• Rallying the Dems: How AOC Brings Life to the Party
    Apr 2 2025

    While the Democratic Party is in the doldrums, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders are packing arenas and electrifying crowds with a clear message of opposition to greed and corruption. On this episode, host and editor-in-chief Radhika Jones, along with executive editor Claire Howorth and Hive editor Michael Calderone, discuss the 35-year-old Congresswoman’s political skills, social media prowess, and ability to persevere in the face of right-wing media mockery and violent threats. Michelle Ruiz, who profiled AOC in 2020 for Vanity Fair, joins the show to reflect on that cover story and what’s transpired since.

    Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
    Show more Show less
    42 mins
  • The Femininomenon: Decoding Feminine Energy In the Trump Era
    Mar 26 2025

    As “masculine energy” pulses through the manosphere, it’s time to take a look at the women of the right, from Fox News-friendly Trump officials to Gen-Z YouTube talkers to nap dress-clad lifestyle influencers. Host and Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Radhika Jones, along with executive editor Claire Howorth and Hive editor Michael Calderone, unpack what it means to be a MAGA woman today, whether that's wielding power in Washington or amassing followers on TikTok—and what these political and cultural roles say about the state of feminism in America.

    Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
    Show more Show less
    35 mins
  • Win Some, Newsom: Gavin’s Risky Podcast Gambit
    Mar 19 2025

    Gavin Newsom is taking time away from running the world’s 5th largest economy to… talk to Steve Bannon? On this episode, host Radhika Jones, along with Claire Howorth and Michael Calderone, discuss the California Governor’s outreach to right-wingers through his new podcast, ‘This Is Gavin Newsom,’ and whether he’s effectively countering the MAGA media machine. They also revisit Newsom’s trailblazing decision on gay marriage, along with that infamous rug photo, and explore whether the Govcaster’s chat show could help—or hinder—his chances of one day landing atop the Democratic ticket.

    Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
    Show more Show less
    38 mins
  • Amy Coney Barrett's Week In Liberal Wonderland
    Mar 12 2025

    Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, once a Roe-killing conservative darling, triggered the Trump faithful with a post-speech side-eye and ruling against the president who appointed her. On this episode, host and Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Radhika Jones, along with executive editor Claire Howorth and Hive editor Michael Calderone, explore Barrett’s path to the high court, her judicial philosophy and faith, and the right's re-framing of RBG’s replacement as a “DEI” hire. Plus, legal affairs contributor Cristian Farias joins the show to break down how Donald Trump and Elon Musk are causing constitutional chaos—and what role Barrett, and her fellow justices, could play in reining them in.

    Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
    Show more Show less
    38 mins
  • V.F. Oscars Dispatch: Parties, Politics, and How Culture Meets the Moment
    Mar 5 2025

    Step inside Vanity Fair’s exclusive Oscars party with host and editor-in-chief Radhika Jones, who, along with executive editor Claire Howorth and Hive editor Michael Calderone, dish on what A-listers were wearing and eating. (Spoiler: In-N-Out burger). They also discuss the political dimensions of Hollywood’s biggest night and how the culture is responding to a second Trump presidency.



    Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
    Show more Show less
    35 mins
  • Michael Wolff at the Door: His New Bombshell Book on Donald Trump and the MAGA Bubble
    Feb 26 2025

    Michael Wolff’s dishy account of Donald Trump’s incredible return to power, “All of Nothing,” is already grabbing headlines and drawing rebukes from the president and his allies. On this episode, host Radhika Jones, along with Claire Howorth and Michael Calderone, chat with Wolff about once again infiltrating the inner circle, what to expect from uber-insiders like Elon Musk and Jared Kushner, and how, for even the most loyal subjects, working for Trump “ends in tears.” Plus, Wolff recalls his unlikely Mar-a-Lago dinner with Donald and Melania!

    Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
    Show more Show less
    44 mins
  • Zuck Around and Find Out: Mark Zuckerberg and Meta's MAGA-masculinity Crisis
    Feb 19 2025

    Mark Zuckerberg has gone from Donald Trump’s enemies list to Mar-a-Lago guest, and enjoyed a prime seat at inauguration with his fellow tech titans. On this episode, host and Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Radhika Jones, along with executive editor Claire Howorth and Hive editor Michael Calderone, trace Zuckerberg’s transformation of Meta alongside the Facebook cofounder's own style upgrade and desire for more “masculine energy” in the corporate world. How might Zuckerberg survive—and perhaps, even thrive—in a second Trump term?


    Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
    Show more Show less
    40 mins
  • Shillbilly Elegy: How JD Vance Became a Winning Spokesman for MAGA's Darkest Machinations
    Feb 12 2025

    JD Vance emerged as a media darling with “Hillbilly Elegy,” his best-selling 2016 memoir of growing up poor in Ohio, but it's just one of several hats he's worn—Yale-trained lawyer, Silicon Valley venture capitalist, Never Trump pundit, Pro-Trump senator, and Vice President of the United States—all by the age of 40. On this episode, host and Vanity Fair editor Radhika Jones is joined by executive editor Claire Howorth and Hive editor Michael Calderone to trace Vance’s populist ride through America’s power centers and how his right-wing ideology dovetails with a burgeoning constitutional crisis. They also explore how Vance is shaping up as Trump’s Veep—and whether he has the political chops to one day land the top job.

    Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
    Show more Show less
    37 mins