The Takeout with Major Garrett

As the bassist for The Avett Brothers, Bob Crawford spends a lot of time on the road. When he's on a tour bus or a plane, you can usually find him reading history. He turned that passion - and a love of politics and current events - into a podcast on America's 6th president, John Quincy Adams. In "Founding Son: John Quincy's America" Crawford chronicles the extraordinary life of a man whose politi...

In search of an 'Oppenheimer' companion piece? The new documentary, 'A Compassionate Spy,' is our focus on this week's episode, with the film's writer/director, Steve James, joining Major over Zoom. James' film tells the story of Ted Hall, the controversial Manhattan Project physicist who after just a year working at Los Alamos decided to pass secrets about the bomb to the Soviet Union. It's a rea...

Major sits down for pizza with California Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell at Stellina, a Neapolitan pizza joint in DC's Union Market. Swalwell reacts to the Hunter Biden plea agreement that fell apart this week and weighs in on President Biden's 2024 re-election prospects. Swalwell, who served as an impeachment manager in the wake of the January 6th Capitol attack, explains the daily threats he gets a...

Washington Post reporter and author Ben Terris joins Major to discuss his new book, "The Big Break: The Gamblers, Party Animals, and True Believers Trying to Win in Washington While America Loses Its Mind." Terris's book looks at Washington after the Trump presidency and asks a fundamental questions of the political class in DC: Why are you here? Join us at Unconventional Diner in downtown DC for...

This week, it's all about historic firsts: for the first time in our seven-year history, we paid a visit to the historic Ben's Chili Bowl, a restaurant that's been serving their "original half-smokes" to hungry Washingtonians since 1958. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), who in 2017 became the first woman of color to be elected to Congress from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, knows Ben's well - she...

Evangelical voters are likely to play a significant role in deciding whether former President Trump will capture the GOP nomination in 2024. Jon Ward, chief national correspondent for Yahoo! News, knows that voting bloc well. Ward's new book, Testimony: Inside the Evangelical Movement that Failed a Generation , is about his upbringing in an influential evangelical church. The book is a deeply pers...

Journalist and author Neil King, Jr. joins Major at The Grill at Harryman House in Reisterstown, MD. On the menu: a chat about Neil’s new book “American Ramble,” a chronicle of his 300+ mile walk from Washington, D.C. to New York City. Join us for a stroll through history.

The Republican former governor of Maryland has a lot to say about the 2024 race for the GOP nomination - a contest he says he will not join. But would he consider a third party challenge early next year? Governor Larry Hogan sits down with Major on the banks of the South River at Mike's Restaurant and Crabhouse in Riva, MD. Hogan dishes on Trump and the classified documents indictment, why he thin...

Rhode Island senator Sheldon Whitehouse joins Major for pastries and coffee at Ted's Bulletin on Capitol Hill. Whitehouse goes deep on former President Trump's legal troubles and his own experience prosecuting a celebrity politician. Plus, a discussion about President Biden's age and the 2024 race, why Whitehouse wants ailing California senator Dianne Feinstein to stay in office and where things s...

Author and former broadcast journalist Luke Russert joins Major at famed Capitol Hill watering hole Tune Inn for a discussion of Russert's new book, "Look for Me There," a memoir about losing his father and traveling the world. Russert recounts advice he got in 2015 from then-Speaker of the House John Boehner, who told him to leave network news and explore the world. Stick around for a chat betwee...

It's been a whirlwind week in Washington with both chambers of Congress considering a bill to lift the nation's borrowing limit and avert potential default on America's debt. The House passed the bill Wednesday night and Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana believes the Senate will follow suit -- at some point before the June 5th deadline. But it's not clear exactly when or how. Cassidy ex...

We're wearing our nerd hats this week because, well...the news-of-the-day requires such attire! The ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee, Pennsylvania Congressman Brendan Boyle, joins Major for coffee at one of our favorite haunts, the Dubliner on Capitol Hill. The congressman dubbed this chat about debt ceiling negotiations the "nerdiest conversation I've ever had sitting in the [famili...

