On with Kara Swisher

With less than a week to go until Election Day, Elon Musk is once again at the center of American politics. The world's richest man has poured nearly half a billion dollars into the midterms to stave off Democratic gains. Meanwhile, Republican and Democratic lawmakers have called for an investigation following revelations that Musk restricted Ukraine’s access to Starlink. And last week, Musk threatened Kara with jail time on X after she said he could face investigations if Democrats return to power. 

Kara brings together a panel of experts to unpack the business int...

Welcome back to another episode of High Stakes, a limited series from Kara Swisher and co-host Hillary Clinton. It’s the last week before the midterms. Kara and Hillary hone in on the nation’s tightest deadlocks and most consequential House, Senate, and gubernatorial races. The Secretary touches on what it feels like to experience the pre-midterm week from the other side of the ballot. The two discuss final hail-marys in the mis- and disinformation space leading up to the vote…and remember Pizzagate. 

Remember: vote! Also: Happy birthday, Ma’am. 

Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxm...

After nearly 30 years building Netflix – from its humble beginnings as a DVD-by-mail outfit to a streaming service powerhouse – co-founder and former chairman Reed Hastings fully walked away from the company when he stepped down from the board of directors this past June. His departure came at a tumultuous time in Hollywood and at Netflix itself. On top of the fallout from its failed bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix has also been struggling with stagnating engagement and slowing revenue growth, prompting a big C-Suite shakeup and a mass layoff earlier this month.

Speaking at t...

With just under two weeks until the midterms, Democrats have reason for cautious optimism. Analysts at the Cook Political Report project the party could flip the House. The Senate, meanwhile, has swung from Republican confidence earlier this year to a jump ball, and the Democratic party is also poised to regain a majority of governorships for the first time since 2010. But voters have been burned by polls before.

Kara sits down with a panel of experts to talk about whether a “blue wave” is coming, or if a lack of enthusiasm from GOP voters will...

Welcome back to High Stakes, a limited series from Kara Swisher and cohost Hillary Clinton. Ten years after Hillary called Trump Putin’s “puppet” on the debate stage, the label is back, and so is the fight over Russia. 

Corruption is now one of voters’ top concerns. If Dems take the midterms, Kara and the Secretary break down what a Democratic Congress should investigate first. Plus: Hillary looks back on her time as a young lawyer during the Nixon impeachment inquiry, and the two weigh in on Trump’s push to rename New Mexico. Everything you need to prep for...

For literary fiction fans, 2026 has been a banner year, with new novels from award-winning American authors Barbara Kingsolver (“Partitia”), Min Jin Lee (“American Hagwon”), and Ann Patchett (“Whistler”). But amid shortening attention spans and fears that the ‘end of reading’ is fast approaching, what role do novels still play in modern life, and what does it take to find success as a writer today?

Kara speaks with Barbara, Min and Ann about the unifying themes across their latest  novels, how they’ve adapted to changes in the publishing industry over the last few decades, and how they contin...

Keri Russell never dreamed of becoming an actor. But she’s built an impressive career playing nuanced and complex women in critically acclaimed series like “Felicity,” “The Americans” and most recently “The Diplomat,” which has earned her three Emmy nominations in as many years.

Kara sits down with Keri to discuss the new season of the hit Netflix series, created by “The West Wing” and “Homeland” veteran Debora Cahn. They talk about bringing Ambassador Kate Wyler to life, working alongside greats like Allison Janney and Rufus Sewell, and what it means to play a skilled, serious, yet...

The midterms are approaching, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Welcome to High Stakes, a limited series from Kara Swisher and the former Secretary of State herself: Hillary Clinton. For the next six weeks, the two are here to break down this year’s most consequential races, highlight the biggest issues on the ballot, and prepare you for the midterms elections… and what comes next.

First up, it’s the affordability episode. From Elon Musk’s massive political spending to rising costs for gas, groceries, and health care, Kara and Hillary weigh in on whether...

Sixteen years after “The Social Network,” Aaron Sorkin is back with “The Social Reckoning,” a new film he wrote and directed. It focuses on whistleblower Frances Haugen, a data scientist and former Facebook product manager who leaked troves of damning internal documents to Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz, leading to a 17-part investigation in the fall of 2021. 

Kara sits down with Sorkin and lead actor Jeremy Strong, who plays Mark Zuckerberg. Sorkin talks about what made him return to Facebook and why the January 6th insurrection is pivotal to the story. And Strong explains...

In his new documentary, "Musk," filmmaker Alex Gibney set out to answer two big questions about the world’s first trillionaire: How has Elon Musk assumed so much power, and why have we given it to him so willingly? Over nearly four hours, the film connects the dots between Musk’s various ventures — SpaceX, Tesla, Starlink, X, xAI, and Neurolink — to tell a bigger story of the unique threat he poses to democracy. The film also includes revealing interviews from people who know Musk personally, including his first wife, the writer Justine Musk, who hasn’t spoken publicly in years.

