The Best People with Nicolle Wallace

Sherrilyn Ifill maintains that we need a cultural reset from the ground up. The renowned former head of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Howard University law professor has been in the trenches of defending civil rights for decades. Sherrilyn urges every American to confront the truth about what lives in our nation’s DNA, because she understands that threats to democracy go beyond Donald Trump’s embrace of the "raw animal core of t...

Kara Swisher is always one of the smartest people in the room. A long-revered voice in tech and media, her trademark, B.S. free ability to pinpoint coming trends and predict fading technologies has earned her trailblazer status for her podcasts, “On with Kara Swisher” and “Pivot” with co-host Scott Galloway. In her upcoming TV series, “Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever,” she applies that perceptive curiosity to the world of wellne...

Last weekend the legendary actor spoke at a protest in New York City. “The concept of No Kings is a great rallying cry, and hugely successful, as millions of us have answered the call. I support this movement 150%” he said. “Afraid of Trump?! Please. No, they should be more afraid of us.” In the conversation he recorded with Nicolle in February he expounded on the principles in that brief speech, and so this week we’re re-running t...

Alex Wagner is journalist to her core, forever on the hunt for the next story “bubbling up on the ground.” From her 2020 reporting for Showtime’s “The Circus” on right-wing militias intent on reacting to a Joe Biden win, to her post-election MS NOW podcast “Trumpland” which found her standing outside a DC jail on a cold January night waiting for pardoned J6’ers to emerge, she believes in talking to people where they are to understa...

When Miami Herald investigative reporter Julie K. Brown first started digging into the story behind Jeffrey Epstein’s sweetheart plea deal back in 2018, she did not envision the firestorm that would build around her reporting: breaking open decades of abuse of young girls and young women, and eventually leading to Epstein's arrest on charges of sex trafficking of minors. Brown initially tracked down close to 100 women who were alle...

“ We anticipate your unit taking about fifty percent casualties.” This is what Retired Army Lieutenant General Mark Hertling heard in an intelligence briefing at division headquarters before deploying to Iraq in 1991. This would be the first of three combat deployments in a 38-year career in the United States Army, retiring after leading over 40,000 men and women as Commanding General of the U.S. Army Europe. It was this deployment...

Tig Notaro is spectacularly funny. She’s also a fiercely dedicated friend. The Emmy and Grammy nominated comedian now adds “Oscar Nominee" to her impressive list of accomplishments for her work producing the deeply personal documentary, “Come See Me in the Good Light.” The film explores the life and death of her dear friend, the late poet and activist Andrea Gibson, who passed after a hard-fought battle with ovarian cancer in July ...

After Nicolle's fiery conversation with Princeton Professor Dr. Eddie Glaude, former NOLA Mayor Mitch Landrieu, and The Atlantic’s Tom Nichols on "Deadline: White House" a few weeks back, it was clear they needed to continue their thread beyond a single TV segment. So this week, she convened the trio to pick up where they left off: how to make sense of this moment in our history. “We're facing some serious headwinds, right? We're r...

Robert De Niro commands every room he enters. His decades-long career and Academy Award winning performances have gifted the world some of its most beloved films, from instant classics like "The Godfather II" and "Raging Bull" to countless gems like "Goodfellas," and "Casino." But despite the rough and tumble characters he often portrays, he tells Nicolle, “I’m not a tough guy. I’m a concerned citizen.” He brings that inextricably ...

Like many Americans, Scott Galloway was feeling powerless against the Trump administration's worst policy impulses. And then it hit him: knowing Trump responds only to changes in the market, why not use our keyboards and our spending power to push back through economic action? Designed as a "coordinated economic strike targeting tech and AI companies enabling state power,” ‘Resist and Unsubscribe’ is a movement aimed at harnessing ...

“MS NOW Presents: Clock It” is an invitation to the liveliest and most informed groupchat in your feed. Symone Sanders Townsend and Eugene Daniels are long-time political powerhouses. And they understand more than most how culture influences politics, and the role politics plays in culture. On “Clock It,” they’re helping you put your finger on the pulse of the hottest political gossip and their off-air conversations too colorful fo...

Rosie Perez was a self-professed “college nerd” studying biochemistry when she landed her breakout role as Tina in Spike Lee’s iconic 1989 film “Do the Right Thing.” Since then, audiences have fallen in love time and time again with the Oscar-nominated actress’ magnetic presence and character driven performances. Off screen, Perez shows the same genuine courage and heart in everything she advocates for, from AIDS awareness to votin...

Symone Sanders Townsend and Eugene Daniels were once at odds as White House staffer and White House reporter. Now they’re friends and colleagues—each co-hosting their own shows at MS NOW. But their off-air conversations are where the real action is. Their new show, “MS NOW Presents: Clock It” is an invitation to their groupchat, the liveliest—and most informative—in news. Whether it’s ICE getting dispatched to the Super Bowl becaus...

Eric Holder exemplifies a Justice Department guided by principle and integrity— rather than by the whims of a White House occupant. Holder’s unique perspective as the nation’s former chief law enforcement officer allows him to diagnose an untethered executive branch intent on weaponizing institutions, while also owning where Democrats fall short: “Democrats have been uncomfortable with the acquisition and use of power.” In this epi...

Susan Rice’s exemplary career in government and international relations has earned her a distinctive reputation as a resolute advocate for American interests on the world stage. As the former Ambassador to the United Nations and President Obama’s National Security Advisor, she is keenly aware of our nation’s leadership role across the globe. So, her sober analysis of President Trump’s brazen and “widening authoritarian power grab" ...

In a media market saturated with content, Oliver Darcy breaks the fourth wall—turning the lens back on the content makers shaping today’s news. The veteran media reporter and “Status” newsletter founder is known for delivering must-read scoops and industry analysis. In this episode, Darcy joins Nicolle to analyze the depths of corporate capitulation to Donald Trump, how MAGA media stars are commanding the attention economy through ...

Against the backdrop of the shocking U.S. capture of President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, renowned historian and Substack superstar Heather Cox Richardson is back with Nicolle, bringing her unique capacity to explain our current state of play through a historically tinted lens. As Trump’s actions abroad rattle the post-World War II international order, Heather warns of a political era that adheres more to the strongman politics o...

Listen to this special invitation from Rachel Maddow and sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to take advantage of a 3-month free trial!

With MS NOW Premium, you can get our entire suite of podcasts – everything from “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” to “Main Justice” – all ad-free. As a subscriber, you also get exclusive bonus content from shows such as “Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order.” And you can get early acces...

Happy New Year! This week, we’re revisiting an episode we recorded back in September with the iconic folk singer, songwriter, and activist, Joan Baez. Please enjoy! We’ll be back with new episodes next week.

Legendary singer and activist Joan Baez still marches in protests; but she also performs in a circus, dances with drag queens and does whatever else she can to maintain a sense of joy and laughter. Baez has spent her career equa...