You and Me Both with Hillary Clinton

In 2018, Hillary (like so many other people) discovered comedian Hannah Gadsby through her breakout Netflix special Nanette. The show shook up the comedy world by exposing the ways that even the best intentioned stand-up can inflict trauma on comedian and audience members alike when it invites us to laugh about misogyny, homophobia, fat-phobia, and other forms of hatred and prejudice. Having grown up non-gender conforming and gay in Tasmania, Australia’s deeply conservative island state, Hannah spoke from experience. Hannah followed Nanette with another Netflix special, Douglas, which explored the aftermath of her relatively late-in-life diagnosis of autism. She will soon be touring with her latest live show, Body of Work, and just released a new memoir, Ten Steps to Nanette. Hillary was eager to talk to Hannah about how her life, and her comedy, have evolved since Nanette. As you’ll hear, they found lots of other things to talk about as well, from physical therapy to healing from trauma, and dealing with online trolls. You can find a full transcript HERE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

29 Mar 202235min

Over the course of this season of the podcast, Hillary has been examining the challenges our democracy faces. Today, she looks abroad to Russia’s brutal, unprovoked attack on Ukraine, and considers what led to this moment and what’s at stake in this war–for Ukraine, Russia, the United States, and the whole world.Joining her are two experts. First, historian and journalist Anne Applebaum provides insight into Vladimir Putin and the antidemocratic figures he’s inspired in Europe and beyond. Then, we hear from political scientist and former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul on how we got to this moment from the fall of the former Soviet Union, what the United States can do to help Ukraine, and how to fight back against Russia’s crackdown on truth and dissent.Bios:Anne Applebaum is a staff writer at The Atlantic, a journalist, and a historian whose work has largely focused on Eastern Europe and the role of democracy. She is the author of four books, including Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-56, for which she won the Pulitzer Prize and, most recently, Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism. She lives in Warsaw and London.Michael McFaul is professor of political science at Stanford University, and a diplomat who served at the National Security Council and as U.S. Ambassador to Russia during the Obama administration. He is also an International Affairs Analyst for NBC News and a contributing columnist to The Washington Post. His most recent book, From Cold War to Hot Peace: An American Ambassador in Putin’s Russia, was a New York Times bestseller.You can find a full transcript HERE. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

22 Mar 20221h 10min

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a source of upheaval and suffering for over two years, but it has also presented us with an opportunity to try to do things differently going forward—in our personal lives, in our communities, and in the way governments serve people.During what looks to be a much-needed reprieve from the pandemic, Hillary turns to two brand new mayors, with different backgrounds and leadership styles, who are seizing this opportunity to transform their cities with vision and determination. First, we hear from Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, whose commitment to affordable housing, accessible transportation, and better health outcomes for all stem from her own experiences navigating dysfunctional public services for her immigrant mother with a mental health disability.Then we turn to New York Mayor Eric Adams, a former NYPD officer, state senator, and Brooklyn Borough President who says he wants to bring back the city’s “swagger” by improving the quality of life for all New Yorkers while attending to both public safety and justice.Bios:Michelle Wu is the first woman, the first Asian American, and the first mother to be elected Mayor of Boston. She previously served on the Boston City Council, as a member and then, in 2016, as President. Eric Adams served with the NYPD for 22 years. In his second career as an elected official, he served as a state senator and Borough President of Brooklyn before winning the nomination for Mayor of New York in a crowded Democratic primary and going on to become New York’s 110th, and only its second African American, Mayor. You can find a full transcript HERE. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

15 Mar 202254min

This week, Hillary continues her series on the state of our democracy. On today’s episode, we take a look at how our courts, and our laws, are holding up under pressure from powerful interest groups. First, we hear from Dahlia Lithwick, who has covered the Supreme Court for Slate since 1999. Dahlia shares some rather grim predictions on what we can expect from the Court this term with regard to abortion rights, gun regulations, and more. After that comes a conversation with Sherrilyn Ifill about President Biden’s Supreme Court nominee, the Court’s decimation of voting rights, and Sherrilyn’s next project, once she steps down as President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund this spring.Bios:Dahlia Lithwick is a senior editor at Slate, where she writes her award-winning “Supreme Court Dispatches” and “Jurisprudence” columns and hosts Amicus, a podcast about the law and the Supreme Court. Her forthcoming book, Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America, is due out this fall.  Sherrilyn Ifill is the outgoing President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund known for her work on voting rights, police violence, and racial justice. Previously, she taught for twenty years at the University of Maryland law school. Sherrilyn was one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of the Year in 2021.Full transcript is HERE. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

