Firing Line with Margaret Hoover

Former Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul joins Margaret Hoover to discuss President Trump’s trip to Asia, the state of the war in Ukraine, and the new era of great power competition with Russia and China.McFaul, author of the new book “Autocrats vs. Democrats,” assesses Trump’s handling of foreign policy so far in his second term, acknowledging the president has not been the isolationist many expected but also criticizing him for abandoning America’s soft power institutions.McFaul, who first met Vladimir Putin in the 1990s, explains how Putin’s worldview differs from Xi Jinping and why he believes that makes Putin a more aggressive threat to democracy. He also lays out what he thinks it will take to bring Putin to the negotiating table to end the war in Ukraine.And McFaul reflects on the 2024 death of his friend, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and what it means for Russia’s post-Putin future.Support for Firing Line with Margaret Hoover is provided by Robert Granieri, The Tepper Foundation, Vanessa and Henry Cornell, The Fairweather Foundation, and Pritzker Military Foundation.

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo discusses the New York City mayoral race, his policy proposals, and the danger he sees in electing his opponent, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani.With Election Day approaching, Cuomo lays out his potential path to victory and challenges Mamdani’s plans to address affordability concerns. He also comments on broader divisions in the Democratic Party.Running as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic primary, Cuomo argues his experience as governor has prepared him to defend against threats from President Trump, and he warns Trump would use Mamdani’s election as an excuse to take over the city.Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 amid allegations of sexual harassment, explains why he now regrets stepping down and responds to questions about how he has changed and what he has learned.Support for Firing Line with Margaret Hoover is provided by Robert Granieri, The Tepper Foundation, Vanessa and Henry Cornell, The Fairweather Foundation, and Pritzker Military Foundation.

Justice Anthony Kennedy talks to Margaret Hoover about his three decades on the Supreme Court and the threats he sees to American democracy today.As the court begins a new term, Kennedy, who took senior status in 2018, discusses the relationship between the Supreme Court and the executive branch and the prospect of a president defying the court’s orders.Kennedy, author of the new memoir Life, Law, and Liberty, reflects on his Citizens United opinion and its impact on political spending. He also explains why he believes it would be “unfortunate” if the court overturns his opinion affirming the right to same-sex marriage.Amid declining public confidence in the Supreme Court, Kennedy expresses concern about the growing incivility between the current justices and comments on the challenges of enforcing an ethics code on the court.Support for Firing Line with Margaret Hoover is provided by Robert Granieri, The Tepper Foundation, Vanessa and Henry Cornell, The Fairweather Foundation, and Pritzker Military Foundation.

Audrey Tang, Taiwan’s cyber ambassador, sits down with Margaret Hoover to talk about technology, democracy, and the fate of Taiwan amid new threats from China.Tang, who served as Taiwan’s first minister of digital affairs, reflects on her work integrating technology into the government and the lessons learned from its successful response to the COVID-19 pandemic.She explains why she believes technological advances like social media can be used to bring people together instead of dividing them, and she discusses projects in California and Kentucky that have attempted to do that.Tang also addresses how Taiwan is preparing for potential attacks by China and why Taiwan’s freedom is important to other democracies around the world.Support for Firing Line with Margaret Hoover is provided by Robert Granieri, The Tepper Foundation, Vanessa and Henry Cornell, The Fairweather Foundation, and Pritzker Military Foundation.

Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales lays out his concerns about the indictment of James Comey and the Trump administration defying the norms of Justice Department independence.Gonzales–a Republican who supported Kamala Harris in 2024 due to concerns about Trump and the rule of law–says Trump’s effort to direct the department to prosecute his enemies threatens to undermine public confidence in the justice system. Gonzales, who also served as White House counsel under President George W. Bush, also addresses Trump’s use of the same emergency powers Bush exercised after 9/11 to confront issues like immigration and questions the legality of recent strikes against alleged drug boats in international waters.He comments on declining trust in the Supreme Court, the implications of its presidential immunity ruling for Trump’s second term, and the failure of Congress to act as a check on the executive branch.Support for Firing Line with Margaret Hoover is provided by Robert Granieri, The Tepper Foundation, Vanessa and Henry Cornell, The Fairweather Foundation, and Pritzker Military Foundation.

