One hundred years after William F. Buckley Jr.’s birth, Margaret Hoover sits down with biographer Sam Tanenhaus to reflect on the original “Firing Line” host’s life and legacy. In his long-awaited book, “Buckley: The Life and the Revolution That Changed America,” Tanenhaus details Buckley’s childhood, his leadership of the American conservative movement, and his later years.

This is an abridged version of a conversation with Tanenhaus that lasted nearly 90 minutes. In it, Tanenhaus defends his handling of Buckley’s Catholicism and his views on racial issues, as well as his contention that Buckley was an arguer, not a thinker. He also comments on 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. 

Support for Firing Line with Margaret Hoover is provided by Robert Granieri, Vanessa and Henry Cornell, The Fairweather Foundation, The Tepper Foundation, Peter and Mary Kalikow, Pritzker Military Foundation, Cliff and Laurel Asness, Katharine J. Rayner, Lindsay and George Billingsley, and Jared Stone.

Conservative Robert George and progressive Cornel West talk to Margaret Hoover about their long-standing friendship that bridges their ideological differences in an interview recorded in 2020.

George–who recently resigned from the board of the Heritage Foundation over its defense of Tucker Carlson’s interview with white nationalist Nick Fuentes–explains what he learned from West about race in America. 

West, who ran for president as an independent candidate in 2024, comments on defending free speech as many fellow progressives favor restrictions and why he believes health care is a human right.

West and George, authors of the recent book “Truth Matters,” delve into their differences on the merits of capitalism and socialism, and they offer advice on how to navigate political divisions at Thanksgiving dinner.

Support for Firing Line with Margaret Hoover is provided by Robert Granieri, Vanessa and Henry Cornell, The Fairweather Foundation, The Tepper Foundation, Peter and Mary Kalikow, Pritzker Military Foundation, Cliff and Laurel Asness, Katharine J. Rayner, Lindsay and George Billingsley, and Jared Stone.

Dave Wiskus, founder and CEO of the streaming service Nebula, sits down with Margaret Hoover to talk about the rise of the creator economy, the decline of traditional media, and what comes next.

Wiskus explains how creator-driven content has become a global industry that could be worth $500 billion by 2027 and how a new generation of creators like Mr. Beast interact with the gatekeepers of traditional media.

He also comments on the challenges of protecting children from harmful content in this new media ecosystem–and the potential dangers of exposing adults to some of it too.

Wiskus discusses the growing role of the creator economy in politics, the concerns that arise from the spread of misinformation, and the emerging risks posed by artificial intelligence.

Support for Firing Line with Margaret Hoover is provided by Robert Granieri, Vanessa and Henry Cornell, The Fairweather Foundation, The Tepper Foundation, Peter and Mary Kalikow, Pritzker Military Foundation, Cliff and Laurel Asness, Katharine J. Rayner, Lindsay and George Billingsley, and Jared Stone.

Filmmakers Ken Burns and Sarah Botstein sit down with Margaret Hoover to discuss their latest project, “The American Revolution,” ahead of its premiere on PBS.

The 12-hour documentary series revisits America’s founding, aiming to tell the complete story rather than the "sanitized" version many have come to know. Burns and Botstein explain why the revolution was also a bloody civil war–and ultimately a world war.

They talk about the impact of leaders like George Washington and lesser-known elements like the roles of women and Native Americans in the war. They also detail how they built the narrative with maps, written records, and commentary from modern historians.

Burns and Botstein respond to President Trump’s efforts to downplay negative aspects of the nation’s history, and Burns–who endorsed Kamala Harris in 2024–comments on maintaining neutrality in his work despite his personal politics.

They also talk about how the founders’ warnings against tyranny and executive overreach remain relevant today.

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.

Financial journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin sits down with Margaret Hoover to talk about his new book, “1929,” and what the lessons of the Great Depression mean for the economy today.

Sorkin, a CNBC anchor and New York Times columnist, discusses the bankers and policymakers at the center of the crash and the recovery, including Presidents Herbert Hoover and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. 

He explains how Democrats worked to undermine Hoover’s reputation even before the crash and how a negative propaganda campaign–and Hoover’s refusal to engage with it–helped a false narrative about his response to the crisis take hold.

Sorkin, who also wrote “Too Big to Fail” about the 2008 financial crisis, reflects on similarities between the two events and what the next economic crash might look like. 

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 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.