Morning Meeting

Air Mail

Welcome to Morning Meeting, where AIR MAIL’s Ashley Baker and Michael Hainey take you inside the stories people are talking about this week—and tip you off to the ones the editors are talking about for next week. We cover the people shaping your world that you want to know more about (and more often the stuff they don’t want you to know about). And we talk with friends of AIR MAIL—writers, reporters, and style-setters. So listen in every Saturday as Morning Meeting brings you what’s new and exciting from the world of AIR MAIL. 

  • 30 minutes 58 seconds
    Episode 268: Melania Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, and the $1 Billion Lawsuit

    This week, Stuart Heritage gives us his perspective on the Epstein-related lawsuit facing Melania and Donald Trump. Then Alexandra Marshall reports from France on what life is like in prison for former president Nicolas Sarkozy. And finally, Todd James Pierce reveals how Julie Andrews earned the role that seems to have been hers forever: Mary Poppins.

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    1 November 2025, 2:30 am
  • 23 minutes 45 seconds
    Episode 267: The Nuns, the Masterpiece, and a Remote Canadian Island

    This week, Alessandra Stanley discusses how the Trump administration is turning away Russians seeking asylum. Then John von Sothen reveals how he learned that one of the great masterpieces of Western art has been sequestered inside a convent in remote Canada for 200 years. 

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    25 October 2025, 2:30 am
  • 26 minutes 26 seconds
    Episode 266: From Jagger to Lennon and More—the Shop That Dressed Swinging Londoners

    This week, Mark Rozzo remembers Granny Takes a Trip, the clothing store that put the swing in London’s Swinging 60s and outfitted everyone from John Lennon and Lou Reed to Mick Jagger and more. And then, as the White House continues to pressure American universities and colleges to change their policies, Clara Molot asks why more university presidents are not standing up to Donald Trump.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    18 October 2025, 2:30 am
  • 32 minutes 39 seconds
    Episode 265: Secret Italy—Villages Lost in Time

    This week, Elena Clavarino shares her fascinating report on a constellation of small villages, nestled near the tip of Italy’s boot, where locals still speak a Greek dialect dating back more than 3,000 years. Then the esteemed documentarian Errol Morris reflects on his relationship with Robert McNamara, the complicated subject of his mesmerizing film The Fog of War. And finally, Harry Mount joins us from London with a remembrance of the beloved British writer Jilly Cooper.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    11 October 2025, 2:30 am
  • 31 minutes 30 seconds
    Episode 264: How to Grift Your Way into the Ivy League

    This week, Clara Molot reports from New Haven on the Yale freshman who gave grifting the old college try and scammed her way into the Ivy League school by creating an entirely fake identity. Then Eric Wilson reports from Hong Kong on the latest twists and turns in the horrific murder of a young, aspiring influencer that has captivated the city. And finally, Alexandra Wolfe and Julia Vitale reveal the winners of Air Mail’s inaugural Tom Wolfe literary prizes, presented by Montblanc.

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    4 October 2025, 2:30 am
  • 35 minutes 27 seconds
    Episode 263: How a British Woman Named Jane Became a Bag Named Birkin

    This week, as Trump works to dismantle government-funded scientific research, Michael Oreskes reveals how top researchers are now putting their work—and sometimes their retirements—on hold in order to fight for truth in science. Then, these are indeed strange days, and you may be struggling to find words of comfort. Gerard deGroot has a thought: read Allen Ginsberg’s masterpiece, “Howl.” Published 70 years ago, this shocking poem was a powerful rebuke to conformists in 1950s America. And finally, Joan Juliet Buck has a look at a new book about how a British woman named Jane became the French bag named Birkin.

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    27 September 2025, 2:30 am
  • 34 minutes 10 seconds
    Episode 262: An Epic Con—The Man Who Lived as a Rockefeller for 40 Years

    This week, Jonathan Alter shares the astounding story of one of the great grifts—how a man passed himself off as a Rockefeller for 40 years and became a member of the ruling elite. Then Christine Muhlke looks at Union Square Cafe, one of New York City’s most loved restaurants, as it celebrates its 40th anniversary. And finally, as Netflix releases House of Guinness, Joseph Bullmore gives his thoughts on the Irish clan that turned stout into a legendary family fortune.

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    20 September 2025, 2:30 am
  • 32 minutes 57 seconds
    Episode 261: How Funerals Became the New Social-Climbing Scene

    When it comes to finding love, Gen Z is breaking up with dating apps. Fed up with swiping, they’re now looking to meet people in real life. Yet, as our colleague Paulina Prosnitz reports from New York, they want to do it in their own way. (Did we mention cornhole leagues?) Then, if you’re interested in another place to meet someone, here’s an idea: How about a funeral? As Katia Kulawick-Assante reports from Paris, in the Instagram age, funerals have become a scene for social climbing and Instagramming. And finally, there are two great books out about two titans of music: the composer John Williams, best known for being the man who has written the scores for so many Steven Spielberg movies, and Leopold Stokowski, who scored some of Walt Disney’s masterpieces. Our friend John Mauceri shares his thoughts.

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    13 September 2025, 2:30 am
  • 36 minutes 3 seconds
    Episode 260: Prince Andrew's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" Moment

    If you’re a fan of Curb Your Enthusiasm—and who isn’t?—you are surely a fan of Susie Essman, who played Susie Greene on the show. And this week she joins us with a rather Curb-like story about her encounter with Prince Andrew. Then our colleague James Wolcott discusses the return of perhaps the sharpest cultural and social satire going these days: South Park. And finally, Linda Wells remembers Giorgio Armani.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    6 September 2025, 2:30 am
  • 35 minutes 11 seconds
    Episode 259: How a Rupert Murdoch Scandal Could Cripple "The Washington Post"

    This week, Nick Davies reveals his new findings about the phone-hacking scandal involving Rupert Murdoch that rocked the U.K. in the 2010s, and what it could mean for The Washington Post. Then Gracie Wiener tells us how Diaper Diplomacy has become social media’s new fixation. And finally, Carolina de Armas reports on the obsession of the summer: Bad Bunny’s residence in Puerto Rico.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    30 August 2025, 2:30 am
  • 32 minutes 41 seconds
    Episode 258: Billionaires Behaving Badly—The Summer Edition!

    This week, Clara Molot reveals how Yale has managed to escape the wrath of Trump and his war on America’s universities. Then William D. Cohan has all the dirt and drama about how the 75 billionaires who take over Nantucket each summer are more than living up to expectations with their very bad behavior. And finally, Hayley Peppin joins us in a conversation about the newest trend in home design. 

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    23 August 2025, 2:30 am
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