In her latest book, We the People, the historian, New Yorker staff writer, and Harvard University professor Jill Lepore turns her attention to the history of the U.S. Constitution. Specifically, she focuses on all the ways our government’s foundational text has changed throughout its nearly 250 year history. Lepore calls Article V, which lays out the Constitution’s amendment mechanism, by far its most “radical innovation.” But she says the Constitution has become unamendable in the modern era — it hasn’t been meaningfully updated in more than a half-century, corroding our politics and government. 

Kara and Jill break down why the Framers included a way to make changes to the Constitution, how we’re still grappling with Article V’s bad compromises, and why the now dominant judicial philosophy of originalism contradicts the Framers’ intent. Lepore also digs into whether the Constitution can withstand PresidentTrump’s constant attacks.

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswishe

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While media pioneer John Malone may not be a household name, he’s had a hand in shaping how all of us watch TV. Malone built Denver-based Tele-Communications Inc. into the largest cable company in the country, and then carved out Liberty Media from TCI. Liberty, along with various spinoff companies, have owned controlling stakes in companies like Discovery, SiriusXM, the Atlanta Braves, and Formula 1. Now, at 84, Malone has a new book out, “Born to Be Wired,” about his career and the fellow media titans he met along the way.  

Kara and Malone talk about how he transformed from the Ivy League-educated engineer to one of the “cable cowboys” who helped bring cable television into the homes of millions of Americans, how he squares his libertarian politics with President Donald Trump’s policies and the MAGA Republican Party, and why he thinks Big Tech needs major regulation. He also expands on some of his recent critiques of CNN and supposed left-wing bias in the media. 

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.

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Happy Labor Day! Today, we’re bringing you a special episode from our friends at Hacks on Tap. This one is hosted by David Axelrod and John Heilemann, and they’re joined by Rahm Emanuel, the former White House chief of staff, mayor of Chicago and ambassador to Japan. 

The trio discusses President Trump’s threats to deploy the National Guard to Chicago, the FBI’s investigation into former National Security Advisor John Bolton, the collapse of the Ukraine peace talks, the high-stakes redistricting battles in Texas and California, and more.

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.

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Joy Reid was an early social media adopter — which didn’t always go over well with her former bosses at MSNBC. But after her primetime show, The ReidOut, was canceled as part of MSNBC’s shakeup, this past February, Reid quickly used social media platforms to successfully pivot to independent media. 

Kara and Reid discuss the evolving landscape of cable news, how her Substack, "Joy's House", and her YouTube channel, "The Joy Reid Show”, allow her to cover topics like the war in Gaza and politics with more freedom, and her insights into the direction of the Democratic party. Plus: Reid’s thoughts on MSNBC’s new name/logo, MSNOW.

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.

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How do artists hold the powerful to account? Graphic novelist Alison Bechdel and editorial cartoonist Ann Telnaes have been grappling with that question for decades, in their own very different ways. 

Bechdel is the creator of the seminal comic strip, “Dykes to Watch out For,” which she self-syndicated for 25 years. She’s also the author and illustrator of four graphic novels, including “Fun Home,” which was adapted into a five-time Tony-winning Broadway musical. She is a professor at Yale, and her latest book is Spent.  

Telnaes is a two-time Pulitzer winner and the winner of the Herb Block Prize for editorial cartooning in 2023. Earlier this year, she made international headlines after resigning from The Washington Post when her cartoon mocking tech billionaires for bending the knee to President Trump, including Post owner Jezz Bezos, was spiked. She now publishes her work on Substack 

Kara, Alison and Ann discuss everything from politics and money in art, to South Park, book bans, drawing Kristi Noem's flowing extensions, art making, and AI drawings. 

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.

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Tariffs are up, but inflation is still holding steady. Job numbers are down, but the stock market is booming. Meanwhile, President Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and he’s pushing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to cut interest rates (he’s also calling for Fed governor Lisa Cook to resign, but that began after our taping).

MSNBC economic analyst Steven Rattner joins Kara to break down the contradictory and confusing economic news of late. Rattner is the chairman and CEO of Willett Advisors, the investment arm for former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s personal and philanthropic assets, and a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times. He and Kara discuss the impact of Trump’s “economic illiteracy” on the business world; why major price hikes haven’t materialized yet and whether Trump’s tariffs could lead to inflation; why there’s such a disconnect between the economy and the stock market; and whether the AI boom’s potential to increase productivity will keep the economy humming during Trump 2.0.

