The midterms are right around the corner. With politics in the air I found a couple of interesting people to shoot the breeze with about where we’re heading. Brad Tusk is a political consultant and venture capitalist who helped a company called Uber gain a foothold in New York and became very rich as a result. Tusk has opened a book store called P&T Knitware on the lower east side of Manhattan. You’ll also hear from California Congressman Adam Schiff who’s running for re-election. Schiff is the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and he gained attention investigating Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election before leading the first impeachment of Donald Trump.

Pa. Lt. Governor John Fetterman is running for the Senate against Dr. Mehmet Oz in one of the most closely watched and expensive races in the country. Democrats are placing their bets on a most unusual politician. Fetterman is 6 feet 8 inches tall. He’s got a row of tattoos on his right arm that memorialize the dates that people were killed by gun violence in Braddock, Pa. during the 13 years that Fetterman was Mayor. He’s also known for campaigning in shorts and hoodies. Fetterman may look like a biker but he has a Masters degree in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School.

What does it take to create a work of art with another person? Talent, inspiration, hard work, patience. But the most important part of the equation may be whether two people hit it off, the spark of personalities on the same wavelength. James Lapine found his best collaborator in Stephen Sondheim, one of the greatest theater composers ever. Lapine was 20 years younger than Sondheim. They both liked to smoke pot. Their first work together turned out to be a Broadway show called Sunday in the Park with George which wound up winning a Pulitzer Prize.

When people ask me who are the most interesting characters I’ve ever talked to for “Now What?” I always think of the Irish actor Gabriel Byrne. Byrne has been in many iconic movies including Miller’s Crossing and The Usual Suspects which is coming to Amazon in the fall. He also played the brooding psychiatrist in the series In Treatment and became a heartthrob at the age of 59. He’s now performing in a stage version of his memoir Walking with Ghosts. This is a beautifully written piece in which Byrne talks about the years he spent as a thief and his calling to be a priest. I spoke to Gabriel Byrne for an episode that was first posted in March 2021. More new “Now What?” episodes coming soon.

This is a special episode. It’s about my brother-in-law Joel Zimmer who was diagnosed with back of the tongue and tonsil cancer caused by the HPV virus. If you were to tell people that there’s a form of cancer that’s sexually transmitted they’d probably look at you as if you’re crazy. But there is and cases are on the rise. HPV now causes most of the throat and mouth cancers found in men. You’ll hear from Joel, who was a chiropractor, Zydeco dancer and dedicated dad, oncology experts and President Joe Biden, whom I interviewed in Washington, D.C. about his family’s own experience with cancer.

He became the bullseye for the Me Too movement. Since 2017, more than 80 women have come forward to accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment or assault. In 2022, the former movie studio mogul was sentenced to 23 years in prison for rape. Throughout his career Weinstein was riding high with films like Pulp Fiction, Good Will Hunting and Shakespeare in Love. So the question is how did Weinstein manage to lead a parallel life that lasted for decades in which he abused women. In his book Hollywood Ending, New Yorker writer Ken Auletta tries to make sense of the culture of silence that prevailed and if the world has changed for women since Harvey Weinstein’s crimes came to light.

His breakthrough movie was Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, the buddy film where the stoners ride a cheetah in New Jersey to get burgers. Penn’s parents came to the U.S. from India and the actor is a long-time vocal advocate for more diversity in Hollywood. Penn played a doctor on the TV series House and the son of Indian immigrants in the film The Namesake. When he took a break from acting, Penn campaigned for Barack Obama and served as Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.

Writer Delia Ephron ran into a rough patch that lasted for years. First, her sister Nora died. After Delia’s husband passed away, Delia was diagnosed with the same type of leukemia that killed Nora. Doctors told Delia her own chances of surviving were not good. She tells that gripping story in a memoir called Left on Tenth. But not all is doom and gloom.

His book about healing trauma, The Body Keeps the Score, has been on the paperback bestseller list for more than 4 years. So why are people so interested in trauma, terrible events that sear themselves into our minds and won’t let go? Psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk says these experiences, from emotional abuse to sexual assault, become embedded in parts of our brain that we’re not consciously aware of.

Queen Elizabeth is celebrating her Platinum Jubilee, a 70-year reign on the British throne. She appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in emerald green, waving to adoring crowds. But the 96-year old monarch has had her challenges in recent years. Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle decided they didn’t want to spend their life cutting ribbons and took off for southern California. Prince Andrew, supposedly the Queen’s favorite son, got himself in trouble with allegations of sexually abusing underage women and hanging out with Jeffrey Epstein. So what’s next for the House of Windsor?

He’s known as the Prince of Puke. John Waters’ film Pink Flamingos starring Divine is about a woman who’s competing for the title of Filthiest Person Alive. In Multiple Maniacs Divine gets sexually assaulted by a giant lobster. Waters’ films like Hairspray and Cecil B. Demented have become cult classics on the midnight movie circuit. Waters may be a counter culture hero but he’s also a successful brand.

Anna Quindlen became a star at the New York Times writing about motherhood and what it’s like to go to the supermarket dragging little kids along, an event she said should be included in the Olympics. Quindlen reached new heights as a journalist when she was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for her Op-ed column Public and Private. She likes to challenge herself and that’s just what she did in 1994 when she announced that she was quitting her job at the Times to become a full time novelist. She’s now on novel number 10.

Kent Swig is sort of a legend in real estate circles. He comes from a well to do real estate family and he married into real estate royalty when he met Liz Macklowe, the daughter of developer Harry Macklowe. Kent and Liz were known for a lavish lifestyle that included a 16-room duplex on Park Avenue and a $12 million art collection. Swig’s commercial properties were worth $3 billion. When the 2008 financial crisis hit, the bottom fell out for Swig in his personal and financial life.

Its happens to all of us. We wake up in the morning and plan. Maybe I’ll meet a friend for lunch. Maybe I’ll go to Italy in July. But life sometimes throws unexpected curves. That’s what happened to writer Amy Bloom who was happily married to her husband Brian, an architect, when she began to notice some changes. Brian couldn’t do the simplest tasks at work and he’d get lost driving to the grocery store. When Brian was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease he made a decision he never wavered from.

He came of age when rock n’ roll was entering a Renaissance. Stevie Van Zandt was a teenager in New Jersey when the Beatles made an appearance on the Ed Sullivan show. After that life was never the same. Stevie was a teenager when he met another music freak named Bruce Springsteen. He joined the E Street band. He quit the E Street band. Leaving, he said, was the worst decision he ever made. But Stevie recovered, becoming a political activist and an actor, landing the role of Silvio, Tony Soprano’s right hand man in The Sopranos.

I’d never heard of Lee Kravetz until a friend recommended I read his fascinating new book called The Last Confessions of Sylvia P. Kravetz, who started out as a psychologist, always wanted to be a writer. His non fiction book Strange Contagion is about how behaviors like smoking and eating disorders get spread in our culture. Kravetz’s dream was to write a novel and he became fascinated with Sylvia Plath, who nearly 60 years after her death has remained a towering figure in the world of poetry.

James Ivory has directed more than 30 films. He and his long-time partner Ismail Merchant have the distinction of being listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest partnership in the history of independent cinema. Their films, Like Howard’s End and The Remains of the Day, are known for lush cinematography and stately drama. At the age of 89, Ivory also made cinema history by becoming the oldest person to ever win an Academy Award.

Sometimes peoples’ lives intersect with history in a way you never forget. That’s the case with Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. I was a kid when Julius and Ethel were convicted of spying for the Soviet Union. They died in the electric chair in 1953, leaving behind two young children, Robbie and Michael, who miraculously grew up to be successful adults.

Adam McKay is having what you might call a moment. His new film Don’t Look Up is breaking records on Netflix. Featuring an all-star cast, the movie is about a comet hurtling towards earth. It’s also become something of a cultural phenomenon because people see the story as a metaphor for the perils of climate change. McKay is famous for his collaborations with Will Ferrell in films like Anchorman and Talladega Nights.

He likes Russian bear hats and martinis and collects watches. Gary Shteyngart came to this country from Russia when he was 7 and grew up in Queens, New York. Gary says he was bullied in the schoolyard because he spoke with a thick accent and dressed funny. He also writes funny books. He wrote his first comic novel at the age of 5. Gary’s latest work is called Our Country Friends.