Overheard with Evan Smith: Recent Episodes
Austin PBS and Overheard with Evan Smith
OVERHEARD WITH EVAN SMITH brings you in-depth interviews with today's most fascinating public figures - politicians, authors, artists, actors, journalists, activists, and business people - always with an eye toward the news and always with a sense of humor.
Margaret Brown, the director of HBO"s "Yogurt Shop Murders" discusses how the cold case was finally solved after more than 30 years, and her career making documentaries.
Journalist Pamela Colloff is a reporter at ProPublica and a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine. She discusses her book "Catch the Devil," the criminal justice system and a con man in Florida who weaponized it.
Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) discusses the Trump administration's efforts to demote him, the war in Iran, if political norms will return to the U.S., and his his wife, former Representative Gabby Giffords.
Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of "The Atlantic" and moderator of "Washington Week With The Atlantic" on PBS discusses the the state of U.S. politics, how the publication has grown its subscribers, and how the magazine will remain "by humans, about humans, made by humans and for humans."
Comedian Emil Wakim discusses his career and how he made history as the first Lebanese-American cast member of "Saturday Night Live" during SNL's milestone 50th season.
Political commentator, writer and host of The Bulwark podcast, Tim Miller, talks about the Trump administration, the Iran war, immigration and deportations, and the future of American elections.
Award-winning journalist Jon Ralston has covered American politics for more than 35 years. He discusses the current national political landscape and his biography, The Game Changer, about Nevada political titan and former Speaker of the House, Harry Reid.
James Beard Award-winning author Hetty Lui McKinnon discusses her cookbook "Linger" and how she thinks her recipe's bold flavors make these vegetarian dishes memorable.
KIND Snacks CEO and Shark on "Shark Tank" Daniel Lubetzky discusses his career, the influence of his Holocaust survivor father, and his efforts to build societal bridges on common ground.
Singer-songwriter Neko Case discusses her difficult childhood, how she found music that led to a genre-spanning career, and she talks about her memoir "The Harder I Fight The More I Love You" and her eighth studio album, "Neon Grey Midnight Green."
Legendary singer-songwriter, visual artist, writer and filmmaker, David Byrne, discusses his career as the founding member of the Talking Heads and his album "Who Is The Sky?"
Founding member of Grammy Award-winning rock band Wilco, singer-songwriter Jeff Tweedy talks about his solo triple album "Twilight Override."
Best-selling author Mitch Albom discusses his sports writing career, authoring books including "Tuesdays with Morrie" and "Twice." He also talks about the nonprofit organizations he's started in Detroit and Haiti.
National Book Award-winning author Ibram X. Kendi discusses his storied career, racism in America, and his book "Malcolm Lives!: The Official Biography of Malcolm X for Young Readers."
Former U.S. attorney and MSNBC legal analyst Joyce Vance discusses the changes in federal separation of powers and her book "Giving Up Is Unforgivable: A Manual for Keeping a Democracy."
Former national security advisor John Bolton discusses current politics including Donald Trump, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, China, NATO and border security.
Golden Globe and BAFTA Award-winning film director Richard Linklater discusses current events in his career and his two newest movies, Blue Moon and Nouvelle Vague.
In one of her final television interviews, the world-renowned conservationist and ethologist, Jane Goodall, discusses her legendary career with her groundbreaking studies into the lives of wild chimpanzees. Committed until the end, she recounts her work through the Jane Goodall Institute.
Christopher Cross, a five-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, joins Evan to talk about his long and legendary career, his massive success early in his career, and what the future holds for him.
Dr. Peniel E. Joseph, a lead historian on Black power, discusses the tumult and hope brought on by the civil rights movement, how it relates to the moment America finds itself in right now, and his book, Freedom Season: How 1963 Transformed America’s Civil Rights Revolution.
Pulitzer Prize-winner and co-host of The Weekend on MSNBC Jonathan Capehart shares stories from his life, career, and his hope for continued progress in America.
Jason Isbell, a six-time Grammy Award winning musician, discusses his career spanning his time as a member of Drive-By Truckers, his solo work, and his new album, Foxes in the Snow.
Abby Phillip, anchor of CNN NewsNight, discusses the network’s coverage of President Trump and former President Biden, as well as the evolution of her nightly news show.
