Sen. Tim Scott, R-SC, sits down with Margaret Hoover in Washington, D.C. to discuss his personal story of overcoming poverty to take his historic seat in Congress. The only Black Republican in the U.S. Senate and a rising star in the GOP, Scott assesses the impact of opportunity zones, which provide tax incentives for investment in economically distressed areas. "What I do not want," he says, "is for people to come into a community, make a profit off the community, and run away with their money....
Nov 20, 2021•40 min•Ep. 22
World-renowned artist and former political prisoner Ai Weiwei sits down with Margaret Hoover at The Art Students League of New York, where he studied in the 1980s, to reflect on his life’s work and his new memoir, “1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows.” Ai describes his resistance to Chinese authoritarianism and the 81 days he spent in secret detention; he says he is hesitant to return to a China that has become “more extreme” in censoring dissidents. He calls suffering “necessary” for his art and des...
Nov 13, 2021•27 min•Ep. 21
Author and political commentator Andrew Sullivan joins Margaret Hoover for a discussion about what he calls woke "overkill" and "fanaticism" even as he continues to warn about the “crazy cult figure” of Trump. Sullivan says Republican Glenn Youngkin's defeat of Democrat Terry McAuliffe in the Virginia Governor's race — in which parental choice and critical race theory became flashpoints — put Democrats back “in touch with reality.” "I think people want race to be treated realistically, but not t...
Nov 06, 2021•48 min•Ep. 20
Sen. Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, joins Margaret Hoover to discuss his legislative proposals to provide temporary legal status for 8 million undocumented immigrants as part of the reconciliation deal and to protect Americans against flood insurance “rate shock.” Menendez, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also explains how the U.S. can support Taiwan against aggression from China, warns that Iran has the potential to spark a “nuclear arms race” and describes why he thi...
Oct 30, 2021•38 min•Ep. 19
This week’s guest is Russia expert Dr. Fiona Hill, a former official in Trump’s National Security Council, a 2019 impeachment witness, and a current Brookings Institution senior fellow. Hill joins Margaret Hoover to discuss her new memoir, “There’s Nothing For You Here,” in which she details how her upbringing in the northeast of England and rise from “the coal house to the White House" has informed her perspective on populism and authoritarianism. At the White House, Hill describes the “shock” ...
Oct 23, 2021•32 min•Ep. 18
Award-winning actor and best-selling author John Lithgow sits down with host Margaret Hoover in New York City to discuss the third book in his trilogy of poetry satirizing America’s “scoundrels.” After taking direct aim at the Trump White House in the first two, Lithgow now shifts his focus to some of history’s earlier rogues, leveling them with limericks and illustrations. Lithgow also reflects on his storied career on stage and screen, unpacking what he calls “the most interesting thing about ...
Oct 16, 2021•48 min•Ep. 17
Firing Line is on the road as host Margaret Hoover sits down with three dissidents during the Human Rights Foundation’s Oslo Freedom Forum in Miami for a discussion on the global fight against human rights abuses. Hatice Cengiz is the fianceé of slain Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. She has inherited his fight for human rights after his murder three years ago at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in an operation U.S. intelligence says was approved by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salm...
Oct 09, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 16
Billionaire real estate mogul, sports team owner and civic entrepreneur Frank McCourt discusses his $250 million investment to transform the internet and fix social media’s “broken model.” Frank McCourt tells host Margaret Hoover “surveillance” capitalism has allowed tech giants like Facebook to “weaponize” user data against them. He says the new blockchain-powered Internet protocol created by Project Liberty, his venture, would give users the ability to control and port their data. McCourt says...
Oct 02, 2021•33 min•Ep. 15
Economist Mohamed A. El-Erian explains his concern that inflation exacerbated by the pandemic response will persist and says the Federal Reserve must take action or risk missing “the window.” El-Erian tells host Margaret Hoover, "The minute you have a whiff of persistent inflation — and I think we have much more than a whiff right now — you've got to do something about it." El-Erian also breaks down the Evergrande crisis in China, discusses the changing nature of the workforce, and reflects on t...
Sep 25, 2021•46 min•Ep. 14
Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and author George Will joins Firing Line's Margaret Hoover for an in-depth conversation examining the conservative movement from William F. Buckley Jr.’s National Review to today. Will, who was hired by Buckley as his Washington editor in 1973, reflects on why he left the Republican Party in 2016 and his belief that many mainstream Republican politicians today are not true conservatives. Will argues that Donald Trump's hold on the Republican Party will not last a...
Sep 18, 2021•48 min•Ep. 13
As America marks the 20th anniversary of Sept. 11, Rep. Peter Meijer, R-MI, discusses the U.S. exit from Afghanistan, his decision to fly into Kabul amid the evacuation and who should be held accountable for the botched ending of a two-decade war. Support for “Firing Line for Margaret Hoover” is provided by The Margaret and Daniel Loeb Foundation, Robert Granieri, Charles R. Schwab, The David Tepper Charitable Foundation Inc., The Fairweather Foundation, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, and Rosalin...
