Liz Oyer understands the transactional nature of the current Justice Department more than most. In March of 2025, she was fired from her position as the US Pardon Attorney for refusing to reinstate actor Mel Gibson’s gun rights. Since then, she’s talked openly about her time in the DOJ and its unceremonious end and she's been targeted by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche as a result. Still, she continues to shine a light on the abuses within the department she once revered. She joins Nicolle ...
Jun 08, 2026•54 min•Ep. 55
Bob Costas believes democracy is worth going to bat for. The legendary sportscaster and 12-time host of NBC’s Olympics coverage is no stranger to speaking up when the moment calls — which, as he tells Nicolle this week, is rare: 99.9% of the time he is calling balls and strikes. But when Bob finds an “interstitial moment” to talk about an issue in the zeitgeist (think: domestic violence, CTE from repeated concussions, or recognizing the racially charged name of a pro-team) he is unafraid to use ...
Jun 01, 2026•46 min•Ep. 54
Ben Rhodes believes “we’ve lost the art of speaking to one another.” Amid the megaphone of social media sound bites and the ever-increasing coarseness of our politics, the speechwriter and former Obama Deputy National Security Advisor identifies something that can make or break us: communication. He joins Nicolle this week to talk about his new book, “All We Say,” which tells the story of America through 15 of its most pivotal speeches. From Benjamin Franklin’s carefully crafted argument at the ...
May 25, 2026•55 min•Ep. 53
Ken Burns thinks we’re going to make it. An award-winning documentarian, Ken’s celebrated career seeks to find humanity in our country’s imperfect story. He threads this idea through his documentaries about everything from our national pastime (“Baseball”), to our offbeat experiments (“Jazz”), and our violent beginnings as seen through his latest project, “The American Revolution.” As our nation's 250th anniversary approaches, he joins Nicolle at 92NY for an intimate conversation about the Ameri...
May 18, 2026•55 min•Ep. 52
Chris Hayes’ antidote to anxiety is always curiosity. Whether on TV with "All In," on his podcast (aptly named “Why Is This Happening?”), or writing about our waning attention spans in his latest book, he looks to make sense of this era’s firehose of information by seeking out the reasons behind the very human decisions we make. This curiosity prompted a deep dive series on his podcast into artificial intelligence: "The AI End Game," tracing AI's evolution to how it will impact our democracy and...
May 11, 2026•56 min•Ep. 51
AI – and coverage of it – is everywhere. But what is artificial intelligence, really, beyond the buzzword? Each week, in a special new miniseries - ‘The AI End Game’ - Chris Hayes is joined by preeminent experts on AI and its effects to help make sense of this revolutionary time in history. The series will feature in-depth conversations with experts, including: The Atlantic journalist Derek Thompson; professor at Wharton and New York Times bestselling author Ethan Mollick, professor of psycholog...
May 05, 2026•1 min
Sarah Longwell listens to voters. As a GOP strategist and pollster who felt herself languishing in the wilderness as Trump 1.0 took root, she founded “The Bulwark” in 2019 with a stated mission “to put country over party... and to build a home for the politically homeless.” This masthead has become a movement, and Sarah, its fearless leader, sees defending democracy as the quintessential goal. After leading voter focus groups for the last eight years, Sarah understands that what matters in the b...
May 04, 2026•54 min•Ep. 50
Governor Mikie Sherill's best leadership lessons came from the Navy—and her kids. As a mom of four, the retired Navy helicopter pilot and former Congresswoman doesn’t have time to waste, and with less than 100 days under her belt as New Jersey's governor, she’s showing Democrats a refreshing governing approach: move quickly and fix things. She believes in the American ideal of kids doing a bit better than their parents but is not looking to replicate the pre-Trump era that held “a great deal of ...
Apr 27, 2026•52 min•Ep. 49
Sherrilyn Ifill maintains that we need a cultural reset from the ground up. The renowned former head of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Howard University law professor has been in the trenches of defending civil rights for decades. Sherrilyn urges every American to confront the truth about what lives in our nation’s DNA, because she understands that threats to democracy go beyond Donald Trump’s embrace of the "raw animal core of this country"—they are everywhere in our culture. She joins Nicoll...
Apr 20, 2026•56 min•Ep. 48
Kara Swisher is always one of the smartest people in the room. A long-revered voice in tech and media, her trademark, B.S. free ability to pinpoint coming trends and predict fading technologies has earned her trailblazer status for her podcasts, “On with Kara Swisher” and “Pivot” with co-host Scott Galloway. In her upcoming TV series, “Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever,” she applies that perceptive curiosity to the world of wellness, tech and longevity. She joined Nicolle on one of the very fir...
