The Takeout with Major Garrett

NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson joins Major and The Takeout this week to discuss the ongoing trial of Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter Movement, the recent voting legislation passed in Georgia, and NCAA athlete compensation. Johnson also discusses the origins of the NAACP, and how its mission has incorporated more groups since its founding, and Johnson's...

This week, Major chats with journalist and author Ron Brownstein whose new book "Rock Me on the Water" looks at early 1970s pop culture in Los Angeles and how it transformed music, movies, tv and politics. Brownstein argues LA reached its creative peak in 1974 and from it flowed not only the defining work of the era, but a preview of political debate in America. Join us!

Major speaks with legendary writer, director, and producer Chuck Lorre, former U.S. ambassador Ryan Crocker, ret. U.S. Army General David Petraeus, and co-creators Maria Ferrari and David Goetsch about the new CBS sitcom, United States of Al . The show focuses on a U.S. Marine returning home from war and his Afghan interpreter making a new life in America. Major and the group talk about the real-l...

A year after COVID-19 hit the United States, shutdowns began, and on the eve of Joe Biden signing the American Rescue Plan, Major spoke with epidemiologist Dr. Michael Osterholm about the state of COVID-19 in the United States. Osterholm approved of the new CDC guidance on opening nursing home to visitors and for vaccinated Americans, but said that the U.S. could be facing a whole new ballgame as...

This week, Major interviewed former acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf. Wolf said that U.S. Capitol Police initially rejected help from the Department of Homeland Security during the assault on the Capitol on January 6. He added that he offered to send DHS law enforcement backup just after 2 p.m. that day, after a violent mob of Trump supporters had begun to infiltrate the Capitol. That initial offer...

This week, Major speaks with freshman Congressman Peter Meijer (R-MI), one of the few House Republicans to vote in favor of President Trump's second impeachment. Meijer said that he has faced death threats since his vote earlier in the year, and that the Republican Party will face "challenges" if it continues to align itself with former President Trump. Meijer says that he will likely not support...

This week, host Major Garrett discusses the Biden administration's plans for COVID-19 relief with a member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, Jared Bernstein. Bernstein says the Biden Administration's American Rescue Plan "is calibrated to be of the magnitude to finally deal this COVID-19 virus the blow that hasn't occurred yet," and that the plan would create an "inclusive" economic...

Jitarth Jadeja, a former QAnon supporter who fell into the Q conspiracy/cult in 2016 and 2017, opens up about his experience of joining- and exiting- what he calls the worst two years of his life. Jadeja also talks about his dad, who joined QAnon and still is a fervent believer, and the family dynamic now that Jitarth is actively trying to save those who have fallen into the QAnon movement. Plus,...

This week, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) joined host Major to discuss COVID-19 relief negotiations proceeding in Congress, whether Schiff has his eyes on becoming the next California Attorney General, and the second impeachment of Donald Trump. Schiff and Garrett also discussed the role of the conspiracy theory QAnon in the Republican Party and controversial Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA)....

Former vice presidential nominee and senator Joe Lieberman joins Major to discuss coronavirus, the new Biden administration, whether the filibuster should stay or go and his biodefense initiative. Lieberman says the senate should pursue an impeachment trial of former President Trump and ought to censure him if they don't convict. Stay for the Takeout Outtake Especial and learn Lieberman's favorite...

This week, progressive Democrat Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), who was in the House chamber balcony on January 6th, describes her harrowing experience during the Capitol siege. Jayapal was unable to attend the inauguration because she was finishing her quarantine after contracting coronavirus. She suspects she caught the virus while in lockdown with unmasked Republican House members on January 6th. This...

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) joined host Major Garrett the morning after he voted, along with House Democrats and nine other House Republicans, to impeach President Trump for "incitement of insurrection". Kinzinger explained what it was like to be inside the U.S. Capitol as insurrectionists stormed inside, saying that he brought a gun to the Hill on Jan. 6th just in case that exact situation arose....

