Omnishambles

In this episode, we invite on Bea Neilson, a preternaturally well-read Gen Z political junkie, to talk about where the Democratic Party goes from here. Here's what we covered: * Trump's TikTok strategy and why he never really left the stage * the DSA's steady takeover of the party's energy, with Mamdani as Exhibit A * the Graham Platner fiasco and what it reveals about consultants chasing "authenticity" * why Black voters keep seeing danger signs white liberals miss * the data center protests, the most genuinely grassroots movement either of us can point to right now.And if you yourself are finding green shoots in the ground these days, please share. This is a reader-supported podcast. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you An Mcgreevy, Jennifer Wells, E West, Sandra A, Karen C-Collector of Books📚🧿♒️, and many others for tuning into my live video with Marissa Rothkopf! Join me for my next live video in the app. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you Simon Rosenberg, Jerry Stahl, Tim Riley, An Mcgreevy, Sandra Steffen, and many others for tuning into my live video with Raw America! Join me for my next live video in the app. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

This is the final episode of What Rough Beast—and the first of something bigger. We’re becoming Omnishambles: same commitment to getting inside what’s huge, opaque, and frightening. Wider aperture. No more holding back. Virginia and Cy are co-hosting from here on out, and the new show launches next week. If you want to come with us, subscribe (it’s free!) at Omnishambles—link below.For this finale, Virginia and Cy are joined by Siva Vaidyanathan—Robertson Professor of Media Studies at UVA, author of Antisocial Media—to ask: when a bomb drops on a girls’ school in southern Iran on day one of a new war, who is the author of that decision?In this episode:* How AI-assisted weapons systems are being used in Iran — and why authorship of the strike may be genuinely unanswerable* The thread from Palantir in Afghanistan → Gaza as AI laboratory → Iran* Why the 70 days it used to take to make a decision was a feature, not a bug* Deliberative democracy, the kosher laws, and putting a brake on zeal* Why these tools are a siren song for anyone who doesn’t want accountabilityThis is the last episode under this name! We’ll see you at Omnishambles. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

Federal prosecutors alleged internally that the state attorney's office colluded with Epstein's defense team to engineer the 2007–08 plea deal — and we have the emails. When Congressman Thomas Massie stood on the floor of Congress and said the documents around that plea were missing from the DOJ's recent file drop, he wasn't wrong that they were hard to find. But Cy Canterel found them. And what's in them is worse than we knew. In this episode, Cy walks Virginia through an extraordinary deep dive into newly released internal communications between federal prosecutors, the state attorney’s office, and Epstein’s own legal team, revealing not just how the infamous 2007–2008 “sweetheart deal” was constructed, but how it was systematically manipulated at every level after it was signed.They cover:* How Palm Beach police went directly to the FBI after state attorney Barry Krischer slow-walked the case — and why that’s nearly unheard of* The “armada” of defense attorneys Epstein assembled before he was ever charged, including Alan Dershowitz, Kenneth Starr, Jay Lefkowitz (Kirkland & Ellis), and local attorney Jay Goldberger* How Epstein ghost-wrote his own legal defense — literally drafting language that ended up word-for-word in his attorneys’ memos* The deliberate strategic recusal of prosecutor Lana Belalovic (who was married to Goldberger’s law partner)* The non-prosecution agreement that shielded Epstein’s entire network — and how victims were kept in the dark by exploiting a loophole in the Crime Victims Rights Act* The chain of judicial sleight-of-hand that moved Epstein from county jail to a minimum-security stockade — and into 12 hours of daily unsupervised “work release”* The email in which a defense attorney memorialized a quote from Krischer on the day the plea was signed — specifically for “future pardon ammunition”* The FBI financial records showing Epstein paid Dershowitz $2.5 million* Carl Schmitt’s “zone of exception” as a framework for understanding how oligarchic power bends legal systems to its will* The Bannon interview — and what Epstein’s blank affect reveals about the psychology of sovereign impunityWhat Rough Beast is a listener-supported publication. To receive new posts and support this work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

This week, Cy and I talk with Giorgio Angelini, award-winning filmmaker and architectural designer whose documentaries have a way of making you feel like you’ve been staring into the abyss, and then somehow leaving you with a little hope anyway. Angelini is the director and producer of OWNED: A Tale of Two Americas, which traced how postwar housing policy divided the country along racial lines; producer of Feels Good Man, the Sundance-celebrated documentary about cartoonist Matt Fury and the slow-motion alt-right hijacking of his beloved Pepe the Frog; and co-director of The Anti-Social Network, his 2024 deep dive into the platform machinery that birthed QAnon, Pizzagate, and the January 6th insurrection. He also scored the video game Red Dead Redemption, which is both extremely cool and, as you’ll hear, kind of relevant.We discuss:* How Pepe the Frog went from a lovable indie comic character to a designated hate symbol, and what his trajectory tells us about how meaning gets made (and stolen) on the internet* The Epstein files and their surprising intersections with 4chan, hacker culture, and the absolute spectacular dumbness of powerful men who think they understand technology* Meme magic: why the occultist John Michael Greer might be the most compelling theorist of how internet culture actually works* Clavicular, incels, and the aestheticization of nihilism—a container with no content* What the return of punk rock, the ICE protests, and a generation unashamed to give a s**t might actually mean for where we go from here* And the only note we’re willing to end on: hardcore happiness.What Rough Beast is a listener-supported publication. Please consider subscribing to help us keep this weird wonderful thing afloat! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