Sep 11, 2021•50 min•Ep. 12
Let. Gen. H.R. McMaster joins host Margaret Hoover to respond to the suicide bombings that killed more than a dozen U.S. service members outside the Kabul airport. American forces will pursue the terrorists “to the ends of the earth,” McMaster says, but the attack shows “the limits of this sort of over-the-horizon approach to counterterrorism.” Gen. David Petraeus, interviewed the day before the attack, discussed the chaotic withdrawal from America’s 20-year war in Afghanistan and warned of the ...
Aug 28, 2021•34 min•Ep. 11
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-MN, discusses the explosive growth of big tech and her concerns about mega-mergers and the monopoly power of tech titans like Facebook, Apple and Google. Klobuchar, who ran for president in 2020, tells host Margaret Hoover, “I'm not against big companies. I'm against no competition.” She explains why every American should be paying attention, outlines her proposal for antitrust reforms and says a bipartisan solution is possible. Support for “Firing Line for Margaret Hoover”...
Aug 14, 2021•27 min•Ep. 10
Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-MI, the only Democrat in Congress from a district that voted Republican in the last three presidential elections, discusses division in America, which she says is the country's greatest national security threat. A former CIA analyst who served in Iraq, Slotkin describes how her training kicked in during the January 6 Capitol riots and shares her concerns about how prepared the U.S. is to handle future terrorist threats in Afghanistan. Slotkin says don’t “let the perfect be...
Aug 07, 2021•48 min•Ep. 9
As America faces a resurgence of COVID-19, epidemiologist Dr. Céline Gounder and Dean of Brown University School of Public Health Dr. Ashish Jha join Margaret Hoover for an extended conversation on the “most contagious, most transmissible” variant yet. They explain why Delta is so dangerous, answer questions about vaccines, breakthrough cases and booster shots and offer a frank look at what must be done to bring America — and the world — out of this pandemic. Support for “Firing Line for Margare...
Jul 31, 2021•49 min•Ep. 8
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-FL—whose family fled Fidel Castro’s “illegitimate, murderous regime” in Cuba—joins Margaret Hoover to discuss the country’s current crisis. The congressman describes the fight for freedom amid government crackdowns on the island, what’s driving the historic protests, why he says the U.S. embargo should remain in place and how international allies can support the Cuban people. Support for “Firing Line for Margaret Hoover” is provided by The Margaret and Daniel Loeb Found...
Jul 24, 2021•28 min•Ep. 7
Columbia University linguist, author of over 20 books and race commentator John McWhorter joins Margaret Hoover for a conversation on the origins of critical race theory and what the decades-old legal concept has become in today’s national “ding-dong debate.” McWhorter shares his concerns about antiracism and how teaching it in schools has led to some “antiracist bootcamps” and a situation that he says is “dangerous” and “verges on evil.” Support for “Firing Line for Margaret Hoover” is provided...
Jul 17, 2021•49 min•Ep. 6
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson sits down with Margaret Hoover for a discussion on America’s missions to return to the Moon and reach Mars, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) sightings, and NASA's hunt for intelligent life in the universe. Administrator Nelson says “more power to the space billionaires” in their push to explore space, but warns of an “aggressive” new “space race with the Chinese government.” Support for “Firing Line for Margaret Hoover” is provided by The Margaret and Daniel Loe...
Jul 10, 2021•34 min•Ep. 4
In a special edition celebrating Independence Day, four-star Admiral William H. McRaven returns to Firing Line to share stories of heroism from his 37 years of service to America. Adm. McRaven takes Margaret Hoover through the capture and imprisonment of Saddam Hussein, who nicknamed him “El Jefe,” and inside the high-stakes Pakistan raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Support for “Firing Line for Margaret Hoover” is provided by The Margaret and Daniel Loeb Foundation, Robert Granieri, Charles R. ...
Jul 03, 2021•25 min•Ep. 3
Four-star Admiral William H. McRaven, who rose to become commander of U.S. Special Operations, discusses America’s withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and whether he believes U.S.-trained Afghan forces can handle an “onslaught by the Taliban.” McRaven also addresses the current threat level from Iran, his decision to speak out against President Trump, whom he calls “a leader that belittled people,” before the 2020 election and 10 everyday virtues laid out in his new book, "The Hero Code: ...
Jun 26, 2021•34 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Primetime CNN anchor Don Lemon joins Margaret Hoover to discuss bringing his point of view to cable news, how he responds to criticism that he is both a “race baiter” and hasn't always been “Black enough,” why it's so critical to teach a fuller version of American history and his new book "This Is the Fire: What I Say to My Friends About Racism." Support for “Firing Line for Margaret Hoover” is provided by The Margaret and Daniel Loeb Foundation, Robert Granieri, Charles R. Schwab, The David Tep...
Jun 19, 2021•37 min•Ep. 2
Former Treasury Secretary and Harvard economist Lawrence H. Summers joins Margaret Hoover for an in-depth discussion on his concerns about an overheated post-pandemic economy leading to inflation and what he believes the White House and Federal Reserve should do about it. Support for “Firing Line for Margaret Hoover” is provided by The Margaret and Daniel Loeb Foundation, Robert Granieri, Charles R. Schwab, The David Tepper Charitable Foundation Inc., The Fairweather Foundation, Craig Newmark Ph...
Jun 12, 2021•33 min
A first listen to the new "Firing Line" podcast as host Margaret Hoover interviews some of the biggest names and key players in American politics and culture. Subscribe for new episodes each week.
Jun 01, 2021•4 min
