Cape Up with Jonathan Capehart

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Opinion writer Jonathan Capehart talks with newsmakers who challenge your ideas on politics, and explore how race, religion, age, gender and cultural identity are redrawing the lines that both divide and unite America. 'Cape Up' is a podcast from Washington Post Opinions.

The Washington Post


    • Jun 1, 2023 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekly NEW EPISODES
    • 33m AVG DURATION
    • 347 EPISODES

    4.6 from 1,328 ratings Listeners of Cape Up with Jonathan Capehart that love the show mention: michael steele, cape, white fragility, wapo, john lewis, thank you jonathan, nancy pelosi, susan rice, jonathan's, reiner, abrams, representative, jonathon, jc, pays, asks good, johnathan, debbie, joe biden, interviewing skills.



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    Latest episodes from Cape Up with Jonathan Capehart

    Keith Ellison reflects on the third anniversary of George Floyd's murder

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2023 27:22


    In this Washington Post Live conversation, first recorded on May 24, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison talks about the third anniversary of George Floyd's murder, his role in holding former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin accountable, how Floyd's death fits into a horrific pattern of violence in American life, and his new book, “Break The Wheel: Ending the Cycle of Police Violence.”

    White House domestic policy adviser Susan Rice's exit interview

    Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2023 28:48


    In this Washington Post Live conversation first recorded on May 23, Susan Rice, the only person to serve as both national security adviser and domestic policy adviser in the White House, talks about her decision to leave her role, how her work in national security helped her in domestic policy as well as her greatest accomplishments and regrets.

    Oscar Munoz's ‘quintessentially American' story - that started in Mexico

    Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2023 33:08


    In this Washington Post Live conversation from May 10, Oscar Munoz, the executive chairman of United Airlines, talks about his new memoir, “Turnaround Time,” in which he reveals that he was undocumented when he first came to the United States and recounts his journey to the c-suite of one of the country's top four airlines.

    Chasten Buttigieg has something to say about coming out and acceptance

    Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2023 29:01


    In this Washington Post Live conversation from May 10, Chasten Buttigieg discusses the new edition of his memoir, “I Have Something to Tell You,” which he rewrote for young adults, why he thinks the far right is going after LGBTQ Americans and what he hopes for his two children when they are old enough to read his book.

    Kristina Ishmael on digital barriers to equitable education

    Play Episode Listen Later May 4, 2023 20:52


    In this conversation recorded for Washington Post Live on April 28, Kristina Ishmael, deputy director of the Education Department's Office of Educational Technology, discusses the barriers to closing the digital divide, the importance of reliable internet access in providing equitable education and the obstacles to distributing financial assistance where it's needed most.

    Ned Blackhawk on ‘The Rediscovery of America'

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2023 29:27


    In this conversation first recorded for Washington Post Live on April 27, Yale University professor Ned Blackhawk discusses his new book, “The Rediscovery of America: Natives Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History,” which explores the foundational role Native Americans have played in U.S. history, including in the formulation of our country's Constitution, and how their presence and contributions are frequently overlooked, or worse, erased.

    Joan Biskupic on the rise of the Supreme Court's conservative supermajority

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 20, 2023 29:26


    In this conversation first recorded for Washington Post Live on April 17, CNN senior Supreme Court analyst Joan Biskupic discusses her new book, “Nine Black Robes: Inside the Supreme Court's Drive to the Right and Its Historic Consequences,” which explores the rise of the court's 6-3 conservative supermajority, the role of the Federalist Society in shaping it, and the complicated roles of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

    Best of: Nikki Giovanni is against banning any book

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2023 29:47


    In this Washington Post Live conversation from Oct. 5, 2022, famed author and poet Nikki Giovanni discusses her children's book, “A Library,” explores the freedom books give our lives and explains why she's against banning any book.

    library banning nikki giovanni washington post live
    Mickalene Thomas on Black women's place in the western art canon

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2023 31:25


    In this conversation first recorded for Washington Post Live on April 6, artist Mickalene Thomas discusses her work celebrating the beauty of Black women, her exhibitions around the world and the power of seeing Black people engaged in leisure and relaxation.

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    Anna Deavere Smith and Arne Duncan on their new opera ‘The Walkers'

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2023 28:21


    In this conversation recorded for Washington Post Live on March 27, renowned playwright Anna Deavere Smith and former education secretary and creator of Chicago CRED Arne Duncan discuss their new opera, “The Walkers,” which explores Chicago CRED's engagement and collaboration with people throughout the city most at risk of gun violence.

    Richard Parson's push to make asset management more equitable

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2023 26:37


    In this conversation recorded for Washington Post Live on March 23, Richard Parsons, former CEO of Time Warner, discusses his work as chair of Equity Alliance, the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, accusations of “woke capitalism” and the actions taken by the federal government.

    Elizabeth Way and Elena Romero on how hip-hop transformed fashion

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2023 28:38


    In this conversation recorded for Washington Post Live on March 16, Elizabeth Way and Elena Romero, co-curators of the “Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous” exhibition at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, discuss hip-hop's enduring influence of fashion, the history of high-fashion brands appropriating streetwear and what it really means to wear your “Sunday best.”

    Demetre Daskalakis on the quest for an HIV vaccine

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2023 21:33


    In this conversation recorded for Washington Post Live on Feb. 22, Demetre Daskalakis, a career HIV specialist and advocate currently acting as the deputy coordinator for the White House National Monkeypox Response, speaks about the search for an HIV vaccine, the role stigma plays in viruses propagating and whether eradicating HIV is possible in the near future.

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    Mitch Landrieu's plan to bring manufacturing back to the United States

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2023 26:49


    In this conversation recorded for Washington Post Live on Feb. 9, Mitch Landrieu, the White House infrastructure implementation coordinator, discussed President Biden's ambitious plans to bring manufacturing back to the United States, the new jobs the administration's programs have already created and why racism in America “continues to be its Achilles' heel.”

    Mayor Levar Stoney on preserving history while tearing down Confederate statues

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 23, 2023 28:46


    In this conversation recorded for Washington Post Live on Feb. 15, Levar Stoney, the mayor of Richmond, talks about why he ordered his city to remove statues commemorating the Confederacy, the various efforts to whitewash American history in states across the country, and what guides him as a leader.

    Vanita Gupta on police reform, accountability and culture

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2023 27:35


    In this conversation recorded for Washington Post Live on Feb. 9, Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta examines the state of police accountability nationwide as well as how department culture can override policy and blunt the effectiveness of changes intended to improve community relations.

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    Mark Whitaker on 1966 – the year Black Power challenged the civil rights movement

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2023 30:01


    In this conversation recorded for Washington Post Live on Feb. 8, former Newsweek editor Mark Whitaker discusses his new book, “Saying It Loud: 1966 – The Year Black Power Challenged the Civil Rights Movement,” how the year transformed the way in which Black Americans viewed their lives and lessons for activists organizing today.

    Maya Moore Irons and Jonathan Irons on ‘Love & Justice'

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2023 31:34


    In this conversation first recorded for Washington Post Live on Jan. 19, Maya Moore Irons and Jonathan Irons discuss their new book, “Love & Justice: A Story of Triumph on Two Different Courts,” their journey to get him released from prison after a wrongful conviction and their view on reforms to the criminal justice system.

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    Best of: Wes Moore on becoming Maryland's first African American governor

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 24, 2023 28:06


    In this conversation first recorded for Washington Post Live on Nov. 30, then-Gov.-elect Wes Moore of Maryland discusses his victory and plans for the first 100 days, the state of national politics, and how being the first African American governor of Maryland (and only the third in U.S. history) weighs on him.

    Branden Jacobs-Jenkins on ‘Kindred' and reexamining American slavery through science fiction

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 18, 2023 30:14


    In this Washington Post Live conversation recorded on Nov. 12, playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins discusses his TV adaptation of Octavia Butler's novel “Kindred,” why he thinks TV and movies have “damaged our ability” to understand history, and what he is ultimately trying to show about slavery.

    Bill Nighy on ‘Living,' mortality and ‘Love Actually'

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 10, 2023 27:46


    In this Washington Post Live conversation recorded on Jan. 6, actor Bill Nighy discusses his new film “Living,” its universal themes of mortality and procrastination, and the enduring legacy of the film that put him on the map, “Love Actually.”

    Best of: Michael R. Jackson's ‘big, Black and queer' musical, ‘A Strange Loop'

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 3, 2023 28:27


    In this Washington Post Live conversation recorded on June 9, writer Michael R. Jackson discusses his now-Tony Award-winning musical “A Strange Loop” and its decades-long journey to the stage.

    Best of: Inside the personal and political life of Democratic strategist Lis Smith

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 27, 2022 51:10


    In this Washington Post Live conversation from July 20, veteran Democratic political strategist Lis Smith discusses her memoir, “Any Given Tuesday,” a behind-the-scenes look at the fine line between personal and professional life while working at the top of Democratic politics.

    Elegance Bratton on the masculinity of forgiveness

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2022 30:44


    In this conversation recorded for Washington Post Live on Dec. 15, Elegance Bratton discusses his feature film debut, “The Inspection,” the gay protagonist's emotionally complex relationships with his mother and fellow Marines, and why film was the right medium to tell this autobiographical story.

    Cherry Jones and Vera Farmiga on ‘Five Days at Memorial'

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2022 31:09


    In this conversation recorded for Washington Post Live on Nov. 30, Cherry Jones and Vera Farmiga discuss their new miniseries “Five Days at Memorial,” which chronicles the events at Memorial Hospital in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the unimaginable decisions the characters they portray are forced to make.

    Wes Moore on becoming Maryland's first African American governor

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2022 28:13


    In this conversation first recorded for Washington Post Live on Nov. 30, Maryland Gov.-elect Wes Moore discusses his victory over Republican Dan Cox, his plan for his first 100 days, the state of national politics and whether the Washington Commanders should keep playing football in Maryland.

    Best of: Michael Fanone's battle for accountability for Jan. 6

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 29, 2022 30:36


    In this Washington Post Live conversation from Oct. 18, former D.C. police officer Michael Fanone discusses his new book, “Hold the Line: The Insurrection and One Cop's Battle for America's Soul,” recounts his firsthand experience defending the U.S. Capitol and explains why it's so important to hold insurrectionists accountable for the violence of Jan. 6, 2021.

    Linda Thomas-Greenfield's journey from the segregated South to the United Nations

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2022 18:06


    In this conversation first recorded at the Global Women's Summit on Nov. 15, Thomas-Greenfield discusses how her upbringing in the segregated South has affected her work as a diplomat and what it's like being a Black women in a world dominated by White men.

    Matthew F. Delmont on Black Americans fighting for ‘double victory' in WWII

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2022 29:42


    In this Washington Post Live conversation from Nov. 3, professor Matthew F. Delmont discusses his new book, “Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad,” the important roles Black Americans played in every branch of the military, and the disrespect and violence they faced when returning home.

    Wendell Pierce puts ‘Death of A Salesman' in a whole new light

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 8, 2022 28:31


    In this Washington Post Live conversation from Oct. 24, veteran actor Wendell Pierce discusses his starring role in the latest rendition of Arthur Miller's “Death of A Salesman,” and how having a Black family at the play's center shines a whole new light on the classic drama.

    Rahul Gupta on fentanyl and the nightmare of synthetic drugs

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2022 29:33


    In this Washington Post Live conversation from Oct. 26, Rahul Gupta, the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, discusses harm-reduction programs and treatment for people addicted to substances, the evolution of overdoses in the United States and the nightmare synthetic drugs are inflicting across the country.

