Joe Hagan and Molly Jong-Fast analyze the war inside the Republican Party as California congressman Kevin McCarthy is thrice denied his bid for Speaker of the House. In disarray and denial, the GOP appears intent on kicking off the New Year with the same old extremist politics that have depressed its fortunes through the past three election cycles. 
 
Then, Jong-Fast discusses her exclusive interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, who has the Sisyphean task of tackling immigration—an issue the GOP will surely exploit between now and 2024.

Kevin McCarthy and the GOP’s Cult of No Personality

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

News

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.

From WIRED Politics Lab: How Election Deniers Are Weaponizing Tech To Disrupt November

Host Brian Stelter speaks with ESPN women's basketball reporter Alexa Philippou and Vanity Fair contributing editor Tom Kludt about a sport seemingly at an inflection point and surging in interest at both the college and pro levels. The group discusses stars who have helped drive enthusiasm for the game, including Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and coach Dawn Staley. They also reflect on challenges inside women's basketball and women's sports more broadly, particularly how record viewership still hasn't led to pay parity.

The Caitlin Clark Effect

Host Brian Stelter speaks with journalist Scott Nover about how Donald Trump, in the midst of legal and financial turmoil, just got a huge lifeline by way of Truth Social. No, the social media network for the MAGA crowd isn’t suddenly a raging success. But through a “meme stock media merger,” as Nover recently described it for Vanity Fair, the presumptive GOP nominee netted billions this week—at least on paper. Questions remain, though, as to how and when Trump can actually take this money out of the market?

Kevin McCarthy and the GOP’s Cult of No Personality

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