Of the many podcasts I regularly listen to this is at the top of my list. The hosts are all excellent, thoughtful, articulate and knowledgeable. I’ve been a huge fan of Jane’s for many years, and have come to appreciate Susan about as much (not to take anything away from Evan, who very good also).

The Washington Roundtable is truly indispensable. I look forward every week to the elevation and relief of Mayer, Osnos and Glasser’s intelligent and sane analysis of often disturbing subject matter. I only wish the program had a longer run time and no missed weeks. I am especially grateful for the contributions of the incredible Jane Mayer, who is a reporter without peer.

This is the weekly discussion that keeps me sane. It’s like therapy for those of us seeking intelligent conversation to help us sift through, understand, and not be overwhelmed by the political madness we’re all living through.

Listen to this podcast! It is essential to understanding the current political madness and to finding out what's really going with Trump, Elon Musk and the tech bros.

This is my favorite podcast ever. My favorite New Yorker podcast my favorite podcast. I wish they showed up more often to talk together please don't stop

very interesting show today, very informative. so peter thiel in 1997 was becoming self obsessed in that 1997 book about tech will rule and tech will kill the gov state by crypto ending money in the gov so taxes would no longer be so govs couldn’t run and life as we know it for regular citizens/we the people would be over and we’d pretty much be the wild west. That is dystopian and while peter thiel is up to his neck converting himself to this new 1984 book as truth sitting in his mother’s basement or at least this dude thiel was a tech nerd loner the rest of us were having a very excellent time with a burst of bands, techno music, raves, people of common interests, smoking weed, enjoying new foods, new friends we were all having a great time in 1997! I think there in lies peter thiel’s issues. never having fun, never being part of a fun group at least once in your life! theil is a nut job just like musk and the rest of these dicks trying to take over our world and they need to start hearing this one word more and more: No. these are people like trump that never take no for an answer from child through adulthood so in fact they never mature, think of hours, take accountability, follow rules.

Editing, script, and sound are top notch. Give the producer a raise

Really enjoy this content and the high level of expertise. Sets it apart from the partisan talking heads that are often missing historical facts and perspective. Keep it coming.

5 stars

Thank you, keep telling the truth and calling out the lies! Excellent podcast for curious people open to learning something.

I wouldn’t miss an episode of this podcast.

Just listened to 3/1/25 podcast. (Have been listening since your first). Speaking to Evan, Jane, Susan: your humanity, your professionalism, your experience and expertise is urgently needed NOW as events unfold. Please consider 2x weekly podcast; or, extend the discussion on your 1x per week podcast. You guys are so smart, and the experiential context each one of you brings to the virtual table is unique in the media landscape today. Please give us more. I’m likely not the only greedy, selfish listener who wants this. And I send a massive “thank you.” To you all, and to your team. You’re leaving an important and valuable record—no matter what happens to us all. Stay safe our hard-working and beloved journalists.

This is my ride or die podcast. These three are clear-eyed, canny, and willing to go there. I center my weekend around it.

Recent episode with staff writer Kyle Chayka regarding the opportunities and intentions of Silicon Valley in our government, most obviously seen in DOGE’s actions since late January, was really well done. Really learned a great deal from a bigger picture analysis aimed at why and how tech is getting what they have long desired in the dismantling of America administration and why it matters so much to us. For me, more of this kind of interview/analysis would be most welcome. Thank you.

Always look forward each week to eavesdropping on their conversation. They discuss whatever is happening with incredible depth. Please never stop letting us listen in! I only wish it lasted longer—like maybe an hour!

As we slide toward “rule of law does not apply to everyone” (esp. violent Jan. 6 rioters), it is vital to hear these smart, funny hosts relate their past experiences to our current politics. Having lived in authoritarian and near-authoritarian regimes, they can discuss likely ramifications of current power grabs and ineptitude in foreign policy.