She’s in the Epstein files. It’s fine. She’s fine.This week, Virginia and Cy are back together to dig into Virginia’s latest piece for The Nerve—Carol Cadwalladr’s new media venture—and it drops some bombs. Virginia recently discovered she appears in the Epstein files, thanks to her time as a client of literary agent John Brockman and his organization, Edge. You know, the “intellectual salon” secretly bankrolled by Jeffrey Epstein. The one with no women, no cameras, and a whole lot of evolutionary psychology. Totally cool & normal stuff.Virginia takes us inside how it happened—the pick-me dynamics, the billionaire dinners dangled like bait, the former Playboy Club office—and what it means that so many of the people we were supposed to think of as The Serious Thinkers were, it turns out, neck-deep in all of this.We get into:* How Virginia ended up in the Epstein files (and the surprisingly upsetting moment she realized it)* John Brockman, Edge, and the intellectual-salon-as-grooming-operation pipeline* The “pick me” trap: why smart women signed on, and what it cost them* Social Darwinism dressed up in a blazer: the eugenics project hiding inside prestige science* Why the books on the front table of Barnes & Noble were always kind of b******t* Atomized ontology vs. relational ways of being (yes, we go there — and it rules)* What getting out actually looked like, and why it felt like finally being able to breathe* The emergent systems that might—might—give us a future worth havingWhat Rough Beast is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support this work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

This week we talk to friend of What Rough Beast Cy Canterel—whose Substack Abstract Machines is essential reading right now—about why Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney just gave a eulogy for neoliberal capitalism at Davos, and what comes after the fiction falls apart.We discuss:* Why Carney’s Davos speech was the diplomatic equivalent of taking down the communist party slogan from the greengrocer’s wall (Václav Havel would be proud)* The surprisingly dark connection between Horatio Alger, Jeffrey Epstein, and the extractive core of the American Dream* What H-Mart Gate revealed about proximity to power, model minorities, and who gets to be Cassandra* Why we need to stop asking powerful people to change themselves (because they won’t)* Mass transitions, rubber bands, and the moment before the grid snaps* How level three maintenance techs have more power than your congressman (and what that means for resistance)* Direct action vs. endless petitioning: where the real pressure points are in a failing system* Cy’s wild career arc from coding on Andy Warhol’s software to working inside GE as it collapsed to becoming a perfumer because smell can’t be digitizedPlus: why hope means accepting that the future is dark (impenetrable, not doomed), the wealth defense industry as target, and what it means to finally stop living by lies.What Rough Beast is a reader-supported podcast. To receive new posts and support my work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

This week on What Rough Beast, we talk to Trevor Mitchell, a reporter on the ground in Minneapolis for the nonprofit publication MinnPost. We wanted to discuss with him what everyday life looks like under ICE occupation—and how the Twin Cities are fighting back. We discuss:* Why the most important stories are the hardest to tell—and why print journalism can reach people cameras can’t* Mutual aid networks sprouting everywhere from churches to sex shops as neighbors step up to protect each other* The Women with Walkers—senior activists protesting from chapel pews who’ve been doing this since 1967* How half of the city’s Spanish-speaking students don’t show up to school and parents are too terrified to send their kids outside* Whether this feels like war reporting, pandemic reporting, or something entirely new* Why Minnesota—and what it means when 3,000 federal agents occupy American streetsWhat Rough Beast is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support this work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

This week we talk to “What Rough Beast” regular Cy Canterel about fractured realities, fascism’s fatal flaw, and why keeping a diary might be the most radical act you can do right now. She joined us for a live this past week. We discuss:* How the Renee Good murder revealed that motivated reasoning—not actual ambiguity—is fracturing American reality* Why the paradox of tolerance matters now: what does a pluralist society owe people who … can’t handle plurality?* The underground genealogy of the current moment (spoiler: it’s been brewing in evangelical Christianity since the 1960s)* Iris Origo’s war diaries and why putting pen to paper might save your sanity when propaganda becomes a deafening cacophony* The difference between teaching and indoctrination—and what happens when a Mormon girl looks at a map and asks “wait, what are the chances?”* Why fascism is constitutionally terrible at survival (it’s suicidal by design) but also: the body count still matters* Mutual aid, record-keeping, and how to not go insane while toggling between doomscrolling and actually living your lifeThis post is free! But, sadly, the work we do here is not :( Won’t you chip in just a few bucks a month to keep us going? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

This week, on the occasion of the five-year anniversary of the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, I want to share a couple of conversations I had on the first anniversary of the insurrection with Reps. Jamie Raskin and Hakeem Jeffries, and Jamelle Bouie. What you’ll hear are vivid accounts of that day, and you’ll hear about what this seemed to mean for who we are as a country, and where we were (and are) headed. What Rough Beast is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

