At Liberty is a podcast that explores the most pressing civil rights and civil liberties questions of our time. New episodes air biweekly on Fridays.
all episodes
December 1, 2025
Where Everybody Knows Your Rights
This week, we’re showing thanks to everyone who's stepping up for our collective civil liberties, with a People Power potluck! And we’ve got a seat at the table for you. Our guest of honor is Maribel Hernández Rivera, the ACLU’s National Director of Immigrant Community Strategies. And we have three...
Where Everybody Knows Your Rights This week, we’re showing thanks to everyone who's stepping up for our collective civil liberties, with a People Power potluck! And we’ve got a seat at the table for you. Our guest of honor is...
November 17, 2025
From The Joke Files: A Comedy and Censorship Roundtable
We’re living through a moment where late night jokes are next-day news, and each opening monologue feels like a litmus test for our freedom of expression. But is this dynamic anything new? This week, comedian Dean Obeidallah and writer Kliph Nesteroff join Kamau to reflect on the history—and present state—of...
From The Joke Files: A Comedy and Censorship Roundtable November 17, 2025
From The Joke Files: A Comedy and Censorship Roundtable
From The Joke Files: A Comedy and Censorship RoundtableWe’re living through a moment where late night jokes are next-day news, and each opening monologue feels like a litmus test for our freedom of expression. But is this dynamic anything new? This week, comedian...
October 31, 2025
Deployments At Our Doorstep
Frog costumes. The Star Wars theme. Whistlemania. These could be the sights and sounds of Halloween—but this year, they've taken on new meaning. As federal agents and military troops arrive in their cities across the country, communities have used pop culture references, humor, and irreverence as an act of resilience....
Deployments At Our Doorstep Frog costumes. The Star Wars theme. Whistlemania. These could be the sights and sounds of Halloween—but this year, they've taken on new meaning. As federal agents and military troops arrive in their cities across the...
October 17, 2025
The Journalist Who Spent More Than 100 Days in ICE Detention
This summer, Emmy Award-winning journalist Mario Guevara was covering a protest near Atlanta when local law enforcement arrested him. Then, ICE detained him. For more than 100 days, the agency refused his release, citing his reporting as dangerous. On October 3, after more than 20 years of living in the...
The Journalist Who Spent More Than 100 Days in ICE Detention October 17, 2025
The Journalist Who Spent More Than 100 Days in ICE Detention
The Journalist Who Spent More Than 100 Days in ICE DetentionThis summer, Emmy Award-winning journalist Mario Guevara was covering a protest near Atlanta when local law enforcement arrested him. Then, ICE detained him. For more than 100 days, the agency refused his release, citing his...
August 22, 2025
Live from SeriesFest: Our Right to Laughter
Can humor help us make sense of unprecedented threats to our civil liberties? Join us this week for a special episode of At Liberty, recorded live at SeriesFest in Denver, where Kamau and moderator Mo Fry Pasic explore Kamau's signature style of sociopolitical comedy, how something can be funny without...
Live from SeriesFest: Our Right to Laughter August 22, 2025
Live from SeriesFest: Our Right to Laughter
Live from SeriesFest: Our Right to LaughterCan humor help us make sense of unprecedented threats to our civil liberties? Join us this week for a special episode of At Liberty, recorded live at SeriesFest in Denver, where Kamau and moderator Mo...
August 11, 2025
America’s Most Famous Court Trial
This summer marks the 100th anniversary of the Scopes trial, a Tennessee case where science and religion squared off in court — and the whole country tuned in. This week, the ACLU’s Daniel Mach joins Kamau to discuss the landmark trial, how it shaped our contemporary understanding of religious freedom...
America’s Most Famous Court Trial This summer marks the 100th anniversary of the Scopes trial, a Tennessee case where science and religion squared off in court — and the whole country tuned in. This week, the ACLU’s Daniel Mach joins...
July 25, 2025
One-on-One with Mahmoud Khalil
After 104 days in detention, Mahmoud Khalil is home. And this week, we’re honored to have him join us in studio for his first extended conversation with the ACLU. He and Kamau reflect on Mahmoud’s time in ICE custody, the importance of people power, and how he’s settling back into...
One-on-One with Mahmoud Khalil After 104 days in detention, Mahmoud Khalil is home. And this week, we’re honored to have him join us in studio for his first extended conversation with the ACLU. He and Kamau reflect on Mahmoud’s...
July 5, 2025
The ABCs of Free Speech with Emerson Sykes
It’s because of the First Amendment that we have a right to protest abuses of power, advocate for our neighbors, and defend our privacy. But what does the U.S. Constitution actually say about freedom of speech? This week, the ACLU’s Emerson Sykes joins Kamau to break down this fundamental right....
The ABCs of Free Speech with Emerson Sykes It’s because of the First Amendment that we have a right to protest abuses of power, advocate for our neighbors, and defend our privacy. But what does the U.S. Constitution actually say about freedom of...
June 20, 2025
Who We Fight For: The Journey to Trans Liberation
This past weekend, an estimated 5 million folks across the country protested Trump's attack on our rights. And if you asked anyone in the crowd why they showed up—and who they showed up for—they’d likely have an answer. Today, W. Kamau Bell is joined by three activists—Ash Lazarus Orr and...
Who We Fight For: The Journey to Trans Liberation June 20, 2025
Who We Fight For: The Journey to Trans Liberation
Who We Fight For: The Journey to Trans LiberationThis past weekend, an estimated 5 million folks across the country protested Trump's attack on our rights. And if you asked anyone in the crowd why they showed up—and who they showed up for—they’d likely...
June 6, 2025
Skrmetti, Obergefell, and the Path Forward for LGBTQIA+ Rights with Chase Strangio
June is a time to honor and celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community. It’s also a month when the Supreme Court has historically made pivotal decisions for LGBTQIA+ rights. This week, Co-Director of the ACLU's LGBT & HIV Project Chase Strangio joins W. Kamau Bell to reflect on the 10-year anniversary of...
Skrmetti, Obergefell, and the Path Forward for LGBTQIA+ Rights with Chase Strangio June 6, 2025
Skrmetti, Obergefell, and the Path Forward for LGBTQIA+ Rights with Chase Strangio
Skrmetti, Obergefell, and the Path Forward for LGBTQIA+ Rights with Chase StrangioJune is a time to honor and celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community. It’s also a month when the Supreme Court has historically made pivotal decisions for LGBTQIA+ rights. This week, Co-Director of the ACLU's LGBT &...