Technofascist

As a subscriber I always appreciate this podcast for its insight and wit. There’s no disagreement between the hosts. I’m unsure if that’s a fault but I’m more than happy with the content as it exists.

I respect and look forward to this podcast, and wish it were on even more often. I do, however, wish that Tyler Foggatt could ease up on the vocal fry. It’s almost painful to hear, and it can’t be good for her vocal cords. The topics and questions are good, but the decades-old privileged-girl connotations of the voice and delivery style make listening to those episodes rather trying.

I never miss it. Best round table, smartest writers, current topics.

I love this podcast; smart, thoughtful

The Dems need to message more. We need a Joe Rogan. Social media the reason Trump one. Biden was working for the middle class, but nobody knew that. Every day Americans just saw as inflation. We need to counteract Fox News first but I think we can do it a more direct way.

Talk: Less (Susan) will be more (Evan, Jane). Thoughtful words mandate group respect (no bullying). Try episodes where no one says: bottom line, end of the day, pretty much, like or right(?). My favorite Susan Glasser’s: “Well, look, I mean, you know..” I do?

I listen to a number of political podcasts ( Pod Save America, Al Franken, , Heather Cox Richardson, etc.),and The Political Scene by the New Yorker is my favorite. All three hosts are thoughtful and extremely well informed. They have contacts that give them inside information, which they relay in a straightforward manner. I look forward to this podcast every week.

There is no better way to cut through the chaos and stay informed than to listen to Evan Osnos, Jane Mayer and Susan Glasser. It gives me comfort to know this team is paying such close, expert attention. I only wish they were on daily!

Thank you Jane, Evan and Susan for this insightful, hard-hitting round table. More than ever, however outrageous and depressing the news out of Washington, your discussions leave me feeling less helpless. The fellowship of smart, deeply knowledgeable truth-tellers gives me hope that real journalism and the best of American democracy will survive to fight back against tyranny, misogyny, racism and corruption.

Thank you for being there

Each episode is an education. I was especially intrigued by the friction between Mayer and Glasser in the new episode. WHAT A WEEK!

Inspiring in the midst of our democracy being destroyed

Been listening to this podcast since it started years ago. It’s excellent, except Susan Glasser, who is fine, talks WAY too much. Jane Mayer and Evan Osnos need more airtime relative to Glasser. I always fast forward thru Glasser, and never miss a word of Mayer and Osnos. Glasser just needs to talk less.

You all are my rock and thank you so much for doing the podcast every week.

This is a great podcast - thoughtful analysis combined with deep reporting and decades of experience in DC. One suggestion - The enthusiastic hosts frequently talk over each other causing the listener to miss important information that comes at the end of a thought or sentence. Please keep up the terrific work but hosts should let their colleagues finish their excellent analysis uninterrupted.

Thank you for your work, your knowledge and your podcast.

Horrible “reporting” here. Immigration only stayed as in issue in the election because Mike Johnson, under direction from tRump, killed a bipartisan immigration bill that was agreed to in the Senate, and have addressed many of the issues republicans have been asking for. Not metioned once, and you’re considered qualified journalists.

Very smart takes and easy to listen to

This podcast helps the listener understand the dangers to our democracy. More than ever Americans need to know the facts and this podcast gives you the facts. When you have facts, you have the truth.

Very mild in ideas, discourse and opinion, and the host and roundtable guests are pretty sleepy. I don’t need charisma but the show lacks deep thinking and passion. These times require more oomph. A mainstream magazine podcast doesn’t have to mean aloof.

If you want to know what real jersey people sound like listen to Joe! This dude is the real deal

I really appreciate this podcast, especially the roundtables with Evan Osnos, Jane Mayer and Susan B. Glasser, for helping make sense of American politics. One point of feedback: I don’t love when the New Yorker Radio Hour recycles their episodes and posts them under The Political Scene banner, and vice versa. This seems to happen frequently. I prefer to think of them as separate podcasts, and get a little deflated when I see a new episode is available, only to realize it’s a replay of the same episode on the other show. Otherwise love y’all keep up the good work!!!

Hey guys — Here’s what I would have appreciated in your conversation: — MUCH more emphasis on the role of our information systems. When American is swimming in a sewer of malignant disinformation, it was frustrating that you only referred to this critical phenomenon in passing. A compelling question to at least wonder about is what the election outcome might have been in a pre-social media, pre-podcast, pre-Fox News world? Chris, you’ve apparently written a book on the subject. Is it simply out of despair that we seem powerless to fix our broken information systems that you didn’t address this more directly? — A consideration of president as avatar. They express and embody qualities we want to want to see in ourselves. Qualities too that make us feel connected with our national leader, the most powerful person in the world (“Trump is just like me,” said the voter in NH. He loves McDonald’s — was that the clincher?) The avatar factor was no doubt part of twhy so many voted for Trump as president and voted for Dems down ballot. — A less chummy vibe, and Chris — a little less nervous laughter — would have made made it easier to understand what you were saying, especially when you got more diffuse, more abstract (your “explanation” of neoliberalism). — The one new thought, the one crystallized insight I’m taking away from the episode, was Andrew’s comment about AOC. I’m a conscientious objector to personal social media. That comment has inspired me to sign up for Instagram just to follow AOC’s inside-the-beltway commentary — and to track her evolution as a possible presidential candidate. A bright beacon of possibility during a dark time I look forward to future conversations — hopefully a bit more incisive. ~ Deborah Elizabeth Boldt, Santa Fe, NM

i catch most episodes, and i especially want to hear what jane mayer says. i hope she can save her voice because the political scene podcast would not be the same without her, at least imo. astute, clearly expressed observations... david remnick is also a pleasure to listen to.

Interesting primarily as a look into the highly biased mindset of our upper crust and utterly un-self aware Democratic “journalist” crowd. Never more than a mild half-criticism of the Biden administration but absolutely obsessed with all things Trump. They cannot fathom the election loss could have anything to do with a candidate and platform that millions of Americans stridently rejected.

I can barely form sentences this week and have been listening to the Calm ap’s dishwasher noise for three days. As I climb back out to listen or read anything about this election - it is these four journalists. Insightful. Ridiculously experienced. Concise observations. I’m petrified that journalism will be even more threatened now by Trump. Thank u for your work. Stay safe.

Susan, Evan, and Jane are tops at their knowledge of the political world and the people and forces with in it. It is always enlightening, sometimes entertaining, and sometimes reassuring to hear them banter and expound on complex ongoing issues of the day. Thank you to The New Yorker for sharing these three great minds with us.

Thank you thank you for your intelligent discussions. Such a relief from the regular media din.

Unlike any other discussion! Desperately needed!

Why am I giving only a four-star review to this outstanding — superb—Washington Roundtable panel featuring three brilliant journalists ? The excessive “likes” must go. Someday I will have AI headphones that can edit out irritating tics on the fly, but until then please make an effort not to torment your admiring and devoted listeners by interjecting empty“likes” into every sentence.

This episode was especially piercing of the veil of denial and confusion of the right-wing’s now brazen defense and spread of lies. As the examples were reported, one of the hosts mentioned that if legitimate journalists (like these three brilliant ones) were to spread lies, they would be sued, lose their careers, etc. They expressed a kind of shock that, through Fox and X and other online media, we have reached a point where lies are baldly promulgated for reasons of power with no consequences to the liars! I felt they expressed the tragic consequences for us and our democracy and I also heard the tragic resonance for the profession they’ve devoted their lives to. Our culture won’t be the same. I thank the hosts/writers for delivering the gravity of the situation.

I love this podcast! Very intelligent and deep political discussion.

It’s a pleasure to listen to intelligent, in-depth discussions among the three hosts, each of the whom have their own area of expertise.