The Free Press: The Free Press Live

WATCH: The U.S. and Israel Strike Iran

Rafaela Siewert — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 19:32:37 GMT

“The hour of your freedom is at hand.” So said President Donald Trump to the people of Iran, in an early morning address announcing a joint military attack by the U.S. and Israel against the Islamic Republic. Overnight, waves of air strikes pounded military installations across Iran. According to initial reports from Israel, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei …

The Free Press State of the Union Special

The Free Press — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 06:20:15 GMT

During last night’s State of the Union address, we held a livestream, hosted by senior editor Will Rahn and Reihan Salam, a Free Press and CBS News contributor and president of the Manhattan Institute. Will and Reihan unpacked President Trump’s speech alongside voices from across the political spectrum, including former Obama speechwriter David Litt, fo…

Nellie Bowles on Tulsi Gabbard, ICE, the Epstein Files, Kanye West, and the ‘Melania’ Movie

The Free Press — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 20:25:58 GMT

It’s the second month of the new year, and the news cycle is just as difficult to keep up with as ever. So we thought: Who better than Nellie Bowles to help us all get up to speed? So Nellie sits down with some of our brilliant editors and writers to discuss politics, culture, and more.

Free Press senior editor and writer Will Rahn discusses new reports …

Why Trump Says We Need Greenland. Live from Davos with Niall Ferguson

Rafaela Siewert — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 20:47:02 GMT

Just weeks ago, few Americans were thinking about Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory. Then, in early January, Donald Trump announced he wanted to buy it. He went as far as to threaten eight European countries with escalating tariffs until the sale was approved.

The statement caused uproar in Europe. But this morning, at the World Economic Foru…

Will the Iranian Regime Fall?

Rafaela Siewert — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 21:46:02 GMT

Iran is in the midst of its largest nationwide uprising in years—and the ayatollah’s regime has answered with a brutal crackdown. Authorities have shut down the internet and opened fire on their own people. More than 2,000 protesters have reportedly been killed in the last three days.

Even as the regime still commands loyal security forces, it is weaker …

The U.S. Captured Maduro. What Comes Next?

Rafaela Siewert — Sat, 03 Jan 2026 20:17:42 GMT

In the early hours of Saturday morning, Venezuelans awoke to the sound of U.S. helicopters overhead. Per President Donald Trump, the U.S. conducted a “large-scale strike” on facilities in what he has dubbed the “narco state” of Venezuela.

The U.S. has arrested Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Hours after the swift operation, Attorney General Pa…

A Dark Night for Australia’s Jews

Rafaela Siewert — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 01:20:26 GMT

This Sunday evening at Bondi Beach, the most popular beach in Sydney, two gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration attended by more than a thousand people. At least 15 people were killed. Dozens were wounded. Victims ranged from just 10 to 87 years old.

This attack on Australia’s Jewish community comes after a steady rise in antisemitism in the count…

Ask Haviv: What’s Next for Israel?

Maya Sulkin — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 00:14:21 GMT

It’s rare that Israel does not dominate Western headlines. But nearly two months after signing a peace deal with Hamas, that’s largely been the case. However, the realities on the ground are far from uneventful.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has now requested a pardon from President Isaac Herzog in his ongoing corruption trial. Israeli politics are d…

Sudan’s Forgotten Genocide

Rafaela Siewert — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 17:17:26 GMT

Of all the wars raging across the world right now, Sudan’s is the deadliest—and the most ignored. More than 150,000 are dead. Twelve million have been displaced. Women have been raped in front of their daughters and sisters. Children are conscripted as soldiers. Mass graves line the streets of Khartoum.

And yet: no protests on American campuses. No celeb…

Free Press Live: Election Night 2025

The Free Press — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 05:18:29 GMT

This Election Day, voters across the country headed to their polling places to cast ballots for local and state officials, plus various local initiatives and referendums. Off-year elections don’t always draw much attention, but this one was full of drama—and data for what next year might bring.

Free Press editor Will Rahn and Reihan Salam, president of t…

Will the Ceasefire Collapse?

Rafaela Siewert — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 18:32:20 GMT

Nearly three weeks ago, Israel and Hamas agreed to a historic ceasefire that—after two years of war—brought home the remaining living Israeli hostages from Gaza. Donald Trump repeatedly hailed it as the end of the war and the dawn of a new Middle East.

In the weeks since, Hamas has violated the deal multiple times, and on Tuesday, Israel responded with r…

What’s Next in Gaza with Amit Segal

Rafaela Siewert — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 21:52:08 GMT

Nearly two weeks ago, Hamas and Israel agreed to a historic ceasefire that was meant to bring all the hostages home. President Donald Trump called it “the dawn of a new Middle East.”

