Episode Details

Two must-read books that vastly add to our understanding of the Trump era go on sale today: Rachael and Karoun Demirjian’s “Unchecked: The Untold Story Behind Congress's Botched Impeachments of Donald Trump” ($28) and Robert Draper’s “Weapons of Mass Delusion: When the Republican Party Lost Its Mind” ($29). 

There are meaty new excerpts out from both — starting with “The Problem of Marjorie Taylor Greene,” Draper’s NYT Mag piece on the far-right Georgia congresswoman’s rise and what it means for a likely GOP House majority.

One of the most-retweeted quotes in the piece is this warning from Greene to Rep. Kevin McCarthy: “‘I think that to be the best speaker of the House and to please the base, he’s going to give me a lot of power and a lot of leeway,’ she predicted in a flat, unemotional voice. ‘And if he doesn’t, they’re going to be very unhappy about it. I think that’s the best way to read that. And that’s not in any way a threat at all. I just think that’s reality.’”

Deeper in the story, Greene gets more specific: She tells Draper she wants a seat on the high-profile House Oversight and Judiciary committees.

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