Firing Line with Margaret Hoover - Season 2026

After Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro’s capture, Elliott Abrams–who served in the State Dept. under Reagan, George W. Bush, and Trump–discusses Venezuela’s future and prospects for democracy. He questions Trump’s “might makes right” foreign policy.

Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) discusses the role of race in politics in America’s past and present, his warning for younger generations, and his new book about South Carolina’s first eight Black members of Congress.

Mayor Brandon Johnson discusses leading Chicago amid ICE raids and clashes with Trump—while facing a budget and pension crisis that threatens the city’s financial future. He addresses setbacks to his progressive agenda and the hard choices ahead.

Actress, activist and author Noa Tishby discusses rising hatred and violence against Jews worldwide. The former Israeli antisemitism envoy explores the evolution of antisemitism and anti-Zionism and how they manifest on the right and left in the U.S.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara responds to the latest in Trump’s ICE and Border Patrol surge, cautioning that prolonged federal enforcement risks eroding police reforms and fragile community trust rebuilt since George Floyd’s murder.

Natalie Winters, co-host of Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast, and Adam Mockler, Gen Z YouTube host, discuss politics, media, and Trump’s immigration policy in a forum at Hofstra University.

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham reflects on 250 years of American triumphs and tragedies, the legacy of Rev. Jesse Jackson, and the challenges to democracy in the Trump era, through his new book, "American Struggle."

Mark Cuban discusses the cost of healthcare and his battle to lower the price of prescription drugs.

As the war in Iran continues, Firing Line looks back at interviews with policymakers and experts—including Sen. Tom Cotton, retired Gen. David Petraeus, and former Sec. of State Condoleezza Rice—about America’s long-simmering conflict with Iran.

Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and bestselling author Ryan Holiday discuss the war in Iran, its potential impact, and how Stoic virtues can inform military leadership in a conversation recorded at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.

As presidential power grows, where is Congress? Philip Wallach (American Enterprise Institute) and Oona Hathaway (Yale Law School) confront Congress' diminished power and how to fix it in a forum at Hofstra University.

Lanhee Chen, a health care policy expert, breaks down what’s driving America’s health care dysfunction—and lays out market-based ideas to fix it. He takes on the failure of GOP politicians to offer solutions and the roadblocks that keep reform stuck.

Actor and filmmaker Ben McKenzie unpacks his new documentary “Everyone Is Lying To You For Money” and why he argues the crypto boom is built on hype, risk, and deception. He takes on regulators, investors, and even President Trump’s crypto ventures.

Constitutional scholars Jeffrey Rosen and Yuval Levin discuss America’s founding documents, why the ideas behind the Declaration of Independence and Constitution matter 250 years later, and the challenges that lie ahead for the American experiment.

After the sudden death of her daughter—Miranda Frum, who once worked at Firing Line—author Danielle Crittenden reports from the front lines of grief, offering insight on how loss reshapes life and how to support those living through the unthinkable.

Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and bestselling author Ryan Holiday examine the ancient philosophy that inspired America’s founders — and why its lessons on courage, duty, and leadership matter more than ever 250 years later.

Gen. (res.) Tamir Hayman, former chief of Israeli military intelligence, examines successes and shortcomings of the Iran war, why key objectives remain unmet, and why American public opinion is a national security concern for Israel.

Constitutional scholar Melissa Murray examines why every American should read the Constitution, the unfinished promise of Reconstruction, and what recent Supreme Court decisions reveal about the future of American democracy.

250 years after the Declaration of Independence, Margaret Hoover examines the institutions and sacrifices that have sustained its ideals through conversations with Justice Neil Gorsuch, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and Gen. Stanley McChrystal

Eva Moskowitz--CEO of Success Academy, a public charter school network that outperforms nearly every district in New York--examines America’s education crisis, obstacles to reform, and whether the model can transform public education nationwide.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal (ret.) discusses the role of the military in America’s 250-year-old democracy, the dangers of politicizing the troops, the importance of presidential character, and the responsibilities citizens bear for preserving freedom.

Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch discusses the heroes of the American Revolution, the importance of civics education, declining faith in democracy among young Americans, and the role of the court in sustaining America’s ideals for the future.

Why is democratic socialism gaining momentum? Colorado House candidate Melat Kiros makes the case, defends her criticism of Israel, and argues for a smaller Pentagon budget.

Can business help solve the housing crisis? JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon unveils a $750B affordable housing and community development initiative and explains why he thinks capitalism and corporate responsibility are essential to America's future.

Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene discusses her break with President Trump, the possibility of a third party, and why she believes women are not respected in the GOP. She confronts questions about her own role in fueling America’s toxic politics.

Author Salman Rushdie reflects on surviving an attempted murder, reclaiming his life, and returning to writing. He discusses Iran’s fatwa against him, Palestinian statehood, and why he believes the fight for free speech in America must begin again.

One year after Charlie Kirk’s murder, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox—who called on Americans to find an “off-ramp” from political violence—discusses polarization, alienation, and how to disagree without contempt, and he reflects on the unity seen after 9/11.

As Trump’s handpicked Fed chair bucks the president’s demands on interest rates, bond markets roil, and AI leaders warn of doomsday, Baroness Dambisa Moyo, chair of the Economic Club of New York, weighs the risks—and what they mean for the economy.

As Trump addresses the UN and hosts Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Anne Applebaum explains how an alliance of ideologues and grifters is remaking U.S. foreign policy from Iran and Ukraine to Venezuela and Cuba.

Shake Shack founder Danny Meyer dishes on the secret sauce behind his success: putting people before profits. He takes on tipping, AI in restaurants, Anthony Bourdain, and New York City Mayor Mamdani.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) takes on Trump’s “sycophants,” reveals why he ignored his own instincts by voting to confirm Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—and explains why he’s now working to get Hegseth out of the Pentagon.