After Words

This week on After Words — Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd discusses her new book, Notorious, with CNN Chief Political Analyst David Axelrod. In the book, Dowd profiles some of the most talked-about figures from Hollywood, Silicon Valley, and American culture. Their conversation was recorded at the 2025 Printers Row Lit Fest in Chicago. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organization, talked about growing up as a Trump and his family's involvement in business and politics. This event was held at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist Karen Hao discussed her reporting on OpenAI under the leadership of Sam Altman. The Commonwealth Club of California hosted this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Washington Post's Christian Davenport reported on the private companies in space flight and the rivalry between Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin. Politics and Prose in Washington, D.C., hosts this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jane Goodall talked about her book Hope for Animals and Their World: How Endangered Species Are Being Rescued from the Brink (Grand Central Publishing; September 2, 2009). In the book, she and her co-authors describe people and projects around the world that are rescuing species on the brink of extinction. The guest interviewer was John Nielsen. The interview was held at Georgetown University, prior to Ms. Goodall giving a special lecture. Primatologist Jane Goodall, famous for her work with chimpanzees, is the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute. She is the author of many books, including In the Shadow of Man; Reason for Hope, and Chimpanzees I Love. John Nielsen, journalist in residence at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), is the author of Condor: To the Brink and Back - The Life and Times of One Giant Bird and the producer of WWF's "The Wild Things," a bi-weekly podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fox News contributor Joe Concha gave his take on President Donald Trump's return to the White House for a second, non-consecutive term. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute in Simi Valley, California, hosted this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tim Weiner discussed the history and evolution of the Central Intelligence Agency from the end of the Cold War through the first quarter of the 21st century. Politics and Prose bookstore in Washington, D.C., hosted this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former influencer Lee Tilghman described the impact on herself of making a career on social media. Strand Books in New York City hosted this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fox News political analyst Gianno Caldwell's book, The Day My Brother Was Murdered, explores crime and justice in American cities through the stories of murders that occurred the night that his 18-year-old brother was killed as an innocent bystander during a drive-by shooting.. The loss of his brother inspired Gianno Caldwell to establish the Caldwell Institute for Public Safety, which is dedicated to addressing the pervasive issue of crime and its impact on communities across the country. Melissa Giller of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute interviewed Mr. Caldwell. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Historian Heath Hardage Lee, author of The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon, talked about the life and times of the former first lady (1969-74). She said that Pat Nixon, who was voted "Most Admired Woman in the World" in 1972, was largely mis-portrayed by the press Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Education Design Lab founder Kathleen deLaski examined whether the U.S. higher education system can meet the needs of future generations of students. She discusses alternatives to the four-year college degree, including educational bootcamps, skills-based learning, and apprenticeships. This event took place at Porter Square Books in Cambridge, Massachusetts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This was an inside look at the glamorous Condé Nast publishing empire, the people who crafted its publications, and the standards they set for American culture. Politics and Prose bookstore in Washington, D.C., hosted this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Isabel Allende spoke about identity & resilience in her historical novel set in the 19th century against a backdrop of civil war breaking out in Chile. The Sixth and I Synagogue in Washington, D.C., hosted this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This conversation was a behind-the-scenes account of the 2024 presidential election that sent Donald Trump back to the White House for a second, non-consecutive term -- only the second president other than Grover Cleveland to achieve that distinction, and after a litany of criminal and civil investigations and two assassination attempts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestselling author John Grisham and co-author Jim McCloskey wrote about the challenges of exonerating a person who is wrongfully convicted. Princeton Library, Centurion, and Labyrinth Books in Princeton, New Jersey, sponsored this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Financial Times San Francisco Correspondent Patrick McGee examined Apple's relationship with China and the impact of locating so many factories there. The Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco hosted this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former President Bill Clinton talked with his co-author James Patterson about their latest novel: A mystery in the White House that leads to the first gentleman on trial for murder. Politics and Prose Bookstore hosted this event at the Lincoln Theatre in Washington, D.C Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) told her own political story in Far From Home. She was first elected in 2001 and has served in the Senate since 2002. Her book covers a career ranging from the emergence of the tea party movement to President Trump's second election. Politics and Prose bookstore hosted this event at the Sixth and I cultural center in Washington, D.C. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chef José Andrés talked about the life lessons he's learned through the work he does with the World Central Kitchen, an organization that feeds people in conflict and disaster zones around the world. He spoke at George Washington University's Lisner Hall Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) and his wife Dina McCormick discussed the importance of mentors and shared stories of successful politicians and business leaders who have had their lives changed by them. This event was hosted by the Ronald Regan Institute in Washington, D.C Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices