Bill Moyers in Conversation
by Public Square Media, Inc.
New for 2016! This audio-only podcast from BillMoyers.com offers compelling and vital conversation about life and the state of American democracy, featuring some of the best thinkers of our time. A range of scholars, artists, activists, scientists, philosophers and newsmakers bring context, insight and meaning to important topics, like the 2016 Election. Subscribe to the podcast for an audio version of this Web-only series.
Episodes
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REMEMBERING JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG
Bill Moyers sit down with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to discuss the most pressing global issues faced by present-day women leaders.
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Meeting Moby Dick
Even if you haven’t read Herman Melville’s classic American novel, Moby Dick, you are probably quite familiar with the concept of “the white whale” — an obsessive search for a goal that is not attainable and might ultimately lead to your demise.
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Fighting for the Four Freedoms
Historian Harvey J. Kaye talks to Bill about why FDR's "Four Freedoms” -- freedom from fear and want and freedom of speech and religion -- are more important now than ever.
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There Goes the Rule of Law
"So much of the rule of law, as it turns out, was built on soft norms, not on regulations and statutes and constitutional directives I think that we all think that this machinery is more robust than it really is." Bill Moyers talks with Supreme Court expert Dahlia Lithwick.
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Losing Reality: Can We Get the Truth Back?
In the Trump era we find ourselves engulfed in two realities. Bill Moyers and Robert Jay Lifton in conversation.
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Khalil Gibran Muhammad on Our Crisis of Racial Justice
I paid a visit to New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture recently to help a large gathering of the Schomburg’s devoted friends and visitors say goodbye — very reluctantly — to Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad. He’s been the beloved director of the Schomburg for the…
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The Book That Explains Why Voters Are So Angry (and Why They Have a Right to Feel That Way)
Here’s what the 2016 election should be about: Winner-Take-All Politics — How Washington Made the Rich Richer and Turned Its Back on the Middle Class. It’s a groundbreaking account of how our political system was hijacked by the super rich and engineered to work for them at the expense of…
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Bill Moyers in Conversation: Eddie Glaude Jr. on Why Black Votes Matter
My guest is Eddie Glaude Jr., author of Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul. In the first part of our conversation, professor Glaude and I discussed the crisis that continues to engulf black America. "We talk about the achievement gap, we talk about the empathy gap, we...
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Bill Moyers in Conversation: Eddie Glaude Jr. on America’s Racial ‘Value Gap’
I’m holding in my hand what has been called “one of the most daring books of the 21st century,” a “book for the ages,” “bracing,” “unrelenting.” The title is Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul, and it breathes with prophetic fire. Its power comes because the author does...
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Bill Moyers: Campaign Finance Reform — It’s Not Just Liberals Anymore
When I first met Richard Painter some months ago, I thought he must be the loneliest man in the Republican Party. He’s a conservative, and, of course, I’m not. But he believes, as I do, that there’s too much money in politics. Now, political insiders know Richard Painter well as President George…
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Bill Moyers in Conversation: How Our Stone-Age Brain Gets in the Way of Smart Politics
On the eve of the New York primary, Bill Moyers sat down to talk with Rick Shenkman, the historian, editor and publisher of the indispensable website History News Network. Shenkman tells Bill that it's the voters and their emotions, not the candidates and their ideas, that will determine the...
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The Children’s Climate Crusade
A new generation turns an ancient idea into a crusade to save the future.
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American Indians Confront “Savage Anxieties”
Legal expert Robert A. Williams Jr. says stereotypes about American Indians have been codified into laws and government policies, with devastating consequences.
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The New Robber Barons
Washington continues to reward wealthy donors and Wall St but what about everyday Americans? Author and historian Steve Fraser has answers.
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The United States of Ferguson
In an encore broadcast, journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates talks about the nation’s legacy of slavery and white supremacy.
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The Long, Dark Shadows of Plutocracy
From luxury skyscrapers -- taller, more expensive and exclusive than ever before -- the dark shadows of plutocracy are spreading across the commons of democracy.
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How Public Power Can Defeat Plutocrats
Lawrence Lessig and Zephyr Teachout return to talk about the corrupting influence of money in politics, and their push to change the system.
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The Bare Knuckle Fight Against Money in Politics
Two college professors leave academia for the rough-and-tumble world of electoral politics. What did they learn?
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Facing Down Corporate Election Greed
On Election Day, a small California city took on one of the biggest corporations in America… and declared victory.
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Bernie Sanders on Breaking Big Money’s Grip on Elections
The only independent member of the US Senate tells Bill big money’s purchase of political power is a grave threat, and shares his plan to put government back in voters' control.
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The Fight — and the Right — to Vote
Two experts on American elections talk to Bill about the plot to keep citizens away from the ballot box. And don't miss: Exclusive web-extra video
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Keeping Faith in Democracy
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marilynne Robinson talks to Bill about what the title character of her new book Lila, says about the state of democracy in America.
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Restoring an America That Has Lost Its Way
Reporter Bob Herbert on his new book, Losing Our Way, an intimate and heartrending portrait of America in economic despair.
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Too Big to Jail?
A veteran bank regulator lays bare how Washington and Wall Street are joined in a culture of corruption.