Ari Emanuel built a name for himself in Hollywood as a firebrand agent filled with rage. In his new memoir, “Roll the Calls,” he reflects on how that rage shaped his career and argues it helped him transform the entertainment industry. He’s now the executive chair and CEO of TKO and executive chairman of the WME Group.

In a live conversation hosted by Live Talks Los Angeles, Kara and Ari talk about the ways growing up in the shadow of two talented older brothers shaped his perception of himself, and why Kara believes the bo...

Kara sits down with Bravo network icon Andy Cohen, the host and executive producer of Watch What Happens Live and executive producer of the Real Housewives franchise. He takes Kara on a tour of the business behind the reality TV juggernaut and why he sees himself as less of a “Bravolebrity” and more of a producer and a broadcaster. They also get into Andy’s longtime friendship with Anderson Cooper, how fatherhood has changed him and why he remains outspoken even when his opinions are controversial. 

Plus: Kara and Andy talk about his soon to be r...

As a longtime partner and former chairman of the legendary Silicon Valley venture capital firm Sequoia, Sir Michael Moritz had a direct hand in building the modern internet. His early investments in companies like PayPal, Google, and YouTube earned him a reputation as a kingmaker in tech and made him a billionaire a few times over. 

But after retiring in 2023, Moritz leaned on his early background as a journalist to investigate his own family’s story for his latest book, “Auslander.” He retraces his parents’ escape from Nazi Germany as children during the lead up to Wor...

Our relationship with the digital world is more intimate than ever before – and in her new book, Artificial Intimacy: Who We Become When We Talk to Machines, pioneering tech researcher Sherry Turkle explores the rise of AI companions and what they’re doing to our relationships and identities.

Kara and Sherry talk about how chatbots aren’t just competing for our time – they’re designed to become objects of emotional attachment. They also discuss the risky appeal of friction-free relationships, the importance of boredom and vulnerability to development, and what we lose when we outsource...

Are the people building AI going to kill us all? That's the question sparking debate across the country right now. While fears of an AI doomsday aren’t new, they broke into the mainstream this month after Jacob Coxon, a 27-year-old British researcher, publicly quit his job at Anthropic and accused the leading AI developers of gambling with our lives.

Kara convened a panel of experts to help break down the latest:

New York State Assemblyman Alex Bores is a computer engineer by training. His unsuccessful bid for a co...

Jessica Tarlov says she has “the coolest job in media for a liberal.” As a Democratic co-host of The Five on Fox News, she knows how to navigate contentious political conversations and make clear arguments based on data and research. Now, she's written a book called I Disagree: Winning Arguments Without Losing Friends.

Kara and Jessica talk about her unique approach to finding common ground with others during an intensely polarized time, and why it's worth doing so. They also discuss polling and strategy ahead of the midterms. 

Plus, what...

Flock Safety, the company that makes the automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras used by over 7,000 U.S. law enforcement agencies, is facing a public backlash against surveillance tech. Nearly half of Americans surveyed in an August poll said they opposed ALPRs. The opposition is part of a long-simmering mistrust of big tech and concerns over privacy and data security. 

Kara speaks with a panel of experts about how the backlash to Flock and street surveillance cameras squares with the boom in wearable tech and AI-powered smart devices. Plus, they discuss – and question – the usual...

As ballots start to hit mailboxes ahead of the November midterms, Democrats are finally feeling some long-awaited electoral optimism. But to build a coalition that can defeat MAGA politics for good, the party will have to win back voters it's lost. In her new book, “How to Eat An Elephant,” Sarah Longwell, founder and publisher of The Bulwark, gives readers a blueprint to do just that.

In a live conversation recorded at Sixth & I in downtown Washington, D.C., Kara and Sarah talk about the hundreds of voter focus groups Sarah’s conducted since Presid...

Ripple CEO Chris Larsen once told Kara he’d rather vomit blood out of his eyeballs than run for public office. But that doesn’t mean he won’t use his wealth to influence politics or install a Flock surveillance system that helps the San Francisco Police Department. The latter has some civil liberties advocates crying foul.

Kara presses Larsen on everything from surveillance, the AI arms race, cryptocurrency regulations, California's billionaire tax ballot measure, and the midterms. This conversation was recorded live at San Francisco’s Pier 27 as part of the Odoo Experience.

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Ahead of the midterms and what’s shaping up to be an intense political season, Kara speaks with the Democratic mayors of three cities dealing with some of the biggest issues facing the nation including affordability, housing, gerrymandering and immigration. 

Mike Johnston is the first-term Mayor of Denver, Colorado. A former teacher, school principal and Colorado state senator, Mike is also a vice president of the Democratic Mayors Association.

Quinton Lucas is the Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, currently in his second term. He’s also the youngest person elect...

In his new book, “Money To Burn,” author and Puck journalist William Cohan traces the rise and fall of one of Wall Street’s most towering modern figures: billionaire Leon Black. His private equity and investment firm, Apollo, changed Wall Street, making Black enormously rich. He reached the highest rungs of New York society, but his ties to convicted sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein ultimately took him down.

Kara and Bill talk about how Black and Apollo ushered in a "new Wall Street" and the nature of Black's relationship with Epstein, which continued for almost a deca...

Across the country, people continue to grieve Dolly Parton, the late country music icon who spent more than 60 years making us cry, laugh and fall in love. But in a country as fragmented and divided as the U.S., how did Dolly Parton become our "unproblematic fave”?

In this bonus episode of On With Kara Swisher, Kara breaks down the legendary artist many call Saint Dolly with three Dolly experts.

Tressie McMillan Cottom⁠ is a professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, a culture crit...

Today we’re bringing you an episode of a new podcast called “Why Are You Like This? with Megan Rapinoe” from A Touch More and the Vox Media Podcast Network. 

Live from WNBA All Star Weekend, host Megan Rapinoe sits down with five-time All-Star coach Cheryl Reeve, the winningest coach in WNBA history. 

Cheryl Reeve has been head coach of the Minnesota Lynx since 2010. In addition to leading the team to four WNBA world championships, Reeve supported the Lynx’s 2016 protest against police brutality and continues to advocate for social jus...

Ina Garten has built a culinary empire by way of simple, delicious recipes for the home cook. After two decades on The Food Network and more than a dozen cookbooks, she’s launching a new podcast with the Vox Media Podcast Network next month, called “Happy Hour With Ina Garten.” It’s her latest professional pivot in a career that’s been full of them.

Ina and Kara talk about Ina’s plans for her new show, making the leap from traditional platforms to independent media, and what she'll get to do on podcasts that she cou...

There's a lot going on across the tech, media and legal landscape, from the potential $111 billion Paramount-Warner Bros. merger, to landmark social media addiction rulings and a series of even bigger upcoming trials. 

Eriq Gardner is a founding partner and national correspondent at Puck who mostly writes about legal affairs. He joins Kara to unpack some of the biggest stories on his beat, including the latest on California Attorney General Rob Bonta's 12-state antitrust lawsuit against Paramount, the politics behind the deal and whether a settlement is imminent. 

Kara an...

While the Greek and Roman philosophy of Stoicism has been around for millennia, author and media strategist Ryan Holiday is bringing its teachings to a modern audience by way of his popular books and his podcast, “The Daily Stoic.” He says ancient writings by the likes of Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, and Epictetus resonate in times that feel especially chaotic.

Kara and Ryan talk about why young men in particular seem drawn to Stoicism and what powerful figures in the worlds of tech, MAGA politics, and the man-o-sphere get wrong about its teachings. He tells Kara...

Elon Musk’s SpaceX debuted on the Nasdaq in June with the largest IPO ever, raising a record $86 billion. But the stock has been on a wild ride ever since.

Kara sits down with a panel of experts to assess SpaceX after its inaugural post-IPO earnings report and the first in a series of lockup expirations that released more than 900 million shares for trading. They break down where SpaceX is actually making money (spoiler: it’s Starlink) and what its massive AI spending, xAI acquisition and increasingly expansive ambitions reveal about Musk’s long-term strate...

California is one of the most Democratic states in the nation. But former Fox News host and British American Steve Hilton is mounting a long-shot bid to be the state’s next Republican governor. He’s banking on voters’ disaffection with the state’s notoriously high cost of living to beat Democrat Xavier Becerra in November. 

While Hilton scored President Trump’s endorsement ahead of the primary, he’ll need to win over a lot of Democrats and Independents who loathe Trump to have any shot at winning. Is that even possible for a Republican in...

As the AI boom fuels a massive data-center buildout, communities across the country are pushing back. Kara speaks with environmental activist and consumer advocate Erin Brockovich, Utah climate scientist Logan Mitchell, Virginia organizer Elena Schlossberg and Lansing, Mich., Mayor Andy Schor about the industry’s environmental and political impact.

They examine the secretive deals and tax incentives behind many data-center projects, and they debate whether even responsibly designed developments can win community support.

The panel also explores what meaningful guardrails might look like, whether cleaner energy and greater transparency co...

After moving to Ireland at the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, Rosie O’Donnell is back in the U.S. to stage her one-woman show in New York and guest host “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” at the end of the month. While she’s taken some time out of the spotlight, Rosie remains an outspoken critic of the president and his policies at a time when a lot of public figures have gone quiet.

Kara and Rosie talk about why she decided to turn her life into a theater production, the joys and challe...

Americans feel pessimistic about the economy even as the stock market soars and unemployment remains low. Kara speaks with a panel of economic experts to explain the disconnect. She’s joined by Atlantic staff writer Annie Lowrey, Catherine Rampell of MS NOW and The Bulwark and economist Claudia Sahm.

They examine the impact of President Trump’s latest round of tariffs, the economic fallout from the Iran war and the hidden weaknesses in the current labor market. 

Plus: How vulnerable is the broader economy to an AI bubble? And what...

Comedian and actor Jeff Hiller has managed to land roles on two of the buzziest TV shows of the last year. He just earned his second Emmy nomination for a guest role in “Pluribus,” and he seems poised for an even bigger role in the second season of the comedy horror “Widow’s Bay.” His success builds on his Emmy-winning breakout performance in HBO’s “Somebody Somewhere” as Joel, the compassionate best friend to series star Bridget Everett’s character, Sam.

Kara and Jeff talk about why he thinks people are drawn to shows like “Pluribus” an...

Former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo says America is heading toward an AI jobs crisis. And she doesn't think Washington is ready.

Raimondo joins Kara to explain why she's more worried about the country's political system than the technology itself, why Congress has failed to prepare workers for AI, and what she thinks should happen before millions of jobs disappear. She also discusses the future of the CHIPS Act, data centers, AI safety, higher education, and why she's launched a bipartisan effort to help workers adapt before it's too late.

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Ben Wikler, political organizer and former chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, joins Kara to discuss his new book, “This Is the Plan: How to End America’s Meltdown and Save Democracy.”

Drawing on the grassroots strategies that helped Democrats restore a competitive democracy  in Wisconsin, he lays out a national plan to defeat Trumpism and halt America’s slide toward authoritarianism. That starts, he argues, with building a year-round organizing operation capable of competing in races at every level of government.

They also discuss the Democratic Party’s internal di...

With just a few months left until the midterms and President Trump’s approval ratings hovering in the 30s, Democrats believe they’re poised to retake power in Congress this November. But party leaders worry a slate of primary wins by insurgent-left candidates could undermine their chances. And yet, Democratic voters made it clear they are looking for change by rejecting some of the establishment’s top recruits in primaries from Colorado to New York and beyond.

Kara is joined by three experts to talk about the rise of these insurgent candidates: Adam Jentleson, presid...

AI is giving cybercriminals capabilities once reserved for elite hackers and powerful nation-states. Cybersecurity expert Nicole Perlroth joins Kara to explain why she fears we’re inching closer to an “everything, everywhere, all at once” wave of cyberattacks.

Perlroth reveals what she learned in reporting the latest season of her podcast, "To Catch a Thief: North Korea on Our Payroll," a deep dive into North Korean operatives who use stolen identities and American “laptop farms” to land remote jobs at major U.S. companies and funnel money back to the regime and its nuclear weapons pr...

In their new book, “Regime Change,” New York Times journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan take readers inside President Trump’s return to the White House in 2025 and the chaotic year that followed. It’s an incredibly revealing look at a president and an administration untethered from the historical constraints of the office and willing to take extraordinary risks in pursuit of absolute power.  

Maggie and Jonathan reveal what they learned about Elon Musk’s chaotic reign in the White House, why so many of the top tech CEOs were eager to get into the presiden...

Non-consensual deepfake pornography is on the rise. While celebrities were often the earliest targets, these AI-generated deepfakes are now spreading across communities and schools, and the law and tech platforms are struggling to catch up.

Kara speaks with victims’ rights attorney Carrie Goldberg, tech journalist and Mostly Human Media CEO Laurie Segall and computer scientist V.S. Subrahmanian about how AI-generated explicit images are created, monetized and distributed. 

Segall details her investigation into Mr. Deepfakes, one of the internet's most notorious deepfake porn platforms. Goldberg explains her lawsuit against xAI...

Today, we're bringing you an episode of "The Gray Area," another great show from the Vox Media Podcast Network.

In this episode, host Sean Illing talks with Atlantic writer Charlie Warzel about the increasingly weird experience of being online. They discuss AI-generated content, bots, algorithms, the “dead internet theory,” and why so much of the web now feels artificial, manipulated, or unreal. They also explore psyops, conspiracy culture, social media, and the deeper question lurking beneath the AI boom: What are human beings actually for?

Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling)

Kara talks to Father Paolo Benanti, a Franciscan friar, theologian and AI ethics adviser to the Vatican, about why AI has become a central concern for the Catholic Church. They discuss Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical on AI, the Church’s role in shaping a more human-centered debate and why Benanti sees today’s AI race as a question of power, democracy, belief and human dignity.

Kara presses him on Silicon Valley’s influence, Peter Thiel's views on the Antichrist and whether the Vatican can serve as a public square for global AI debate. Plus: ca...