Episodes

  • Trump’s Standoff with Venezuela; Potential for Peace in Ukraine

    Trump’s Standoff with Venezuela; Potential for Peace in Ukraine
    Dec 7 2025
    Today on the show, tensions between the US and Venezuela are reaching a boiling point, as President Donald Trump warned that US strikes on land targets in Venezuela could come "very soon." Fareed speaks with two former top officials on Venezuela: former US ambassador to Venezuela James Story, and former special representative for Venezuela, Elliott Abrams about what’s likely to happen next, and the potential fallout if Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is ousted.Then, US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week about the war in Ukraine for a lengthy five hours session — and in the end, there's still no peace deal. Fareed is joined by Ukrainian journalist Nataliya Gumenyuk for a conversation about what Ukrainians make of the impasse, allegations of corruption in that country, and Witkoff’s relationships with the Russians. Finally, the Trump administration intensified its immigration crackdown after last week’s attack in Washington that left one National Guard member dead and another critically injured. The shooter was an Afghan national who had worked with the CIA and had come to the US in 2021 through a visa program designed to resettle vulnerable Afghans in the wake of the US withdrawal. Fareed talks with The New York Times’ Thomas Gibbons-Neff—a former Kabul bureau chief who had twice deployed to Afghanistan as a US Marine—about the role Afghan allies played in America’s war, and the challenges of resettlement. GUESTS: Elliott Abrams, James Story, Nataliya Gumenyuk (@ngumenyuk), Thomas Gibbons-Neff (@Tmgneff) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    43 mins
  • America’s New Export: The Unchecked Executive

    America’s New Export: The Unchecked Executive
    Nov 30 2025
    Fareed Zakaria and his take on if America’s founders would be stunned by the power of the modern presidency and if the Supreme Court has enabled such powers. Plus, Walter Isaacson, author of “The Greatest Sentence Ever Written”, joins to discuss the Declaration of Independence and ask what is the American dream. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    43 mins
  • The Epstein Scandal and the MAGA Base; What Happens When the A.I. Bubble Bursts?

    The Epstein Scandal and the MAGA Base; What Happens When the A.I. Bubble Bursts?
    Nov 23 2025
    Today on the show, Fareed is joined by Adrienne LaFrance, executive editor at The Atlantic, for a discussion on whether the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could finally rupture MAGA’s unwavering trust in President Donald Trump.Then, what happens to the economy when the A.I. bubble bursts? Fareed asks Ruchir Sharma, chairman of Rockefeller International.Later, Fareed speaks with former Venezuelan trade minister Moíses Naím about President Trump’s standoff with Venezuela, and if it will soon come to a head.Finally, acclaimed author Salman Rushdie sits down with Fareed for a conversation about the brutal attack in 2022 against him — and the attacks on free speech in America. GUESTS: Adrienne LaFrance (@AdrienneLaF), Ruchir Sharma, Moíses Naím (@MoisesNaim), Salman Rushdie (@SalmanRushdie) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    43 mins
  • Bill Maher on the Democratic Party’s Future

    Bill Maher on the Democratic Party’s Future
    Nov 16 2025
    Today on the show, the longest government shutdown in history finally ended this week. Fareed sits down with Bill Maher, comedian and host of HBO’s Real Time, for a wide-ranging conversation about the end of the shutdown, the future of the Democratic Party, whether he would vote for a Republican, and President Trump’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein.Then, the Trump administration did not send a delegation to COP 30, currently underway in Brazil. Fareed speaks with climate expert Jessica Green about the future of the fight against climate change without America’s involvement.Finally, what life lessons can we learn from an elite runner who is also a journalist and businessman? Fareed sits down with Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic and author of a new memoir, "The Running Ground”.GUESTS: Bill Maher (@billmaher); Jessica Green (@greenprofgreen); Nicholas Thompson (@nxthompson) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    43 mins
  • Trump’s Tariffs at the Supreme Court

