Podcasts about start making sense

The Michigan Democratic senate primary provided a test of the power of AIPAC and big money. John Nichols has our analysis.Also: a rehearsal for the election protection groups: the California sherriff who seized 650,000 ballots from November's referendum, claiming he needed to recount them. Zach Roth of Democracy Docket will explain how the Chad Bianco case provides a test of one key Republican strategy for holding on to the House after the midterms.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Advertisement Get More at LVwithLOVE.com! Musikfest Preview Night arrives Thursday, July 30, followed by 10 days of music, food, art and nearly unavoidable reunions throughout Bethlehem from Friday, July 31 through Sunday, August 9. For the fifth annual Mayor's Musikfest Preview Podcast, we set up at StadtPlatz outside Bethlehem City Hall with Mayor J. William Reynolds and eight guests who plan the festival, perform on its stages, volunteer behind the scenes and help create the community around it. The 43rd Musikfest features more than 400 performers and 500 performances across 16 stages, 15 of which are free. Mayor Reynolds described Musikfest as a shared experience that cannot be recreated through a screen. “You can't one-up somebody else's experience. What happens there is that it brings people together, and it shows us what's possible when we're focused on people.” Building a temporary city ArtsQuest President and CEO Kassie Hilgert started with the people responsible for turning more than 50 acres of Bethlehem into the country's largest free music festival. “It takes 5,000 people to put this festival up and to tear it down. You've got volunteers that are taking 10 days from their vacation time at work to support this festival.” Hilgert also made a direct appeal for people to support the vendors, restaurants, hotels, artists and cultural organizations that keep events like Musikfest alive. Patrick Brogan, ArtsQuest's Chief Programming Officer, said more than 2,000 artists applied to perform this year. The final program includes 417 artists presenting 512 sets, with roughly one-third of the festival changing each year. His advice is simple: “Follow your ears through the festival.” Turn a corner, stop at an unfamiliar stage and stay long enough to find the artist who could become your next favorite. “The soundtrack of Bethlehem” Miguel Perez-Soto has experienced Musikfest as an ArtsQuest board member, a musician, a B. Braun Medical employee and a supporter who has been attending for 25 years. He has also watched Musikfest and ArtsQuest's year-round programming grow to represent more of the cultures found throughout Bethlehem. “Musikfest is the soundtrack of Bethlehem. We're going to have a great time doing this for the next 10 days, but throughout the year, Bethlehem always has the initiative to reinvent itself and put events together for the entire family, for the entire community.” A place where everyone can Fest Richard Liu helped lead the creation of SoberPlatz, the inclusive alcohol-free space that returns to the SouthSide for its second year. Located near Americaplatz and the Flywheel, SoberPlatz offers room to relax, activities, recovery resources and a community that does not revolve around drinking. Everyone is welcome. The only request is that visitors not bring alcohol into the space. Liu shared the response that showed exactly why SoberPlatz was needed. “I've had people tell me they didn't feel like they could Fest until SoberPlatz was there.” For Liu, Musikfest ultimately comes back to people. “It's the volunteers that I see year after year and become friends with. It's the friendships with performers who come back year after year. It's the community members who I see and become friends with. It's the people.” Learn more about SoberPlatz and its 2026 activities. Community voices and volunteers WDIY Executive Director Margaret McConnell described the station as another community organization powered largely by volunteers. WDIY was built by community members who wanted their own radio station. Its programming still reflects that original mission. “Picking hand-curated music, no algorithms involved. Very little automation. This is really led by this community, for this community.” ArtsQuest ambassador-level volunteer Robin Sherrerd has poured beer, sold tickets, worked with the Eco Squad and served as a site supervisor. “I worked my way up to site supervisor and enjoyed every bit of it because of the camaraderie that we have with all of the other volunteers.” Those relationships continue after the tents come down. Sherrerd said many volunteers have become friends who see one another and spend time together throughout the year. Two Bethlehem artists step onto the stage Bethlehem country artist Lilly Moss opens for Russell Dickerson at the Wind Creek Steel Stage on Friday, July 31. She returns Sunday, August 2 for a free Main Street performance. Two years ago, Moss opened a fortune cookie while attending the Maren Morris concert at Musikfest. “I opened a fortune cookie and it said, ‘You will make a name for yourself.'” She kept and framed the fortune. Now she plans to carry it onto the largest stage she has ever played. Moss said she no longer becomes more nervous as the crowds grow. “As the crowds get bigger, I get more excited. I feed off the energy and the adrenaline.” Jenny Founds performs with Ruby Dear at Zinzenplatz from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Sunday, August 2. The Bethlehem alternative-rock trio is expanding for a special Ruby Dear Big Band performance featuring additional musicians from Start Making Sense. Founds performs original music with Ruby Dear and Talking Heads music with Start Making Sense. She sees value in both. “I've had people come up to me and say, ‘I've never heard you before, but I can relate to your lyrics, and I've never felt seen like that.' So both are valid, and both give opportunities to musicians.” A free Musikfest stage gives original artists something particularly valuable: people who were walking past, heard something interesting and decided to enter the tent. The Musikfest must-do list Mayor Reynolds and George also shared a few rules for getting the most out of Musikfest: Put the phone away. Spend time with someone you unexpectedly run into. Buy at least one thing. Watch an artist perform original music. Show someone your favorite Musikfest spot. Try a food you are not completely sure about. Leave one night open and see where Musikfest takes you. Musikfest Preview Night is Thursday, July 30. The full festival runs Friday, July 31 through Sunday, August 9. Get the complete schedule and download the official app at Musikfest.org. Advertisement Sign up for our Newsletter!  Thank you to our Partners! WDIY 88.1 FM QuoteAhead.com Wind Creek Event Center Michael Bernadyn of RE/MAX Real Estate Banko Beverage Company Email your news release to info@lehighvalleywithlovemedia.com Subscribe to our email list