This week we talk to Fred Kaplan, the national security columnist for Slate and author of seven books, including The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War (his most recent non-fiction), The Insurgents: David Petraeus and the Plot to Change the American Way of War (which was a Pulitzer Prize Finalist), and his most recent, A Capital Calamity, a thriller-satire novel.We discuss:* The Venezuela “double tap” incident — why shooting survivors of a speedboat attack is literally the Pentagon’s textbook example of a “clearly unlawful order”* The end of Pax Americana — Trump may have cultivated the appearance of power at a catastrophic cost to actual American power, and what happens when Europe no longer needs us* Why no one is speaking out — the terrifying silence from military leaders and Republicans who know what’s happening is wrong, and what Trump’s threats against Mark Kelly reveal about the new rules* Trump’s mob politics — how his favorite movie (The Godfather) explains his foreign policy better than any traditional framework, and why strongmen from Putin to the Saudis appeal to him* What comes after — when other countries can finally “go their own way,” the resentment built up from decades of subjugation could leave America isolated and weakenedWhat Rough Beast is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

Alex Karp and the Masturbating Girl. Is squirming in your seat erotic, pathological, subversive, insane? Alex Karp and Palantir believe it's genius. https://virginiaheffernan.substack.com/p/alex-karp-and-the-masturbating-girl This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

This week we talk to Cy Canterel (again!), about her recent video essay “Epstein, Elite Power Networks, and The Utility of Disgrace.” Cy is a New Orleans-based “feral scholar,” a media theorist/technologist decoding systems of power and meaning. We discussed:* World Systems Theory as a map for understanding elite power: How Immanuel Wallerstein’s framework reveals the parallel reality inhabited by the ultra-wealthy—a class that exists “state-free” by choice, moving agnostically between systems to extract resources* What the Epstein emails actually reveal: Beyond individual scandals, the documents show systematic patterns of how power consolidates—from the differential treatment of “core,” “semi-peripheral,” and “peripheral” actors to the strategic uses of disgrace itself* The death of meritocracy: How discovering the emotional immaturity, illiteracy, and sheer cognitive dysfunction behind some of our most powerful institutions forces us to confront what we were really being acculturated into* From neoliberalism to what comes next: Why it’s crucial not to reject everything that came before, and what figures like Zohran Mamdani might signal about a new paradigm that prioritizes collective flourishing over individual charisma* Self-regulation as revolutionary act: How showing up with a “still center” in the face of chaos—without capitulating or getting mealy-mouthed about principles—offers a model we desperately needCy’s recommendations:* Rob Horning - Writer who has a Substack called “Internal Exile” and wrote the essay “Mass Authentic”* David Chapman - Wacky but so smart about how he thinks about meaning* Sarah Perry - Philosopher who wrote a “Every Cradle Is a Grave,” about the ethics of birth and suicide* Richard Siken - Poet who won the Yale Series of Younger Poets for his book “Crush”; also wrote “War of the Foxes” and is a painterVirginia’s recommendation:* “Loved and Missed” by Susie Boyt - An incredibly moving novel about a woman who takes over the care of her granddaughter as her daughter contends with addiction. What Rough Beast is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

This week we talk to Kristianna Smith. Kristianna Smith (they/she) is a visionary curious about how we bring our collective imagination to life. They are a liberation cultural worker, published author, facilitator, theatre artist, educator, gardener, experience alchemist, intuitive, and Queer Black Transformative Justice Mama. For over 15 years, Kristianna has been using play and theatre to dismantle institutional oppression and take up practices that move us closer to a structurally care-centered world. We discussed:* Why actions matter more than labels – How speaking about concrete policies first (free buses, taxing the wealthy) can cut through political propaganda and reach people where they are* Relationship as our most abundant resource – Why building genuine human connection makes it harder to “other” people and easier to have productive conflict* The courage to imagine beyond compromise – How we’ve been trained to only envision what we’re willing to settle for, and why naming what we actually want is essential for creating change* Cultural work across the political spectrum – Understanding that both the right and left are doing culture work, and why the left needs to be more intentional about building collective imagination* Harvesting chaos to build something new – How movements pick up the pieces when things fall apart and use them to construct the world we want to live in* Liberation as structural care – Kristianna’s vision of a world where systems exist to care for people and the planet, allowing everyone to move freely in their beingThis episode is free to all listeners, but please consider becoming a paid Magic + Loss subscriber.Thanks for reading Magic + Loss! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

This week we revisit a conversation from 2017 with Mark Bray, historian and author of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook.Since this interview, Bray has faced escalating death threats and was forced to leave his position at Dartmouth after being falsely portrayed as a terrorist for his scholarly work documenting anti-fascism. After being called “Mr. Antifa” by Turning Point USA, the threats intensified to the point that he relocated to Spain. We’re replaying this conversation as a reminder of what anti-fascism actually is—and what happens to those who document it.We discussed:* The historical roots of anti-fascism — tracing the movement from 1920s Europe through the Spanish Civil War to modern militant organizing in the 1970s-80s* What anti-fascists actually do — the investigative work of tracking extremists online, alerting employers and communities, and why physical confrontation is typically a last resort* The “no platform” principle — why anti-fascists view fascism as violence incarnate rather than just another political opinion to be debated* Self-defense vs. “both sides” narratives — how media coverage often misrepresents defensive actions at counter-protests, especially when police protection is absent* Who becomes an anti-fascist — the evolution from punk scene defenders to a broader coalition including queer activists, union organizers, and Black Lives Matter participants* Why the threat was underestimated — drawing parallels between dismissing Mussolini and Hitler as “preening and goofy” and early responses to TrumpThis episode is free to all listeners, but please consider becoming a paid Magic + Loss subscriber. Thanks for reading Magic + Loss! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

