What a great conversation!
Anand Giridharadas is one of the most original reporters and thinkers I know, and in this conversation we talk about the two big stories of this moment: Trump’s war with Iran and the emerging revelations from the Epstein files.
On the war, Anand cuts through the fog of the daily news cycle. His central warning is chilling: even if the United States degrades Iran’s military capabilities, the deeper consequence may be emotional and generational—creating a vast reservoir of humiliation, rage, and grievance that could shape the next era of terrorism and instability. Military power can destroy targets, he argues, but it cannot control the emotions of millions of people who feel humiliated by foreign attack.
And then there is Epstein.
Anand is doing brave and deeply original work on what he calls the “Epstein class.” Instead of simply hunting for famous names tied to crimes, he is examining the larger ecosystem of wealth and influence that surrounded Epstein—the powerful network of financiers, academics, philanthropists, and social figures who continued to orbit him even after his crimes were widely known.
The question at the center of his reporting is unsettling: Where were the people who walked away?
Why didn’t more people break with him, refuse his money, or publicly expose what was happening?
It’s a conversation about war, power, corruption—and the systems that allow all three to flourish.
—Terry