How are we going to defeat Trump and the Republicans and win control of Congress in the midterms? How are we going to win the White House in two years? Ben Wikler has a plan – he's published a book with the title This is the Plan. Ben was chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin for six years, ending in 2025, where he shaped what became the most powerful and effective state political party in the country.Plus: John Nichols on the Senate Candidates in Maine and Nebraska, and the governor's race in Wisconsin. John of course is executive editor of The Nation.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

It's been another bad week for Donald Trump – from the Strait or Homuz to the streets where ICE has killed more people, to the scheduled Senate hearings on Todd Blanche. Harold Meyerson comments.Also: Trump believes the teaching of history really matters—that's why on July 4 he issued a 162-page attack on the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Yale historian Beverly Gage comments – her new book is This Land is Your Land: A Road Trip through US History.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Jamie Raskin, Democrat from Maryland, talks about Congress reforming the Supreme Court, and the House challenging Trump's corruption. His article in the current issue of The Nation magazine is “We Must Restore Congress as the Predominant Branch of Government.”Also: John Nichols assesses the Democrats' Senate candidates in the wake of the replacement of Graham Platner in Maine.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Trump biggest losses in the Supreme Court rulings announced this week were on birthright citizenship—widely anticipated—and the voting rights case where the majority ruled states could count ballots mailed but not received by election day. His biggest win was abolishing independent agencies except for the Federal Reserve. David Cole has our analysis—he's the former legal director of the ACLU.Also: The Court ended Temporary Protected Status, TPS, for Haitians (and others), but that does not mean deportations will begin immediately. Instead most of those with TPS will be given an opportunity to contest a deportation order or apply for remaining on a different basis. Amy Wilentz comments on the current responses in New York City, Miami, Springfield, Ohio, and in Congress.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Election protection: defending Ohio's biggest voter registration group, and blocking Trump's attacks on voting by mail: Norm Eisen, co-counsel on the first Trump impeachment, comments.Also: how protest pushed ICE to abandon most of its warehouse detention center plans, and pressured Georgia Republicans to abandon their redistricting plans – John Nichols explains.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In his campaign against elite universities as centers of resistance, Trump hasn't been able to force Harvard to submit. And it seems less likely now that they will settle. Harvard law professor Randall Kennedy has our analysis.Also: the essential workers at our supermarkets: Ann Larson talks about poverty wages and worker solidarity. Her new book is Cleanup on Aisle Five: Essential Work, Poverty Wages, and the View From Behind the Supermarket Register.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Democratic strength, and Democratic divisions, in primaries from L.A. to Maine—Harold Meyerson has our analysis of the week's political developments.Also: Can AI write poetry? Good poetry? Katha Pollitt decided to find out. She's an award-winning poet herself, and a columnist for The Nation.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