This week we talk to Cy Canterel, a scholar of media theory and systems theory in New Orleans and author of the Substack “Abstract Machines.” We discuss:* The chilling subcultures breeding the next wave of violence. Why 4chan, Discord, and “black pill” nihilism are more dangerous than traditional political extremism.* The Kirk assassination wasn’t about ideology. It was about spectacle. Tyler Robinson may have chosen Kirk not for his politics, but because killing him would be the ultimate “high score” in a gamified reality where violence is derealised.* The invisible powder keg: armed, queer, and furious. Are there thousands of young white men crushed between MAGA’s rigid masculinity and the left’s indifference, ready to explode?* Incels, Groypers, and the fascist femboy pipeline. How Greco-Roman fantasies and gender fluidity coexist with white supremacy in ways that confound traditional political analysis.* Why this looks more like Columbine than JFK. Forget political assassination frameworks. This is about desensitization, isolation, and young men who’ve lost touch with themselves.This episode is free to all listeners, but please consider becoming a paid Magic + Loss subscriber. Every dollar goes to the continued fight against fascism!Magic + Loss is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

This week on “What Rough Beast,” we talk to Molly McKew, information warfare expert and author of the Great Power newsletter, about Russia's influence operations and the war in Ukraine. We discuss:* How Russia has been systematically manipulating American politics since the 1980s through oligarchs, soft power investments, and psychological operations* Why Trump's decades-long fascination with Russia makes him vulnerable to manipulation by Putin's regime* The disturbing speed with which Americans can be radicalized online—from wellness enthusiasts to conspiracy theorists in months* How Russian disinformation exploits America's lack of firm national identity, making us uniquely susceptible to foreign influence campaigns* The reality on the ground in Ukraine under Trump's envoys, and why treating the war like a "real estate deal" fundamentally misunderstands what's at stake* Why Americans across the political spectrum are unprepared for the collapse of institutional protections and the shift toward authoritarianismThis episode is free to all listeners, but please consider becoming a paid Magic + Loss subscriber. Every dollar goes to the continued fight against fascism.Magic + Loss is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

This week, we talk to the great Sarah Stillman, Pulitzer Prize-winning staff writer at The New Yorker and MacArthur Fellow who teaches investigative reporting at Yale. Her work focuses on profiteering in the criminal justice system—from debtors' prisons and civil asset forfeiture to for-profit prison communications and companies exploiting disaster-recovery workers during climate crises. She previously ran Columbia's Global Migration Project, investigating immigration detention and asylum-seekers' rights. In this episode, we discuss:* That the numbers are staggering—180,000 people deported so far this term, with $170 billion set aside for enforcement* How family separations aren't just cruel policy—they're a deliberate tool that strips people of their humanity by cutting them off from anyone who sees them as infinitely valuable* The weird and disturbing practice of sending deportees to random countries they've never been to (like Mexican nationals being held in South Sudan)* Why enforcement is hitting people who used to be left alone—students, green card holders, even kids who are U.S. citizens* How private detention has created a system that's actually bigger than our entire federal prison system* What happens when climate change forces mass migration, and whether our current asylum laws account for it* The workers rebuilding after climate disasters—many of them climate refugees themselves—who face deportation while fixing the homes of people who vote for anti-immigration policies* Why Sarah thinks actual reporting on human stories matters way more than all the political punditry filling up our feeds* The right to hug your parent when they're in jail (yes, that's a real legal fight happening right now)This episode is free to all listeners, but please consider becoming a paid Magic + Loss subscriber. Every dollar goes to the continued fight against fascism.Magic + Loss is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

This week we sit down with Alastair Smith, author of The Dictator's Handbook, who thinks we might all need to take a deep breath about American democracy. We discuss:* How it's actually better to lose in a real democracy than win under a wannabe dictator (and the math that proves it)* Why keeping 22 million voters happy is fundamentally different from bribing 100 cronies, and what that means for whether you get roads or just graft* How Trump might be accidentally sabotaging himself with tariffs and Fed-bashing (markets hate uncertainty, who knew?)* The bizarre difference between old-school Pravda propaganda and our current hellscape of lizard-people theories and testicle tanning* Real-time institutional resistance: from the FBI actually protecting threatened journalists to Jerome Powell's magnificent "I'm not stepping down" moment* Why this political scientist—who studies how dictatorships actually work—still thinks our messy, frustrating democracy has more fight left than we realizeFair warning: this conversation might leave you feeling weirdly hopeful about America. We know, we're surprised too.This episode is free to all listeners, but please consider becoming a paid Magic + Loss subscriber. Every dollar goes to the continued fight against fascism.Magic + Loss is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

