Next Question with Katie Couric

Once a loyal Republican who celebrated Donald Trump’s 2016 victory, George Conway is now one of this administration’s most outspoken critics and a Democratic candidate for Congress in New York’s 12th District. In this candid, wide-ranging conversation, he sits down with Katie to discuss what motivated him to run for office and why this moment requires more than commentary and criticism. He traces the early days of the first Trump administration, when he began to see something he could no longer ignore, and how that realization reshaped not just his politics, but his personal life, including his high-profile marriage to political consultant Kellyanne Conway. Along the way, he examines why so many Americans remain loyal to Trump, drawing on psychology, identity, and what he calls a growing “permission structure” for division and resentment. Ultimately, he sees this as a moment that demands engagement, not passivity, and one that will help define the future of American democracy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some losses divide a life into before and after. In this conversation, writer and journalist Danielle Crittenden sits down with Katie to discuss her new memoir, Dispatches from Grief: A Mother’s Journey Through the Unthinkable, which chronicles the days and months following the sudden death of her 32-year-old daughter, Miranda, in February 2024. Crittenden reflects on the physical reality of grief, the maddening bureaucracy that follows death, and the difficulty finding professional support, even with significant resources. She also opens up about navigating loss alongside her husband, journalist David Frum, the challenge of continuing to parent her two other children while managing her grief, and the unexpected community of bereaved parents she never wanted to join but has come to cherish. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Snyder has spent his career studying how democracies collapse — and how they fight back. He’s the Chair in Modern European History at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto, the bestselling author of On Tyranny and On Freedom, and he's also the writer behind the popular Substack newsletter Thinking About. In this conversation, Snyder uses Hungary's stunning election upset, in which opposition leader Péter Magyar defeated Viktor Orbán after 16 years in power, as a roadmap for American democracy. He breaks down what made Magyar's campaign work, why protests matter even when they feel futile, and how the war with Iran could impact the upcoming elections. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Retired four-star Admiral and former commander of US Special Operations Command William McRaven oversaw the 2011 Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Beyond his military career, McRaven became widely known for his “Make Your Bed” commencement speech which has been viewed more than 150 million times. Now he's out with a new book, Duty, Honor, Country, and Life, a collection of speeches and essays rooted in the West Point motto he's spent a lifetime trying to embody. Admiral McRaven speaks, at times necessarily diplomatically (as we’re at war), at times candidly, about the state of the US military under the Trump administration, the war with Iran, and his growing concern that the president may not fully understand the limits of military power. He reflects on what it means to maintain integrity in an institution under pressure, why he believes the next generation of Americans gives him reason for optimism, and what he wants readers to take away from a book he says is as much for civilians as it is for soldiers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jack Schlossberg is JFK's only grandson, and he's making his first bid for elected office in Manhattan's 12th Congressional District, the seat being vacated by Jerry Nadler. He has Nancy Pelosi's endorsement, two million social media followers, and a campaign built around kitchen-table issues like housing costs and tariffs on food and clothing. But he's also faced pointed questions about his qualifications and some notably harsh press coverage. In this conversation, he lays out his policy priorities, his decision to forgo Super PAC money, and what the Kennedy name really means for a first-time–ever–candidate running for Congress 2026. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this special live episode recorded during Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, she sits down with Kevin Conroy, CEO of Exact Sciences and the force behind Cologuard; Judy Faulkner, founder and CEO of Epic Systems; and epidemiologist Dr. Caitlin Murphy to dig into why this disease keeps striking younger people. They cover the leading theories like ultra-processed foods, microplastics, the microbiome and debate whether the screening age should drop below 45, and get into the symptoms doctors too often brush off. If you know someone in their 30s or 40s, send them this one. It could save a life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Colorectal cancer is one of the few cancers that can often be prevented through screening, yet far too many people aren’t getting screened on time. In this episode of Medically Speaking, Dr. Eve Glazier welcomes back the show’s very first guest, award-winning journalist Katie Couric, for an ongoing conversation and call to action for Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Joined by Fola May, MD, PhD, UCLA gastroenterologist, and researcher, they discuss what’s changed in the conversation around colorectal cancer, why screening matters more than ever, the symptoms people should never ignore, and how to choose among today’s screening options. They also explore the barriers that keep people from follow-through — and why turning awareness into action can save lives. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has spent his career outrunning a public image that reduces him to a caricature—slick, ambitious, and impossibly polished. But in this wide-ranging conversation, recorded in-person in Los Angeles, Newsom explains why his new memoir, A Young Man in a Hurry, is an earnest attempt to show people the person behind the persona. (So far, most reviews agree that it is.) Now a leading Democratic voice taking on Donald Trump, Newsom describes his approach (in short: “punch that bully in the face”) and wrestles with how his record in California will play on the national stage—offering a revealing look at his vision for the US in the coming years. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Longevity is having a moment far beyond Silicon Valley, and as we all look not just to live longer but to live better, In this episode of Next Question, Katie sits down with longevity researcher Dr. Rhonda Patrick. What the science makes clear is that aging isn’t a simple cause-and-effect story. Genetics do matter, but they are only part of the picture and research shows it may be a smaller part then we think. How quickly your body declines — and what you do to combat disease and promote healthy cells along the way — plays a much bigger role. The conversation covers why exercise is the closest thing we have to a longevity drug, why heart health impacts everything from mobility to brain function, and how supporting blood flow and oxygen delivery can make a meaningful difference as we age. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this special live episode of Next Question with Katie Couric, Katie talks with Best Actress nominee (and true multi-hyphenate), Kate Hudson about her role in the new movie, Song Sung Blue. Twenty-five years after her last Oscar nomination, Kate talks about why people think this is her best role yet, the importance of taking risks in your 40s, and what it is about the film that is resonating with so many people. And don’t worry–They also dish on kissing Hugh Jackman. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Americans grapple with a sharp rise in political violence, controversial immigration enforcement, and a growing sense of institutional breakdown, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro joins Katie for a conversation about power, accountability, and the future of the Democratic Party. Shapiro discusses the crisis in Minneapolis, the erosion of trust between communities and law enforcement, and the constitutional stakes of federal intervention. He also opens up about the personal trauma that shaped his new book, Where We Keep the Light—and makes the case for leadership rooted in empathy, restraint, and a renewed commitment to democratic values. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you only listen to one thing to make sense of the news this year… make it this. The final episode of this season of Next Question pulls together the most important conversations of the year. You’ll hear David Graham on Project 2025, Liz Oyer on the plethora of presidential pardons, Tina Brown on the year’s biggest scandals here at home and across the pond. Plus, many more. It’s a crash course in the last twelve months, how we made it through the year, and a look at what might be coming in 2026. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Katie turns to veteran New York Times correspondent David Sanger to help make sense of a whirlwind few weeks in national security. Sanger explains why President Trump is using the U.S. military in ways he’s never seen in the five presidencies he’s covered—from sinking more than 20 boats in the Caribbean to deploying the National Guard in cities without clear emergencies. Katie presses him on the unanswered questions around those strikes, including a reported second hit on a burning boat and why the administration won’t release basic information.They also dig into the leaked Russia-Ukraine peace plan and the questions raised about how closely it aligns with Kremlin preferences. And as they discuss the tragic killing of two National Guard members in D.C., Sanger makes the case for why America still owes its Afghan allies protection—now more than ever. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this special live episode of Next Question with Katie Couric, recorded at the 92nd Street Y, New York, Katie sits down with beauty icon Bobbi Brown to talk about her new memoir Still Bobbi: A Masterclass in Leading an Authentic Life. The two longtime friends share stories from Bobbi’s trailblazing career — from Bobbi’s guest appearances as a regular contributor on the Today Show to the creation of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics and her new beauty venture, Jones Road. With humor and heart, they dig into what it means to stay true to yourself, build resilience, and reinvent at any age. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CAR T therapy has delivered remarkable results for people with certain blood cancers—sometimes sending aggressive disease into deep remission after a single infusion. But today, only about 20% of eligible patients can actually get it. In this episode, sponsored by our partners at Allogene Therapeutics, Katie sits down with Dr. Zachary Roberts to unpack why access remains so limited and how new allogeneic (or “off-the-shelf”) CAR T therapies could be a turning point. They discuss how using healthy donor T-cells, rather than a patient’s own, may help bypass manufacturing hurdles and bring advanced treatment to more oncologists, more hospitals, and more communities. To learn more, visit Alpha3trial.com. #AllogenePartner See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Katie sits down with Congresswoman Sarah McBride, the first openly trans person in Congress, for a wide-ranging conversation about her tumultuous first year on Capitol Hill. They talk about the chaos of Trump’s second term, the potential release of the Epstein files, and the role trans rights played in the last Presidential election. McBride also opens up about hope, the future of the Democratic party, and why hard conversations are essential to maintaining our democracy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since his stroke in 2022, Senator John Fetterman has been battling—battling clinical depression, his own party, frustrated constituents, and even the political culture itself. At 6’8” and clad in his trademark hoodies, Fetterman has never fit the conventional congressional mold. But where does that leave him now, as he continues to defy expectations and confound both allies and critics? From the government shutdown to Israel to immigration, Katie and Senator Fetterman cover a lot of ground. But at the heart of this urgent conversation, and of his new memoir Unfettered, is Fetterman’s harrowing struggle with depression and suicidal ideation—and his personal mission to remind people that the world is always better with them in it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this honest, funny, and sometimes raw conversation with Katie Couric, the bestselling author, podcaster, and professor Scott Galloway opens up about his new book Notes on Being a Man. In it, he’s on a mission to set out a kind of code for modern masculinity grounded in his “three Ps” (protect, provide, and procreate) and he calls on all of us to step up and support the young men in our lives. But… where does this call to support young men leave women, whose rights are under siege? Katie reads him a Reddit critique about just that (and he actually kinda agrees with it). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl has spent nearly a decade chronicling Trump–and being attacked by him. Trump has called him “a third-rate reporter,” “a real scumbag,” and worse. But he also keeps picking up Karl’s calls. Karl joins Katie to talk about his new book Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign That Changed America and shares sharp, insider insight into Trump’s fixation on revenge, his loyalty-first Cabinet, and how his second term has reshaped the presidency… and the country. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the mayoral election days away, Zohran Mamdani takes time out of his campaign to talk with Katie about his vision for New York City. From universal childcare and free buses to rent freezes and city-owned grocery stores, Mamdani explains how he plans to make the country’s most expensive city more affordable—and what leadership looks like in a moment of deep division. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.