Overheard with Evan Smith

Maureen Dowd is a best-selling author and a columnist for The New York Times. In 1999 Dowd won the Pulitzer Prize for her columns on the Monica Lewinsky scandal during the Clinton administration. Her most recent book is The Year of Voting Dangerously: The Derangement of American Politics.

Gloria Steinem is a writer, lecturer, political activist and feminist organizer. She is particularly interested in the shared origins of sex and race caste systems, gender roles and child abuse as roots of violence. She now lives in New York City and has just finished a book detailing her more than thirty years on the road as a feminist organizer.

Kelly McEvers is the host of NPR’s Embedded and co-host of All Things Considered. McEvers won many awards for her work during the Syrian conflict including a Peabody award, Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia award and Gracie award. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Esquire, Slate and The Washington Monthly.

Shawn Colvin is a singer-songwriter based in Austin, Texas. She has won three Grammy awards, including Song of the Year for her hit "Sunny Came Home." Colvin's new album titled Colvin and Earle was released last month. Colvin joined forces with long-time friend and creative partner Steve Earle to create the debut collaborative album. The pair are currently touring across the US.

Jane Harman is a former US Representative for California’s 36th district. After resigning from Congress in 2011, Harman joined the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars as its first female President and CEO. During her nine terms in Congress she served on the Armed Services, Intelligence and Homeland Security committees.

Wendy Davis is a former Democratic State Senator from Fort Worth, Texas. Davis stepped into the national spotlight during her 11-hour filibuster in the summer of 2013. She spoke out in an effort to defeat a controversial abortion bill. In 2014, Davis ran for the Governor of Texas. Davis’ new non-profit organization Deeds Not Words launches this month. The organization is an online network that connects millennial women to resources that help fight gender inequality.

Steve Case is Co‐Founder of AOL and a venture capitalist. As CEO of Revolution he has backed companies like Zipcar, Sweetgreen and Living Social. He’s known as one of America’s most successful entrepreneurs and executives, focused on supporting startups. Case is also a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship and was a member of President Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. He is author of a new book entitled The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur's Vision of the Future.

Colin Jost is co-anchor of SNL’s “Weekend Update,” alongside Michael Che. This is Colin’s third season in the anchor chair. He was previously co-head writer and a staff writer at SNL. Colin has won three Writers Guild Awards, a Peabody Award and has been nominated for multiple Emmy Awards for his SNL writing. He writes occasionally for The New Yorker.

Tom Hayden is an anti-war activist and author. Best known for speaking out against the Vietnam War, Hayden has been an activist for more than 50 years. He served 18 years in the California legislature. Today he is a member of the editorial board and a columnist at The Nation and is Director of the Peace and Justice Resource Center in Culver City, California. He’s written more than 20 books and was once married to Jane Fonda.

Bryan Cranston is a highly acclaimed actor best known for playing Walter White on AMC’s Breaking Bad. He won back-to-back Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for that role. Before winning he’d been nominated for three Emmys and two Golden Globes. Recent film credits include Trumbo, Argo, and the new HBO film All the Way, in which he plays President Lyndon Johnson. Cranston played Johnson in All the Way on Broadway and earned a Tony Award for the role.