“Trump’s Young Gun” and the 2024 Podcast Offensive

Bungling Bird Flu • Navalny’s “Gospel” • Bret Baier’s Defense [View in your browser]( | [Update your preferences](newsletter=vf) [Vanity Fair Hive logo image]( “Trump’s Young Gun” and the 2024 Podcast Offensive We’ve seen new media [players]( and [platforms]( emerge during past presidential election cycles, often reflecting changes in technology and audience habits. One distinctly 2024 phenomenon has been Donald Trump’s “tour of the rowdy podcast-YouTube-streamer space,” [writes]( Dan Adler in a profile of Bo Loudon, an 18-year-old friend of Barron Trump’s and an influencer in the male-centric media ecosystem. Meanwhile, Kamala Harris, looking to pluck away any independent or Never Trump–voters, recently sat down for a combative interview with Fox News anchor Bret Baier, who defends his aggressive approach in [an interview]( with Natalie Korach and says he “laughed out loud” at being spoofed on SNL. Plus, Lachlan Cartwright [reports]( on Olivia Nuzzi’s exit from New York magazine. Elsewhere, Katherine Eban [takes]( a deep dive “inside the bungled bird flu response,” writing that what “should be a story of heroism, cooperation, and an all-hands effort to defeat a wily virus” is one “of intimidation and obfuscation.” And upon today’s release of Patriot, the posthumously published autobiography of Alexey Navalny, Mikhail Zygar [reflects]( on the courageous man who became Vladimir Putin’s chief adversary. Navalny’s book, Zygar writes, “tells the story of his death—how he approached it, how he prepared for it, and how he conquered it.” —Michael Calderone, editor [Image may contain: Donald Trump, Baseball Cap, Cap, Clothing, Hat, Adult, Person, People, Accessories, Formal Wear, and Tie]( [“Trump’s Young Gun”: How Bo Loudon, Barron’s Best Friend, Is Shaping the 2024 Podcast Offensive]( By [Dan Adler]( [The Republican nominee has sought out young men in the online spaces where they increasingly gather. An 18-year-old Mar-a-Lago member has claimed the strategic alignment as his calling card.]( [Read more button](   [Alexei Navalny’s Memoir Is a Gospel in Which He Foresaw His Own Death]( By [Mikhail Zygar]( [Navalny will not be a leader of Russia’s future, but he may be a messiah of sorts—a moral example for generations.]( [Read more button](   [Inside the Bungled Bird Flu Response, Where Profits Collide With Public Health]( By [Katherine Eban]( [When dairy cows in Texas began falling ill with H5N1, alarmed veterinarians expected a fierce response to contain an outbreak with pandemic-sparking potential. Then politics—and, critics say, a key agency’s mandate to protect dairy-industry revenues—intervened.]( [Read more button](   [Fox News’ Bret Baier Defends Combative Kamala Harris Interview, Would “Love” to Have Her on Again]( By [Natalie Korach]( [The network’s chief political anchor speaks to Vanity Fair about his sit-down with the Democratic nominee, which drew big ratings—and controversy—and provided fodder for SNL.]( [Read more button](   [Olivia Nuzzi to Exit New York Magazine Amid RFK Jr. Scandal]( By [Lachlan Cartwright]( [A third-party review into 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.”]( [Read more button](   Get on the list Subscribe to our Hollywood newsletter for your essential industry and awards-season news, every day. [Sign Up Now](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn](   This e-mail was sent to you by The Hive. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com, to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe]( Sent from Condé Nast, 1 World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007 Copyright © 2024 Condé Nast