This week, CBS News election law expert David Becker joins the show to address the storming and desecration of the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob on January 6th. Becker said that the violence on the Hill this week "flows from the creation of an alternate reality," by President Trump. He also discusses the lack of evidence the Trump campaign presented on election fraud as it pertains to the 2020 p...

This week, Major is joined by Washington, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine. Racine said that his level of anxiety is "high" due to potential protests on Jan. 6th by pro-Trump protesters in Washington, adding that President Trump has encouraged hateful and violent behavior since taking office. Racine and Major also discussed police reform steps that have and should be taken in Washington, D.C. and...

In a special Christmas episode, Major interviews Armando Varricchio, the Italian Ambassador to the United States. They discuss the COVID-19 experience in Italy, the decline in Italian holiday tourism and the Italian government's reaction to the 2020 presidential election. This episode was recorded on December 10th, 2020.

This week, Major hosted a conversation led by the Economic Club of Minnesota between Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Congressman Tom Emmer (R-MN) about negotiations on Capitol Hill for COVID-19 relief, the National Defense Authorization Act, and efforts to avoid a last-minute government shutdown. Senator Klobuchar said that she is hopeful that COVID relief will be passed by Congress this weekend...

This week, Major is joined by businessman and philanthropist David Rubenstein to talk about the 2020 election results, Donald Trump's impact on American politics, Rubenstein's "patriotic philanthropy," and the future of music and art in Washington, D.C. Rubenstein, who is Chairman of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, says that he hopes to get in-person events back at the Kennedy Center b...

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country's leading infectious disease expert, joins Major to talk about the pandemic and the incoming Biden administration. Fauci says he has not spoken with Vice President-elect Joe Biden but has talked with his incoming chief of staff and will meet with members of the transition team today. Fauci said British regulators "really rushed through...approval" of the Pfizer vacci...

This Thanksgiving week, we're thankful for all the restaurants who have hosted us and our podcast guests over the past few years. Since the option of dining *in* is currently off the table, we decided to connect virtually with four D.C.-area restaurateurs to see how they're handling the logistical challenges posed by the pandemic. Major talks community, food and restaurant reinvention with: - Greg...

World renowned chef, restaurateur and activist Tom Colicchio of "Top Chef" fame joins Major for a conversation about the restaurant industry, its pandemic-induced challenges and what he would like to see congress and the president do to help the industry and its employees. Colicchio fears restaurants could be facing an "extinction event" if Washington doesn't act. Join us.

New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said she's concerned that the federal agency overseeing the presidential transition has not yet formally started the process, since President-elect Joe Biden must begin planning his administration's response to the  coronavirus pandemic . "President-elect Biden needs to hit the ground running," Gillibrand said on the podcast. "He needs to be able to have a compr...

America decided. But America is still counting. We still don't know the outcome of Tuesday's election. Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina and Pennsylvania are all still too close to call. Major is joined by CBS News political aces Ed O'Keefe and Anthony Salvanto to discuss this history-making week. Join us for a beef stew lunch in the cafeteria at CBS News' Times Square election headquarters...

Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer joins Major for a discussion on the 2020 race for the White House, the kidnapping plot against her and President Trump's attacks on her handling of the coronavirus outbreak. "It's just a lie," Whitmer said of the president's accusation that Michigan is under lockdown orders. "He's propagating things that are demonstrably false. But he's whipping up ang...

Brown University Political Science and Economics professor Mark Blyth joins Major from his home music studio to discuss the upcoming election and why Blyth says, despite what polling shows, President Trump "has got a lot more left than people give him credit for." Come for a fascinating conversation on the parallels between Facebook algorithms and cocaine-fueled parties. Stay for Blyth's take on t...

Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) provide their thoughts on the Senate confirmation hearings for judge Amy Coney Barrett. Barrett, who was tapped by President Trump to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg's vacant seat on the Supreme Court, is likely to be confirmed before election day. Senator Murphy said that the confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the fill the “pivotal” SCOTUS sea...