The New Yorker Radio Hour

Troy Edwards, a former assistant U.S. attorney who led national-security prosecutions and resigned over DOJ politicization, discusses his path in EDVA and prosecuting January 6 cases. He recounts watching institutional fractures, the tipping point of a controversial indictment tied to his family, and why he chose resignation while career prosecutors keep working.

John Lithgow, veteran actor known for stage, film, and TV, discusses playing Roald Dahl in Giant and his conflicted involvement with HBO’s Harry Potter project. He explores portraying complicated figures, researching Dahl’s life, and why the play resonates today. He also talks about wrestling with J. K. Rowling’s public statements while deciding to take the Dumbledore role.

Julio Torres, comedian, writer, and director behind Los Espookys and Color Theories, riffs on color as a language for people and systems. He maps orange to joy and rage, navy blue to bureaucracy, and lilac to motherhood. The conversation wanders through childhood creativity and a dollar-store tour that brings his synesthetic ideas to life.

Ada Ferrer, Pulitzer Prize–winning historian of Cuba and Princeton professor, offers deep historical perspective. Jon Lee Anderson, longtime foreign correspondent, gives on-the-ground reporting from the island. They discuss U.S. moves toward regime change, Cuba’s economic collapse and Venezuela’s lost oil lifeline. Conversations cover negotiations, political strategy, daily hardships, migration pressures, and the risks of chaos.

Chloé Zhao, filmmaker known for intimate, nature-infused dramas and an Oscar winner for Nomadland, discusses bringing Hamnet to screen. She talks about adapting Maggie O’Farrell’s novel, using nature as an emotional guide, shaping Paul Mescal’s restrained Shakespeare, and balancing literary adaptations with franchise IP.

Jonathan Haidt, social psychologist and author of The Anxious Generation, explains why he views social media as addictive and harmful to young people. He discusses lawsuits aiming to hold platforms liable, persuasive-design tricks that hook users, and Australia’s age-verification law. He also touches on phone-free schools, policy momentum in the U.S., and broader effects on attention and democracy.

Ryan Coogler, filmmaker behind Creed and Black Panther and writer-director of the Oscar‑nominated Sinners, discusses blending horror with personal history. He talks about choosing vampires, using music as a storytelling engine, tracing spiritual roots, reframing vampirism through Delta blues lore, and the film’s epic scale and cinematic influences.

Dexter Filkins, veteran war correspondent who covered Iraq and Afghanistan. Robin Wright, longtime Middle East reporter with deep knowledge of Iran. They unpack U.S. mixed messaging and whether regime change was the aim. They trace military plans versus political reality. They survey global economic and strategic fallout from strikes and regional reactions.

Konrad Kay, a former finance worker turned TV co-creator, and Mickey Down, ex-banker and co-creator, share the show’s origins. They talk about failing in banking, turning real missteps into drama, focusing on junior employees, crafting Harper’s story, and mixing seductive portrayals of finance with sharp critique.

Karim Sadjadpour, a Carnegie Endowment policy analyst who studies Iran, explains U.S. intentions and risks in the current standoff. He discusses how unclear goals—nuclear pressure versus regime change—could play out. He outlines Iran’s internal fractures, the Revolutionary Guard’s power, the dangers of targeting leaders, and why limited strikes might be preferred to full-scale intervention.