Phase one was simple: Return all the hostages—living and dead. While we celebrate that all the living hostages have come home, 13 of the deceased remain in Gaza.

Phase two pr…

WATCH: The Hostage Release and the Future of Gaza

Rafaela Siewert — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 17:19:14 GMT

This morning, all remaining living hostages taken into Gaza on October 7, 2023, finally came home. It marks a historic turning point after more than two years of war—for the families who have fought tirelessly to bring their loved ones back, for the hostages who survived months of starvation and abuse, and for the Gazan civilians who have endured relent…

‘TGIF Live’ with Nellie Bowles and Will Rahn

The Free Press — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 21:17:19 GMT

For the first time, here’s our TGIF column as a livestream conversation.

Nellie Bowles and Will Rahn take on new Trump coin art, Katie Porter’s diva meltdown, and the economy—which seems maybe bad?

Love, Marriage, and Mothering with Abigail Shrier and Larissa Phillips

Suzy Weiss — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 22:39:47 GMT

Young people report being lonelier than ever. One in three 18- to 34-year-olds feel lonely every day or several times a week. Fewer than half of American households are now headed by married couples, down from nearly 80 percent in 1949. Birth rates have fallen below replacement rate.

And on top of that: They just don’t make rom-coms like they used to.

To make sense of these bleak demographics trends, and the state of dating, I sat down for a livestream with Abigail Shrier and Larissa Phillips, two Free Press contributors who’ve been thinking deeply and writing about these topics for many years.

Together, we talked about online dating, anxious parenting, prenups, matchmaking, what we’ve lost when it comes to falling in love and building families—and how we might begin to find it again.

The New York Mayoral Race: One Month Out

Oliver Wiseman — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 21:29:35 GMT

We’re officially less than a month out from election day in New York City, and three leading candidates technically remain in the mayoral race: Republican Curtis Sliwa, who unsuccessfully ran four years ago; former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who lost the Democratic primary; and Zohran Mamdani, the young democratic socialist. But the real question right now is: Is this a race at all?

Mamdani’s primary win and continued popularity have upended the traditional rules of New York politics and defied the expectations of the Democratic establishment. So this is an important race for America’s largest city, and also an important race when it comes to the direction of our national politics.

To break down the race, the latest polling, Cuomo’s possible paths to a comeback, and what a Mamdani mayoralty might mean for New York and the country, I sat down for a livestream with Free Press reporter Olivia Reingold and 2Way editor in chief Mark Halperin.

Niall Ferguson and Bari Weiss on October 7 and Our Changed World

Bari Weiss — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 02:23:00 GMT

Two years ago today, Hamas invaded Israel. They slaughtered some 1,200 people and took another 250 hostage. Most of their targets were civilians. Many were children. Forty-eight hostages are still being held in Gaza.

It was the single worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. It was the beginning of a war between Israel and Iran. It was also a litmus test for the civilized world—one that too many have failed.

As we commemorate two years since that horrific day, negotiations between Hamas and Israel to reach a peace deal are currently underway in Egypt, and an end to the war feels closer than ever.

There is nobody better suited to make sense of this moment than Niall Ferguson. Niall is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford and a columnist at The Free Press. He is the author of 16 books, and one of the most influential historians of our time.

I sat down with Niall to discuss the lessons learned and the ones the world has yet to absorb, and America’s role in the war and in the broader, changing global order.

Inside the Free Birth Society

Suzy Weiss — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 23:24:08 GMT

Kara Kennedy’s major investigation into the Free Birth Society shed light onto an organization that some former members are calling a “death cult.”

I spoke with Kara about the group, which encourages women to give birth entirely without medical assistance—which some free birthers say includes sonograms, blood tests, and pregnancy tests. She shared storie…

Understanding Trump’s Gaza Peace Plan

Rafaela Siewert — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 18:07:22 GMT

Yesterday at the White House President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that they had reached an agreement on a 20-point peace plan for Gaza put forth by the Trump administration. Hamas is now reviewing that plan. President Trump said today that he will give Hamas “three or four days” to put down its arms.

To discuss this deve…

Mark Halperin on Comey, Government Shutdown, and More

Will Rahn — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 22:00:14 GMT

This afternoon Mark Halperin, Joe Nocera, and I joined the Free Press livestream to chat about the latest in American politics.

Top of mind was electoral politics after the news yesterday that incumbent New York City mayor Eric Adams would be suspending his reelection campaign. We talked about what this means for the New York race and what’s happening in…