    Michael Fanone's battle for accountability for Jan. 6

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 25, 2022 30:54


    In this Washington Post Live conversation from Oct. 18, former D.C. police officer Michael Fanone discusses his new book, “Hold the Line: The Insurrection and One Cop's Battle for America's Soul,” recounts his firsthand experience defending the U.S. Capitol and explains why it's so important to hold insurrectionists accountable for the violence of Jan. 6, 2021.

    Sen. Gary Peters on what's at stake this midterm season

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 18, 2022 26:29


    In this Washington Post Live conversation from Oct. 12, Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan discusses what's at stake this midterm election cycle, what his fellow Democrats need to do to succeed in Georgia, Pennsylvania and Ohio, and his message to his Republican colleagues who've been silent in the face of attacks on our democracy.

    Nikki Giovanni is against banning any book

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 11, 2022 29:41


    In this Washington Post Live conversation from Oct. 5, famed author and poet Nikki Giovanni discusses her new children's book, “A Library,” explores the freedom books give our lives and explains why she's against banning any book.

    library banning nikki giovanni washington post live
    Nina Totenberg and Ruth Bader Ginsburg's decades-long friendship

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 4, 2022 29:14


    In this conversation recorded for Washington Post Live on Sept. 29, NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg discusses her new memoir, “Dinners With Ruth,” about her decades-long friendship with Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and the Supreme Court's upcoming term.

    Steve Phillips on ‘How We Win the Civil War'

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 27, 2022 28:05


    In this Washington Post Live conversation from Sept. 26, author Steve Phillips discusses his new book, “How We Win the Civil War,” the state of American democracy and why he says a “race-conscious” lens is key to understanding the upcoming midterm elections.

    american civil war steve phillips how we win washington post live
    Ibram X. Kendi encourages kids to ask difficult questions about U.S. history

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2022 30:27


    In this Washington Post Live conversation from Sept. 14, historian and best-selling author Ibram X. Kendi discusses his new children's book, “Magnolia Flower,” what inspired him to adapt the writing of Zora Neale Hurston and why the latest push to ban books isn't new.

    From ‘Pose' to ‘Loot,' Michaela Jaé Rodriguez explains who she's always been

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 13, 2022 29:08


    In this Washington Post Live conversation from July 7, actress Michaela Jaé Rodriguez discusses being the first out trans actress to win a Golden Globe, her historic role as Blanca Evangelista in the FX series “Pose,” and her current starring role alongside Maya Rudolph in the Apple TV Plus series “Loot.”

    Billy Porter's unstoppable journey

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 6, 2022 25:54


    In this Washington Post Live conversation from Dec. 7, 2021, Billy Porter discusses his memoir, “Unprotected,” and opens up about his journey from the poverty of Pittsburgh to becoming the Tony, Grammy and Emmy-winning singer, actor and producer he is today.

    Lena Waithe and Rishi Rajani give an insider's view of representation in Hollywood

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2022 29:23


    In this Washington Post Live conversation from July 7, Waithe and Rajani discuss Hillman Grad, the production company Waithe founded in 2015 to serve as a pipeline for marginalized storytellers; the shows “Master of None” and “The Chi,” which put Waithe on the map; and what it takes to make Hollywood more equitable.

    Katy Tur on the promise and peril of a family in breaking news journalism

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 23, 2022 32:43


    In this Washington Post Live conversation from June 21, MSNBC anchor Katy Tur discusses her new memoir, “Rough Draft,” growing up with parents who pioneered “breaking news chopper reporting,” the impact of her father's anger on her family, and his mid-50s transition from Bob to Zoey.

    Jason Kander opens up about politics, PTSD, masculinity and ‘Invisible Storm'

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 16, 2022 30:31


    In this Washington Post Live conversation from July 27, former Democratic rising star Jason Kander discusses his new memoir, “Invisible Storm: A Soldier's Memoir of Politics and PTSD,” and opens up about his decision to leave politics, his take on what Sen. Josh Hawley calls masculinity, and the impact of his work helping veterans across the country.

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