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.

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As federal troops patrol the capital and masked men whisk away immigrants in unmarked cars, it’s reasonable to ask: is President Trump a fascist? According to Jason Stanley, the answer is a resounding yes.

Stanley is a philosopher and the author of seven books, including How Propaganda Works, How Fascism Works, and Erasing History. He’ll be teaching at the University of Toronto this fall, after leaving Yale and the United States for Canada. He describes his self-imposed exile as an expressive act meant to sound an alarm, but Kara is skeptical, and the two of them spar over his choice. They also break down the ways in which Trump is following the fascist playbook — from cultural capture of museums and universities, to data manipulation, and emergency declarations — and the role of the media in normalizing anti-democratic power grabs. Finally they debate whether MAGA can survive without Trump, and whether America can survive MAGA. 

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.

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Are boys and men in crisis? Kara tackles the "male malaise" head-on with Richard Reeves, founding president of the American Institute for Boys and Men and author of "Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male is Struggling, Why it Matters and What to Do About It." 

Kara and Richard explore the challenges they face and their implications for society at large. Those challenges include the political vacuum allowing right-wing voices to dominate the conversation, the loss of male role models in education and care services, and the profound impact of smartphones, social media, and artificial intelligence on male identity. They also explore solutions that will benefit boys and men without  undermining the progress made by women and girls.

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.

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More than 25 years after his tragic death, John F. Kennedy Jr. remains one of the most captivating figures in American public life. He was handsome, charming, and born into political royalty — and when he died in a plane crash in 1999, he was fighting to save George, his glossy political magazine, and weighing a run for New York governor.

Ryan Murphy is producing American Love Story, a new series about John and his wife Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy; some QAnon conspiracy theorists believe JFK Jr. is still alive; and CNN has just released the first episode of a three-part documentary series called American Prince: JFK. Jr. 

So why can’t we look away? Why are John and Carolyn still objects of fascination, speculation, and even conspiracy? What does our continued obsession say about us — and about American political culture?

Kara talks to two close friends of John and Carolyn, Gary Ginsberg and Carole Radziwill, who are featured in American Prince. Together with Kara, they reflect how myth and reality collided in the story of John and Carolyn, what George got right (and wrong) about modern politics, and how the media scrutiny that continues to shape John and Carolyn's legacy.

Ginsberg met John at Brown University, and he was the senior editor and legal counsel at George magazine. He went on to become an assistant counsel to President Clinton and a senior executive at News Corp and Time Warner. He was also a consulting producer on American Prince and the author of First Friends: The Powerful, Unsung (And Unelected) People Who Shaped Our Presidents.

Radziwill is a former journalist. Her work at ABC News won a Peabody and multiple Emmys. She’s also a former cast member of the Real Housewives of New York, and her late husband, Anthony Radziwill, was JFK Jr.’s cousin and best friend. Radziwill is the author of three books, including the bestselling memoir, What Remains, and she recently launched a newsletter on Substack, Life with Carole Radziwill. 

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.

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According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in 2022, more than one in three U.S. adolescents between the ages of 18 and 25 had some form of mental health disorder, including anxiety and depression. There’s also a loneliness epidemic: Teens and adults are more connected than ever, yet, somehow, more alone.

Kara and three panelists  explore how much blame should be placed on technology like smartphones, the impact of social media, whether the adolescent brain is inherently vulnerable, how artificial intelligence might shift the paradigm, and how parents and society at large could mitigate the problem. In this episode:

Lauren Greenfield, artist, documentary photographer and filmmaker, who has been chronicling the lives of American adolescents for decades. Most recently, she created and directed Social Studies, an Emmy-nominated five-part docuseries for FX.

Matt Richtel, a health and science reporter for the New York Times, who has long covered the social impact of the tech industry. His latest book, How We Grow Up: Understanding Adolescence, draws on neuroscience and personal narratives to explore the changing complexities of the teen brain and the role technology plays.

Jack Thorne, playwright and screenwriter, whose recent Emmy-nominated Netflix hit Adolescence, co-created with Stephen Graham, examines the psychological toll of toxic masculinity, bullying and social media radicalization after a teenage boy kills his female classmate.

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.

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