Ashley Parker, a three time Pulitzer Prize-winning staff writer at The Atlantic, joins Evan to discuss the magazine’s coverage of the Signal group chat, her approach to covering the Trump administration, and her experience at other news outlets.
Katherine Maher, President and CEO of National Public Radio, joins Evan fresh off her testimony in front of Congress to talk about the hearing, NPR's mission, and the perceived bias in public media.
Lawrence Wright joins Overheard once more to discuss his latest novel, The Human Scale, as well as his knack for timely storytelling, and how he hopes fiction can inspire change.
With outbreaks of measles and bird flu dominating headlines, Dr. Celine Gounder, CBS News Medical Contributor, joins to discuss current public health issues and how Americans can keep themselves informed and protected.
Academy Award nominated director Jason Reitman joins Evan to discuss his latest film, Saturday Night, as well as his growth as a filmmaker and his relationship with his legendary father, Ivan Reitman.
David Axelrod, former chief strategist and senior advisor to President Barack Obama, looks back at the 2024 election, analyzes missteps by the democrats, and discusses the future of the country under Trump's second term.
In a time of government upheaval on the federal level, U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett joins Evan to discuss her efforts to challenge and resist it, and offers ideas on how her party should respond as well.
Peabody-award winning journalist Michele Norris examines how her latest book, "Our Hidden Conversations," provides a window into America's views on race during a tumultuous time.
Former FBI agent Frank Figliuzzi discusses his book, Long Haul: Hunting the Highway Serial Killers, and his career as an investigator at the bureau.
Noah Hawley, creator of the TV series Fargo, joins Overheard to discuss his career in entertainment from novels to movies, and his creative approach to adapting films into series.
Kirk Goldsberry, sports writer and one of the leading experts in basketball analytics, discusses how deep statistical analysis is changing the sport of basketball and how the NBA scouts talent and approaches the game strategically.
Ari Berman, the national voting rights correspondent for Mother Jones, discusses his new book, Minority Rule, which charts antidemocratic efforts throughout the nation, chronicling how a wide range of voter suppression tactics threaten the survival of representative government in America.
Douglas Emhoff, second gentleman of the United States, discusses the presidential election, the issues he sees facing the nation, and the future of America.
Actor and producer Bradley Whitford, from hit shows such as The West Wing and The Handmaid’s Tale, joins the program to chat about his long career in film and television and political activism.
Charlie Sykes, the former editor at large of the Bulwark, joins Evan to discuss the changing political climate across the country, particularly on the conservative side. Sykes provides insight on Trump, the election, and the key issues that will sway voters this election cycle.
Comedian Margaret Cho joins Evan to chat about her comedy origins from a young age in San Francisco and how she keeps the passion for stand-up burning years later.
Judy Woodruff, former PBS NewsHour anchor and special correspondent, talks about her career, media, and her new reporting project “America at a Crossroads” as she explores what is at the heart of the great political divide in America.
Longtime tech journalist, podcaster, and author Kara Swisher joins the program with her insight on the people behind the tech industry and artificial intelligence. Swisher’s latest book, a memoir, is titled Burn Book: A Tech Love Story.
Former U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade discusses the age of disinformation, the negative impacts of social media, and her new book, Attack from Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America.
Amy Ray and Emily Saliers of Indigo Girls reflect on their storied musical careers,the changes they’ve witnessed in the music industry, and their recent resurgence thanks to the Barbie movie.
Paula Kerger, president and CEO of PBS, discusses the impact of public television on communities and the way PBS has addressed issues around media, culture, education and technology.
Bestselling author and award winning biographer Jonathan Eig joins Evan to discuss his book on Martin Luther King, Jr., King: A Life, and the demystification of the man who has been made into a larger than life figure.
Longtime journalist and newspaper editor Martin Baron joins Evan to discuss his storied career in journalism and his first book, Collision of Power: Trump, Bezos, and the Washington Post which covers the 2016 Presidential Election and Jeff Bezos’ purchase of the Post.
Ben McKenzie, star of hit shows like Gotham and Southland, discusses his new book, Easy Money, and the impact cryptocurrency's rising popularity has on everyday people. Ben also reminisces on his career and what got him into acting.
Katie Benner, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and Justice Department reporter for the New York Times, discusses the indictments against former president Donald Trump and the legal fallout of the cases.
