’s husband sexually abused her as a child.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As summer hits high season and the global smart set decamps to Martha’s Vineyard, the Amalfi Coast, or Jeff Bezos’s yacht, Harrison Vail reveals what your media-branded canvas tote bag (The Paris Review? A24? How Long Gone?) says about you. Then we have a terrific story courtesy of Alan Cowell, who tells us about a rather curious distinction he holds: in particular, he is the last correspondent to file a war-zone dispatch via carrier pigeon. And finally, Jensen Davis will join us to explain why the hashtag #toxictampons is everywhere on social media and what it means for women.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.