Firing Line with Margaret Hoover

Success Academy CEO Eva Moskowitz joins Margaret Hoover to discuss the problems with education in America and her ideas to fix it. Moskowitz, who served as a Democrat in the New York City Council, founded a network of charter schools that has grown to include 20,000 students at 47 schools. She has taken on the teachers unions, a position that puts her at odds with her own party line. She is also an advocate for school choice — which more often is a Republican priority. Moskowitz responds to some of her high-profile critics, including actor Matt Damon, who namechecked her during an 2011 interview in which he criticized the charter school model. She also discusses the challenge of teaching during the pandemic and weighs in on the education reform policies she would like to see from new New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. Support for “Firing Line for Margaret Hoover” is provided by Stephens Inc., Robert Granieri, Charles R. Schwab, The Fairweather Foundation, Asness Family Foundation, Pfizer Inc., Craig Newmark Philanthropies,  The Rosalind P. Walter Foundation, and Damon Button.

Former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi joins Margaret Hoover to discuss the future of the workplace, the care economy and the role companies should play in addressing problems in society. Nooyi, who has written a new memoir My Life in Full: Work, Family, and our Future, talks about her childhood in India, her decision to come to the United States and her rise up the corporate ladder. She describes her personal struggle to juggle work and family and her professional struggle to push the soda-and-snack giant toward more sustainable products, including healthier options and packaging that does less damage to the environment. She joined PepsiCo in 1994 and became the 11th female Fortune 500 CEO when she took the helm in 2006. She says that big corporations need to find a more “judicious balance” between shareholder and stakeholder interests. Support for “Firing Line for Margaret Hoover” is provided by Stephens Inc., Robert Granieri, Charles R. Schwab, The Fairweather Foundation, Asness Family Foundation, Pfizer Inc., Craig Newmark Philanthropies,  The Rosalind P. Walter Foundation, and Damon Button.

CNN anchor, Washington Post columnist and author Fareed Zakaria discusses his latest book, Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World, assessing where the U.S. response has fallen short under both the Trump and Biden administrations and defining what he views as the long-term consequences. Zakaria also analyzes current threats to democracy at home and abroad, including the build-up of Russian troops along the border of Ukraine and what he says would be a “red line” for military intervention. As a young conservative at Yale University, Zakaria invited original Firing Line host William F. Buckley Jr. to campus to debate Sen. George McGovern in 1984 and was later a guest on Buckley’s program. He reflects on their relationship, the state of the current Republican Party and his own political journey toward the left. Zakaria also engages in a spirited back-and-forth with current host Margaret Hoover about the legacy of her great-grandfather, former President Herbert Hoover. Support for “Firing Line for Margaret Hoover” is provided by Stephens Inc., Robert Granieri, Charles R. Schwab, The Fairweather Foundation, Asness Family Foundation, Pfizer Inc., Craig Newmark Philanthropies,  The Rosalind P. Walter Foundation, and Damon Button.

Illinois Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger—an Air Force veteran and one of just two GOP lawmakers on the House select committee investigating the January 6 attack—reflects on the threats to democracy he witnessed that day and the questions the committee is attempting to answer. Kinzinger hid in his office for six hours during the siege with his gun on his desk, fearing that he may be targeted as one of the only Republicans who congratulated President-elect Biden and rejected the false claims of election fraud promoted by President Trump. He says that the committee is interviewing hundreds of sources to connect the dots about what led to the deadly violence a year ago this week, but adds that many questions remain unanswered, including who the president talked to, what members of Congress knew, how foreign governments may have been involved and who funded the attacks. While he criticizes Democrats, it’s his opposition to Trump that has made him an enemy to many in his own party. Kinzinger has decided not to seek re-election after Democratic gerrymandering pit him against a more conservative Republican. He predicts that the GOP will win back the House in 2022, but warns that it will be “chaotic to govern” and could promote the message that “Trumpism works.” Support for “Firing Line for Margaret Hoover” is provided by Stephens Inc., Robert Granieri, Charles R. Schwab, The Fairweather Foundation, Asness Family Foundation, Pfizer Inc., The Rosalind P. Walter Foundation, and Damon Button.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Simon & Schuster publisher Dana Canedy shares a personal story of love, loss and resilience that inspired her best-selling book and now the Denzel Washington-directed film “A Journal for Jordan.” Canedy gave her fiancé, First Sergeant Charles Monroe King, a journal to write to their unborn son before his deployment to Iraq. King was able to meet their son but was killed by an IED when Jordan was just six months old. King wrote hundreds of pages in the journal to their child, which Canedy describes as reflections on the power of prayer, how to choose a wife, and how to live an honorable life. Canedy discusses her hands-on role throughout the movie's filming and says both she and Denzel Washington believe faith is the driving force behind the production. She says Washington told her he was “called by God” to make it. One of the most powerful women in publishing, Canedy stood up to criticism about a Simon & Schuster book deal for Vice President Mike Pence's memoir. Speaking generally about the industry, Canedy says canceling a book should be "last resort." She says it’s important to listen to those we disagree with and that “an echo chamber is one of the most dangerous things that we can tune into.” Support for “Firing Line for Margaret Hoover” is provided by Stephens Inc., Robert Granieri, Charles R. Schwab, The Fairweather Foundation, Asness Family Foundation, Pfizer Inc., The Rosalind P. Walter Foundation, and Damon Button.