CNN anchor Jake Tapper joins Evan Smith to discuss his new book, All the Demons Are Here: A Thriller, and journalism and news media's relationship with truth in the modern age.
In this special episode originally co-produced for 2021 SXSW by SXSW and The Texas Tribune, Evan interviews former President George W. Bush. They discuss current politics, baseball and immigration, the topic of President Bush’s book, “Out of Many, One: Portraits of America’s Immigrants.”
Carol Leonnig is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter who has worked at The Washington Post since 2000. She won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for her work on security failures and misconduct inside the Secret Service. She was part of a Post team that was awarded the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for revealing the U.S. government's secret, broad surveillance of Americans through the disclosures of Edward Snowden. She is a three-time winner of the George Polk Award for investigative reporting. She reports on Donald Trump's presidency and investigates Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Leonnig is also an on-air contributor to NBC News and MSNBC.
Philip Rucker is the White House Bureau Chief for The Washington Post. He previously has covered Congress, the Obama White House, and the 2012 and 2016 presidential campaigns. Rucker also is a Political Analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. He joined The Post in 2005 as a local news reporter.
Leonnig and Rucker authored A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump’s Testing of America which debuted at number one on The New York Times best-seller list. The book tracks the first three years of the Trump presidency relying on intimate, revelatory interviews with first-hand witnesses and including never-before-reported details.
Rick Wilson is a longtime Republican political strategist, writer, speaker and political commentator. He is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Everything Trump Touches Dies. His award-winning column with The Daily Beast is a must-read in the political community. Rick also writes for The Washington Post, Politico, Rolling Stone, the New York Daily News, The Hill, The Bulwark and The Spectator. Rick regularly brings his witty political insights to CNN, MSNBC and NPR. He’s a frequent guest on Real Time with Bill Maher.
A 30-year veteran of politics, Rick got his start in the 1988 presidential campaign of George H. W. Bush, and has since produced advertising and provided strategic counsel to political candidates and organizations across the U.S. and around the world.
His latest book Running Against the Devil: A Plot to Save America from Trump — and Democrats from Themselves was released January 14, 2020.
Senator Bill Bradley served in the U.S. Senate from 1979 – 1997 representing the state of New Jersey. In 2000, he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. Prior to serving in the Senate, he was an Olympic gold medalist in 1964 and a professional basketball player with the New York Knicks from 1967 – 1977 during which time they won two NBA championships. In 1982, he was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Senator Bradley holds a BA degree in American History from Princeton University and an MA degree from Oxford University where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He has authored seven books on American politics, culture and economy, including his latest book We Can All Do Better. Currently, Senator Bradley hosts American Voices, a weekly show on Sirius XM Satellite Radio that highlights the remarkable accomplishments of Americans both famous and unknown. He is also a Managing Director of Allen & Company LLC.
John Cameron Mitchell is a screenwriter, director and actor whose cult rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch won Mitchell Best Director at the Sundance Festival. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Actor for that same film. His recent Broadway production of Hedwig garnered him Tony Awards for his performance and for Best Revival.
Mitchell has directed other films including How to Talk to Girls at Parties starring Nicole Kidman, who was nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award, Shortbus and Rabbit Hole.
He is currently touring The Origin of Love: The Songs & Stories of Hedwig, with one reviewer saying the show is “a love letter to Hedwig fans everywhere ... leaving the theater with a crowd of people filled with such love and joy in their hearts.”
Robyn Hitchcock is one of England’s most enduring contemporary singer-songwriters. A surrealist poet, talented guitarist, cult artist, and musician’s musician, Hitchcock is among alternative rock’s father figures. Since founding the art-rock band The Soft Boys in 1976, Robyn has recorded more than 20 albums and starred in Storefront Hitchcock, a concert film recorded in New York and directed by Jonathan Demme.
Rolling Stone said about Hitchcock’s self-titled 2017 album, “A gifted melodist, Hitchcock nests engaging lyrics in some of the most bracing, rainbow-hued pop this side of Revolver. He wrests inspiration not from ordinary life but from extraordinary imaginings.”
Isabella Rossellini grew up in Paris and Rome. At 19, she moved to New York City to work as a translator and journalist for RAI-Italian Television. She began her modeling career at age 28, and in 1982 began a 14-year run as the exclusive spokesperson for the cosmetic brand Lancome.