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America’s New War in the Middle East
Two experts on American foreign policy talk to Bill about our deepening engagement in the fight against jihadists in Iraq and Syria.
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Kelsey Juliana on Climate Change: The Next Generation
Kelsey Juliana, an 18-year-old activist, is fighting climate change in the courts and walking across the country to spread the word on global warming.
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Climate Change — Faith and Fact
Christian and climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe talks to Bill about ending the gridlock between politics, science and faith.
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Elizabeth Warren on Fighting Back Against Wall St. Giants
The Massachusetts senator talks to Bill about taking on the entrenched political and Wall Street interests that have rigged the game against the rest of us.
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Encore: How Tax Reform Can Save the Middle Class
In part two of his interview, Joseph E. Stiglitz says corporate abuse of our tax system has helped make America unequal and undemocratic. But the Nobel Prize-winning economist has a plan to change that. Watch part one
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Encore: Joseph E. Stiglitz Calls for Fair Taxes for All
The Nobel Prize-winning economist explains why America’s future prosperity depends on tax reform today.
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Maya Angelou on Facing Evil
Bill Moyers revisits a 1988 documentary in which he and Maya Angelou attended a conference held in the Hill Country of central Texas. Watch the first program: Going Home With Maya Angelou
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Going Home With Maya Angelou
Revisit clips from an episode from over 30 years ago, in which Bill joined the legendary writer on her return to Stamps, Arkansas, the small town where she grew up.
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John Lithgow, ‘King Lear’ and Our Uncertain World
John Lithgow joins Bill to talk about the challenges and triumphs of playing Shakespeare's greatest role, and why we are so drawn to the tale of this flawed, contradictory leader at this moment.
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The Conscience of a Compassionate Conservative
The president of the American Enterprise Institute says free enterprise is good for the poor – and good for the soul.
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The Crusade Against Reproductive Rights
With new state laws and Supreme Court rulings, the battle over women’s reproductive rights is being fought more fiercely than ever. Roe v. Wade itself may be in peril. Planned Parenthood's Cecile Richards joins Bill in the studio this week.
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Is the Supreme Court Out of Order?
Following several high-profile, controversial decisions, Bill speaks to NY Times columnist Linda Greenhouse and Slate's Dahlia Lithwick about the agenda of the Roberts court.
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The Lies That Lead to War
This week Bill speaks with investigative journalist Charles Lewis about why facts, logic and reason are often missing in the rush to war.
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Chaos in Iraq
While armchair warriors in Washington cry “back to Iraq,” former combat veteran and military historian Andrew Bacevich says no way. Watch the extended interview
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A World Cup for the Wealthy, Not the People
Dave Zirin discusses the Brazilian people's protests against huge sporting events that catch the world's eye but deepen inequality and divert resources from where they're needed most in a country struggling with massive income inequality.
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Too Big to Fail and Getting Bigger
Our banks are larger than before the 2008 crash and they're still living dangerously, economist Anat Admati tells Bill.
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How Tax Reform Can Save the Middle Class
In part two of his interview, economist Joseph E. Stiglitz says corporate tax abuse has helped make America unequal and undemocratic. But the Nobel Prize-winner has a plan to change that. Watch part one of Bill's interview with Stiglitz
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Joseph E. Stiglitz Calls for Fair Taxes for All
The Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph E. Stiglitz on why America’s future prosperity depends on tax reform today. Watch part two of Bill's interview with Stiglitz
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Facing the Truth: The Case for Reparations
This week Bill speaks with Ta-Nehisi Coates, a senior editor for The Atlantic about his cover story on why America needs to reconcile with its racist past.
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The War on Climate Scientists
In part two of his interview, scientist David Suzuki says there's still hope for the planet, despite the obstruction and greed of politicians and corporations. Watch part one of their conversation
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Time to Get Real on Climate Change
A geneticist who has made science exciting to millions of TV viewers warns that we’re burning up the planet, but there’s still a chance we can make it. Watch part two of their conversation
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Is Net Neutrality Dead?
Democracy loses if the Internet’s sold to the highest bidder -- and that may be exactly what's about to happen.
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Putting the Freeze on Global Warming
Two leaders of the climate change divestment campaign are urging institutions to break ties with the fossil fuel industry.
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What the 1% Don’t Want Us to Know
Economist Paul Krugman explains how the United States is becoming an oligarchy - the very system our founders revolted against.
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Snowden’s Legal Counsel: Forget About Orwell, Worry About Kafka
The ACLU's Ben Wizner discusses his growing concern with our surveillance state, what could happen if NSA programs aren't rolled back and the deep impact of Edward Snowden’s revelations.
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The Deep State Hiding in Plain Sight
Former GOP congressional analyst Mike Lofgren talks to Bill about America's "Deep State," in which elected and unelected figures collude to serve powerful vested interests. Also, an exclusive essay on the Deep State, by Lofgren.
About this show
New for 2016! This audio-only podcast from BillMoyers.com offers compelling and vital conversation about life and the state of American democracy, featuring some of the best thinkers of our time. A range of scholars, artists, activists, scientists, philosophers and newsmakers bring context, insight and meaning to important topics, like the 2016 Election. Subscribe to the podcast for an audio version of this Web-only series.
Hosted by
Public Square Media, Inc.