Republican Chris Christie discusses his new book about why the GOP needs to renounce conspiracy theories — including Trump's election fraud lies — in order to win again. The former New Jersey Governor, who spent a week in intensive care fighting COVID-19, responds to new reporting that President Trump tested positive the day Christie started prepping him for the presidential debate — and neither Trump nor Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told him. When asked if he now believes Trump infected him, Christie says, “I think it’s undeniable." He also calls Meadows' actions “inexcusable.” When pressed as to why Christie doesn’t include Tucker Carlson’s spreading of misinformation on Fox News in his new book "Republican Rescue," Christie says, “That is not what the book is about.” Hoover pushes back, “Yes, it was about shutting down the conspiracy theorists on our side.” Despite his criticisms of Trump, Christie would not rule out supporting Trump in 2024. But Christie also says he would be willing to run against Trump if he decides to get in the race himself. Support for “Firing Line for Margaret Hoover” is provided by Stephens Inc., Robert Granieri, Charles R. Schwab, The Fairweather Foundation, Asness Family Foundation, Pfizer Inc., The Rosalind P. Walter Foundation, and Damon Button.

Progressive socialist Dr. Cornel West and conservative Christian thinker Dr. Robert George, the “ideological odd couple,” discuss how their disagreements over policy — and their ability to talk about them openly and respectfully — have led to an enduring friendship. Their conversation with Margaret Hoover was originally broadcast on Firing Line in February 2020 and is now available as a podcast in honor of the conversations that happen at the Thanksgiving dinner table. “When you love somebody, you love their qualities,” West says. “The things you have in common that don’t always fall into politics.” One area where George says West has “unsettled” him is “on issues of race.” Before engaging with West, George said he believed society would “be better if we just were colorblind completely in all of our dealings.” West helped him to realize that “the facts of history” can require a different approach. They agree it has become harder to speak freely on college campuses and share a commitment to free speech. “You cannot be a truth-seeker if you're in groupthink,” George says. “Socratic energy is very important,” West says. “No matter what the context is, you have to have an acknowledgment that not only you could be wrong but you can learn something from someone who you have deep disagreements with.” Support for “Firing Line for Margaret Hoover” is provided by Stephens Inc., Robert Granieri, Charles R. Schwab, The Fairweather Foundation, Asness Family Foundation, Pfizer Inc., The Rosalind P. Walter Foundation, and Damon Button.

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." Scott calls for bipartisan support for school choice including charter schools explaining, “the power of education is the power of your future.” Although bipartisan talks for police reform fell apart, Scott remains hopeful Republicans and Democrats can find common ground on the “four or five areas” where they agree. The senator weighs in on the possibility of a Trump 2024 ticket and forecasts a "united Republican Party" heading into the next presidential election cycle. Support for “Firing Line for Margaret Hoover” is provided by Stephens Inc., Robert Granieri, Charles R. Schwab, The Fairweather Foundation, Asness Family Foundation, Pfizer Inc., The Rosalind P. Walter Foundation, and Damon Button.

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 describes how the 2008 Sichuan earthquake made him question himself "as an artist, as an individual” — and merged his art and activism. Ai warns of the rise in authoritarianism across the globe, including in Western democracies, telling Margaret, “You are already in the authoritarian state. You just don't know it.” Support for “Firing Line for Margaret Hoover” is provided by Stephens Inc., Robert Granieri, Charles R. Schwab, The Fairweather Foundation, Asness Family Foundation, Pfizer Inc., The Rosalind P. Walter Foundation, and Damon Button.

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 to define everybody, especially not in this oppressor-oppressed formula," Sullivan says.  Sullivan weighs in on comedian Dave Chappelle's Netflix special, which has sparked criticism for his comments about the transgender community. Sullivan says he was "proud of Netflix” for standing by Chappelle.  A self-described “small-c conservative," Sullivan also reflects on his landmark 1989 New Republic cover story, “The Case for Gay Marriage." He says the evolution of same-sex marriage from "crazy idea" to "reality" gives him ongoing "faith in liberal America" and the power of persuasion.  Support for “Firing Line for Margaret Hoover” is provided by Stephens Inc., Robert Granieri, Charles R. Schwab, The Fairweather Foundation, Asness Family Foundation, Pfizer Inc., The Rosalind P. Walter Foundation, and Damon Button.