Government & Politics

The U.S.'s first Black national security advisor, chairman of the Joint Chiefs and secretary of state died on Oct. 18. Powell spoke to Fresh Air in 1995 about how the army had shaped his life.

Afghan British journalist Najibullah Quraishi has had trouble sleeping for more than two hours a stretch ever since the U.S. withdrew troops from Afghanistan in August and the Taliban came back into power. Quraishi grew up in Afghanistan under Soviet and Taliban rule, and began reporting on the Taliban before the Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaida attacks and the onset of the U.S. Afghan war. He's currently in Kabul reporting for his upcoming PBS Frontline documentary, Taliban Takeover, (airing Oct. 12) which details life in Afghanistan now.

Russia expert Fiona Hill warns that American democracy is under attack — from within.
In November 2019, Hill became one of the key witnesses at then-President Donald Trump's first impeachment hearing, where she condemned the false narrative that it was Ukraine, not Russia, that interfered in the 2016 election, and described the Trump administration's parallel policy channel in Ukraine to get dirt on Joe and Hunter Biden.

Atlantic writer Caitlin Dickerson talks about Haitian immigrants at the border, and explains how both Trump and Biden immigration policies are based on a racist system created by the Founding Fathers.

Activist Tarana Burke is the founder of the #MeToo Movement and has worked with Black and brown girls who are survivors of sexual violence. She originated the phrase and concept Me Too in 2006, as a way for victims to share their stories and connect with others. The Me Too hashtag went viral in 2017, in response to the Harvey Weinstein allegations of sexual assault.

In 1991, attorney Anita Hill testified that Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas had sexually harassed her when he was chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and she worked there as an adviser to him. Thirty years later, Hill's new book, Believing, draws on her own experiences, as well as the stories shared with her by victims of sexual harassments and assault.

Osnos' new book focuses on coal country in West Virginia; hedge fund culture in Greenwich, Conn.; institutional racism in Chicago and why Democrat Joe Manchin holds remarkable sway in the Senate.

Journalist Peter Bergen talks about bin Laden's path to mass murder and reflects on the consequences of the recent U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan. Originally broadcast Aug. 4, 2021.

Ian Millhiser covers the Supreme Court for Vox. He says the Court's decision to uphold the law was a generational victory for abortion opponents: "They've spent many decades working for this moment."

Galloway, who died Aug. 18, was the only civilian to be awarded the medal of valor in the Vietnam War. He later co-authored We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young. Originally broadcast in 1992 and 2003.

Journalist CLARISSA WARD is CNN’s Chief International Correspondent. She recently reported from the streets of Kabul as thousands of people tried to get into the secure part of the airport, fly out of the country, and escape the rule of the Taliban. She flew out of Afghanistan on Saturday with her crew.

Gallagher was court martialed for shooting at civilians from a sniper's post and murdering a defenseless captive in Iraq. New York Times correspondent David Philipps chronicles the case in Alpha.

Afghanistan deserved better, says New Yorker staff writer Steve Coll. "We're a democracy," he says. "We decided to go over there and do this — and look what we've got."

'New York Times' reporter Katie Benner discusses the latest revelations about how former President Donald Trump pressured the Justice Department to undermine the results of the 2020 election.

The retired Army officer who testified about President Trump's call to the president of Ukraine, talks about the experience and the price he paid. Vindman's new memoir is Here, Right Matters.

Journalist JANE MAYER is The New Yorker’s chief Washington Correspondent. Her new article in the magazine is The Big Money Behind the Big Lie and is about the money behind efforts to restrict voting, and challenge Joe Biden’s victory. MAYER is the author of a number of books including Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right.

As the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks approaches, a new biography by journalist Peter Bergen traces Osama bin Laden's path from a shy, religious teenager to the leader of a global jihadist group dedicated to mass murder.

Dr. Leana Wen is in favor of COVID-19 vaccine mandates. "I don't think that people should have the choice to infect others with a potentially fatal and extremely contagious virus," she says.

Atlantic writer Ron Brownstein says Republican-led states are passing voting rights restrictions and other conservative bills as a backlash against Democratic control of Congress and the White House.

Journalist Julie K. Brown's 2018 series for the Miami Herald generated national attention and spurred an investigation that put wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein behind bars on federal charges. He died there, from an apparent suicide. She has a new book.