Margaret Hoover sits down with Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer – a Republican election official in Arizona’s most populous county – to discuss the new indictment of allies of Donald Trump for their fake elector scheme in 2020 and how he’s preparing for the 2024 election.

Richer recalls the “unrelenting” pressure that Arizona officials faced to overturn the 2020 election results and praises figures like former Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bower for resisting the president’s demands. He addresses how Republicans have responded to the indictment and whether Trump should also be held accountable for his actions in Arizona.

Richer, who is suing Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake for defamation, talks about the harassment, threats, and conspiracy theories he has confronted and how defending the integrity of Arizona’s elections has alienated him from many in his party. He also explains why he will blame Lake and Trump if anyone in his office is harmed by election deniers.

Richer tells Hoover how he is working to bolster confidence in this November’s election as he faces a far-right primary challenge himself, and he reflects on his place in the Republican Party and his future in public service.

Support for “Firing Line for Margaret Hoover” is provided by Robert Granieri, Vanessa and Henry Cornell, The Fairweather Foundation, The Tepper Foundation, Peter and Mary Kalikow, The Asness Family Foundation, The Beth and Ravenel Curry Foundation, Kathleen and Andrew McKenna through The McKenna Family Foundation, Charles R. Schwab, The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation, Pritzker Military Foundation on behalf of the Pritzker Military Museum and Library, The Rosalind P. Walter Foundation, Damon Button, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Roger and Susan Hertog, Cheryl Cohen Effron and Blair Effron, and Al and Kathy Hubbard. Corporate funding is provided by Stephens Inc. and Pfizer Inc.

As Donald Trump’s first criminal trial begins, Margaret Hoover sits down with NYU law professor Melissa Murray to discuss the historic proceedings and what prosecuting a former president means for America.

Murray, co-host of the Strict Scrutiny podcast, breaks down the charges filed by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, addresses the challenges of selecting an impartial jury, and responds to Trump’s complaints that he has been mistreated by the justice system.

Murray, who co-wrote a book about the Trump indictments with former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann, comments on the latest developments in the former presidents’ three other criminal cases and explains why they might not go to trial before the election.

She also previews Supreme Court oral arguments related to January 6th and Trump’s claim of absolute immunity, and she reacts to calls from the left for the retirement of Justice Sonia Sotomayor, for whom she once clerked.

Support for “Firing Line for Margaret Hoover” is provided by Robert Granieri, Vanessa and Henry Cornell, The Fairweather Foundation, The Tepper Foundation, Peter and Mary Kalikow, The Asness Family Foundation, The Beth and Ravenel Curry Foundation, Kathleen and Andrew McKenna through The McKenna Family Foundation, Charles R. Schwab, The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation, Pritzker Military Foundation on behalf of the Pritzker Military Museum and Library, The Rosalind P. Walter Foundation, Damon Button, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Roger and Susan Hertog, Cheryl Cohen Effron and Blair Effron, and Al and Kathy Hubbard. Corporate funding is provided by Stephens Inc. and Pfizer Inc.

Coleman Hughes, author of “The End of Race Politics,” joins Margaret Hoover to lay out his argument against race-based policies and in favor of a colorblind approach.

Hughes, host of the Conversations with Coleman podcast, traces the roots of his colorblind philosophy from the Civil War through the civil rights era, making the case that leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Bayard Rustin would have opposed the views of today’s anti-racist activists.

The descendant of a slave, Hughes tells Hoover why he rejects the notion of inherited trauma and why he believes class-based policies are better suited to combating inequality than race-based ones like affirmative action.

He explains why he calls scholars like Robin DiAngelo and Ibram X. Kendi “neoracists” and why he welcomes the backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, but he distances himself from prominent figures on the right like Donald Trump.

Hughes also defends his recent Free Press column arguing that Derek Chauvin should have been acquitted of killing George Floyd.

Support for “Firing Line for Margaret Hoover” is provided by Robert Granieri, Vanessa and Henry Cornell, The Fairweather Foundation, The Tepper Foundation, Peter and Mary Kalikow, The Asness Family Foundation, The Beth and Ravenel Curry Foundation, Kathleen and Andrew McKenna through The McKenna Family Foundation, Charles R. Schwab, The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation, Pritzker Military Foundation on behalf of the Pritzker Military Museum and Library, The Rosalind P. Walter Foundation, Damon Button, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Roger and Susan Hertog, Cheryl Cohen Effron and Blair Effron, and Al and Kathy Hubbard. Corporate funding is provided by Stephens Inc. and Pfizer Inc.