8 Mar 20221h 2min

“As I get older, I get bolder.” This week, Hillary takes political consultant Luis Miranda, Jr’s quip from our last episode and runs with it. She’s talking to three “women of a certain age” who have defied expectations, and stereotypes, to do great things throughout their long lives.First, we hear from U.S. Representative Maxine Waters, who has represented southern Los Angeles for over 30 years, earning a reputation as a stalwart champion for progressive values who speaks her mind. Next up is actor Glenda Jackson, who, between winning two Academy Awards and a Tony Award, served in the British parliament for 23 years. We finish the hour with a conversation with U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono from Hawaii, who has raised her voice many times, speaking out against family separation, in defense of the Affordable Care Act, and, most recently, as an advocate for anti-hate crime legislation. BiosU.S. Representative Maxine Waters has served as a congresswoman for southern Los Angeles County since January 1991. She is the first woman and first African American to chair the House Financial Services Committee. She’s also a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a member and past chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.British actor Glenda Jackson has received two Academy Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award. In 1992, she left the stage to run for office, winning election to the British Parliament and holding office for the next 23 years. In 2016, at age 80, Glenda returned to acting with award-winning performances in Shakespeare’s King Lear, Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women, and the BBC drama Elizabeth Is Missing.Senator Mazie Hirono is the first Asian American woman elected to the U.S. Senate, and the only currently serving immigrant. Mazie sits on the Armed Services, Judiciary, Energy & Natural Resources, Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and Veterans’ Affairs Committees, and championed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act to support better reporting and tracking of hate crimes perpetrated against the AAPI community. The bill passed both chambers with bipartisan support and was signed into law on May 20th, 2021. Mazie’s memoir, Heart of Fire: An Immigrant Daughter’s Story, comes out in paperback in April. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1 Mar 202259min

Hillary has given—and gotten—a lot of advice over the years. On today’s episode, she talks with two of her favorite advice givers about their approach to this sometimes delicate and often consequential enterprise. First, we hear from author and columnist Cheryl Strayed about how the stories of others can help us heal and grow. Then, New York-based political consultant Luis Miranda, Jr., who advised Hillary on her first historic run for U.S. Senate, talks about the challenges of helping politicians (and his own children) make strategic decisions.Bios:Cheryl Strayed is the author of the #1 New York Times best-selling memoir Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. She’s written her “Dear Sugar” advice column for over a decade. It’s now available through a subscription newsletter.Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Luis Miranda, Jr. is a longtime Democratic political strategist and activist for Latino causes. He is a founding partner at the MirRam Group, a political consulting firm based in New York, and is the father of famed composer and actor Lin Manuel-Miranda. In October of 2020, HBO released Siempre, Luis, a documentary following his work.   Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

22 Feb 202247min

Over the past years we’ve lived through some alarming assaults on our democracy at every level, from local school boards to the highest court in the land. Over the course of this season of You and Me Both, Hillary’s taking a hard look at the state of our democracy from several vantage points, with the help of experts and leaders doing incredible work on the ground.Today, we start our series with an examination of our democracy at the state and local level. First, Hillary speaks with Ohio-based political strategist David Pepper, author of Laboratories of Autocracy: A Wake-Up Call from Behind the Lines, about how our democracy loses when we don’t participate locally and play a “long game.” Then she speaks to Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, based in Houston, Texas, who is making positive change for all the people in her county.Bios:David Pepper began his career working in Russia in the early 1990s, helping to fortify economic reforms during that country’s fledgling attempt at democracy. Back in the United States, he’s served on the Cincinnati City Council and as Chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party.In 2017, at age 27, Colombia-born Texas-raised Lina Hidalgo was elected Harris County Judge, beating a three-time incumbent and becoming the first woman, and first Latina, to hold that office. Harris County, which includes Houston, is the third largest county in the nation. Together with four County Commissioners, Judge Hidalgo oversees a $4.3 billion budget that helps fund key county services and institutions.You can read a full transcript HERE. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

15 Feb 202253min

If you’re a public figure (and even if you aren’t), it can be hard to try something new; some onlookers will always be quick to tell you to “stay in your lane.” Hillary’s experienced that, from working as a lawyer and advocate, to becoming First Lady, then running for office herself, serving as Senator and Secretary of State, and more recently writing a best-selling political thriller and becoming a podcast host!  On today’s episode, Hillary talks to two women who have dared to step outside the box we put them in, by switching gears in their lives and in their careers. World champion track and field runner Allyson Felix did that when she became an advocate for Black maternal health and better protections for women athletes. And actor, singer, author, and advocate Vanessa Williams has done it over and over again, ever since she was throned, and then dethroned, as Miss America back in 1983. Bios:Allyson Felix is the most decorated woman in Olympic track and field history. In 2018, after a life-threatening pregnancy, she became a vocal advocate on Black maternal health. In 2021, Felix launched Saysh, a lifestyle footwear company.Vanessa Williams is a Grammy and Emmy Award winning and Tony Award nominated artist who’s released eight best-selling albums, appeared in dozens of films and TV shows, written two books, and released two clothing lines. She first emerged on the national stage in 1983, when she became the first Black woman to be crowned Miss America, but was then forced to resign after Penthouse magazine published risqué photos of her without her consent. In 2021, she helped found Black Theater United to push for greater equity, diversity and inclusion on Broadway. You can find a full transcript HERE. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

8 Feb 202241min