Next Question with Katie Couric

Rachel Maddow joins Katie Couric for a wide-ranging conversation about Donald Trump, the future of MAGA, and what the stunning results of the 2026 midterm elections mean for American democracy. After Democrats' sweeping victories, is Trump's grip on the Republican Party finally weakening? Can the GOP survive without him? And will Democrats hold the Trump administration accountable? Maddow breaks down the election results, why she believes corruption played a major role in voters' rejection of Trump, and what comes next for Republicans and Democrats. She also weighs in on the possibility of Pete Hegseth's impeachment, Stephen Miller's growing power in the White House, and whether Trump's Justice Department can be rebuilt. Plus, Maddow discusses her new book, Department of Fate: The Promise, the Power and the Collapse of America's Most Consequential Institution, and explains why she believes the future of the Department of Justice is inseparable from the future of American democracy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My girlfriends and I have a plan: When we’re 85, we’re all moving into one big house together, somewhere warm, of course. Our own modern-day Golden Girls. (I’ll be Sophia.) But it turns out there’s real science behind that plan. Research shows friendships and social connection are just as important to healthy aging as diet, exercise and sleep. So why does making friends get so much harder as we get older? For the latest episode of The Art of Aging, I sat down with Priya Parker, author of The Art of Gathering and The Art of Fighting, to talk about how to build community when kids grow up, friends move away, and our social circles start to shrink. In partnership with Pantene and Olay. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 2026 midterms delivered an extraordinary night for Democrats, who won control of both houses of Congress and flipped key races in states like Texas, Kansas, and South Carolina. But was this a vote of confidence in Democrats, or a resounding rejection of Trump? After nearly five hours of live election coverage from the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, Katie reunites with veteran journalist Jim Acosta and political analyst Larry Sabato to unpack the results, the biggest surprises, and what comes next. They discuss the shifting political map, what drove voters to the polls, whether moderates or progressives have the upper hand in the Democratic Party, and how Democrats should wield their newfound power in Congress. Plus, they explore what Trump might be thinking after such a devastating defeat, whether JD Vance is distancing himself from the president, and what the results mean for the race to the White House in 2028. The votes are in, but the political fallout is only beginning. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we get older, so many of us notice little changes in our memory: forgetting a name, losing a word mid-sentence, rereading the same paragraph three times. It’s easy to write that off as a normal part of aging. After this conversation, I’m not so sure we should. In this episode of The Art of Aging, Dr. Rhonda Voskuhl, professor of neurology at UCLA and founding neurologist of UCLA’s Comprehensive Menopause Program, explains how women’s brains change after menopause, and why losing estrogen affects so much more than hot flashes. She makes a distinction I’d never heard before: what we call “brain fog” is really two different things, and only one of them goes away on its own. And with two-thirds of Alzheimer’s patients being women, she believes understanding why could change how we protect our brains. We also got practical: what kind of exercise actually helps your brain, which brain games are worth your time, how much alcohol is too much, and what genetic and blood tests can (and can’t) tell you about your Alzheimer’s risk. We also talked about why research on women’s brains has lagged so far behind, and what she thinks the next generation of hormone therapy should look like. Her message stuck with me: if you feel like you’re not as sharp as you used to be, trust your gut, and don’t accept it as just part of getting older. Thank you to our presenting sponsor, Procter & Gamble, along with Crest Pro-Health and Oral-B, for making this conversation possible. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ethel Kennedy was pregnant with her 11th child when her husband, Robert F. Kennedy, was assassinated in 1968. She spent the next five decades raising her children, keeping her faith, and fighting for the causes they shared. In a new book, Ethel Kennedy: The Extraordinary Life and Bold Legacy, Kerry Kennedy tells her mother’s story, from Ethel’s rough-and-tumble childhood and the legendary parties at Hickory Hill to the fearless advocate she became in her own right. Kerry sits down with Katie to talk about growing up in a house full of chaos and love, learning that her father had been shot when she was just eight, and the deep faith that carried her mother through unimaginable loss. She also opens up about her brother, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom she calls “extremely dangerous,” and why she keeps the door open to him anyway. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.