After Words - Season 16 / Year 2023

Talk show host Armstrong Williams and civil rights attorney Ben Crump shared their concerns about the education system in America. They were interviewed by Politico education editor Delece Smith-Barrow.

Washington Post columnist Philip Bump examined how baby boomers have impacted the U.S economy and political system and how future generations will fare. He was interviewed by Millennial Action Project president Layla Zaidane.

epresentative Ken Buck (R-CO) argued that big tech companies like Apple and Google are hurting commerce and censoring speech. He was interviewed by Wall Street Journal reporter Ryan Tracy.

Author and community organizer Saket Soni retold the story of how a group of men from India came to the U.S. as guest workers and became trapped in forced labor. He was interviewed by Migration Policy Institute senior fellow Muzaffar Chishti.

Author Maya Kornberg looked at the functions of congressional committees and examined their strengths and weaknesses. She was interviewed by American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Kevin Kosar.

UCLA law professor Joanna Schwartz examined how the U.S. legal system handles police misconduct. She was interviewed by New York Law School professor Kirk Burkhalter.

Center for Immigration Studies fellow Todd Bensman took a critical look at the immigration issues at the U.S. southern border. He was interviewed by Daily Caller investigative immigration reporter Jennie Taer.

Nick Tabor traced the history and impact of nearby industries on Africatown in Alabama, a community established by the last slaves brought to the U.S. in 1860. He reported on the conditions of the community up through today with some direct descendants of the founders of Africatown still residing in the community. He was interviewed by White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council Vice Chair Catherine Flowers. 

Science journalist Angela Saini explored the origins of patriarchy and how it spread to societies around the world. She was interviewed by author and the Women's Media Center director Soraya Chemaly.

Former Representative Mia Love (R-UT) reflected on her journey to Congress, becoming the first Black Republican woman to be elected, and why she believes more women and minorities should run for office. She was interviewed by Axios senior politics reporter Eugene Scott. 

Journalist Kathleen McLaughlin looked at how & why selling blood plasma has turned into a $20 billion dollar business for the medical industry. She was interviewed by Stat News investigative reporter Olivia Goldhill.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author and sociologist Matthew Desmond shared his views on how Americans can spread their wealth so that everyone is prosperous. He was interviewed by New York Times reporter and author Jason DeParle.

DePaul University's Kelly Pope examined the rising cases of fraud in the U.S. and explored some of the motivations for committing white-collar crimes. She was interviewed by former SEC commissioner Kathleen Casey.

Former Bridgewater Associates CEO and 2022 U.S. Senate candidate David McCormick (R-PA) outlined his vision for a better future for America. He was interviewed by Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Technology and International Affairs Program senior fellow Jon Bateman. 

Photographer Matika Wilbur spoke about her efforts to shift how Native America is viewed through her photos. She was interviewed by American University professor Elizabeth Rule.

Ava Chin reflected on her family's American experience across five generations and the impact the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act had on her family and community. She was interviewed by Yale University American studies and history professor Mary Lui.

Investigative reporter Alexandra Robbins provided a behind-the-scenes look at the issues teachers are facing in the classroom today. She was interviewed by Education Week staff writer Madeline Will.

Former United Airlines CEO and chair Oscar Munoz spoke about his efforts to revive the company and the future of aviation. He was interviewed by USA Today reporter Zach Wichter.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison offered his thoughts on how to stop the cycle of police violence. He was interviewed by CNN's legal analyst Laura Coates.

Former Trump administration Interior Secretary David Bernhardt argued that the administrative state has amassed unaccountable power over the last 20 years. He was interviewed by American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Adam White.

Brennan Center for Justice president & CEO Michael Waldman examined how the Supreme Court's 2021-22 rulings impacts U.S. law & citizens. He was interviewed by Politico's senior legal affairs reporter Josh Gerstein.

USC public policy professor Elizabeth Currid-Halkett argued that rural and urban America have more in common than what Americans have been led to believe. She was interviewed by former Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND).

Business journalist Jason Del Rey looks at the rise of Amazon and Walmart and their economic impact on the U.S. and the world. He's interviewed by Insider chief tech correspondent Eugene Kim.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Wesley Lowery argued that moments of progress in race matters in the U.S. are often met with acts of violence. He was interviewed by Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism Dean Jelani Cobb.

Daily Beast's Matt Lewis explored how American politics is fueled by wealth and offered reforms on how to hold elected officials more accountable. He was interviewed by RealClearPolitics columnist and associate editor A.B. Stoddard.

U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Amul Thapar discussed the judicial philosophy of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and recounted some of Thomas's key opinions. He was interviewed by USA Today Supreme Court correspondent John Fritze.

Chalkbeat editor Cara Fitzpatrick looked at the school choice movement and the future of education in America. She was interviewed by Washington Post education reporter Moriah Balingit.

Meg Kissinger spoke about her family's struggle with mental illness and her coverage of mental health care in America as a journalist. She was interviewed by Mindsite News founding editor Rob Waters.

Journalist Loren Grush detailed the history and experiences of the six women selected in 1978 to become America's first female astronauts. She was interviewed by former NASA deputy administrator Lori Garver.

Economist Melissa Kearney argues that the decline in two-parent married households is a driving factor in many of America's economic issues. She was interviewed by American Enterprise Institute's Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility director Scott Winship.

New York Times reporter Adam Nagourney looked at the successes and failures of the last four decades of "the paper of record," The New York Times. He was interviewed by Columbia Journalism Review contributor Jon Allsop.

The Wall Street Journal's Cameron McWhirter and Zusha Elinson reported on the history of the AR-15 and its appeal in American gun culture. They were interviewed by author and journalist Paul Barrett.

NBC News' Ryan Reilly chronicled how citizens helped law enforcement track individuals involved in the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. He was interviewed by Politico senior legal affairs reporter Kyle Cheney.

Martin Baron spoke about leadingThe Washington Post as executive editor under the ownership of Jeff Bezos and during Donald Trump's presidency. He was interviewed by NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik.

Ruth Simmons spoke about her journey from poverty to academia, serving as president of Smith College, Brown University and Prairie View A&M University. She was interviewed by University of Maryland, Baltimore County president emeritus and author Freeman Hrabowski. 

Foundation for Individual Rights & Expression president Greg Lukianoff argued that the right to free speech is being threatened by cancel culture. He was interviewed by Reason Magazine's Matt Welch.

Stanford University's Fei-Fei Li spoke about her life and journey to becoming one of the leading scientists in the field of artificial intelligence. She was interviewed by New Scientist technology reporter Jeremy Hsu.

The Wall Street Journal's Jeff Horwitz reported on Facebook's growth as a company and the challenges its platforms have faced. He was interviewed by Bloomberg's Sarah Frier.

The Atlantic staff writer Tim Alberta examined the evangelical movement in America and its intersection with political issues. He was interviewed by Messiah University history professor and author John Fea.

Journalist Rachel Slade looked at the challenges of manufacturing goods in the United States through the lens of a couple starting a sweatshirt company in Maine. She was interviewed by author and New York Times editorial board member Farah Stockman.