Much has been made in recent weeks about the House GOP's 'five families' and Speaker Kevin McCarthy's efforts to unite these five ideologically-diverse caucuses in effort to strike a deal with the Biden White House on raising the debt ceiling. South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace recognizes how difficult it is for McCarthy to navigate the demands from each of the five factions, but she's cont...

The state of Arizona is anticipating an influx of migrants seeking aslyum at the U.S. southern border following the expiration of Title 42 on Thursday, May 11. Just days prior to the end of the Trump-era public health restrictions, Major sat down with Arizona Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs to discuss her plans for addressing the fallout. Hobbs says, "there's a lot of frustration across the board...

This week, we're offering our listeners 'a taste' of a podcast hosted by a friend of The Takeout, POLITICO's chief Washington correspondent Ryan Lizza! If you talk to Democratic strategists about the 2024 presidential election, there is a certain type of Republican nominee who they fear: Someone who knows how to speak in the language of inclusion; who can discuss abortion and guns without alienati...

It was a dizzying week in financial news: the Federal Reserve raised interest rates, the U.S. experienced its second biggest bank collapse ever and President Biden and congressional leaders agreed to meet next week to find a way forward on the debt ceiling. What does it all mean? What’s the state of the post-pandemic economy? We’ve got CBS News Business Analyst Jill Schlesinger to explain it all a...

Saturday night luminaries from politics, media and Hollywood came together for the annual White House Correspondents' dinner in Washington. We joined forces with POLITICO Playbook Deep Dive's Ryan Lizza at the CBS News-POLITICO pre-reception to bring you interviews with Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), 2024 GOP presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson, CBS News Radio's Steven Portnoy, NY Mag's Olivia Nuzz...

This week, Major's guests include Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Mitch McConnell, Chuck Grassley, Ron Desantis and Bernie Sanders. Okay, not exactly.  Comedian Matt Friend joins Major for a buffet of hilarious impressions at Unconventional Diner in Washington, DC.  Don't attempt to eat or drink while listening. You might choke from laughing too hard. You can find @TheMattFriend on Twitter,...

Don't miss this one. Daily Show correspondent and comedian Roy Wood, Jr. is Major's guest this week at Monterey Brasserie in Midtown Manhattan. Wood, Jr. will be the featured comedian at this year's White House Correspondents' Dinner on April 29th. Join us for a thoughtful - and hilarious - conversation on his approach to doing comedy at the dinner, cancel culture, guest hosting The Daily Show and...

Major visits Major League Baseball headquarters in New York City for a conversation with the boss, commissioner Rob Manfred. On the menu: baseball’s new in-game rule changes, the fate of regional sports networks that broadcast games, betting in baseball and which markets could get a team next. Join us!

Mel Brooks’s classic comedy “History of the World, Part I” debuted more than 40 years ago - and there was never supposed to be a part II. Until now. Major sits down with actor Jay Ellis and showrunner Dave Stassen, part of the star-studded ensemble that brought “History of the World, Part II” to Hulu earlier this year. Join us for a hilarious conversation about how the show came to be a generation...

America has been touched by yet another mass shooting - this time in Nashville, TN. South Dakota Republican joins Major to share his legislative ideas for making these tragic events less common. Johnson also weighs in on Donald Trump’s 2024 prospects and explains why he believes the debt ceiling debate is nearing crisis territory. Recorded Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at The Dubliner near Capitol Hil...

This week, Major visits Rep. Stacey Plaskett, the Democratic delegate for the U.S. Virgin Islands, in her Capitol Hill office. Plaskett, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee’s “weaponization” of government subcommittee, says House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan are attempting to intimidate Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in his investiga...

The Pentagon released video this week showing an airborne Russian fighter jet intercepting an unarmed U.S. drone above the Black Sea. The provocative act, which took place in international airspace, damaged the drone's propeller, causing it to crash into the water. On this week's show, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby explains what the U.S. will and will not do in response. Plus, wha...

Major sits down with author Jack Farrell to discuss his most recent book "Ted Kennedy: A Life," a biography of the so-called Lion of the Senate. Kennedy served nearly 47 years in the chamber, championing liberal policies. Farrell writes that Kennedy suffered from chronic self-doubt which, in part, sunk his 1980 bid for the White House. Farrell also discusses his books on Richard Nixon and Clarence...