Ms. Rossellini, who is the daughter of film legends Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini, made her cinematic debut in 1979. She appeared in films such as Blue Velvet and Death Becomes Her and has worked with legendary directors like Robert Zemeckis, David O. Russell, David Lynch, and Taylor Hackford. At age 66, Ms. Rossellini earned her master’s degree in animal behavior and conservation. She is on tour with her theatrical show, Link Link Circus, which deals with animal behavior and cognition.
John Grisham is the author of thirty-three novels, one work of non-fiction, a collection of stories, and seven novels for young readers. A master of the legal thriller, nine of his novels have been turned into films - The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, A Time to Kill, The Rainmaker, The Chamber, A Painted House, The Runaway Jury, and Skipping Christmas. There are currently more than 300 million John Grisham books in print worldwide, which have been translated into 40 languages. His 2019 novel, The Guardians, has a strong social-justice component that shows how wrongful convictions happen.
When he’s not writing, Grisham devotes time to charitable causes including serving as the local Little League commissioner. The six ballfields he built on his property have played host to more than 350 kids on 26 Little League teams.
Scott Pelley has been a journalist for nearly five decades. He is the most awarded correspondent in the history of 60 Minutes, and he is the former anchor of the CBS Evening News. His work has been recognized with three duPont-Columbia Awards, three Peabody Awards, the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism, and 37 Emmy Awards.
In his memoir, Truth Worth Telling: A Reporter’s Search for Meaning in the Stories of Our Time, Pelley recounts the best and worst of his career - stories from 9/11 as he encounters extraordinary heroism, insight to the military fighting in the Middle East and the families they left behind, and the grieving mothers and fathers of Sandy Hook. He gives behind-the-scenes looks at interviews with world-famous people, from Bruce Springsteen to Donald Trump, and examines both the impulse to serve and the arrogance that can sully a leader’s ethical perspective.
Saeed Jones is the author of Prelude to Bruise, winner of the 2015 PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award for Poetry and the 2015 Stonewall Book Award/Barbara Gittings Literature Award. The poetry collection was also a finalist for the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award, as well as awards from Lambda Literary and the Publishing Triangle in 2015. Jones is a former co-host of BuzzFeed’s morning show, AM to DM, and previously served as BuzzFeed’s LGBT editor and Culture editor. In his debut memoir, How We Fight For Our Lives, Jones tells his story of growing up a young, black, gay man from the South and fighting to carve out a place for himself, within his family, within his country, within his own hopes, desires, and fears. Jones was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and grew up in Lewisville, Texas. He earned a BA at Western Kentucky University and an MFA at Rutgers University-Newark. He lives in Columbus, OH.
Susan Rice began her service in the public sector in 1993. In the Clinton administration, she was a foreign policy analyst on the National Security Council, and assistant secretary of state for African affairs. Under President Barack Obama, she served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and national security advisor. She is currently a distinguished visiting research fellow at the School of International Service at American University, a non-resident senior fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times.
Rice received a master’s degree and a doctorate in international relations from Oxford University where she was a Rhodes Scholar and her bachelor’s degree from Stanford University. She released a memoir, “Tough Love,” in 2019 that provides an insider’s look at the White House, foreign affairs, and balancing work with motherhood.
Aarón Sánchez is an award-winning chef, TV personality, cookbook author and philanthropist. He is the chef/owner of Mexican restaurant Johnny Sánchez in New Orleans, and a judge on FOX’s culinary competition series MasterChef. He co-starred on Food Network’s Chopped and Chopped Junior. A third-generation cookbook author, Sánchez has written three books. His latest is a memoir, Where I Come From: Life Lessons from a Latino Chef. An active philanthropist, Sánchez launched the Aarón Sánchez Scholarship Fund, an initiative empowering aspiring chefs from the Latin community to follow their dreams and attend culinary school. One of the world’s most distinguished Latin chefs, Sánchez is also passionate about preserving his family’s legacy through food and encouraging diversity in the kitchen.
