The Impact of Cuts on Government Functionality and Party Narrative Challenges

Andy Beshear, the governor of Kentucky, joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss the damage that President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” will cause in rural America. Beshear paints a picture of how Democrats can win back voters without compromising on issues such as abortion or trans rights, what the party can learn from Mamdani’s victory in the New York City mayoral primary, and the importance of communicating with the public using everyday language. 

This week’s reading:

• “Donald Trump, Zohran Mamdani, and Posting as Politics” by Kyle Chayka
• “The Texas Floods and the Lives Lost at Camp Mystic,” by Jessica Winter
• “Is There Still Time to Be Hopeful About the Climate?,” by Daniel A. Gross
• “The War on Gaza’s Children,” by Isaac Chotiner
• “4.6 Billion Years On, the Sun Is Having a Moment,” by Bill McKibben

To discover more podcasts from The New Yorker, visit newyorker.com/podcasts. To send feedback on this episode, write to themail@newyorker.com.

The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine’s writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections, the economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week.