NPR's Newsmakers

Hunter Biden on addiction and being publicly shamed

Hunter Biden says he has nothing left to hide. He’s been all over the internet in recent months, including appearances with some of his harshest critics, such as ultra-conservative podcasters Candace Owens and Nick Fuentes. In May, he reactivated his long-dormant X account, writing, “You've never actually heard from me.”Since then, he’s posted an average of 23 times per day — weighing in on politics, news and culture. After his private life and struggle with addiction was made public through leaks in the media, congressional investigations and federal prosecutions, Biden now says being ‘stripped naked in the public square’ was, in a way, a gift.NPR’s Scott Simon sat down with Biden, who opened up about that public shaming, why President Joe Biden decided to pardon him after tax and gun convictions and why he didn’t want his father to run for reelection in 2024 – but didn’t tell him at the time.Newsmakers is where you'll find NPR's biggest interviews. We post new episodes as soon as they're available -- any day of the week. Follow or subscribe on Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you watch or listen to podcasts to get new episodes as soon as possible. You can also find Newsmakers on the NPR app. Newsmakers relies on supporters who value independent journalism and a free press. Join NPR+ today to support our work and get perks from the podcasts you trust. Go to plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Bill Maher on comedy, atheism and dining with Trump

Bill Maher says he’s “exactly the same person” he plays on TV. He’s been hosting comedy shows on TV for 33 years and just won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.  NPR’s Steve Inskeep sat down with Maher at his Los Angeles home and asked him about his creative process, inviting Louis C.K. to honor him at the Kennedy Center Twain ceremony and what he thinks about President Trump since having dinner with him.NPR's Newsmakers is where you'll find NPR's biggest interviews. We post new episodes as soon as they're available — any day of the week. Follow or subscribe wherever you listen or watch so you always get the latest episode as soon as possible. Newsmakers relies on supporters who value independent journalism and a free press. Join NPR+ today to support our work and get perks from the podcasts you trust. Go to ?plus.npr.org?.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

MAGA-linked pastor Doug Wilson’s plan for a Christian theocracy

Pastor Doug Wilson believes women should not be allowed to vote and homosexuality should be a crime. He was also invited to speak at the Pentagon this year.That controversial invitation from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth underscores Wilson's growing influence in the Republican Party. Wilson is a self-described Christian nationalist who leads Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho — part of a small network of churches with locations including Washington, D.C.Wilson said he opened a D.C. church service because of the number of Christians who adhere to his church’s teachings within the Trump administration. One of the most prominent attendees is Hegseth.NPR's Leila Fadel sat down with Doug Wilson at his main church in Moscow, Idaho, to hear more about why he wants the U.S. to become a Christian theocracy and what that would mean for women and non-Christians in the country.This episode contains profanity and references sexual assault.NPR's Newsmakers is where you'll find NPR's biggest interviews. We post new episodes as soon as they're available — any day of the week. Follow or subscribe on Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you watch or listen to podcasts so you always get the latest episode as soon as possible. You can also find Newsmakers on the NPR app.Newsmakers relies on supporters who value independent journalism and a free press. Join NPR+ today to support our work and get perks from the podcasts you trust. Go to plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Chloe Malle’s vision for a new era at Vogue

Chloe Malle has a new job: steering American Vogue into a new era, and capturing a new generation of readers — ones accustomed to consuming fashion and culture via algorithm rather than the pages of a glossy magazine.Last fall Malle was tapped to succeed Anna Wintour as Head of Editorial Content. The daughter of actress Candice Bergen and the late filmmaker Louis Malle, she started at Vogue 15 years ago as what she describes as a “social editor,” overseeing a weddings-and-parties section that once struck her as too frothy for a serious journalist.Now, in a time when trends are accessible on your phone at any hour of the day, Malle says she believes people still care about Vogue. Under Malle’s leadership, the magazine’s summer issue published in June focused on celebrating the 250th birthday of the United States.In this episode of NPR’s Newsmakers, Malle sat down with Michel Martin to discuss how the Vogue of today is different from the one she read as an adolescent, why Vogue still matters and how legacy media is evolving.NPR's Newsmakers is where you'll find NPR's biggest interviews. We post new episodes as soon as they're available — any day of the week. Follow or subscribe on Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you watch or listen to podcasts so you always get the latest episode as soon as possible. You can also find Newsmakers on the NPR app.Newsmakers relies on supporters who value independent journalism and a free press. Join NPR+ today to support our work and get perks from the podcasts you trust. Go to plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Jill Biden on Hunter’s pardon and her husband’s turbulent political end

Former first lady Jill Biden is shedding new light on one of the biggest decisions her husband made as president: to drop out of his own reelection campaign.In this episode of NPR’s Newsmakers, Biden sits down with host Scott Detrow to discuss her new book, View from the East Wing: A Memoir. She opens up about the infamous 2024 presidential debate that doomed President Joe Biden’s campaign -- when his performance so concerned those in his inner circle, Biden says her husband was checked by doctors after leaving the stage -- and the personal and political toll of the months that followed.She also reveals Joe Biden “truly changed his mind” on pardoning their son Hunter, who was convicted on federal gun and tax charges in 2024. She says it was then-candidate Donald Trump’s rhetoric about Hunter’s criminal cases that eventually led her husband to pardon their son, who faced prison time.NPR's Newsmakers is where you'll find NPR's biggest interviews. We post new episodes as soon as they're available -- any day of the week. Follow or subscribe on Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you watch or listen to podcasts so you always get the latest episode as soon as possible. You can also find Newsmakers on the NPR app.Newsmakers relies on supporters who value independent journalism and a free press. Join NPR+ today to support our work and get perks from the podcasts you trust. Go to plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy