Q&A

Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates discusses his book [A Passion for Leadership], which examines the failures of large institutions and how smart leadership can improve them.

Editorial cartoonist and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Ramirez talks about his career and his book, [Give Me Liberty or Give Me Obamacare].

Author Andrew Keen discusses his book, [The Internet is Not the Answer]," about his objections to the overuse of technology in our society and the creation of what he says are false communities through social networking.

Author Edmund Morris discusses his most recent book [This Living Hand: and Other Essays], his upcoming book on Thomas Edison, his career as a biographer of presidents and other notable figures, and how he approaches his craft as a writer.

Author Robert Dallek talks about his recently released historical narrative, "Camelot's Court: Inside the Kennedy White House." Dallek describes his book as taking an inside look at the brain trust surrounding President Kennedy's administration.

Bloomberg correspondent and author Amity Shlaes talks about her biography of President Calvin Coolidge, [Coolidge], in which she traces the life of the president from his early days through his presidency and ultimate return to New England.

Editor Ted Widmer talks about [Listening In: The Secret White House Recordings of John F. Kennedy], which contains two audio CDs with recorded conversations from the oval office, cabinet meetings, and telephone calls during Kennedy's presidency.

Former Justice John Paul Stevens discusses his memoir detailing the workings of the Supreme Court, including his personal views of and interactions with the five most recent chief justices.

John Doar, former assistant attorney general for civil rights in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, talked about his involvement in several major civil rights events during the 1960s. In 1962, he worked to gain the entry of James Meredith into the then-segregated University of Mississippi. In 1963, he confronted and calmed protesters in Jackson, Mississippi, after the assassination of Medgar Evers. He also prosecuted and convicted many individuals on federal civil rights violations including those accused of killing three Mississippi civil rights workers, which was later depicted in movie [Mississippi Burning]. In 1974, he became chief counsel for the House Judiciary Committee's investigation of Watergate and helped to prepare articles of impeachment against President Nixon.

In this 2008 interview from C-SPAN's Q&A series, the late historian and author William Seale discusses the history of the White House and its residents.

On Thursday, the opening day of the 116th Congress, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was elected as the House Speaker for a second time. In this program from 2008, Pelosi discusses her career and her book, [Know Your Power].

Former Librarian of Congress James Billington has died at age 89. Mr. Billington, who was appointed by President Reagan in 1987, stepped down on January 1, 2016. In 2007, he appeared on C-SPAN's Q&A to talk about his work at the Library.