The Political Scene | The New Yorker19 Nov 2025

Family Estrangement Is on the Rise. Are Politics to Blame?

The New Yorker contributing writer Anna Russell joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss the rise of family estrangement in mainstream culture. Recent studies have found that more than a quarter of all Americans are currently estranged from a relative. They talk about how the idea of going “no contact” has gained traction in mainstream culture, the personal and generational shifts that can lead people to distance themselves from relatives, and why family bonds feel less inviolable than they once did. They also look at the political disagreements that can lead to decisions to cut off contact, whether close family relationships can survive deep ideological divides, and what therapists and researchers say about the prospects for reconciliation following estrangement. This week’s reading: “Why So Many People Are Going ‘No Contact’ with Their Parents,” by Anna Russell “The Meaning of Trump’s Presidential Pardons,” by Benjamin Wallace-Wells “Nick Fuentes Is Not Just Another Alt-Right Boogeyman,” by Jay Caspian Kang “The Darkest Thread in the Epstein E-mails,” by Jessica Winter “Kash Patel’s Acts of Service,” by Marc Fisher Tune in to The Political Scene wherever you get your podcasts. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Malcolm Gladwell, a longtime staff writer at The New Yorker, often uses ideas from the social sciences and epidemiology and applies them to surprising topics. But his new book tackles an issue that’s ...

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The Washington Roundtable will be back next week. In the meantime, we would like to introduce “The Journey,” an audio investigation hosted by our colleague Ava Kofman. Throughout five episodes, it unr...

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The Washington Roundtable is joined by Amy Walter, the editor-in-chief of the Cook Political Report and a political analyst for PBS NewsHour, to take stock of the midterms map. With Donald Trump’s app...

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The New Yorker staff writer Jennifer Wilson joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss how the right’s embrace of lingerie and cleavage signals the changing politics of sexuality. They talk about how the actress ...

10 Sep 47min

Sarah Longwell, a Former Republican, on “How to Eat an Elephant”

The political consultant Sarah Longwell runs focus groups of voters, and she has a lot of advice for Democrats seeking to wrest control of the government from MAGA. Longwell, a former Republican disaf...

7 Sep 30min

Why Is Donald Trump Picking a Fight with Canada?

The Washington Roundtable explores how Donald Trump’s wars of choice abroad, whether using tariffs or bombs, are dragging down his popularity at home. The panel looks at the baffling trade fight with ...

5 Sep 33min