This week on What Rough Beast, Stephen and Virginia go deep on the Epstein conspiracy. Here's what we covered:* How Epstein represented a new class of ultra-wealthy who exempt themselves from democratic norms and why this scandal has traction when Trump seemed "Teflon"* Virginia's first-hand experience with John Brockman's Epstein-funded EDGE organization and the "intellectual dark web"* The physics envy pipeline from quantum mechanics to finance via IQ fetishism* How neo-Darwinism provided intellectual cover for predatory behavior* Why Trump supporters care more about "cover-ups" than actual crimes and whether cognitive fatigue could provide an off-ramp from Trump loyaltyThis episode is free to all listeners, but please consider becoming a paid Magic + Loss subscriber. Every dollar goes to the continued fight against fascism.What Rough Beast is a reader- and listener-supported publication. To receive new posts and support this work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of What Rough Beast, we talk to David Rees, host of Election Profit Makers and creator of the legendary post-9/11 comic strip "Get Your War On," which skewered the Bush administration's War on Terror through the voices of office workers having profane conversations about cluster bombs and nation-building. We discuss:* Iraq vs. Iran rhetoric: How the arguments for bombing Iran compare to the "extremely stupid" discourse that justified the 2003 Iraq invasion, and why Trump's impulsive approach differs from Bush's ideological war machine* The evolution of American freakiness: How the cultural currency of being anti-establishment has flipped from the counterculture left to Trump's depraved right, making figures like Stephen Miller the new Rumsfeld* Clip art as social commentary: Why Rees chose anonymous office workers to represent Americans during the War on Terror* Protesting in the Trump era: Why young people aren't motivated by "orange man bad" protests but are energized by direct action against ICE, and what this means for anti-establishment politics* The Zohran Mamdani moment: How NYC's presumptive next mayor represents a new generation of unapologetically progressive politicians who terrify billionaires—and why that's exactly the pointThis episode is free to all listeners, but please consider becoming a paid Magic + Loss subscriber. Every dollar goes to the continued fight against fascism.What Rough Beast is a reader- and listener-supported publication. To receive new posts and support this work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

Today on What Rough Beast, we talk to Jon Ronson, the masterful narrative storyteller behind the podcast "Things Fell Apart" and author of numerous acclaimed books. Jon has spent decades chronicling how America came unraveled, with particular expertise in tracking the origins of conspiracy theories and culture wars.In this episode, we discuss:* The extraordinary coincidence of timing: How virtually every major culture war that has engulfed America since 2020 erupted within just 20 days of each other in late May/early June 2020, right after George Floyd's murder* The deadly origins of "excited delirium": Jon traces how a bogus medical diagnosis created in 1980s Miami to cover up the murders of 32 Black sex workers became the justification police officers used while standing over George Floyd's body* Why pandemics make people go insane: Drawing on historical accounts from ancient Rome to medieval plagues, we explore why viral outbreaks reliably trigger mass delusions and conspiracy thinking* The future of American conflict: As culture wars potentially wind down, Jon predicts the next battleground will be "the war on institutions" - and discusses why Luigi Mangione might signal a shift from cultural to class warfareThis episode is free to all listeners, but please consider becoming a paid Magic + Loss subscriber. Every dollar goes to the continued fight against fascism.What Rough Beast is a reader- and listener-supported publication. To receive new posts and support this work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

This is What Rough Beast! We’re talking with Ben Wizner, the director of the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, which works to protect and expand the First Amendment freedoms of expression, association, and inquiry, and ensure that civil liberties are enhanced rather than compromised by new advances in science and technology. In this episode, we discuss:* The strategic theater behind ICE arrests - How dramatic detentions of elected officials like NYC mayoral candidate Brad Lander are designed as performances for an audience of one: Donald Trump* Why litigation is winning but can't solve Trumpism - Wizner explains how civil rights lawyers have filed 53 lawsuits in 100 days, winning many, but why legal victories alone won't address the deeper political crisis* The cases of detained activists - Updates on Rumeysa Ozturk (released from detention) and Mahmoud Khalil (still detained in Louisiana), and what their cases reveal about the administration's tactics* Terror tactics vs. autocratic control - Why the current approach resembles a protection racket more than systematic authoritarianism, using fear and spectacle rather than total surveillance* The limits and power of resistance - How 5 million people in the streets for the "No Kings" protest shows Americans aren't too afraid to mobilize, and why our response determines what kind of crisis we're actually in* The multipolar world after Trump - How three consecutive elections featuring Trump have permanently changed America's global standing, regardless of future election outcomesUnlock more content and support the project of What Rough Beast by becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

Last week, I spoke with human rights researcher and advocate Yaqiu Wang, whose recent NYT piece draws on the lessons of her childhood in authoritarian China. We talked about her detention in China when she was a student posting on an anonymous Twitter account, the capitulation of the elites, and how to resist obeying the regime. Watch our convo here, and or listen on Substack and anywhere you get your podcasts.Unlock more content and support the project of What Rough Beast by becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to everyone who tuned into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.comYou're listening to What Rough Beast!Today we're talking with Benjamin Teitelbaum, author of "War for Eternity: The Return of Traditionalism and the Rise of the Populist Right," who studies traditionalist movements and far-right ideology. We explore why these ideas have such allure in America today, using JD Vance as our lens to examine his conversion t…

You’re listening to What Rough Beast!Today we’re talking with Rich Logis, a former Trump and MAGA supporter and pundit, who is now the founder of Leaving MAGA, an organization helping others break free from the movement. In this episode, we talk about:* Rich Logis's personal journey from dedicated MAGA supporter to founding Leaving MAGA* How information bubbles and community identity can lead people to reject contradictory evidence and view those outside their group as existential threats* The psychological process of doubting, leaving, and publicly renouncing a political movement that had become central to one's identity* How people seeking to help loved ones still in MAGA can approach conversations with empathy and understanding* The importance of creating new communities for those experiencing doubt, as Leaving MAGA offers an "exit ramp" for people questioning their supportThis episode is free to all listeners, but please consider becoming a paid Magic + Loss subscriber. Every dollar goes to the continued fight against fascism.What Rough Beast is a reader- and listener-supported publication. To receive new posts and support this work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

You’re listening to What Rough Beast!We are Virginia Heffernan and Stephen Metcalf, and today we’re talking with the great writer and reporter John Jeremiah Sullivan. We discuss: * John’s forthcoming book "The Prime Minister of Paradise" about Christian Gottlieb Priber, a radical Enlightenment thinker who established a utopian experiment among the Cherokee in 1730s America* How Priber's vision for "Paradise" included revolutionary principles that were ahead of their time: religious tolerance, racial equality, democratic governance, and rejection of slavery* The forgotten history of radical Enlightenment ideas in early America and how they influenced (but weren't fully embraced by) the founding fathers* The parallel between today's political threats to democracy and the tension between enlightenment and anti-enlightenment forces that has existed throughout American history* The importance of identifying and defending the core enlightenment principles that make the American experiment worth fighting forWhat Rough Beast is a listener-supported publication. To receive new posts and support this work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

You’re listening to What Rough Beast!We are Virginia Heffernan and Stephen Metcalf, and today we’re talking with the great Ben Meiselas, co-host (and -founder) of the chart-busting MeidasTouch, and USC Law Professor. Virginia also recently profiled Meiselas for The New Republic.In this episode, we talk about:* How politics has become "gamified" like sports entertainment, with people choosing political figures like they'd pick fighters in a video game rather than focusing on underlying issues and values* The contrast between Meidas Touch Network's approach (focused on empathy, compassion, and data-driven analysis) versus rage-driven media algorithms* How sports and entertainment are being used as tools for political messaging; think of UFC, WWE figures, and sports teams visiting the White House* The concerning overlap between entertainment spectacle and serious governance, with political conversations being treated like debates about reality TV* Meidas Touch Network's stunning growth metrics, now generating more views than Fox News and more podcast downloads than Joe RoganThis episode is free to all listeners, but please consider becoming a paid Magic + Loss subscriber. Every dollar goes to the continued fight against fascism.Magic + Loss is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

You’re listening to What Rough Beast!We are Virginia Heffernan and Stephen Metcalf, and today we’re talking with Mandeep Tiwana of CIVICUS, a global alliance of civil society organizations and activists working to strengthen citizen action and civil society throughout the world. And CIVICUS just added the United States to its Watchlist. In this episode, we talk about:* Why CIVICUS has put the U.S. on a democracy watchlist alongside countries like Serbia and Congo* The scary erosion of basic American freedoms like protesting, speaking out, and organizing* How America's gone through rough patches before, but why this time feels way more alarming* How democracy is torn down with alarming speed, and takes decades and centuries to rebuild * What regular Americans can do to spot these freedom-crushing red flags before things get even worseThis episode is free to all listeners, but please consider becoming a paid Magic + Loss subscriber. Every dollar goes to the continued fight against fascism.What Rough Beast is a reader-supported publication. To receive new episodes and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

You’re listening to What Rough Beast!We are Virginia Heffernan and Stephen Metcalf, and today we’re talking with Michael Tomasky, author, journalist and editor of The New Republic. In this episode, we talk about:* The media earthquake nobody's talking about - this was the FIRST election where Fox News and right-wing media actually out-muscled the mainstream press in setting the national agenda (and it explains SO much about Trump's win)* The impossible trap journalists face today: try to debunk crazy stories about "immigrants eating pets" and you end up amplifying the very nonsense you're fighting against 🤦‍♀️* All the wild stuff happening just LAST WEEK - from Trump's team spilling military secrets in Signal chats to straight-up extorting law firms (and Michael doesn't hold back on what this says about their contempt for rules)* A brilliant idea that could save Democrats: create a "shadow government" like the Brits do, with designated people to tackle each Trump disaster instead of everyone scrambling to respond to everything* Proof that good journalism still matters! The New Republic's reporting actually forced the Trump administration to restore a program tracking Ukrainian children taken by Russians (small wins in dark times) This episode is free to all listeners, but please consider becoming a paid Magic + Loss subscriber. Every dollar goes to the continued fight against fascism.What Rough Beast is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new posts and support this work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

You’re listening to What Rough Beast!We are Virginia Heffernan and Stephen Metcalf, and today we’re talking with Nicholas Dames, a Columbia professor and editor-in-chief of Public Books. In this episode, we talk about:* The importance of political imagination in building community beyond our immediate circles of concern* How George Eliot's "Middlemarch" offers a model for empathetic action even during challenging times* The tension between stoicism and engagement as responses to political upheaval* How today's college students face unique anxieties about their futures and limited optionsThis episode is free to all listeners, but please consider becoming a paid Magic + Loss subscriber. Every dollar goes to the continued fight against fascism.What Rough Beast is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

You’re listening to What Rough Beast!We are Virginia Heffernan and Stephen Metcalf, and today we’re talking with Eric Reinhart, a physician-anthropologist of law, psychiatry, and public health and a psychoanalytic clinician in Chicago. A recent piece of his, “RFK Jr.’s Mental Health Bait and Switch,” recently appeared in The New Republic. In this episode, we talk about:⭐️ How the politics of health and mental healthcare are intertwined, and how clinical approaches often focus too narrowly on individual interventions rather than addressing broader social determinants of health⭐️ The weaponization of mental health critiques by political figures like RFK Jr. and the Trump administration, who accurately identify problems in our healthcare system but propose destructive rather than constructive solutions⭐️ How mental health "destigmatization" has benefited some groups while further marginalizing others, particularly those with serious mental illness⭐️ The need for community-based care models and public infrastructure that values neighbor-to-neighbor support rather than solely relying on medical professionals⭐️ The connection between eugenicist ideologies and certain public health approaches that prioritize individual responsibility over structural solutionsThis episode is free to all listeners, but please consider becoming a paid Magic + Loss subscriber. Every dollar goes to the continued fight against fascism.What Rough Beast is a reader-supported podcast. To receive new episodes and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

You’re listening to What Rough Beast!We are Virginia Heffernan and Stephen Metcalf, and today we’re talking with Ben Tarnoff, whose latest book is Internet for the People: The Fight for Our Digital Future. We discuss:⭐️ How the dynamics between Trump and Musk reveal surprising power shifts, with Musk emerging as the dominant figure in what many describe as an unexpected alliance⭐️ The deep connections between toxic masculinity and tech culture, including how Silicon Valley's ethos of "conquest" and "elimination of opponents" aligns with MAGA politics⭐️ How wealth in tech capitalism is socially created but privately owned, and how this contradiction is filtered through gendered thinking about individualism versus interdependency⭐️ The performance of hyper-masculinity across socioeconomic spectrums, from struggling men to billionaires like Bezos, Zuckerberg, and Musk⭐️ The potential fractures within Trump's coalition and what they might mean for the future of his administration and American politicsThis episode is free to all listeners, but please consider becoming a paid Magic + Loss subscriber. Every dollar goes to the continued fight against fascism. What Rough Beast is a reader-supported podcast. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

You’re listening to What Rough Beast!We are Virginia Heffernan and Stephen Metcalf, and today we’re talking with Nika Dubrovsky, artist, author and founder of the Museum of Care with her late husband, the anthropologist David Graeber. We discuss:⭐️ The collapse of empires: Nika draws fascinating parallels between the fall of the Soviet Union and current trends in American society, suggesting we may be witnessing the collapse of the American empire similar to how the Soviet system unexpectedly disappeared "from one day to another."⭐️ The Museum of Care: An innovative project Nika conceived with her late husband David Graeber during COVID, reimagining museum spaces as networks of care rather than consumption, with a physical location now developing in St. Vincent using an abandoned ship.⭐️ Decolonizing the Enlightenment: Exploring how Enlightenment ideas weren't solely Western European inventions but developed through conversations with indigenous populations and in places like Madagascar, challenging traditional historical narratives.⭐️ Feminist economic theory: Nika shares David Graeber's perspective that "the best thing that happened in the 20th century is feminism," explaining how their work recognizes the undervalued care work primarily performed by women in cultural institutions.⭐️ Finding community amid collapse: Even as empires fall, we can create meaningful communities based on "solidarity and mutual aid" rather than utopian ideals.To hear our discussion, you’ll need to be a paid Magic + Loss subscriber. So if you’re not a subscriber, please sign up now! Subscriptions are $6 per month or $60 for the year. (Can’t afford a subscription? Send us an email and we’ll give you a freebie, no questions asked.) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.comYou’re listening to What Rough Beast!We are Virginia Heffernan and Stephen Metcalf, and today we’re talking with Brooke Harrington, author of Offshore: Stealth Wealth and the New Colonialism and a professor of sociology at Dartmouth, about:⭐️ The rise of the "broligarchy": how today's tech billionaire bros are playing a whole different game than old-sch…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.comYou’re listening to What Rough Beast!We are Virginia Heffernan and Stephen Metcalf, and today we’re talking with Baratunde Thurston about: ⭐️ The accelerated harm in current politics: how quickly harmful policies are being implemented, affecting immigrants, LGBTQ+ communities, federal workers, and international relations.⭐️ The crisis of democracy and c…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com“The professors are the enemy,” says J.D. Vance. Are they, really?This week on What Rough Beast, Stephen Metcalf and Virginia Heffernan speak with Wesleyan President Michael Roth about Trump’s authoritarian coup and what universities must do.As the coup gains speed, and rightwing campaigns to destabilize universities notch victories, Roth has taken a pu…

