Impolitic with John Heilemann

Latest Episodes:

Guy Cecil: Democratic Senate Math + Mamdanistan Goes National Jun 26, 2026

Show notes

John welcomes Guy Cecil, former chairman of Priorities USA Action and executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, to discuss his party's prospects for taking control of the US Senate -- and the national implications of Zohran Mamdani's endorsement trifecta in the New York Democratic primary.

Eddie Glaude: Storybooks, Fairy Tales & America 250 Jun 22, 2026

Show notes

John welcomes Princeton professor Eddie Glaude, Jr. to discuss his new book, "America, U.S.A.: How Race Shadows the Nation’s Anniversaries.” Glaude lays out the historical pattern of evasion and erasure that the impending MAGA-soaked Semiquincentennial celebration fits into; the meaning of the book’s incendiary opening sentence (”I do not love America, and never have, especially now”); and Juneteenth's place on the commemorative calendar. On the heels of the Obama Presidential Center's opening, Glaude offers another controversial take: that 44’s tenure was little more than “Clintonism in blackface.”

Tim Miller: Trump’s Surrender & J.D.’s Blitzkrieg Jun 19, 2026

Show notes

John welcomes back Bulwark podcast host Tim Miller to discuss the putative deal to end the war in Iran and the efforts of J.D. Vance to sell it (and himself). Tim dissects the blowback to the deal within the GOP, Donald Trump's senescence, and Vance’s weeklong media blitz as he hawks his new book about Catholicism. Meanwhile, John describes his visit to the algae bloom on the Washington Mall, Tim sings Olivia Rodrigo, and both weigh in on the Knicks victory parade and Wemby’s turn in the barrel.

Maya Wiley: “Trump’s DOJ Ain’t the Knicks” Jun 15, 2026

Show notes

John welcomes back Maya Wiley, president and CEO of the Leadership Council on Civil and Human Rights, to discuss the assault on the nonprofit sector by Donald Trump’s Justice Department. Wiley explains why the recent indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center isn’t just baseless and transparently political but part of a broader pattern. She also weighs in on Trump’s intent to undermine the midterm elections through bogus claims of fraud, his nomination of Todd Blanche to be Attorney General, and why his DOJ is everything the New York Knicks are not — inglorious, ill-motivated, and screamingly inept.

Pablo Torre: How the Knicks Saved Their Season (and Sports Itself) by Reversing the Trump Curse Jun 12, 2026

Show notes

John welcomes back Pablo Torre, the Pulitzer Prize-winning host of Pablo Torre Finds Out to discuss the collision between the New York Knicks and Donald Trump—and why the team's electrifying Game 4 comeback was even more meaningful and miraculous than it looked. Pablo also explains why the World Cup has generated scant excitement so far, the long-run threat to the cultural primacy of sports posed by runaway financialization, and yet more evidence of Steve Ballmer’s flagrant efforts to skirt the NBA salary cap.

Jonathan Weber: Booms, Bubbles, Busts & Doom Loops in the City by the Bay Jun 08, 2026

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John welcomes former Reuters head of West Coast news and global technology coverage Jonathan Weber to discuss his new book “City on the Edge: Technology, Politics, and the Fight for the Soul of San Francisco”—along with last week’s California primary, the rivalry between (and presidential ambitions of) Kamala Harris and Gavin Newsom, and the rise of San Francisco’s popular new mayor, Daniel Lurie.

Andrew Weissmann: Lies, Damned Lies & Lying Liars (Todd Blanche Edition) Jun 05, 2026

Show notes

John welcomes back former top Justice Department and FBI official Andrew Weissmann to discuss his recently published New York Times No. 1 best-seller “Liar’s Kingdom: How to Stop Trump’s Deceit and Save America.” Weissmann lays out the book’s proposals to criminalize election lies or disqualify politicians found guilty of them from seeking office again. He also weighs in on the Trump administration’s push for a $1.8 billion slush fund to pay off supposed victims of lawfare, its own pattern of politically motivated prosecutions, and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s central role in both.

Chris Murphy: Everything Is Broken Jun 01, 2026

Show notes

John welcomes back Democratic Senator Chris Murphy to discuss his new book “Crisis of the Common Good: The Fight for Meaning and Connection in a Broken America.” Murphy lays out his book’s argument that America is in the grip of a set of interlocking cults (the Cult of Profit, Cult of Everywhere, Cult of Technology, Cult of Consumerism, Cult of Credentialism, and Cult of Corruption) that have undermined our culture and democracy—and suggests creating a Cult of the Common Good to remedy what ails us. He also weighs in on the diplomatic quagmire in Iran and Donald Trump’s wildly prolific, deeply suspicious penchant for day trading.

Jonathan Martin: Crooked Ken v. Tofu Talarico May 29, 2026

Show notes

John welcomes back Politico’s Jonathan Martin to discuss the Texas Senate race: how scandal-soaked Attorney General Ken Paxton thrashed incumbent Senator John Cornyn in the GOP primary run-off; Democratic nominee James Talarico’s “race against time” to define himself before Paxton's effort to cast him as a weak, weird, ultra-woke vegan sinks in with voters; and whether Democrats are once again chasing fool’s gold in Texas or the race is a genuine toss-up. JMart also unpacks the latest episode of his “On The Road” YouTube series, featuring Pennsylvania governor and likely 2028 presidential candidate Josh Shapiro.

James Traub: When the Bough Breaks May 26, 2026

Show notes

John welcomes author James Traub to discuss his latest book, “The Cradle of Citizenship: How Schools Can Help Save Our Democracy.” Traub describes the year he spent reporting in K-12 classrooms across the country; the fierce culture wars after the Covid-19 pandemic in many school systems around race, gender, curricula, and library collections; the debate over the 1619 Project and 1776 Report; and other signs of politicized rot in primary and secondary education. He also points to signs of hope, including the rise of so-called "classical" charter schools—and explains why the reflexive liberal opposition to them is misguided.