Firing Line with Margaret Hoover

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Will a blue wave sweep the South? Jennifer Palmieri explains why it might Oct 31, 2026

Show notes

With control of Congress on the line next Tuesday, Jennifer Palmieri–former communications director for the Obama White House–joins Margaret Hoover to break down the state of the midterms and explain why the South is central to Democrats’ chances of victory.

Palmieri is co-host of the new YouTube documentary series “Long Play,” which examines how politics are shifting in the South and what that means for the rest of the country. She reflects on why states like Georgia and North Carolina have become pivotal battlegrounds and why they may be even more important in the years to come.

Palmieri discusses the Texas Senate race, President Trump’s loss of Latino support, and Democratic nominee James Talarico’s appeals to faith. She also comments on the controversy over Democrats recruiting a spoiler candidate in the Alaska Senate race with the same name as the GOP incumbent.

Palmieri expresses confidence that Democrats who win midterm races will ultimately be sworn in, even if Trump tries to challenge them. Looking beyond the midterms, she also assesses the clash between progressives and centrist Democrats and explains how the party’s 2028 primary calendar could give more moderate candidates an edge.

Support for Firing Line with Margaret Hoover is provided by Robert Granieri, Vanessa and Henry Cornell, The Margaret and Daniel Loeb Foundation, The Beth and Ravenel Curry Foundation, Cliff and Laurel Asness, The Meadowlark Foundation, The Philip I Kent Foundation, Anne & Edward Lamont, and Jared Stone.

Ambassador Mike Huckabee says Israeli & U.S. interests are 'identical' Oct 24, 2026

Show notes

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee joins Margaret Hoover from Jerusalem as elections approach in Israel and the United States, with questions mounting over the future of the U.S.–Israel alliance and the possibility of renewed war with Iran.

Huckabee says American support for Israel will endure even if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu loses reelection, despite President Trump's assertion otherwise. Following Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's visit to Israel, Huckabee declines to say whether they discussed reported plans for renewed strikes against Iran.

Huckabee condemns the attack on American journalist Heidi Levine by Israeli settlers and says the Israeli government has assured him that her attackers will be held accountable. He also explains his opposition to a two-state solution and how his evangelical Christian faith shapes his views on Israel and American foreign policy.

Vibing with Adam Grant: How can we forge strong connections in a lonely world? Oct 17, 2026

Show notes

Dr. Adam Grant sits down with Margaret Hoover to discuss the causes and consequences of loneliness, the impact of artificial intelligence on human connection, and the precarious state of modern manhood.

Grant, an organizational psychologist and professor at Wharton, breaks down the science of forming strong relationships, which he explores in his new book, “Vibe.” He explains how group dynamics and the need for belonging play into the Cornell Seven rape case–and why he would ban fraternities “in a heartbeat.”

Grant reflects on conversations with top AI executives, cautions against turning to chatbots for companionship, and calls for stricter regulation of the emerging technology. He also addresses the dangers of putting political parties above principles and proposes reforms that could shake up our unhealthy political culture.

Sen. Thom Tillis on Trump's sycophants—and his biggest regret Oct 10, 2026

Show notes

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) takes on the “sycophants” in the second Trump administration and reflects on his regrets over voting to confirm some of them–particularly Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who he is now working to get out of the Pentagon.

As he prepares to retire from the Senate in January, Tillis has released a new book, “How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents.” He explains why he believes Trump’s legacy and the GOP’s future are inextricably linked, and how that leads him to defend Trump even when the president abandons conservative principles.

Tillis discusses the risk he sees if Trump refuses to accept midterm losses, the corruption investigations a Democratic Congress might launch, and why he thinks Xi Jinping is more powerful than Trump.

Danny Meyer on the secret sauce of hospitality Oct 03, 2026

Show notes

Shake Shack founder Danny Meyer tells Firing Line how a hot dog cart became a global brand—and why some of his biggest failures taught him the most about business.

The restaurateur explains the philosophy behind “enlightened hospitality,” why he puts employees before customers, and what closing his first restaurant taught him about failure. He also reveals why his experiment to eliminate tipping collapsed—and why America’s tipping explosion has gone too far.

Meyer recalls his complicated relationship with Anthony Bourdain, weighs in on Zohran Mamdani’s first year as New York City mayor, influencer culture and AI in restaurants, and reflects on four decades spent endeavoring to make guests feel welcome.

Is American foreign policy for sale? Anne Applebaum on Trump’s ‘empire of grift’ Sep 26, 2026

Show notes

As President Trump addresses the UN General Assembly and hosts Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Anne Applebaum explains how an alliance of ideologues and kleptocrats is reshaping U.S. foreign policy. She assesses prospects for ending the wars in Iran and Ukraine and examines the administration’s approach to Venezuela and Cuba.

Applebaum argues that ideological and corrupt financial interests are transforming America’s role in the world. She suggests that nuclear nonproliferation offers a framework for working with China and other adversaries to curb the dangers of artificial intelligence, argues Trump’s White House ballroom should be torn down after he leaves office, and reflects on whether America can regain the trust of its allies.

‘You don't want to bet against the United States’: Dambisa Moyo on the economy in the age of AI Sep 19, 2026

Show notes

As AI leaders face backlash over doomsday warnings and the Federal Reserve defies Donald Trump on interest rates, economist Dambisa Moyo assesses the risks and opportunities facing the U.S. economy amid soaring debt and conflicting economic indicators.

Moyo, chair of the Economic Club of New York—and a baroness in the British House of Lords—weighs the performance of new Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh, America’s $40 trillion debt, rising bond yields, and threats to the primacy of the U.S. dollar. She also considers America’s race with China’s CCP for AI dominance—and whether global adversaries can cooperate to prevent an AI catastrophe.

Where is the off-ramp? Spencer Cox on defusing America’s crisis of polarization Sep 12, 2026

Show notes

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) talks to Margaret Hoover about his new book Off-Ramp, which explores how alienation and polarization lead to political violence and how Americans can learn to disagree better. One year after Charlie Kirk’s assassination in Utah, he reflects on the dangers of social media and artificial intelligence and touts his state’s efforts to regulate rapidly evolving technologies.

Cox also discusses lessons learned from Utah’s 2015 compromise between LGBTQ advocates and religious leaders, explains why he asked President Biden to pardon Donald Trump, and defends supporting Trump while urging others to choose respect over contempt.

Support for Firing Line with Margaret Hoover is provided by Robert Granieri, Vanessa and Henry Cornell, The Margaret and Daniel Loeb Foundation, The Beth and Ravenel Curry Foundation, The Meadowlark Foundation, The Philip I Kent Foundation, Anne & Edward Lamont, and Jared Stone.

Salman Rushdie’s second act: 'My interest now is to lead the life that is mine to lead' Sep 05, 2026

Show notes

Author Salman Rushdie reflects on the “second act” he nearly didn’t get: surviving the 2022 attempt on his life, reclaiming his life and returning to fiction. He discusses the new documentary "Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie," how the attack changed his writing and his relationship to mortality, and why his creative process has become more improvisational with age.

Rushdie also reflects on Jorge Luis Borges, blindness and finding “another way of seeing”; Iran’s decades-old fatwa against him; Palestinian statehood; and the rise of Hindu nationalism in Narendra Modi’s India. Twenty-five years after 9/11, he considers the persistence of religious extremism, the fight for free speech in America and what he ultimately hopes will define his legacy: not the controversies or attacks, but the books he leaves behind.

Support for Firing Line with Margaret Hoover is provided by Robert Granieri, Vanessa and Henry Cornell, The Margaret and Daniel Loeb Foundation, The Beth and Ravenel Curry Foundation, The Meadowlark Foundation, The Philip I Kent Foundation, Anne & Edward Lamont, and Jared Stone.

Why should anyone trust Marjorie Taylor Greene now? Aug 28, 2026

Show notes

Margaret Hoover sits down with former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, once one of Donald Trump’s fiercest loyalists—and now one of his most outspoken defectors.

Greene resigned from Congress in January after a spectacular and very public break with Trump over the war in Iran and the Epstein files. Now she says Trump “betrayed us all” and “lied” to the country.

But why is she surprised?

Greene reflects on what she failed to see in Trump, why she believes the Republican Party has failed its voters, and whether she and Tucker Carlson are building a new political movement outside the two-party system.

She also faces questions about her own record. After Trump called Greene a “traitor,” she says his words triggered death threats against her son. But Greene herself once accused Nancy Pelosi of treason—a crime punishable by death. Hoover presses her on her apology for participating in “toxic politics,” whether she has done enough to make amends, and why she believes Trump now owes her an apology.

Greene also makes a striking claim about what Trump told her privately about the Epstein files and explains why she believes women are not respected in the Republican Party.

After the conspiracies, the lies and the violent rhetoric she once embraced, Greene is asking the public to see her differently.

Why should anyone trust Marjorie Taylor Greene now?

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