What are we all whining about? On this episode of “What Rough Beast,” the great Turkish journalist Aslı Aydıntaşbaş tells Americans to grow up. To finish of Musk and MAGA, we need to marshal the power of the states. Fire up those famous checks and balances. Don’t be scared of infighting. And—for heaven’s sake—get an emcee with rizz. To Virginia, this sounds easier said than done. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.comIf you’re being neurologically hammered by news from the front of Elon Musk’s coup, you’re probably reading scoops by Vittoria Elliott. Whether you’ve clocked her byline or not, it’s Elliott’s jaw-dropping reporting—and that of her WIRED team—that is driving coverage of Musk’s occupation of the U.S. government. On this episode of What Rough Beast, Vitto…

Today on What Rough Beast we talk to the great Miriam Elder, whose NY Times op-ed “Don’t Let Donald Trump Drive You Into Internal Exile,” got Stephen and Virginia dreaming of how to check out and skip T2 entirely. When they weren’t having nightmares about Jack Smith’s extinction, that is. And while Elder acknowledges the powerful seductions of internal exile—she counsels us against it. And gives Stephen and Virginia ideas of what to do. Dammit: why we always gotta stay in the fight?What Rough Beast is a labor of love and venom. The podcast aims to bring imagination, gallows humor, and fun, relatable despair to the T2 years. The founding principle is simple: Humans make the world and we can remake it anytime. We’re so glad it’s landing for so many of you.Interviews with PRK on the IRA and Luigi, Liz Weil on annoying activists, Peter Shamshiri on the jacked Supreme Court—the response has been tremendous. Next up is the great Miriam Elder on internal exile, meaning complete under-weighted-blanket denial.One recent reviewer said, “Clear fresh water in a desert. Deeply and respectfully affirming. IMO this is essential for anyone who thinks, and feels, and cares.” Today we pass the hat. Any donation you can make is hugely appreciated. It will let us live to hope together, and make meaning and action of that hope, another day.What Rough Beast is a reader-supported podcast. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber.You can do this in the form of a paid subscription to this newsletter (also giftable to those in your life who are not yet subscribers), which will also let you access comments and the whole Magic + Loss newsletter including advice about political action and powerful men who risk it all for their infatuations with other powerful men and the spray-tanned MAGA youth who drive them.For those who don’t celebrate Substack, you can Venmo a donation to @vpheffernan. Those donations will go directly to our crew, who are making this show happen for no cash (and with all heart). Please also consider one of the big $150 donations in the form of a charter membership. Yes—it’s a lot! But holy smokes it helps! You charter beasts will have a chance to call in with questions or jokes, as well as receive swag in the spirit of the French 68ers.Those hot free-love 68ers in their cool clothes—like all of you—are our inspiration. La lutte continue. We live how we want!With fear for our democracy,Virginia“Smart. Funny. Hopeful. Heffernan and Metcalf are a perfect pair. We need this kind of problem-solving, forward-thinking collaboration. Listen in.” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

In this live-recorded episode, we invite a few guests to distract us from the Inauguration that by all accounts was a Nazi rally. Hear about the new masculinity from Moira Donegan, what the left should do now from Michael Hirschorn and the enabling of pseudo-realities from Kurt Andersen. If you missed us live, you can check out the recording here.What Rough Beast is a reader-supported podcast. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

In this interview with Peter Shamshiri (5-4 Pod, If Books Could Kill), we discuss the transformation of the Supreme Court and conservative legal movement in America. We explore how the court has become increasingly aligned with conservative political ideology, the Federalist Society's 40-year influence, the role of originalism as a legal philosophy, and significant cases like Dobbs, Citizens United, and Trump v. Hawaii. How is it that personal grievances, cultural resentments, and abortion rights became central to conservative legal thought? And what will be the Court's future role under this second Trump presidency? Listen now! What Rough Beast is a reader-supported podcast. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

On our third episode, Elizabeth Weil joins Virginia and Stephen to discuss forms of radicalism as we head into an American regime that might call for it. In her New York Magazine piece, the climate activists Liz profiles capsize our assumptions about protest, democracy, and the speed of social change. Weil profiles provocateur and depressive Donald Zepeda, one of several radical activists who disrupt decorum by throwing paint on the Constitution’s protective glass—not to destroy these cultural objects, obviously, but to force us to confront how complacent are. Asheville is laid to waste and we can’t tolerate spill at an art museum? Weil shows how provocateurs like Donald Zepeda are consciously choosing to be annoying and disliked in service of the climate catastrophe, following in the tradition of ACT UP.But who in the coming regime is really going to risk stepping out of line and being disliked? It’s harder than it sounds.What Rough Beast is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new posts and support this work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

In the second episode of What Rough Beast, we speak with Patrick Radden Keefe, whose nonfiction account of the Irish Republican Army, Say Nothing, was adapted last year into a Hulu series. Virginia Heffernan speaks with the acclaimed author of Empire of Pain about the parallels between those Irish radicals and Luigi Mangione.Thanks for reading Magic + Loss! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

In our inaugural episode of WHAT ROUGH BEAST, Stephen Metcalf and I discuss the election, with a refresher on who won and who lost. We take an inventory of our despair and gallows humor and blind hope. Richard Rorty comes up. And stuff that happened to us in high school. In short: What’s to become of America? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

In this preview of our podcast “What Rough Beast,” Stephen Metcalf and I discuss what this podcast is, why it matters now, and what the deal is with our NAME. Let us know what you think, and stay tuned for episode 1. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe