Ari Melber

“I do listen to Drake.”

“When controversy calls, corporations can be far more responsive than politicians. The market votes every day, after all.”

“If you would have said, in law school, would it be more likely that I would be working on a book or on a TV show, I would have said book.”

“The first rule of hip-hop is probably keep it real. And that can mean a lot of different things, but that's certainly important in reporting and storytelling.”

“Why do Tea Party backers oppose abortion at higher rates than their traditional GOP cohort? Religion.”

“Obama can show that America's promise of equality not only means that anyone can reach the highest office in the land - it also means that everyone is equally subject to the law.”

“The Obama campaign has adeptly used YouTube and social networks as a relatively thrifty way to do targeted messaging.”

“'House of Cards' is aiming for truth, not accuracy.”

“If you believe in democracy, you accept, by definition, the existence and triumph of opposing ideas. The people who believe deeply in the Internet's force as a commons operate on that kind of premise.”

“A precedent provides legal authority for an action precisely because it occurred before.”

“It always rankled me - in law school and the legal profession - when lawyers would speak to each other in their own exclusive language.”

“I think politics is always about dialogue. I think journalism ranges from dialogue to monologue, and there are times when different poles are necessary.”

“I would love to get Chief Justice John Roberts for an interview. I think that would be fascinating, I think that Supreme Court nominees should do more interviews.”

“The Trump administration has struggled with ethics vetting for Cabinet nominees and faced criticism for the president's decision to remain invested in his business empire.”

“Even George W. Bush, who as president pushed the boundaries of executive power, never proposed a statutory scheme to hold people indefinitely.”

“Anyone with a cursory knowledge of American history knows that unchecked spying undermines democracy and public trust.”

“Political operatives don't tend to be existentialists. They do know, however, that if a supporter doesn't vote, then his or her opinion does not make a sound - or a difference.”

“In politics, your opponent can be far more important than your vision.”

“One of the great things about 'The Cycle' is that we have a wide set of topics - news, culture, music, and sports - and every week, we have several authors of new books on, which often injects literature, history, technology, business, and science into our show as well.”

“I started freelancing, writing op-eds and book reviews, one at a time. I then got the opportunity to write recurring freelance pieces for 'The Nation' magazine, focusing on how the Internet was changing politics.”