Jeff Tweedy is the Grammy Award-winning founding member and leader of the rock band Wilco. He is one of contemporary American music’s most accomplished songwriters, musicians and performers. Rolling Stone magazine cited Wilco’s 2002 album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot as the third best album of the decade. Since founding Wilco in 1994, Tweedy has toured solo, produced three albums for iconic soul and gospel singer Mavis Staples, and written a memoir, Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back).
Tweedy says Wilco’s latest album, Ode to Joy, is “audacious and sincere.” By focusing on a unique rhythm track and a minimalist instrumental accompaniment, typically acoustic guitar, and pairing that with observant lyrics at once hopeful, morbid, tolerant, and abstract, the band’s vision was achieved.
Tim O’Brien’s acclaimed novels include "The Things They Carried" (an NEA Big Read, which the New York Times said belongs on “the shortlist of essential fiction about Vietnam”), "If I Die in a Combat Zone," "In the Lake of the Woods," and "Going After Cacciato" (which won the 1979 National Book Award in fiction), among others. In 2013 he was awarded the Pritzker Military Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing. O’Brien was interviewed for Ken Burns’ 2017 documentary series, "The Vietnam War." Most recently he was a co-writer on the Vietnam episodes of the NBC series "This Is Us." His latest book is “Dad’s Maybe Book," where he shares wisdom from a life in letters, lessons learned in wartime, and the challenges, humor, and rewards of raising two sons.
Houston native Tilman Fertitta is an accomplished businessman and self-made billionaire who is often referred to as “the world’s richest restaurateur.” He is the sole owner of Fertitta Entertainment which owns the restaurant giant Landry’s, five Golden Nugget Casinos and Hotels, and the NBA’s Houston Rockets. Fertitta is one of the largest employers in the nation, with more than 60,000 employees. He also is the star of his own reality TV show on CNBC, Billion Dollar Buyer. In his no-holds-barred book, Shut Up and Listen! Fertitta shares advice and strategies to build a successful business.
Bari Weiss is a writer and editor for The New York Times opinion section. Before joining the Times, Bari was an Op-Ed editor at the Wall Street Journal and an associate book review editor there. For two years, she was a senior editor at Tablet, the online magazine of Jewish news, politics, and culture, where she edited the site's political and news coverage. Bari regularly appears on shows like Morning Joe, The View and Bill Maher. Bari is also the winner of the Reason Foundation’s 2018 Bastiat Prize, which annually honors writing that “best demonstrates the importance of freedom with originality, wit, and eloquence.” Her first book is called "How to Fight Anti-Semitism."
Stacey Abrams is a New York Times bestselling author, serial entrepreneur, nonprofit CEO and political leader. After serving for eleven years in the Georgia House of Representatives, and seven as Minority Leader, Abrams became the 2018 Democratic nominee for Governor of Georgia. She won more votes than any other Democrat in the state’s history and was the first black woman to become the gubernatorial nominee for a major party in the United States. After the 2018 election, Abrams launched Fair Fight to promote fair elections across the country, encourage voter participation and educate voters about elections and their voting rights.
Abrams is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the 2012 recipient of the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award and a current member of the Board of Directors for the Center for American Progress. She has also written eight romantic suspense novels under the pen name Salena Montgomery, in addition to Lead from the Outside, a guidebook on making real change.
Jeff Flake served six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and was then elected to the United States Senate where he served for six years. Working across the aisle, Senator Flake was the lead House Republican in a successful effort to prohibit spending earmarks, and the lead Senate Republican to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba. Flake did not seek re-election in 2018 and became a contributor to CBS News. He will be a Resident Fellow at Harvard University during the fall semester of 2019.
Keb’ Mo’ has cultivated a reputation as a modern master of American roots music in the 25 years since the release of his debut album. After 14 albums, he is a musical force that defies typical genre labels. He has co-written with The Dixie Chicks and collaborated with the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Natalie Cole, and Lyle Lovett. His guitar playing inspired two instrument makers to name guitar models in his honor. Mo’s most recent album, Oklahoma, addresses topics such as immigration, depression, pollution, love, female empowerment, and features cameos including Taj Mahal and Roseanne Cash.
Major League pitching legend Roger Clemens got his start at Houston’s Spring Woods High School. He then attended San Jacinto Jr. College and went on to have a successful career as a University of Texas Longhorn. Clemens was the winning pitcher in the final game of the 1983 College World Series.
