The Deciding Decade with Pete Buttigieg

In the years since the Flint water crisis began, the Michigan city is still grappling with the aftermath. Many have gotten involved and stepped up to offer support, including some of the community's youngest members. For the final episode in our series of conversations with youth leaders, Pete talks to our youngest guest yet: Mari Copeny, also known as Little Miss Flint, is a 13-year-old water rights activist who rose to internatio...

From the beginning, the Latino community has been a vital part of America's story and now represents the fastest growing demographic group in America. Leaders across the nation in politics, advocacy and entertainment are working to expand opportunity and build empowerment for Latinos so that everyone has a chance to benefit from and fully contribute to American life. Actress Eva Longoria joins Pete to discuss her work mobilizing an...

Music represents such a vital perspective with the potential to cut across boundaries, habits, and prejudice, and musicians have a lot to offer, not just within, but beyond the world of entertainment. John Legend is a perfect example, having blessed our screens and ears with beautiful, powerful, and important music, television, and movies over the years. But he is also working passionately to restore rights and gain equality for so...

It's important, but not often prioritized, that younger generations see themselves in the stories before them. Are there characters who have similar backgrounds, characteristics, and experiences to them? Do they see their families and neighborhoods reflected in what they read? Too often, the answer is no. But at 15, Marley Dias has already done a lot to change that. In 2015, she launched the #1000BlackGirlBooks drive to collect and...

Athletes this year have had a tremendous impact on the election and on national conversations around equal pay, social and racial justice, and more. From the U.S. women's soccer team fighting for equal pay to LeBron James' More Than a Vote organization registering and turning people out to vote, there are so many inspiring athletes who are standing up and using their platforms for good. Among them is Atlanta Dream player Renee Mont...

As a new president prepares to take office and the country continues to reel from the effects of the pandemic, income inequality and workers' rights remain a central issues in our country. To speak more about these issues, Pete is joined by two of the most active and dynamic figures in the labor movement today: Missouri State Rep. Rasheen Aldridge and Mary Kay Henry, president of Service Employees International Union (SEIU), one of...

Gun violence prevention has risen to the forefront of American politics because of the mass casualty events that have devastated our communities and the day-to-day violence that commands less attention but destroys even more lives. It’s also getting attention because of the phenomenal work being done from groups like March For Our Lives, co-founded by David Hogg. David is a former student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in ...

In politics, there’s always a heavy focus on making the country work for the middle class. But the stark reality is there are 140 million poor and low-income people in this country. And if we don’t figure out how to mobilize around poverty -- to name it, expose the truth of it, and fix it -- we won’t be able break it. Reverend Dr. William Barber II has been working on this moral cause for years and joins Pete to discuss the truth a...

We are likely about to close the chapter of the Trump presidency and begin a new one. The road ahead is complicated, but filled with opportunity. Pete is joined by critically acclaimed author and journalist Jonathan Alter, an expert on presidential politics, to talk about how the next president’s first 100 days could compare to those of Roosevelt, Carter and Obama, what this election means as a moment in our history, and how the pa...

What does the political landscape look like today for young people who are watching the profound dysfunction in our highest office? As part of our special series with youth leaders, Pete talks with René Otero, the breakout star from the documentary Boys State, about how his participation in the American Legion's annual program about government left him disappointed with campaigns, the power of protesting, and why his generation is ...

Whether it's in reality or on our screens, full and equitable representation matters -- in government, boardrooms, books, and certainly in film and media. Jon Chu, the film director who brought the wonderful Crazy Rich Asians to our screens, is breaking barriers in entertainment. He joins Pete to discuss the importance of diversity in storytelling, the pressures and expectations of representing an entire culture, and how the pandem...

Professor Darrick Hamilton is one of the country’s leading economists examining racial disparities. He joins Pete to discuss his impactful work in the emerging field of stratification economics, his ideas on how to close our wealth gap, how to make our economy more equitable, and what his proposal for "baby bonds" can do for our future of society.

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Many of the most powerful voices for change aren't candidates for office. In fact, many are not yet even old enough to vote. As we prepare for the decade ahead, it's important to think about what you might call the next, next generation. Helping launch our special series with youth leaders is 15-year-old climate activist and founder of Earth Uprising Alexandria Villaseñor, who joins Pete to discuss the ways young people are getting...

Artists bring meaning to our lives that we simply couldn’t find elsewhere. What can we learn from those who are shaping our time through their creativity and courage? Billy Porter is an actor, singer, fashion icon, and activist who has devoted his life to art, as best seen in the groundbreaking hit series Pose. He joins Pete to discuss how fashion can be a form of activism, what it's like to confront and challenge the definition of...

Restoring the credibility of the United States and repairing our reputation around the world will be an urgent task for the next administration and an ongoing effort in the years to come. It will be daunting but it is exceptionally important, not just for America's future, but the world's. One person who understands this well is Susan Rice, a longtime respected diplomat who served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and was Pr...

For as long as humans have faced challenges, humor has helped us get through. But given what's been happening in 2020, is it even okay to laugh right now? Or is humor more important than ever? Saturday Night Live's Colin Jost speaks to Pete about the role humor can play during these troubling times, when puzzling real-life events go beyond parody, the dark side of the comedy world, and why he's considering leaving SNL.

Congresswoman Barbara Lee is a path-breaking progressive leader who has served in Congress for over the past two decades. As one of the principal voices on racial justice and equity, Lee joins Pete to talk about her upbringing in segregated El Paso, share incredible stories from her time working with Shirley Chisholm, and discuss her Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Commission. Together, they try to find some of the answer...

Glennon Doyle is many things: a mother, a wife, an activist, and a bestselling author of three memoirs. Her unbelievable honesty, clarity, and humor about her personal struggles, as well as her courage to speak out and speak up, have made her an inspiration to many. Glennon joins Pete to discuss the poignant messages in her current book Untamed, their shared values of belonging and trust, and what it's like being an LGBTQ person of...

What will the future of justice look like in this country? How can we recover from the corruption and abuses of the Trump era? Preet Bharara is the perfect person to answer these questions because of the work he’s done as the former United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. He joins Pete to discuss the consequences of political interference at the DOJ, why Trump’s time in the White House won’t mimic Nixon’s, how...