On this episode, host Brian Stelter wraps up the exuberant finale of the Democratic National Convention with Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Radhika Jones and author and contributing editor Ta-Nehisi Coates, who has been reporting this week from Chicago. They discuss how this historic, four-day spectacle, which concluded with Kamala Harris’s stirring acceptance speech, showcased the party’s next generation of political stars, while also showing its limitations, with no Palestinian American getting a slot on stage.

Is all the hype real? It’s the uncomfortable question hanging over all the good vibes of the 2024 Democratic National Convention this week. And it’s one that Vanity Fair’s Claire Howorth and James Pogue, who is reporting from the ground, are more than willing to tackle on the latest episode of Inside the Hive. Pogue argues that while Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have electrified the party with a fresh new ticket, the event’s pomp and circumstance still feels “very produced,” with every Democrat in lockstep about how to communicate their message, avoiding any topic that might touch a nerve. Still, argues Howorth, there is an undeniable feeling that the party is getting its “swagger” back—and a sense that the Harris-Walz ticket might help Democrats “reclaim the idea of patriotism” from the GOP. “The Republicans have no problem being ultra-confident and cocky and smug,” she says, “and, you know, that’s not the worst stage direction for Democrats right now.”

As the 2024 Democratic National Convention rolls on, host Brian Stelter talks with Vanity Fair special correspondent Molly Jong-Fast, as she runs around Chicago, and Michael Calderone, editor of Vanity Fair’s the Hive, in New York. Jong-Fast describes the vibes around the United Center as Democrats appear both anxious about the election and pleased with their candidate. She notes the heavy police presence around the city and explains the difference between the fabulous convention parties (John Legend hosted by JB Pritzker) and the fake convention parties (read: panels). Calderone highlights the effectiveness of the programming so far, including the 2008 energy seen on night 2 as the Obamas take the stage. He remarks on how media coverage of the conventions and presidential candidates have changed, with the huge number of influencers and content creators present at this convention. The big question is whether Kamala Harris and Tim Walz can meet voters where they are, no matter the medium. Look out for special editions of Inside the Hive each morning this week.

As the Democratic National Convention kicks off, host Brian Stelter catches up with senior editor Maggie Coughlan, in New York, and special correspondent Joe Hagan, from the United Center in Chicago. Hagan finds attendees fired up on night one, which featured speeches from party stalwarts (Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton) and future stars (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jasmine Crockett), as Coughlan highlights how internet culture is coming to life in the convention hall. While the early weeks of Kamala Harris’s campaign, as well as the start of the party’s convention, have been a rousing success, the big question is whether the good vibes will continue. Look out for special editions of Inside the Hive each morning as the DNC rolls on.

To say that there has been a “vibe shift” among Democrats is an understatement. Since taking Joe Biden’s mantle as the presumptive Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris has ushered in an unmistakable wave of positivity within the party. The joy and optimism suffusing her campaign have thus proven powerful antidotes to the fear and anger being sold by Donald Trump. That is, according to MSNBC analyst Anand Giridharadas, who has been writing extensively about the political potency of emotions in his popular newsletter, The Ink. In the latest episode of the Inside the Hive, Giridharadas discusses why everyone is picking up such “good vibes” from Harris and running mate Tim Walz—and how the duo pulled Democrats out of their anti-Trump doom loop. “You have to compete with authoritarianism by doing some of the things it does: by commanding attention, by catering to feeling, by making people feel like they can see a future,” he says. “The Harris campaign has somehow tapped into that.”

On this episode, host Brian Stelter speaks about Kamala Harris’s surging campaign and new VP pick, Tim Walz, with Eugene Daniels, a Politico White House correspondent and Playbook co-author. Daniels, who has spent years closely covering the vice president, speaks about her challenges inside the Biden White House, relationship with the news media, and shifting communications style as she has ascended to the top of the Democratic ticket.

It used to be that Silicon Valley was considered a blue bastion, and supported social causes like education, public health and climate action. But, if that perception wasn’t already crumbling before now, then it was utterly shattered in 2024. This past month has seen countless tech elites flock behind Donald Trump as their candidate of choice in the presidential election, leaving many in the media scratching their heads—and wringing their hands. But not for Roger McNamee, the veteran venture capital investor, who, on the latest episode of Inside the Hive, breaks down all the financial incentives at play and unpacks why tech leaders are “abandoning” the values they seemingly once held. “Their belief in cryptocurrency and their belief that low taxes and lack of regulation are essential to the prosperity of the tech industry,” he says. “These guys historically had an omerta. They did not speak ill of each other. And basically over the past six weeks or so, the political disagreements have come out into the open.”

Today, we're bringing you a special preview of the new season of the New Yorker investigative podcast In the Dark, hosted by Madeleine Baran. The series examines the killings of twenty-four civilians in Haditha, Iraq, and asks why no one was held accountable for the crime.

In Episode 1, a man in Haditha, Iraq, has a request for the In the Dark team: Can you investigate how my family was killed?

In the Dark is available wherever you get your podcasts.