Emily St. John Mandel’s 2014 novel, Station Eleven, turned her into something of a pandemic prophet. Her new novel, Exit Party, imagines two possible American futures—totalitarian state and post-civil-war chaos.

President Trump probably can’t get rid of her yet, but FCC commissioner Anna Gomez still checks her email every day to see if he has. Until then, she wants to stand up for the First Amendment.

Infowars’ would-be creative director talks Sandy Hook, comedy’s MAGA turn, and why the future of satire may look more like a streaming startup than a late-night show.