    Trump’s Tariffs at the Supreme Court
    Nov 9 2025
    Today on the show, Fareed speaks with constitutional scholars Noah Feldman, a professor at Harvard Law School, and John Yoo, a former Justice Department Official in the George W. Bush administration, about the challenge against President Trump’s sweeping tariffs in the Supreme Court this week, and what may happen if the Court rules the tariffs unlawful.Then, New York Times columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin, author of the new book “1929", sits down with Fareed to discuss what preceded the Great Depression—and if we are headed for a similar stock market crash.Finally, CNN anchor Bianna Golodryga and Israeli journalist Yonit Levi join the show for a conversation about their new novel for young readers, “Don’t Feed the Lion” and how to address the rise of antisemitism in the US and around the world.GUESTS: Noah Feldman (@NoahRFeldman); John Yoo; Andrew Ross Sorkin (@andrewrsorkin); Bianna Golodryga (@biannagolodryga); Yonit Levi (@LeviYonit) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    43 mins
  • Exclusive Interview with the Qatari PM; The Changing Trump-Putin Relationship

    Exclusive Interview with the Qatari PM; The Changing Trump-Putin Relationship
    Nov 2 2025
    Today on the show, Fareed speaks with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani in his first TV interview since the ceasefire about how Israel and Gaza can secure a lasting peace, and how his country has become a key mediator in several global conflicts.Then, President Trump has gone from publicly admiring Vladimir Putin to engaging in worrying saber-rattling with the Russian leader over nuclear weapons. Fareed asks the former US ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, author of the new book "Autocrats vs. Democrats", about the changing Trump-Putin relationship and the future of the Ukraine war.Later, as young men in America fall behind in education, work and relationships, Fareed talks to NYU Stern School of Business Professor Scott Galloway about this crisis of masculinity and his new book, “Notes on Being a Man.”Finally, hundreds of civilians were massacred this week in Sudan's Darfur region, a brutal escalation of the ongoing war in that country. Mai Hassan, a political science professor at MIT, sat down with Fareed to discuss how it got to this point. GUESTS: Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani (@MBA_AlThani_); Michael McFaul (@McFaul); Scott Galloway (@profgalloway) ; Mai Hassan (@MaiOHassan) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    43 mins
  • What Mamdani’s Success Reveals About the Democrats

    What Mamdani’s Success Reveals About the Democrats
    Oct 26 2025
    Today on the show, Fareed speaks with Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow at Brookings, and Astead Herndon, editorial director at Vox, about what Zohran Mamdani’s popularity in the New York City mayoral race reveals tells us about the state of the Democratic Party.Then, Karen Hao, author of “Empire of AI”, sits down with Fareed to discuss the race among Silicon Valley's tech elite to build the ultimate AI model—and the unseen consequences of that effort.Finally, Fareed is joined by China expert Dan Wang, author of the new book, "Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future,” for a conversation about whether Beijing is ready for a prolonged trade showdown with the US, and what a potential deal could look like.GUESTS: Elaine Kamarck (@EKamarck), Astead Herndon (@AsteadWH), Karen Hao (@_KarenHao), Dan Wang (@danwwang) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    41 mins
  • Will Hamas Disarm, and What Does Gaza’s Future Governance Look Like?

    Will Hamas Disarm, and What Does Gaza’s Future Governance Look Like?
    Oct 19 2025
    Today on the show, Fareed is joined by counterterrorism expert Matthew Levitt and RAND distinguished Israel policy chair Shira Efron for a discussion on the future of the fragile truce in Gaza, and what post-war governance in the enclave could look like.Then, China expert Alice Han speaks with Fareed about Beijing’s strategy in a new round of tit-for-tats in the US-China trade war.Finally, Fareed talks with retired Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy about his new memoir, “Life, Law & Liberty," and the threats an aggressive executive branch poses to America’s system of checks and balances. GUESTS: Matthew Levitt (@Levitt_Matt), Shira Efron (@ShiraEfron), Alice Han, Anthony Kennedy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    41 mins