Washington Post Live

He was a key global leader and stood by America’s side in one of its darkest hours. Former British prime minister Tony Blair joins Washington Post Live to discuss the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, how extremism has evolved and where the world stands today in its war against terrorism. Blair also explains his concern that the West may have lost its will to exert its traditional leadership role and why he calls the withdrawal from Afghanistan “tragic, dangerous and unnecessary.”

The Miss America Organization celebrates its 100th birthday in September. What started as a local event meant to extend the tourism season past Labor Day turned into a heralded nationwide pageant and scholarship program that has survived its own history of sexism and misogyny. Washington Post writer Amy Argetsinger’s retrospective book “There She Was: A Secret History of Miss America” takes readers on a journey through American feminist history, racism, the end of the swimsuit competition and the pageant’s recent steep decline in viewership. 

David M. Rubenstein, philanthropist, historian and co-founder of the private equity firm The Carlyle Group, has written a series of books that examine how America was founded, shaped and inspired people worldwide to dream. His latest book, “The American Experiment,” gets to the heart of what it means to be an American and how that definition evolves with each generation through social movements and cultural shifts.

“The Good Fight” creators Michelle and Robert King and the show’s stars Christine Baranski and Audra McDonald join The Post to discuss the series’ success in tackling social justice issues through its creative portrayal of current events.

Seth Berkley, MD is the CEO of GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, a leading global health organization racing against the clock to get poorer countries vaccinated against COVID-19 while the delta variant rages. GAVI, along with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and the World Health Organization, is leading COVAX, a partnership dedicated to providing free COVID-19 vaccines to at least 20 percent of the population in the world’s 92 poorest countries by the end of 2021. Berkley will highlight the challenges around supply, delivery, vaccine hesitancy and poor health infrastructure in recipient countries.

Philip D. Zelikow led the congressionally chartered inquiry into the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Now, he is laying the groundwork for a national commission to investigate the COVID-19 pandemic and propose forward-looking policy recommendations. The attorney, diplomat and University of Virginia professor joins Washington Post deputy editorial page editor Karen Tumulty to discuss the Covid Commission Planning Group. This group is planning a large investigative effort along multiple lines of inquiry, including the origins of the pandemic, failures of pandemic preparedness and response, the impact of COVID-19 on at-risk communities and the development and distribution of vaccines and therapeutics.

The Taliban’s return to power has raised fears about hard-won rights for Afghan women and girls over the last two decades. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, and Najla Ayoubi, chief of global programs at Every Woman Treaty and a former Afghan judge, join Washington Post Live to discuss the future for women in the country.

In 2009, glassblowing artist James McKelvey teamed up with friend and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey to create Square after losing a sale because he couldn’t accept American Express cards. Today, through his new company, Invisibly, the serial entrepreneur is disrupting Big Tech by returning personal data back to consumers. McKelvey joins with Washington Post columnist David Ignatius to discuss the dangers of personal data online and how his company is making a difference.

Jodie McLean is the CEO of EDENS, one of the nation’s leading private owners, operators and developers of retail real estate. McLean has focused on transforming brick-and-mortar shopping malls into lifestyle destinations that reflect consumer preferences. As people return to in-person experiences, retailers are hitting some challenges. McLean joins Washington Post deputy editorial page editor Karen Tumulty to discuss how staffing and supply chain issues, as well as continued health safety concerns, are changing the retail experience post-COVID.

It is America’s longest war with over 2,300 dead and more than 20,000 casualties. Washington Post reporter Craig Whitlock, author of the new Washington Post book “The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War,” discusses stunning revelations about the war in Afghanistan and offer powerful, inside perspective on new evidence that the recent Afghan collapse was years in the making. Whitlock was joined by former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker and former U.S. Army Lieutenant General Douglas Lute (Ret.).