Margaret Hoover sits down with Mayor Brandon Johnson in Chicago to talk about his clash with the Trump administration over immigration enforcement and the political and fiscal challenges that cities are facing today.

Johnson discusses the role of mayors in challenging the president’s policies and the limitations of a local government taking on the federal government.

He offers advice for fellow progressive New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and reflects on some of the setbacks he has faced advancing his own agenda in Chicago after voters and the City Council rejected two major tax proposals.

Johnson, a former public school teacher, also addresses Chicago’s rising public pension costs, his alignment with the teachers union, and whether ICE should be abolished.

Support for Firing Line with Margaret Hoover is provided by Robert Granieri, Vanessa and Henry Cornell, The Fairweather Foundation, The Tepper Foundation, Peter and Mary Kalikow, Pritzker Military Foundation, Cliff and Laurel Asness, Katharine J. Rayner, Charles R. Schwab, Lindsay and George Billingsley, The Meadowlark Foundation, Jared Stone, and Al and Kathy Hubbard.

Rep. James Clyburn joins Margaret Hoover to talk about “The First Eight,” his recent book about the eight Black South Carolinians who served in Congress before him and why their stories still matter.

During reconstruction after the Civil War, South Carolina sent eight Black men to Congress. After the last of them left office in 1897, it would be 95 years before the ninth–Clyburn–was elected in 1992. Clyburn explains why there was such a long gap and why he believes the segregationist past presents a cautionary tale for America today.

He criticizes President Trump and the MAGA movement, and he warns that the Supreme Court could disenfranchise Black voters if it further weakens the Voting Rights Act.

Clyburn, who is 85 and in his 17th term in Congress, reflects on his legacy, offers a message for the next generation of Democrats, and expresses hope for the nation’s future.

Support for Firing Line with Margaret Hoover is provided by Robert Granieri, Vanessa and Henry Cornell, The Fairweather Foundation, The Tepper Foundation, Peter and Mary Kalikow, Pritzker Military Foundation, Cliff and Laurel Asness, Katharine J. Rayner, Lindsay and George Billingsley, The Meadowlark Foundation, and Jared Stone.

Elliott Abrams, who was U.S. special representative for Venezuela in President Trump’s first term, responds to the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and discusses what it means for U.S. foreign policy.

Abrams, who also worked in the State Department under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, explains why he supported Trump taking action against Maduro and why he is alarmed by decisions the administration has made since. He details his concerns about the administration aligning with remnants of Maduro’s regime instead of supporting the democratic opposition.

Abrams comments on Trump’s fixation on Venezuelan oil and the administration’s “might makes right” mindset that he says is inconsistent with America’s history. He also questions Trump’s push to seize control of Greenland.

Abrams assesses Marco Rubio’s performance as secretary of state and the potential ramifications of unseating Maduro for other countries in the region, including Cuba. He talks about Trump’s effort to dominate the Western Hemisphere and the importance of asserting America’s values in the year of the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Support for Firing Line with Margaret Hoover is provided by Robert Granieri, Vanessa and Henry Cornell, The Fairweather Foundation, The Tepper Foundation, Peter and Mary Kalikow, Pritzker Military Foundation, Cliff and Laurel Asness, Katharine J. Rayner, Charles R. Schwab, Lindsay and George Billingsley, The Meadowlark Foundation, Jared Stone, and Al and Kathy Hubbard.