Impolitic with John Heilemann
Audacy | Puck
Join Puck’s chief political columnist, MSNBC/NBC News national affairs analyst, and best-selling author John Heilemann as he roams the corridors of power and influence in America on this twice-weekly interview show, taking you behind the scenes and beyond the headlines with the people who shape and shift our culture: icons and up-and-comers, incumbents and insurgents, moguls and machers in the overlapping worlds of politics, entertainment, tech, business, sports, media, and beyond. The conversations are rich and revealing, unrehearsed and unexpected … and reliably impolitic. A Puck-Audacy joint, new episodes drop every Wednesday and Friday.
Episodes
Mentioned books
12 snips
Mar 27, 2026 • 1h 22min
John Ellis: The Escalation Trap & The TACO Temptation
John Ellis, founder and longtime political analyst with deep expertise in geopolitics and energy markets. Healyzes the military and economic dynamics around the war in Iran. Discusses cascading energy and supply-chain shocks, Iran’s maritime leverage and escalation risks, and how global rivals may benefit while Western alliances fray.
Mar 23, 2026 • 1h 25min
Jason Zengerle: War & Peace & MAGA’s Future in the Time of Tucker
Jason Zengerle, New Yorker staff writer and author of a book on Tucker Carlson, joins to dissect Carlson’s transformation into a nationalist influencer. They probe his antiwar stance on Iran, ties to insurgent MAGA figures, and how antisemitic and racist tropes have reshaped conservative politics. The conversation also considers Carlson’s outsider rise and the plausibility of a 2028 presidential bid.
26 snips
Mar 20, 2026 • 1h 22min
Bill Kristol: No Nukes, No Joy, No Easy Way Out in Iran
Bill Kristol, veteran conservative commentator and co-founder of The Bulwark, weighs in on the widening war in Iran. He discusses allied shock and eroding trust, how initial hopes for a brief strike unraveled, the risk of escalation traps and asymmetric Iranian responses, and the domestic political fallout reshaping conservative media and 2028 GOP dynamics.
30 snips
Mar 16, 2026 • 1h 12min
Ken Burns: Talkin’ Bout a Revolution
Ken Burns, acclaimed documentary filmmaker behind landmark PBS histories, discusses his six-part series The American Revolution. He recounts the decade-long making of the project and building a star-studded voice cast. He explains centering Native American experiences, treating the Revolution as civil conflict, Washington’s central role, and previews five new films he’s developing.
12 snips
Mar 13, 2026 • 1h 8min
Wendy Sherman: Incursions, Excursions, & Dire Straits (of Hormuz, That Is)
Wendy Sherman, experienced U.S. diplomat and lead negotiator of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, weighs in on the widening war with Iran. She assesses strategic failures, mixed messaging from the Trump administration, and economic shocks from disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. They discuss risks of ground troops, civilian harm, nuclear constraints, and whether a viable off-ramp exists.
15 snips
Mar 9, 2026 • 1h 19min
Jake Sullivan: Death & Destruction All Day Long – And Then What?
Jake Sullivan, former U.S. National Security Advisor and Iran deal architect, joins to unpack the Iran war's murky aims and cascading risks. He maps how the conflict could widen regionally. He examines foreign partners, military realities, and the political forces driving intervention. The conversation also ties the campaign’s ripple effects to Ukraine and global munitions supply.
22 snips
Mar 6, 2026 • 1h 16min
Mark Kelly & Puck Superfriends: War Games & Texas Tea
Mark Kelly, retired Navy captain and Arizona senator, offers national security perspective. Abby Livingston, Texas politics reporter, breaks down surprising primary results. Leigh Ann Caldwell, national affairs reporter, analyzes congressional reactions and public opinion. They debate the risks and rationale for the Iran strikes. They unpack Texas primary upsets, Trump endorsements, and Kristi Noem’s Capitol Hill troubles.
16 snips
Mar 2, 2026 • 1h 15min
Scott Galloway: Resist & Unsubscribe, Boys & Men, Sam Altman & Agent Smith
Scott Galloway, author and entrepreneur behind The Prof G Pod and Resist & Unsubscribe, explains his economic strike against companies enabling Trump. He discusses Sam Altman and AI founders’ warnings after cashing out. He also tackles critiques of his book Notes on Being a Man and why focusing on young men matters.
18 snips
Feb 25, 2026 • 58min
Amanda Carpenter: Trump’s Stale, Ceaseless, Clout-Chasing SOTU
Amanda Carpenter, former Republican Senate staffer and Protect Democracy writer, dissects Trump’s marathon State of the Union. She critiques the speech’s length, spectacle, and crowd choreography. They explore how rhetoric, applause lines, and targeted attacks may set the stage for future election interference. The conversation also covers media fact-checking, institutional responses, and the use of absurdity as a political tactic.
Feb 23, 2026 • 1h 22min
Josh Steiner: The F*ckup Diaries
Josh Steiner, former Treasury chief of staff and current SSW Partners partner, and coauthor of From Mistakes to Meaning. He revisits a career-making Whitewater diary scandal and explains why confronting errors felt like exposure therapy. They map mistakes into three acts, explore how suppression deepens regret, and connect personal accountability to broader civic repair.
