Season 7

01 February 20, 2009 Episode 120th February 2009 Guests: Financial Times editor Chrystia Freeland, journalist Tina Brown, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA); via satellite, Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), journalist Brigitte Gabriel Topics: The economy, President Obama's first month in office 02 February 27, 2009 Episode 227th February 2009 Guests: Actor Alan Cumming, political satirist and journalist P. J. O'Rourke, Mayor Gavin Newsom (D-San Francisco); via satellite, political correspondent George Stephanopoulos, author Robin Wright Topics: Obama's speech, Bobby Jindal, marijuana, home ownership, Iraq, Afghanistan and troops, future of the Rep. party, Vatican and indulgences 03 March 06, 2009 Episode 36th March 2009 Guests: Businessman T. Boone Pickens; Mayor Cory Booker (D-Newark); news anchor Erin Burnett; author Peter Singer Topics: The economy, green energy, charity and philanthropy, socialism 04 March 13, 2009 Episode 413th March 2009 Guests: Comedian Sarah Silverman, professor Michael Eric Dyson, author Andrew Breitbart, columnist Steven Pearlstein Topics: State of the Rep. party, racism in America, the Teachers' Union, stem cell research 05 March 20, 2009 Episode 520th March 2009 Guests: Fmr. Sec. of State Madeleine Albright, television host Keith Olbermann, actress Kerry Washington, senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin Topics: AIG bonuses, the crisis, Teenage pregnancy in America, Glenn Beck, right-wing power 06 March 27, 2009 Episode 627th March 2009 Guests: Senator Bill Bradley, author Christopher Hitchens, rapper Mos Def, author Salman Rushdie Topics: Banking crisis, Legalization of marijuana, Nuclear proliferation 07 April 03, 2009 Episode 73rd April 2009 Guests: Joe the Plumber, Journalist David Frum, comedian Carol Leifer, writer Reihan Salam, reporter Sam Donaldson Topics: 2009 G-20 London summit, tax cut, health care, Carbon tax, nuclear energy 08 April 10, 2009 Episode 810th April 2009 Guests: Filmmaker Ron Howard and novelist Gore Vidal Topics: Bill conducts one-on-one interviews 09 April 24, 2009 Episode 924th April 2009 Guests: Ex-gov. Howard Dean (D-VT), comedian Dana Gould, writer Randy Cohen, author Bethany McLean, ex-CIA agent Robert Baer Topics: Obama's first 100 days, torture memos, economy, gun control, environment and global warming, children's health 10 May 01, 2009 Episode 101st May 2009 Guests: Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), journalist Fareed Zakaria, NBC News foreign correspondent Richard Engel, former FDA chief David Kessler Topics: 2009 swine flu outbreak, state of the Republican Party, terrorism, Souter's resignation, Arlen Specter's party switch, Israel 11 May 08, 2009 Episode 118th May 2009 Guests: Democratic consultant James Carville, Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, author Naomi Klein, journalist Matt Taibbi, author Reza Aslan Topics: Tax evasion by big companies, torture, Pakistan & Taliban, US military handing out bibles, gay marriage 12 May 15, 2009 Episode 1215th May 2009 Guests: Creator of The Wire David Simon, economist Elizabeth Warren, conservative commentator Amy Holmes, National Review's Richard Brookhiser, columnist Dan Savage Topics: Torture, climate change, gay marriage, War on Drugs 13 May 22, 2009 Episode 1322nd May 2009 Guests: Nobel Prize-winner Muhammad Yunus, Pulitzer Prize-winner and Newsweek editor Jon Meacham, M.I.T. economist Simon Johnson, and rapper M.I.A. Topics: Global economic crisis, the progress of the Obama administration, Dick Cheney, religion in the United States 14 May 29, 2009 Episode 1429th May 2009 Guests: Actor Hill Harper, former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, former House Representative Heather Wilson, documentarian Michael Pollan Topics: State of the Republican Party, torture and Guantanamo Bay, North Korea's nuclear weapons threat, nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, and California Supreme Court's decision regarding California's Proposition 8 15 June 05, 2009 Episode 155th June 2009 Guests: Actor and comedian D. L. Hughley, Council of Foreign Relations president Richard Haass, novelist Paula Froelich, journalist Jeremy Scahill, Fortune editor Matt Miller Topics: Obama's visit to the Middle East, terrorism, abortion debate and the murder of Dr. George Tiller, gay marriage, health care reform in the United States 16 June 12, 2009 Episode 1612th June 2009 Guests: CNN host Larry King, MSNBC host Chris Matthews, former White House Homeland Security advisor Frances Townsend, NAACP President Ben Jealous, humorist P. J. O'Rourke Topics: 2009 digital television transition, Holocaust Memorial Museum shooting, racism, affirmative action, nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, terrorism, car culture in the United States, socialism 17 June 19, 2009 Episode 1719th June 2009 Guests: Commentator Paul Begala, BBC reporter Katty Kay, blogger Meghan McCain, columnist Joel Stein, writer Hooman Maj Topics: Iranian presidential election, 2009, health care reform, David Letterman joke controversy, sexuality and infidelity in politics, 2009 imprisonment of US journalists by North Korea 18 June 26, 2009 Episode 1826th June 2009 Guests: Actress Cameron Diaz, director Oliver Stone, actor Billy Bob Thornton Topics: Bill conducts one-on-one interviews 19 July 17, 2009 Episode 1917th July 2009 Guests: Joe Scarborough, actor Jason Alexander, actress/playwright Anna Deavere Smith, Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D-MT), Markos Moulitsas. Topics: Sonia Sotomayor confirmation hearings, racism and the Republican Party, clean coal electricity debate, health care reform in the United States, recent sex scandals involving politicians, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, death of Michael Jackson, drug use in the United States, death of Walter Cronkite (news broke shortly before tonight's show began), 40th anniversary of the Apollo Moon Landing 20 July 24, 2009 Episode 2024th July 2009 Guests: Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano (via satellite), Iraq War veteran and California congressional candidate Anthony Woods, Susan Eisenhower, journalist John Heilemann, writer Matt Taibbi Topics: 2009 Henry Louis Gates, Jr. arrest by Cambridge police, racism and the Republican Party, Barack Obama citizenship conspiracy theories, health care reform, military-industrial complex 21 July 31, 2009 Episode 2131st July 2009 Guests: Journalist Jeff Sharlet, CNN foreign correspondent Michael Ware, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, economist Niall Ferguson, humorist Joe Queenan Topics: 2009 Henry Louis Gates, Jr. arrest by Cambridge police, health care reform, current economic crisis, resignation of Sarah Palin as Governor of Alaska 22 August 07, 2009 Episode 227th August 2009 Guests: Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington, Georgia congressman Jack Kingston, California congressman Darrell Issa, Dr. David Scheiner, President Obama's doctor in Chicago Topics: Health care, town hall mobs, Sarah Palin's 'death panel' comments, confirmation of Sonia Sotomayor, prescription drugs, children's health, bailouts, criticism of Bill Clinton's role in freeing American journalists. 23 August 14, 2009 Episode 2314th August 2009 Guests: Actor Ashton Kutcher, fmr. Commander in Chief of U.S. Central Command Gen. Anthony Zinni (ret.), journalist and blogger Ross Douthat, comedian Dana Gould (also reporter), actor Brad Pitt Topics: 'Death panel' claims, healthcare, income inequality, the current state of the Republican party, John Brennan 'ending' the war on terror, town hall discussions, mobs comparing Obama with Hitler, climate change. 24 August 21, 2009 Episode 2421st August 2009 Guests: TV host Jay Leno, journalist Chuck Todd, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), author Sam Harris, journalist Jeremy Scahill Topics: Health care reform, protesters bringing guns to town halls, lack of information and explanation of issues by the media, controversy over private military contractors like Blackwater, politicization of the terror alert level system in the 2004 presidential election, lack of employers offering vacation and sick leave pays in the United States 25 August 28, 2009 Episode 2528th August 2009 Guests: Rapper Jay-Z, journalist Bill Moyers Topics: Bill conducts one-on-one interviews 26 September 11, 2009 Episode 2611th September 2009 Guests: New York representative Anthony Weiner, comedian Kathy Griffin, author and veterans advocate Paul Rieckhoff, journalist Rajiv Chandrasekaran, former counter-terrorism czar Richard Clarke Topics: Healthcare reform, eighth anniversary of 9/11, response to terrorism, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, race and criticism of Barack Obama, the media, global warming skepticism 27 September 18, 2009 Episode 2718th September 2009 Guests: Actor and comedian David Cross, law professor Annette Gordon-Reed, journalist Jeffrey Toobin, journalist Matthew Continetti, fmr. health insurance executive Wendell Potter Topics: Health care reform, racism 28 September 25, 2009 Episode 2825th September 2009 Guests: Filmmaker Michael Moore, fmr. New York governor Eliot Spitzer, economist Paul Krugman, director John Waters Topics: Capitalism, the economy, the housing market, gay marriage, marijuana reform, terrorism 29 October 02, 2009 Episode 292nd October 2009 Guests: Columnist Thomas Friedman, EPA Chief Lisa Jackson, actress Janeane Garofalo, Ohio congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, author Richard Dawkins Topics: Criticism of Barack Obama, health care reform, the senate, Iran's nuclear capabilities, religion in America, terrorism, Hollywood defending Roman Polanski 30 October 09, 2009 Episode 309th October 2009 Guests: Former senator Bill Frist, actor Richard Belzer, professor Cornel West, former senator Lincoln Chafee, comedian Sarah Silverman Topics: Barack Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize, Iran, peace, Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, the economy and the job market, income inequality. 31 October 16, 2009 Episode 3116th October 2009 Guests: Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) , Actor Alec Baldwin, comedian and actor Garry Shandling, Hardball host Chris Matthews, Maryland governor Martin O'Malley Topics: Balloon Boy incident, Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, health care reform, H1N1 vaccination concerns, ongoing efforts to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell, sexual harassment in the military, Rush Limbaugh's failed bid to buy the St. Louis Rams, steroid use in professional sports