Media
“We’re Not Hyperventilating”: Behind Axios’s Clinical Approach to Covering Donald Trump’s Second Term
Vanity Fair caught up with cofounders Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen about the state of political media, including a postelection newsroom talent churn, and why “this might be the most electric moment in the history of Washington.”
By Natalie Korach
Sports
Tom Brady’s TV Chops Will Be Put to the Super Bowl Test
Amid persistent speculation about his future, the legendary QB is back as a broadcaster for the playoffs and will cover the big game next month. Despite any prior missteps in the booth, Richard Deitsch says that “what NFL fans will remember will be his call on that Sunday in New Orleans.”
By Tom Kludt
The first wealth is health
Luigi Mangione Isn’t Solely Responsible for UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Death, Poll Respondents Claim
Participants in a non-partisan survey say insurance denials and company profits bear “a moderate amount” of responsibility for Bob Thompson’s brazen shooting in NYC.
By Eve Batey
'Tis the Season
Netflix Is Dialing Up Live Sports With an NFL Christmas Spectacular
The yuletide doubleheader, complete with a Beyoncé halftime show, comes on the heels of the Tyson-Paul juggernaut and megadeals with WWE and FIFA, signaling the streamer’s growing appetite for sports. The goal, says one Netflix exec, is “big audience and big conversation.”
By Tom Kludt
Sports
Is the NBA’s Three-Point Frenzy Sinking Ratings?
As teams hoist more shots than ever from downtown, TV viewership is also down. League execs don’t appear rattled, but some commentators are concerned: “I wouldn’t be opposed to a limit on the number of threes,” says one.
By Tom Kludt
AI Agita
AI-Driven Health Care Is Turning Us Into Numbers on a Spreadsheet
As the insurance industry reckons with the death of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, it should also reexamine its use of algorithmic coverage decisions, which further dehumanize people in need of lifesaving care.
By Nick Bilton
public health
Doctors Seethe Over Insurance Companies’ “Out of Control” Tactics
Nothing can justify the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, but providers agree that America’s insurance system is off the rails. “I am kind of surprised this hasn’t happened earlier,” says one health care consultant.
By Katherine Eban
Bad Business
The Onion's Infowars Bid Gets Blocked
A Texas bankruptcy judge shut down the satirical paper's buyout of Alex Jones' infamous conspiracy site, leaving its financial fate hanging in the balance.
By Caitlin Dewey
Critical Noise
The Famous Death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
The Iowa-born Fortune 500 executive had little public profile until his killing brought him instant notoriety.
By Dan Adler
Crime
UnitedHealthcare CEO Killing Suspect Has Been Arrested
Twenty-six-year-old Luigi Mangione, who currently faces firearms charges, was located at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s, where he was found with a ghost gun, a silencer, and clothing that matched the gunman’s.
By Caitlin Dewey
Uncertainty Ahead
MSNBC Anxiously Enters a New Trump Era
Network executives addressed staff Wednesday on Comcast’s plans to spin off the cable channel from NBC News, a proposed shake-up that comes amid postelection ratings woes and concerns about what a Joe and Mika trip to Mar-a-Lago portends for covering Donald Trump.
By Natalie Korach
Prince Harry’s Legal Allies Are Dropping Like Flies Against Rupert Murdoch
The Duke of Sussex is on a lonely truth-seeking crusade and isn’t warring with Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers for a penny—or a pound.
By Clive Irving
Q&A
The Onion’s Infowars Acquisition Is “Karmic Justice” at Its Finest
Vanity Fair caught up with Onion CEO Ben Collins and John Feinblatt, the president of Everytown for Gun Safety, about pulling off the “funniest joke of all time.”
By Natalie Korach
MAGA Megaphone
Can Democrats Compete With the Rogan-verse?
As podcasters and YouTubers helped deliver the bro vote to Donald Trump, Democrats are facing criticism for not engaging enough with nontraditional media on the right—or elevating voices on the left.
By Natalie Korach
Tech
Amazon’s New Kindle Is an Antidote to Our Shrinking Attention Spans
The colorized e-reader is a counterrevolutionary product in a marketplace littered with AI algorithms and social media apps that leave you feeling more depleted than fulfilled.
By Nick Bilton
Media
Why Is a Progressive Mega-Donor Funding Right-Wing Ideas?
At a recent get-together, little lefty mags were roiled to learn that George Soros’s foundations are supporting Compact, a publication that’s flirted with authoritarianism. “It was weird to me the whole fucking time,” says one attendee.
By Andrew Fedorov
Media
Olivia Nuzzi to Exit New York Magazine Amid RFK Jr. Scandal
A third-party review of Nuzzi’s work found “no inaccuracies nor evidence of bias,” according to New York, yet the magazine and the star reporter agreed to “part ways.”
By Lachlan Cartwright
Media
The Olivia Nuzzi–Ryan Lizza Saga Has Reached a Salacious New Level
The latest courtroom allegations are providing pure tabloid fodder—“Spawn F. Kennedy,” blared the New York Post—as the New York and Politico stars sit on the sidelines of the 2024 race while internal investigations play out and a post-election hearing date looms.
By Natalie Korach
Sports
Taking Shots With Spike Lee and His Arsenal Fan Club: “It’s Always Electric When He Shows Up”
Vanity Fair visits the famed director at his Fort Greene studio, touring his stunning collection of movie memorabilia and talking politics, before going full “Gooner” at a nearby bar. “I love to be in the mix,” Lee says.
By Tom Kludt
Jessica Valenti Says Her Work on Abortion Isn’t “Preaching to the Choir.” It’s Arming It.
In an interview with Vanity Fair about her new book, Abortion: Our Bodies, Their Lies, and the Truths We Use to Win, Valenti discusses whom she’s writing to, how the right is forecasting its next move, and why she’s never bought into the mainstream framing of abortion rights.
By Katie Herchenroeder
All Bets Are On
From Trump Convictions to Assassination Attempts: How Prediction Markets Have Turned American Politics Into a Casino
Start-ups like Polymarket and PredictIt want to let people put their money where their mouth is. But offering Vegas-style odds tied to real-world events could also have dangerous real-world consequences.
By Jacob Silverman