Roger was drafted by the Boston Red Sox and one year later named Rookie of the Year. Clemens is a seven-time Cy Young Award winner and a twelve-time MLB All Star. He earned 354 wins, 4,672 strike-outs and two World Championship rings during his MLB career with the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and Houston Astros.
Roger and his wife, Debbie, make their home in Houston. In 1992, the couple established the Roger Clemens Foundation which helps and supports children’s charities from all walks of life.
Terrence McNally is an award-winning playwright and LGBT(Q) activist whose remarkably far-ranging career has spanned six decades. He has won four Tony Awards for his plays Love! Valour! Compassion! and Master Class and his musical books for Kiss of the Spider Woman and Ragtime. He is the writer of the book for the musical Anastasia. He was recognized with a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre at the 2019 Tony Awards and wass the 2019 recipient of the Broadway League’s Distinguished Lifetime Service Award.
Presiding Bishop Curry graduated with high honors from Hobart College in Geneva, NY, and received a Master of Divinity degree from Yale University Divinity School. Throughout his ministry, he has been active in issues of social justice, reconciliation, speaking out on immigration policy and marriage equality.
Presiding Bishop Curry maintains a national preaching and teaching ministry, having been featured on The Protestant Hour and as a frequent speaker at churches, cathedrals, and conferences around the country and internationally. He delivered a widely praised sermon at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. In 2018, Religion News Association named Presiding Bishop Curry religion newsmaker of the year.
Singer-songwriter and Grammy winner Ani DiFranco has been known as the “Little Folksinger” but her music has embraced punk, funk, hip hop, jazz, soul, electronica, and even more distant sounds. Rejecting the major label system, she became one of the first artists to create her own record label, Righteous Babe Records, in 1990. Her collaborators have included everyone from Utah Phillips to legendary R&B saxophonist Maceo Parker to Prince. She has shared stages with Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Seeger, Kris Kristofferson, Greg Brown, Billy Bragg, Michael Franti, Chuck D., and many more. Her most recent album Binary was released in June 2017 and her memoir No Walls and the Recurring Dream was released on May 7, 2019 by Viking Books.
Anna Palmer is a senior Washington correspondent for Politico. She covers Congress, politics and the business of Washington. Jake Sherman is a senior writer for Politico. He covers the House Republican majority. Together, Palmer and Sherman co-authored The Hill to Die On, an insider’s look at divided American politics and the Capitol Hill players battling for power.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has served as the junior U.S. senator from New York since 2009. A magna cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College in 1988, Gillibrand went on to receive her law degree from the UCLA School of Law in 1991 and served as a law clerk on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. After working as an attorney in New York City for more than a decade, Senator Gillibrand served as Special Counsel to United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Andrew Cuomo during the Clinton Administration. She then worked as an attorney in Upstate New York before serving as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2009.
Ed Zwick is an award-winning film and television director and producer. He co-created the television series thirtysomething and produced My So-Called Life, Once and Again, and Nashville. Zwick directed the Academy Award-winning films Glory and Legends of the Fall. Zwick received an Academy Award as a producer of Shakespeare in Love. His 2019 film, Trial by Fire, starring Laura Dern, is the true-life Texas story of a mother of two who fights for the freedom of a death row inmate.
Jose Antonio Vargas is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Emmy-nominated filmmaker, and a leading voice for the human rights of immigrants. He is the founder of Define American, the nation’s leading non-profit media and culture organization that fights injustice and anti-immigrant hate through the power of storytelling. His memoir, Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen, was published by HarperCollins in fall 2018.
Susan Page is the Washington Bureau Chief of USA Today, where she writes about politics and the White House. Susan has covered six White House administrations and ten presidential elections. She has interviewed the past nine presidents from Richard Nixon through Donald Trump—and reported from six continents and dozens of foreign countries. She has appeared as an analyst on PBS NewsHour, CBS’ Face the Nation, Fox News Sunday, NBC’s Meet the Press, ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos, CNN’s State of the Union, CBS This Morning, and other TV and radio programs. Page’s latest book, The Matriarch, is a vivid, immersive biography of former First Lady Barbara Bush, one of the most storied women in American political history.
Douglas Brinkley is a highly regarded and best-selling author, CNN Presidential Historian, the Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities and Professor of History at Rice University, and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. His most recent book, “American Moonshot,” is a chronicle of the turbulent 1960s and JFK’s audacious plan to put a man on the moon.
