Phil Lind Initiative: Rachel Maddow

Emmy-award winner Rachel Maddow has long been one of America’s most rigorous and trusted political journalists. As host of MS NOW’s The Rachel Maddow Show, now in its 17th year, Maddow has become an indispensable voice for those seeking reliable, historically informed political analysis. Maddow has recently tackled everything from Trump’s dramatic polling collapse in the face of the nationwide “No Kings” protest movement to his controversial decision to empower ICE with next-generation surveillance technology. The Rachel Maddow Show also recently won a 2025 Walter Cronkite Award for her coverage of the “Hands Off” protest movement on April 7.

Maddow is the critically acclaimed author of three New York Times bestsellers: DRIFT: The Unmooring of American Military Power; Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth; and most recently Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism, which examines the historical forces underpinning today’s far-right movements. Her work on multiple highly-acclaimed podcasts including the chart-topping series Deja News, Bag Man and Ultra has earned her Edward R. Murrow, duPont-Columbia, and Hillman prizes. Her latest podcast, a six-part series called Burn Order, debuted Dec. 1.

Maddow is the executive producer of two documentaries for MS NOW — From Russia With Lev, which was nominated for a 2025 News & Documentary Emmy award; and most recently Andrew Young: The Dirty Work.

With her sharp reporting and unflinching commitment to truth, Maddow’s Lind Initiative talk offers insight into democracy, modern-day extremism and the changing face of America on the world stage.

Moderated by Heidi Tworek, Director of the Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions and Professor at UBC’s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs and History Department.

Presented by UBC’s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs in partnership with the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts.