After Words

Reporter Aaron Davis argued the Trump administration has politicized the Justice Department. This was part of Maryland's 2026 Gaithersburg Book Festival.

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Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham told America's complicated story through the words of those who have shaped our national debates from 1619 into the early 21st century. To read highlights from those accounts, he was joined by Academy Award actor Ellen Burstyn and Stephen Lang, best known for his roles in the movie Gettysburg and the Avatar series. The Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College in New York hosted this event.

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Atlantic Staff Writer Megan Garber argued that screens and social media have changed how we relate to each other. Politics and Prose in Washington, D.C., hosted this event.

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The Hoover Institution's Eyck Freymann argues that the United States can deter a war with China by strengthening its defense of Taiwan. He spoke at the Hoover Institution in Washington, DC.

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Aziz Abu Sarah, a Palestinian whose brother was killed by the IDF, and Maoz Inon, an Israeli whose parents were killed by Hamas on October 7, 2023, talked about their friendship and efforts to figand I Historic Synagogue in Washington, D.C.

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Electronic Frontier Foundation Executive Director Cindy Cohn recalled her career fighting for digital privacy. Harvard Book Store hosted this event.

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Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) argued that elite universities in America have embraced a culture of antisemitism, leftist groupthink, and censorship. She spoke at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum in Yorba Linda, California.

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Journalist Kevin Hazzard talked about Phoenix Air, a private, air ambulance service that transports patients with highly infectious diseases when governments refuse to get involved. This event was hosted by Politics and Prose Bookstore in Washington, DC

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A journalist looked at modern Russia through the eyes and experiences of its women. The 2026 San Antonio Book Festival hosted this program.

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Physician and anthropologist Khameer Kidia argues that Western mental health care treats the symptoms instead of the causes of mental illness. Politics & Prose in Washington, D.C., hosts this event.

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PBS Newshour co-anchor Geoff Bennett talks about the history of Black comedy in America and its impact on culture and politics.

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Palantir Chief Technology Officer Shyam Sankar talked about how the U.S. can revive its industrial base and win the defense technology race against America's adversaries. This event was hosted by the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C.

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Author Michael Pollan ("A World Appears") discussed the science of consciousness and the human experience with bestselling author Michael Lewis. This event took place at the New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University.

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Judith Enck warned against the health and environmental impacts of plastic. Politics & Prose bookstore in Washington, D.C., hosted this event.

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Newsmax host John Bachman talked about the 1983 U.S. invasion of the island of Grenada and the overthrow of its People's Revolutionary Government. This event was hosted by The Right Book Club in Palm Beach, Florida.

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Author Michael Kimmel discussed the first-generation Jewish American toymakers who manufactured now-famous children's toys, including the Teddy Bear and the Rubik's Cube. P&T Knitwear in New York hosts this event.

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Chuck Collins discussed his book Burned by Billionaires where he examines the impact of wealth concentration on society and politics. The event was hosted by Politics and Prose bookstore in Washington, D.C.

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Former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed discussed his 2019 arrest and imprisonment in Russia and his decision to volunteer in war against the Russians in Ukraine after his release. This event was hosted by Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

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Dr. Robert Wachter examined the future of artificial intelligence being used in health care. The Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco hosted this event.

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Biologist Beronda Montgomery explored the botanical knowledge developed by African Americans. Harvard Book Store hosted this event.

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Finance and Tech reporter David Morris reported on Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX. POWERHOUSE Arena in New York City hosted this event.

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Former FBI investigator Tim Carpenter recounted the true-life detective story spearheaded by the Bureau's Art Crime Team, which found itself on the trail of a thief who stole thousands of cultural artifacts -- and human remains -- from around the world. The Boswell Book Company in Milwaukee hosted this event

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Kori Schake, director of foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, examined the relationship between civilian and military leadership in America going back to the country's founding. This event was hosted by AEI in Washington, D.C

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Stefan Fatsis describes his experience as a lexicographer in training at Merriam-Webster to learn how words are added to the dictionary. Harvard Book Store in Cambridge, MA, hosted this event.

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How does the son of a Presbyterian minister wind up winning a Pulitzer Prize for writing a wildly inaccurate newspaper column read by millions of people? That’s the question posed by humor columnist Dave Barry’s 2025 memoir titled, Class Clown: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass: How I Went 77 Years Without Growing Up.   This week on C-SPAN's Afterwords podcast, a discussion on satire and humor with Dave Barry and novelist Carl Hiaasen. Hiaasen also has a new book titled Fever Beach. It’s a satirical crime novel, which he says was inspired by real events in Florida and the January 6th riot at the Capitol. That conversation...

New York Times Magazine staff writer Jonathan Mahler talked about the 1980s forces, events, and characters that defined and shaped New York City. His book features Donald Trump, Spike Lee, Rudy Giuliani , Ed Koch, and Al Sharpton - and highlights New York's experiences with homelessness, AIDS, racial tensions, and the crack epidemic. The Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College in New York City hosted this event

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The Daily Wire's Ben Shapiro argued that the world is divided between those who want to defend Western civilization and those who want to undermine it. This event was hosted by the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C.

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In Monsters We Make, journalist Rachel Corbett examines how power operates in the digital age, exploring the systems and incentives that shape online behavior and amplify harassment and abuse.

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Environmentalist Bill McKibben argued that solar and wind power offer the best path for addressing climate change. Politics and Prose bookstore in Washington, D.C., hosted this event.

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British journalist Piers Morgan argued that there has been a global rejection of "wokeism" and discussed what he thinks a post-woke world will be like. He spoke at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum in Yorba Linda, California.

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Journalist Michelle Young discussed the history of Rose Valland, a female spy working for the French Resistance at the Jeu de Paume museum in Paris during World War II. This event was part of the 2025 History Book Festival in Lewes, Delaware.

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Author David Gelles discussed how Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard built his business, made a fortune, and then gave it all away. Books Passage Bookstore in Corte Madera, California, hosted this event.

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New York Times reporter Kenneth Vogel talked about the secret world of foreign lobbying in Washington, D.C., and the Americans involved in it, including Rudy Giuliani and Hunter Biden. This event was hosted by the Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California

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Former CNN Moscow bureau chief Jill Dougherty talked about her experiences covering Russia and Russian Presidents Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and Putin. She spoke at Politics and Prose Bookstore in Washington, D.C.

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University of Georgia professor emeritus George Selgin argued that many of FDR's New Deal programs were counterproductive and impeded recovery during the Great Depression. He spoke at the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C.

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This week on After Words — Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd discusses her new book, Notorious, with CNN Chief Political Analyst David Axelrod. In the book, Dowd profiles some of the most talked-about figures from Hollywood, Silicon Valley, and American culture. Their conversation was recorded at the 2025 Printers Row Lit Fest in Chicago.

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Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organization, talked about growing up as a Trump and his family's involvement in business and politics. This event was held at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California.

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Journalist Karen Hao discussed her reporting on OpenAI under the leadership of Sam Altman. The Commonwealth Club of California hosted this event.

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The Washington Post's Christian Davenport reported on the private companies in space flight and the rivalry between Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin. Politics and Prose in Washington, D.C., hosts this event.

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Jane Goodall talked about her book Hope for Animals and Their World: How Endangered Species Are Being Rescued from the Brink (Grand Central Publishing; September 2, 2009). In the book, she and her co-authors describe people and projects around the world that are rescuing species on the brink of extinction. The guest interviewer was John Nielsen. The interview was held at Georgetown University, prior to Ms. Goodall giving a special lecture. Primatologist Jane Goodall, famous for her work with chimpanzees, is the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute. She is the author of many books, including In the Shadow of Man; Reas...