Schumer’s Leadership Test

Paulina Mangubat, the D.N.C.’s head of content, and Matt Rein, its director of creator partnerships, join Peter to explain how they turned the party’s once-sleepy social accounts into a fast-twitch, take-no-prisoners trolling operation aimed at Trump, Vance, and the rest of the G.O.P. Then they pull back the curtain on the creators, clips, memes, and mockery behind it all, and how Democrats finally learned to out-maneuver MAGA.

In this special episode, Nevada Rep. Steven Horsford joins Leigh Ann Caldwell to discuss the blue tsunami and lay out what House Democrats should do with their first 100 hours in the majority. He also weighs in on the future of crypto legislation, Medicare for All, and whether Kamala Harris should run for office in 2028—before making his own pitch for why he should lead the D.C.C.C.

Ian Krietzberg joins Peter to discuss the stunning resignation of Jensen Huang after the Nvidia C.E.O. confessed to an affair with an alleged Chinese spy. Ian digs into the congressional fallout—and previews who could steer Nvidia out of its massive political and P.R. mess. They also discuss Anthropic’s monstrous I.P.O. hitting Wall Street and whether Democrats can follow through on their promises to actually regulate A.I.

Leigh Ann Caldwell and Marianna Sotomayor join Peter to make sense of a groundbreaking week in Washington, as newly minted Democrats descend on Capitol Hill for orientation, a vote to impeach Pete Hegseth shockingly failed, and Chuck Schumer tries to fend off a leadership challenge in his bid to become the next Senate majority leader.

Dylan Byers joins Peter to discuss Ross Douthat’s 60 Minutes interview with Trump, and why it landed as both a ratings win for Bari Weiss and a genuinely revealing conversation that broke from the traditional sit-down format of presidential TV interviews. Then they dive into a broader discussion on the future of 60 Minutes under its new regime.

Bill Cohan joins Peter to discuss the scandal engulfing Nvidia C.E.O. Jensen Huang, whose affair with a Singapore-based executive has taken a darker turn amid reports she may have been a Chinese spy. They weigh whether the fallout could cost Huang his job, and the thorny national security and governance questions it raises for a company at the center of the A.I. boom.

Jon Kelly joins Peter to discuss whether newly empowered House Democrats will subpoena Andy Jassy and other Trump-friendly media execs. Then they size up the New York Times’ potential windfall from its OpenAI lawsuit, and what it might buy with the money.

Julia and Dylan reunite to discuss which networks rose to the occasion on election night, which stumbled, and who ultimately won the night. They also discuss The New York Times’s potentially blockbuster settlement in its suit against OpenAI and Microsoft, which is expected to reach at least $1 billion, and how the paper could deploy it.

Leigh Ann Caldwell and Marianna Sotomayor join Peter to reflect on a whirlwind election week: They dig into what the blue tsunami really means, what Democrats can actually do to deliver on lower costs, and whether the party’s progressives and new crop of heartland moderates are on a collision course. 

John Ourand joins Peter for a midseason check-in on the NFL: the highs, the lows, and why a crop of winning Midwest teams is fueling a ratings boom. They also dig into the WNBA’s hunt for Cathy Engelbert’s replacement, the MLB lockout bearing down on the sport, and more.