BLOCKERS: Michael Lewis on the People Who Keep America Running

Michael Lewis has an extraordinary ability to help us make sense of the world. Whether he's writing about Wall Street or Silicon Valley, baseball or behavioral economics, he has a way of taking subjects that seem intimidating or opaque and turning them into compelling human stories. In this episode, Katie and Michael sit down to discuss his new book, Blockers, an inside look at the career public servants caught in the unprecedented effort to dramatically reshape the federal government during the second Trump administration. It's an illuminating conversation about the people and institutions that quietly keep the country running, and why understanding their value matters more than ever at this pivotal moment in American history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gun violence remains one of America's most divisive issues. But according to Malcolm Gladwell, much of the debate is focused on the wrong questions. Katie talks with Malcolm Gladwell about his new book, The American Way of Killing, which challenges many of the assumptions that shape the national conversation. They discuss why America experiences so much more violence than its peer nations, the role of policing and prisons, what community policing gets right, and why some of the country's most prominent gun control efforts may be missing the mark. It's a thought-provoking conversation that challenges long-held assumptions and offers a fresh perspective on one of the country's most urgent issues. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As I get closer to my 70th birthday, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it really means to age well. That’s what inspired “The Art of Aging,” where I’m talking with leading experts about the science of living healthier, longer. In this episode, I’m joined by Stacey E. Rosen, MD, immediate-past volunteer president of the American Heart Association and executive director of Northwell’s Katz Institute for Women’s Health, with whom we are partnering for this series, to talk about heart disease, the leading cause of death in women. We discuss why women have been overlooked in cardiovascular research, the symptoms too many of us miss, and what every woman should know to better understand and protect their heart health. #NorthwellPartner Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nearly 30 years after Princess Diana’s death, her younger brother, Charles Spencer, is telling his story. In his new book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, the 9th Earl Spencer writes about the childhood they shared at Park House, Diana’s doubts before marrying Prince Charles, and the tumultuous days following her death in Paris.Katie talks with Spencer about the revelations that have made headlines: his clashes with the future king over Diana’s funeral, walking behind her coffin alongside William and Harry, and the eulogy the palace tried to vet. They also discuss the backlash to the book, whether Diana would have wanted this story told, and the unique and often lonely grief of losing a sibling. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The name Danny Meyer is synonymous with the New York City food scene. His restaurants have become Gotham institutions, from Union Square Cafe and Gramercy Tavern to The Modern and, of course, Shake Shack, which started as a small burger stand in Madison Square Park and has since grown into a global chain with more than 700 locations.In this episode of Next Question, I spoke with Danny about his new book, What Could Possibly Go Right? The Essential Journey to Scale an Enduring Culture, and the lessons he’s learned over four decades as a restaurateur. We talked about failure, leadership, the power of optimism, and how to build a culture that can endure as a business grows. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anthony Scaramucci has led a life full of unexpected twists and turns. After building a successful career on Wall Street, he spent a memorable and famously brief 11 days as President Trump's White House communications director. Since then, he's become a bestselling author, co-host of the hit podcast The Rest Is Politics: US, and one of the president's most outspoken critics. His new book, All the Wrong Moves: How Three Catastrophic Decisions Led to the Rise of Trump, argues that today's political divisions didn't emerge overnight. Instead, Scaramucci traces them back to three bipartisan policy decisions that he believes fundamentally reshaped the American Dream and paved the way for our current political moment. In this conversation, Katie and Anthony discuss where he thinks America went wrong, what he's learned from his own unlikely journey, and why he believes understanding the past is the first step toward rebuilding the future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Patti Smith has spent decades turning her life into art as a poet, musician, artist, and author. In her new book, Bread of Angels, she goes back to the very beginning, tracing the people and moments that formed her, from childhood and her creative awakening to marriage, motherhood, and the present day.In this conversation, Patti talks with Katie about the relationships that shaped her, the losses she’s carried and what they’ve taught her, and how she’s held on to her sense of self through every chapter of her life. She also reflects on creativity, memory, and what it means to look back on a life that’s still unfolding. Bread of Angels is out now in paperback. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With less than 50 days until the midterm elections, major battles are already underway over voting rights, election rules, redistricting, and how Americans vote.Katie Couric sits down with Marc Elias, a leading election lawyer, founder of Democracy Docket, and founder of Elias Law Group, to discuss the legal fights shaping the 2026 midterms.They discuss the Supreme Court’s recent rulings on mail-in voting, rapidly changing congressional maps, voter rolls, election security, and what could happen if election results are challenged after Election Day. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2016, NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick made global headlines when he decided to take a knee during the National Anthem in response to a spate of killings of young Black men by police in a number of cities across the country: Baltimore, Baton Rouge, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Now, 10 years after he first refused to stand during the Star-Spangled Banner, he’s written a memoir called The Perilous Fight.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Katie sits down with Dr. Sharon Malone at the Aspen Institute to talk about why women's health has been under-researched and under-funded for centuries -- which also happens to be the subject of Katie's new documentary, HORMONAL!. The numbers are staggering: PMS affects 90% of women but gets a fraction of the funding erectile dysfunction research receives. The NIH didn't require women to be included in clinical trials until 1993. Katie also shares how her own breast cancer diagnosis has shaped her relationship to hormone therapy. It's a candid, infuriating, ultimately hopeful conversation about what it will take to close the gender gap in medicine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.