Roger McNamee has been a Silicon Valley investor for 35 years. He co-founded successful funds in venture, crossover and private equity. His most recent fund, Elevation, included U2’s Bono as a co-founder. He holds a B.A. from Yale University and an M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Roger plays bass and guitar in the bands Moonalice and Doobie Decibel System. He is the author of Zucked: Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe, as well as The New Normal and The Moonalice Legend: Posters and Words, Volumes 1-9. He has served as a technical advisor for seasons two through five of HBO’s Silicon Valley series, and was also responsible for raising the money that created the Wikimedia Foundation.
Timothy Shriver is the Chairman of the Board of Directors for Special Olympics International, the organization founded by his mother, Eunice Shriver. He serves with over 5.6 million Special Olympics athletes in 172 countries, all working to promote health, education, and a more unified world through the joy of sports. Before joining Special Olympics in 1996, Shriver was and remains a leading educator focusing on the social and emotional factors in learning. He co-founded and currently chairs the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), the leading school reform organization in the field of social and emotional learning. He is Co-Chair of the National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development, President of the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation, member of the Board of Directors for the WPP Group, LLC, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and is a co-founder of Lovin’ Scoopful Ice Cream Company.
Alejandro Escovedo is a Mexican-American rock musician with Texas roots. His decades-long career includes performing in the punk rock group The Nuns, and alternative country bands Rank and File and The True Believers. He has collaborated with Bruce Springsteen, John Cale, Los Lobos, Peter Buck & Scott McCaughey, Los Texmaniacs, and Chuck Prophet. No Depression magazine declared him the Artist of the Decade. His latest album, The Crossing, tells the tale of two boys, one from Mexico, one from Italy, who meet in Texas to chase their American rock and roll dreams.
Robert Rodriguez has been a celebrated and innovative filmmaker for more than 25 years. The San Antonio native has directed films such as El Mariachi, From Dusk ‘Til Dawn, the Spy Kids and Sin City franchises, and the upcoming Alita: Battle Angel, a partnership with producer James Cameron. In 2013, Rodriguez ventured into television and launched his own cable TV channel, El Rey. He co-founded Troublemaker Studios, an Austin-based film production company, and leads the band Chingon with members of Del Castillo.
Bob Mould is an American indie rock musician, part of the influential 1980s punk band Hüsker Dü and the 1990s band Sugar. Hüsker Dü was one of the first underground bands to sign with a major record label and their eight albums inspired a generation of musicians. Mould's autobiography, See a Little Light: The Trail of Rage and Melody, chronicles his story from a small town in New York to his later successes. His 2019 album is titled Sunshine Rock.
Tommy Orange is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma and is a recent graduate from the MFA program at the Institute of American Indian Arts. He is a 2014 MacDowell Fellow and 2016 Writing by Writers Fellow. His first novel "There There" is being hailed by The New York Times as “an energetic revelation of a corner of American life.” Orange was born and raised in Oakland, California, and currently lives in Angels Camp, California.
Brooklyn Decker broke into the public consciousness as a model gracing the pages of Vogue, Elle, GQ, Glamour, Esquire, and Cosmopolitan. But she cemented her place in pop culture history by appearing on the cover of the popular Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Decker successfully made the transition from being one of the biggest names in modeling to become a Hollywood actress. She currently appears in the popular Netflix comedy “Grace and Frankie” with Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston. Decker is married to tennis great Andy Roddick and together they have two children.
Michael Beschloss is a historian and author of ten books on presidential history including The New York Times bestsellers Presidential Courage and The Conquerors, as well as two volumes on Lyndon Johnson’s White House tapes. His latest book Presidents of War chronicles the difficult decisions made by presidents from James Madison during the War of 1812 to present. Beschloss was also editor of the bestseller Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy. He is the NBC News Presidential Historian, a PBS NewsHour contributor and has received an Emmy and six honorary degrees. Beschloss lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife and two sons.
Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston where she holds the Huffington Endowed Chair. She has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy. She is the author of five books including her 2018 publication, Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. Her TEDx Houston talk on the power of vulnerability has garnered more than 36 million views. Brené and her husband, Steve, live in Houston and have two children.