World Food Programme Director Cindy McCain joins Margaret Hoover to discuss the global food crisis and the need for more resources to fight it.In a conversation on the sidelines of the Clinton Global Initiative in New York, McCain details the impact of humanitarian aid cuts by the U.S. and other countries, which she believes have already cost lives around the world. She also addresses the danger humanitarian workers face in conflict zones and urges governments to stop targeting them.McCain talks about the challenges WFP faces in Sudan, Afghanistan, and Gaza as hunger mounts and conditions limit access. She comments on the effectiveness of the Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and explains why she believes WFP is better suited to deliver aid in Gaza.As President Trump questions the purpose of the UN at this week’s General Assembly, McCain also defends its mission and outlines steps WFP has taken to make its own operations more efficient.Support for Firing Line with Margaret Hoover is provided by Robert Granieri, The Tepper Foundation, Vanessa and Henry Cornell, The Fairweather Foundation, and Pritzker Military Foundation.

Political violence expert Cynthia Miller-Idriss joins Margaret Hoover to discuss the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and the rising threat of political violence in America.Miller-Idriss, author of the new book “Man Up: The New Misogyny and the Rise of Violent Extremism,” details some of the factors fueling radicalization, including online gaming and social media. She also explains why young men have proven particularly susceptible to extremist influences amid a crisis of masculinity in society.As conservatives cast blame on the left and demand vengeance for Kirk’s death, Miller-Idriss warns of vigilanteism and suppression of free speech. She says there is “unquestionably” a danger of further violence if rhetoric is not toned down.Miller-Idriss, the founding director of the Polarization & Extremism Research & Innovation Lab at American University, also talks about potential solutions to radicalization and what she has learned from talking to students about these issues.Support for Firing Line with Margaret Hoover is provided by Robert Granieri, The Tepper Foundation, Vanessa and Henry Cornell, The Fairweather Foundation, and Pritzker Military Foundation.

Cable TV titan John Malone joins Margaret Hoover to talk about his new memoir, “Born to Be Wired,” and current challenges in media and politics.Malone, who played a key role in the development of the cable industry at Tele-Communications Inc. and Liberty Media Corp., explains why he opposed efforts to regulate his industry like net neutrality–and why he now believes more aggressive regulation is necessary for Big Tech today. Still, he also defends the CEOs of major tech companies like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk as “heroes of a capitalistic society.”Malone–the chairman emeritus of CNN’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery–reflects on the state of the news media today, the need for objective reporting, and the consequences of a fractured media landscape.He also discusses the dysfunction of Congress and expansion of executive power and comments on President Trump’s second term, saying “I like his policies, but his style is so disruptive and divisive that I'm not sure at the end of the day the country can survive it.”Support for Firing Line with Margaret Hoover is provided by Robert Granieri, The Tepper Foundation, Vanessa and Henry Cornell, The Fairweather Foundation, and Pritzker Military Foundation.

As China asserts itself as a global power, Sen. Chris Coons (D-Delaware) sits down with Margaret Hoover in D.C. to discuss the threat posed by Beijing and its authoritarian allies and the Trump administration’s response.The Senate Foreign Relations Committee member recounts his recent visit to the Indo-Pacific with a bipartisan congressional delegation and reacts to China’s massive military parade this week. He explains why he fears Trump is undermining alliances and placing the world order at risk.Coons also addresses Trump’s handling of the war in Ukraine, the plight of Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia, and where he feels the Biden administration’s response to Putin’s aggression went wrong.Coons comments on Democratic Party’s divisions over Israel and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. He also addresses Trump’s National Guard deployment in Washington, D.C. and the limits of the judiciary’s ability to rein in the president’s use of executive power—and explains why he wants HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to resign.Support for Firing Line with Margaret Hoover is provided by Robert Granieri, The Tepper Foundation, Vanessa and Henry Cornell, The Fairweather Foundation, and Pritzker Military Foundation.

Sam Tanenhaus, author of a long-awaited biography of William F. Buckley Jr., sits down with Margaret Hoover to discuss the original “Firing Line” host’s life and legacy a century after his birth.In “Buckley: The Life and the Revolution That Changed America,” Tanenhaus details Buckley’s childhood, his rise to lead the American conservative movement, and his later years. He explains why he believes Buckley chose him to tell this story and responds to some of the book’s conservative critics.Tanenhaus defends his handling of Buckley’s Catholicism and his evolution on racial issues throughout his life, as well as his assertion that Buckley was more of an arguer than a thinker. He also pushes back against those who question his decision to address suspicions about Buckley’s sexuality in the book.Tanenhaus discusses Buckley’s lasting impact on journalism and politics, including the extent to which he might have laid the groundwork for President Trump’s MAGA movement. After spending nearly three decades writing the book, he also reflects on his own relationship with Buckley.Support for Firing Line with Margaret Hoover is provided by Robert Granieri, The Tepper Foundation, Vanessa and Henry Cornell, The Fairweather Foundation, and Pritzker Military Foundation.