Firing Line with Margaret Hoover: Season 2026
Season 9 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of Firing Line with Margaret Hoover Season 8.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Episode Guide
Season 9 Progress Shield
Elliott Abrams
Jan 9, 2026 · 27 min
After Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro’s capture, Elliott Abrams–who served in the State Dept. under Reagan, George W. Bush, and Trump–discusses Venezuela’s future and prospects fo
James Clyburn
Jan 16, 2026 · 27 min
Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) discusses the role of race in politics in America’s past and present, his warning for younger generations, and his new book about South Carolina’s first e
Brandon Johnson
Jan 23, 2026 · 27 min
Mayor Brandon Johnson discusses leading Chicago amid ICE raids and clashes with Trump—while facing a budget and pension crisis that threatens the city’s financial future. He addres
Noa Tishby
Jan 30, 2026 · 27 min
Actress, activist and author Noa Tishby discusses rising hatred and violence against Jews worldwide. The former Israeli antisemitism envoy explores the evolution of antisemitism an
Brian O’Hara
Feb 6, 2026 · 27 min
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara responds to the latest in Trump’s ICE and Border Patrol surge, cautioning that prolonged federal enforcement risks eroding police reforms and
Natalie Winters and Adam Mockler
Feb 13, 2026 · 27 min
Natalie Winters, co-host of Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast, and Adam Mockler, Gen Z YouTube host, discuss politics, media, and Trump’s immigration policy in a forum at Hofstra U
Jon Meacham
Feb 20, 2026 · 27 min
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham reflects on 250 years of American triumphs and tragedies, the legacy of Rev. Jesse Jackson, and the challenges to democracy in the Trum
Mark Cuban
Feb 27, 2026 · 27 min
Mark Cuban discusses the cost of healthcare and his battle to lower the price of prescription drugs.
Iran: The Road to War
Mar 13, 2026 · 27 min
As the war in Iran continues, Firing Line looks back at interviews with policymakers and experts—including Sen. Tom Cotton, retired Gen. David Petraeus, and former Sec. of State Co
Jim Mattis and Ryan Holiday
Mar 20, 2026 · 27 min
Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and bestselling author Ryan Holiday discuss the war in Iran, its potential impact, and how Stoic virtues can inform military leadership in a con
Philip Wallach, Oona Hathaway
Apr 10, 2026 · 27 min
As presidential power grows, where is Congress? Philip Wallach (American Enterprise Institute) and Oona Hathaway (Yale Law School) confront Congress' diminished power and how to fi
Lanhee Chen
Apr 17, 2026 · 27 min
Lanhee Chen, a health care policy expert, breaks down what’s driving America’s health care dysfunction—and lays out market-based ideas to fix it. He takes on the failure of GOP pol
Ben McKenzie
Apr 24, 2026 · 27 min
Actor and filmmaker Ben McKenzie unpacks his new documentary “Everyone Is Lying To You For Money” and why he argues the crypto boom is built on hype, risk, and deception. He takes
Yuval Levin and Jeffrey Rosen
May 1, 2026 · 27 min
Constitutional scholars Jeffrey Rosen and Yuval Levin discuss America’s founding documents, why the ideas behind the Declaration of Independence and Constitution matter 250 years l
Danielle Crittenden
May 8, 2026 · 27 min
After the sudden death of her daughter—Miranda Frum, who once worked at Firing Line—author Danielle Crittenden reports from the front lines of grief, offering insight on how loss r
Jim Mattis and Ryan Holiday Part Two - 250th Anniversary
May 15, 2026 · 27 min
Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and bestselling author Ryan Holiday examine the ancient philosophy that inspired America’s founders — and why its lessons on courage, duty, and
Tamir Hayman
May 29, 2026 · 25 min
Gen. (res.) Tamir Hayman, former chief of Israeli military intelligence, examines successes and shortcomings of the Iran war, why key objectives remain unmet, and why American publ
Melissa Murray
Jun 12, 2026 · 27 min
Constitutional scholar Melissa Murray examines why every American should read the Constitution, the unfinished promise of Reconstruction, and what recent Supreme Court decisions re
America at 250: Pursuing a More Perfect Union
Jun 26, 2026 · 57 min
250 years after the Declaration of Independence, Margaret Hoover examines the institutions and sacrifices that have sustained its ideals through conversations with Justice Neil Gor
Eva Moskowitz
Jul 10, 2026 · 27 min
Eva Moskowitz--CEO of Success Academy, a public charter school network that outperforms nearly every district in New York--examines America’s education crisis, obstacles to reform,
Stanley McChrystal
Jul 17, 2026 · 27 min
Gen. Stanley McChrystal (ret.) discusses the role of the military in America’s 250-year-old democracy, the dangers of politicizing the troops, the importance of presidential charac
Neil Gorsuch
Jul 24, 2026 · 24 min
Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch discusses the heroes of the American Revolution, the importance of civics education, declining faith in democracy among young Americans, and the
Melat Kiros
Jul 31, 2026 · 27 min
Why is democratic socialism gaining momentum? Colorado House candidate Melat Kiros makes the case, defends her criticism of Israel, and argues for a smaller Pentagon budget.
Jamie Dimon
Aug 7, 2026 · 27 min
Can business help solve the housing crisis? JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon unveils a $750B affordable housing and community development initiative and explains why he thinks capita
Marjorie Taylor Green
Aug 28, 2026 · 27 min
Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene discusses her break with President Trump, the possibility of a third party, and why she believes women are not respected in the GOP. She confront
Salman Rushdie
Sep 4, 2026 · 27 min
Author Salman Rushdie reflects on surviving an attempted murder, reclaiming his life, and returning to writing. He discusses Iran’s fatwa against him, Palestinian statehood, and wh
Spencer Cox
Sep 11, 2026 · 27 min
One year after Charlie Kirk’s murder, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox—who called on Americans to find an “off-ramp” from political violence—discusses polarization, alienation, and how to dis
Dambisa Moyo
Sep 18, 2026 · 27 min
As Trump’s handpicked Fed chair bucks the president’s demands on interest rates, bond markets roil, and AI leaders warn of doomsday, Baroness Dambisa Moyo, chair of the Economic Cl
Anne Applebaum
Sep 25, 2026 · 27 min
As Trump addresses the UN and hosts Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Anne Applebaum explains how an alliance of ideologues and grifters is remaking U.S.
Danny Meyer
Oct 2, 2026 · 27 min
Shake Shack founder Danny Meyer dishes on the secret sauce behind his success: putting people before profits. He takes on tipping, AI in restaurants, Anthony Bourdain, and New York
Thom Tillis
Oct 9, 2026 · 27 min
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) takes on Trump’s “sycophants,” reveals why he ignored his own instincts by voting to confirm Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—and explains why he’s now workin
Mike Huckabee
Oct 23, 2026 · 27 min
With pivotal elections looming in Israel and the U.S., Ambassador Mike Huckabee defends Trump’s war in Iran, confronts eroding American support for Israel, and condemns a brutal se