Jason Reitman is an Academy Award-nominated filmmaker. Reitman made his feature film debut with the 2006 Sundance hit Thank You For Smoking. He earned Academy Award nominations for directing Juno and Up In The Air, the latter of which earned Reitman a Golden Globe Award, WGA Award and BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay. His other films include Young Adult, Labor Day, Men, Women and Children, and Tully, his third collaboration with Diablo Cody and second with Charlize Theron. Reitman has produced three seasons of the Hulu comedy series Casual through his Right of Way Films. He also executive produced the Academy Award-winning film Whiplash and the Jean-Marc Vallee directed Demolition. Reitman’s 2018 film is The Front Runner, which he co-wrote and directed.
Sandra Cisneros is a poet, short story writer, novelist and essayist whose work explores the lives of the working class. Her novel The House on Mango Street has sold over six million copies, been translated into more than twenty languages and is required reading from elementary through college across the nation. Her numerous awards include NEA fellowships in both poetry and fiction, a MacArthur Fellowship, several honorary doctorates and book awards nationally and internationally, the PEN Center USA Literary Award and the National Medal of Arts, awarded to her by President Obama in 2016. She is dual citizen of the United States and Mexico.
Mary Chapin Carpenter is a five-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter. Her latest album, Sometimes Just The Sky, celebrates her acclaimed 30-year recording career, and features reimagined versions of one song from each of Carpenter’s twelve albums, plus one newly penned track. Over the course of her career, she has sold 14 million records, won two Country Music Association Awards, two Academy of Country Music Awards and is one of only 15 female members of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Anne Lamott writes and speaks about subjects that begin with capital letters: Alcoholism, Motherhood, Jesus. But armed with self-effacing humor – she is laugh-out-loud funny – and ruthlessly honest. Her new book is Almost Everything: Notes on Hope. Lamott is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Hallelujah Anyway; Small Victories; Stitches; Help, Thanks, Wow; Some Assembly Required; Grace (Eventually); Plan B; Bird by Bird; and Traveling Mercies, as well as several novels, including Imperfect Birds and Rosie. A past recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and an inductee to the California Hall of Fame, Lamott lives in Northern California.
Lawrence O’Donnell hosts “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” on MSNBC. His background in politics, entertainment and news, leads to lively discussions as he addresses the biggest issues and most compelling stories of the day. Among other political positions, O’Donnell served as Senior Advisor to Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan from 1989 through 1992. He is an Emmy Award-winning executive producer and writer for the NBC series “The West Wing,” and creator and executive producer of the NBC series, “Mister Sterling.” Born in Boston, O’Donnell is a graduate of Harvard College.
Andrew Bujalski's first feature film, Funny Ha Ha, was called one of the most influential films of the '00s by New York Times critic A.O. Scott. He has also written and directed the films Mutual Appreciation, Beeswax, Computer Chess, and Results, which have played festivals worldwide including Sundance, Berlin, and the 2014 Whitney Biennial. The Boston Globe describes him as "unerringly polite and somewhat disheveled." His latest film, Support the Girls, premiered at the 2018 SXSW Film Festival.
John Kerry has served most of his adult life in public service - as Navy lieutenant in combat in Vietnam, a prosecutor, lieutenant governor, Democratic nominee for president of the United States, five-term senator, and U.S. Secretary of State. He has been witness to and participant in some of the most important events of our recent history. His latest book, “Every Day Is Extra,” is a revealing memoir where he acknowledges faults, mistakes, and lessons learned the hard way.
Michael Avenatti is an attorney and entrepreneur who routinely appears on broadcast and print media as a commentator on a range of legal issues. He has represented parties in a number of lawsuits that have gained international media attention, including cases brought against Donald Trump, the National Football League, various celebrity defendants, high-ranking business executives and Fortune 100 companies. He is also a professional race car driver, having participated in races across the United States and Europe.
Sean Spicer is the former White House Press Secretary in the Trump administration. He is the founder and President of RigWil LLC, a strategic consulting firm that provides insights to C-suite corporate and association executives. His book The Briefing: Politics, the Press, and the President was released in July of 2018. A husband and father of two, Spicer resides in Virginia.
Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson is the coolest astrophysicist in the universe and a nerd rockstar. He is the director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of National History and the host of the new documentary series Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey.