James Comey’s monster best seller, A Higher Loyalty, is “a plea for exculpation,” says Jonathan Freedland, but its self-justifications are “not good enough.” Jonathan is a columnist for The Guardian and a best selling author.

Also: How long will Texas remain a red state? Lawrence Wright says demographic and political change is underway, and that Betto O’Rourke’s campaign for the Senate, challenging Ted Cruz, is a crucial one. Wright’s new book is God Bless Texas.

Plus: The Handmaid’s Tale, that feminist dystopian novel, is beginning its second season as a TV series on Hulu this week. Margaret Atwood talks about the significance of her novel in the age of Trump (recorded a year ago, just before the series’ premiere).