Apr 13, 2026•55 min•Ep. 47
Last weekend the legendary actor spoke at a protest in New York City. “The concept of No Kings is a great rallying cry, and hugely successful, as millions of us have answered the call. I support this movement 150%” he said. “Afraid of Trump?! Please. No, they should be more afraid of us.” In the conversation he recorded with Nicolle in February he expounded on the principles in that brief speech, and so this week we’re re-running the episode as a Best of The Best People. Robert De Niro commands ...
Apr 06, 2026•40 min•Ep. 46
Alex Wagner is journalist to her core, forever on the hunt for the next story “bubbling up on the ground.” From her 2020 reporting for Showtime’s “The Circus” on right-wing militias intent on reacting to a Joe Biden win, to her post-election MS NOW podcast “Trumpland” which found her standing outside a DC jail on a cold January night waiting for pardoned J6’ers to emerge, she believes in talking to people where they are to understand how they feel. Alex now helms Crooked Media’s “Runaway Country...
Mar 30, 2026•49 min•Ep. 45
When Miami Herald investigative reporter Julie K. Brown first started digging into the story behind Jeffrey Epstein’s sweetheart plea deal back in 2018, she did not envision the firestorm that would build around her reporting: breaking open decades of abuse of young girls and young women, and eventually leading to Epstein's arrest on charges of sex trafficking of minors. Brown initially tracked down close to 100 women who were allegedly victimized by Epstein and as they began to share their stor...
Mar 23, 2026•51 min•Ep. 44
“ We anticipate your unit taking about fifty percent casualties.” This is what Retired Army Lieutenant General Mark Hertling heard in an intelligence briefing at division headquarters before deploying to Iraq in 1991. This would be the first of three combat deployments in a 38-year career in the United States Army, retiring after leading over 40,000 men and women as Commanding General of the U.S. Army Europe. It was this deployment that led Lt. Gen. Hertling to begin keeping a war-time journal, ...
Mar 16, 2026•55 min•Ep. 43
Tig Notaro is spectacularly funny. She’s also a fiercely dedicated friend. The Emmy and Grammy nominated comedian now adds “Oscar Nominee" to her impressive list of accomplishments for her work producing the deeply personal documentary, “Come See Me in the Good Light.” The film explores the life and death of her dear friend, the late poet and activist Andrea Gibson, who passed after a hard-fought battle with ovarian cancer in July of 2025. Notaro joins Nicolle in this episode to honor Gibson and...
Mar 09, 2026•50 min•Ep. 42
After Nicolle's fiery conversation with Princeton Professor Dr. Eddie Glaude, former NOLA Mayor Mitch Landrieu, and The Atlantic’s Tom Nichols on "Deadline: White House" a few weeks back, it was clear they needed to continue their thread beyond a single TV segment. So this week, she convened the trio to pick up where they left off: how to make sense of this moment in our history. “We're facing some serious headwinds, right? We're running deficits in courage,” alerts Glaude, while Nichols, lookin...
Mar 02, 2026•53 min•Ep. 41
Robert De Niro commands every room he enters. His decades-long career and Academy Award winning performances have gifted the world some of its most beloved films, from instant classics like "The Godfather II" and "Raging Bull" to countless gems like "Goodfellas," and "Casino." But despite the rough and tumble characters he often portrays, he tells Nicolle, “I’m not a tough guy. I’m a concerned citizen.” He brings that inextricably human sensibility to this episode, having been a consistent and p...
Feb 23, 2026•40 min•Ep. 40
Like many Americans, Scott Galloway was feeling powerless against the Trump administration's worst policy impulses. And then it hit him: knowing Trump responds only to changes in the market, why not use our keyboards and our spending power to push back through economic action? Designed as a "coordinated economic strike targeting tech and AI companies enabling state power,” ‘Resist and Unsubscribe’ is a movement aimed at harnessing the power of economic boycott to create repercussions for compani...
Feb 16, 2026•30 min•Ep. 39
“MS NOW Presents: Clock It” is an invitation to the liveliest and most informed groupchat in your feed. Symone Sanders Townsend and Eugene Daniels are long-time political powerhouses. And they understand more than most how culture influences politics, and the role politics plays in culture. On “Clock It,” they’re helping you put your finger on the pulse of the hottest political gossip and their off-air conversations too colorful for TV. In the first episode of their new show, “Clock It,” they’re...
Feb 12, 2026•6 min
Rosie Perez was a self-professed “college nerd” studying biochemistry when she landed her breakout role as Tina in Spike Lee’s iconic 1989 film “Do the Right Thing.” Since then, audiences have fallen in love time and time again with the Oscar-nominated actress’ magnetic presence and character driven performances. Off screen, Perez shows the same genuine courage and heart in everything she advocates for, from AIDS awareness to voting rights. In this episode, she catches up with her longtime frien...
Feb 09, 2026•51 min•Ep. 38
Symone Sanders Townsend and Eugene Daniels were once at odds as White House staffer and White House reporter. Now they’re friends and colleagues—each co-hosting their own shows at MS NOW. But their off-air conversations are where the real action is. Their new show, “MS NOW Presents: Clock It” is an invitation to their groupchat, the liveliest—and most informative—in news. Whether it’s ICE getting dispatched to the Super Bowl because Bad Bunny’s doing the halftime show, or Nicolás Maduro’s Nike T...
Feb 05, 2026•2 min
Eric Holder exemplifies a Justice Department guided by principle and integrity— rather than by the whims of a White House occupant. Holder’s unique perspective as the nation’s former chief law enforcement officer allows him to diagnose an untethered executive branch intent on weaponizing institutions, while also owning where Democrats fall short: “Democrats have been uncomfortable with the acquisition and use of power.” In this episode of “The Best People”, Holder joins Nicolle for an earnest co...
Feb 02, 2026•53 min•Ep. 37
Susan Rice’s exemplary career in government and international relations has earned her a distinctive reputation as a resolute advocate for American interests on the world stage. As the former Ambassador to the United Nations and President Obama’s National Security Advisor, she is keenly aware of our nation’s leadership role across the globe. So, her sober analysis of President Trump’s brazen and “widening authoritarian power grab" should be taken with the gravity she affords it. Ambassador Rice ...
Jan 26, 2026•50 min•Ep. 36
In a media market saturated with content, Oliver Darcy breaks the fourth wall—turning the lens back on the content makers shaping today’s news. The veteran media reporter and “Status” newsletter founder is known for delivering must-read scoops and industry analysis. In this episode, Darcy joins Nicolle to analyze the depths of corporate capitulation to Donald Trump, how MAGA media stars are commanding the attention economy through rampant conspiracy pedaling, and why America's information enviro...
Jan 19, 2026•49 min•Ep. 35
Against the backdrop of the shocking U.S. capture of President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, renowned historian and Substack superstar Heather Cox Richardson is back with Nicolle, bringing her unique capacity to explain our current state of play through a historically tinted lens. As Trump’s actions abroad rattle the post-World War II international order, Heather warns of a political era that adheres more to the strongman politics of autocratic leaders like Vladimir Putin than it ever has before....
Jan 12, 2026•53 min•Ep. 34
Listen to this special invitation from Rachel Maddow and sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to take advantage of a 3-month free trial! With MS NOW Premium, you can get our entire suite of podcasts – everything from “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” to “Main Justice” – all ad-free. As a subscriber, you also get exclusive bonus content from shows such as “Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order.” And you can get early access to “The Best People with Nicolle Wallace,” including a new epi...
Jan 09, 2026•2 min
Happy New Year! This week, we’re revisiting an episode we recorded back in September with the iconic folk singer, songwriter, and activist, Joan Baez. Please enjoy! We’ll be back with new episodes next week. Legendary singer and activist Joan Baez still marches in protests; but she also performs in a circus, dances with drag queens and does whatever else she can to maintain a sense of joy and laughter. Baez has spent her career equally at home on the political frontlines as behind a guitar. But ...
Jan 05, 2026•42 min•Ep. 33
As we reflect on 2025 and prepare for the new year, we thought it would be a good time to share an episode we recorded back in September that blends themes of comedy, friendship, and community. Please enjoy this “Best of the Best” with Nicolle’s dear friend and former co-host, Rosie O’Donnell. Rosie O’Donnell has never shied away from a microphone. And while her decades-long public feud with Donald Trump has at times been fodder for tabloids, she is quite clear that her decision to move to Irela...
Dec 29, 2025•48 min•Ep. 32
Marc Elias is a formidable elections attorney and a fierce defender of voting rights. As Republicans hone a strategy of subtracting voters from the rolls in the 2026 midterms, Elias relentlessly challenges their efforts—in the courts and in the public square. Against the backdrop of notching over 60 legal victories against Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election, Elias joins Nicolle to talk about the quiet legal war he says the Justice Department is waging to acquire data on voters...
Dec 22, 2025•49 min•Ep. 31
It takes a rare kind of brilliance to be universally funny, and Leslie Jones is Exhibit A. With the release of her new comedy special "Life: Part Two”, the Emmy-award winning SNL alum joins Nicolle — who she affectionately calls “Nickkkaaay!” — for a conversation packed with candor, irreverence, and unadulterated hilarity. Whether she’s calling out the narcissism fueling our leaders or recounting how she noticed Donald Trump’s famously small hands on the set of SNL, Jones dives headfirst into co...
Dec 15, 2025•51 min•Ep. 30
