Emily Jane Fox and Joe Hagan discuss the implications of the January 6 committee’s criminal referrals to the Department of Justice over Donald Trump’s alleged crimes. Jack Smith, the special prosecutor appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland, faces a complex calculus: Will prosecuting the former narcissist in chief bring long-awaited justice, or only help reanimate Trump’s political fortunes for 2024? Plus: some of the best in this year’s culture.

Trump’s Inner Circle Is “Running the Other Way”

Each week, Vanity Fair special correspondent Brian Stelter examines the powerful forces driving today’s news and politics. Through incisive conversations with newsmakers, journalists, politicians, and Vanity Fair’s own experts, Stelter reveals the story behind the story. Share your thoughts via our Listener Survey here: https://selfserve.decipherinc.com/survey/selfserve/222b/75187?pin=1&amp;uBRANDLINK=5&amp;uCHANNELLINK=2 For more from Inside the Hive, visit vanityfair.com/podcast/inside-the-hive

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From ‘Scandal’ to social justice, Black Twitter has dominated digital discourse, a phenomenon Prentice Penny explores in his new Hulu docuseries, “Black Twitter: A People's History,” based on Jason Parham's 2021 feature for Wired. Penny and Parham, along with J Wortham of the New York Times Magazine, join host Brian Stelter to discuss Black Twitter's cultural impact, and its future.

Why Black Twitter Isn’t Fleeing Elon Musk’s X

Host Brian Stelter examines the media circus surrounding Donald Trump's hush money trial with Olivia Nuzzi, Washington correspondent for New York magazine, and Vanity Fair staff writer Dan Adler. They discuss what it's like to cover the criminal trial today while it seemingly feels like 2016 and why it's essential for journalists in the courtroom to shout every detail and talk about every aspect. They also reflect on the personalities in the room amid the controlled environment and what's to come, as the trial hasn't even touched on the alleged crime yet.

'We Got Locked in the Bathroom' by Secret Service: Notes from the Trump Trial

On this week’s Inside the Hive with Brian Stelter, Vanity Fair writer Dan Adler and Hollywood Reporter special correspondent Lachlan Cartwright examine Donald Trump’s sordid relationship with David Pecker, the former National Enquirer executive at the center of the ex-president’s criminal hush money trial in Manhattan. Adler and Cartwight, both reporting from inside the courtroom, describe the “surreal” dynamics of this week's proceedings, and reveal how the back-scratching world of tabloid media ended up creating a monster. “You can’t believe this happened. You can’t believe it’s being litigated,” says Adler. “It all still is sort of like, a decade later, a little bit hard to process.”

“You Can’t Believe This Happened”: A “Surreal” Trial and Tabloid Tales of Donald Trump

Host Brian Stelter checks in with Vanity Fair’s Dan Adler, who describes the strange scene at Donald Trump’s hush money trial. Then Stelter speaks with “Columbine” author Dave Cullen about the 25th anniversary of the Colorado school shooting. Cullen discusses what changed, and what didn't, about American culture, police practices and gun laws. He also reflects on his personal connection with the families intricately linked through an unending American tragedy.

25 Years After Columbine: Why The Massacre Was a Turning Point for America

This is a preview episode of WIRED Politics Lab. Election deniers are mobilizing their supporters and rolling out new tech to disrupt the November election. These groups are already organizing on hyperlocal levels, and learning to monitor polling places, target election officials, and challenge voter rolls. And though their work was once fringe, its become mainstreamed in the Republican Party. Today, we focus on what these groups are doing, and what this means for voters and the election workers already facing threats and harassment.Listen to the full episode of WIRED Politics Lab here.Be sure to subscribe to the WIRED Politics Lab newsletter here.

Trump’s Inner Circle Is “Running the Other Way”

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