California's jungle primary on Tuesday set the stage for the next Democratic governor of the state, and primaries in Iowa, New Jersey and elsewhere tested the strength of progressives in the party. John Nichols has our analysis.Also: from the archives: Elmore Leonard, who died in 2013 at age 87, was unpretentious about his massive accomplishments: 45 novels, more than a dozen turned into movies, and a reputation as one of the great writers of dialogue. When we spoke in 2000, he had just published Pagan Babies, and his movies Get Shorty, Jackie Brown, and Out of Sight had been hits.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this episode of Start Making Sense, John Nichols analyzes this week's primary results in California and elsewhere, and, from the archives, Elmore Leonard talks about where his characters and plots came from.California's jungle primary on Tuesday set the stage for the next Democratic governor of the state, and primaries in Iowa, New Jersey and elsewhere tested the strength of progressives in the party. John Nichols has our analysis.Also: from the archives: Elmore Leonard, who died in 2013 at age 87, was unpretentious about his massive accomplishments: 45 novels, more than a dozen turned into movies, and a reputation as one of the great writers of dialogue. When we spoke in 2000, he had just published Pagan Babies, and his movies Get Shorty, Jackie Brown, and Out of Sight had been hits.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Trump's Billion Dollar Ballroom is a familiar kind of corruption, but his slush fund to pay the insurrectionists and paramilitary groups that commit violence in his name is an unprecedented attack on democracy. Rob Weissman of Public Citizen explains, and also talks about the immense, and immnsely unpopular, proposed Arc d'Trump.Also: Bill Gates was once the country's youngest billionaire and the first billionaire to come from tech. Then he became the most hated man in America; then the biggest philanthropist, and the world's most admired man. Then we learned of his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Ben Tarnoff explains how all happened.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

State legislatures have a lot of power in America—the States Project focuses on expanding that. Daniel Squadron explains. His new book is The Fourth Branch: How State Government can Save Our Union.Also: this week's polls and this week's primaries have nothing but bad news for Trump and his followers.John Nichols has our analysis.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Last week was one of the roughest for Democrats since Trump won the election in 2024 - the Supreme Court ended Black congressional representation in most of the South and opened the door to the creation of several more Republican House seats – and then the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the state's initiative that created four more Democratic House seats was invalid. Nevertheless Trump is so unpopular that Democrats remain strong favorites to retake the House in November. Harold Meyerson comments.Also: During the first part of the 20th century, 100,000 Eastern European Jews joined a socialist organization that opposed Zionism. Their organization we call the Bund, and they believed that Jews should fight for full rights wherever they were, not for a new homeland somewhere else. Their motto was “here, where we live, is our country”--that's the title of a new book by Molly Crabapple. Adam Hochschild comments.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Trump's efforts to block Democratic voting in the midterms, or overturn the results, is not going to work—Ian Bassin explains the widespread preparations underway for defending the election in November. Ian is co-founder of the organization Protect Democracy and winner of a MacArthur genius grant.Also: In the aftermath of WWII, racists and antisemites organized to reverse the changes brought by the New Deal and the war, but their organizations were infiltrated and undermined by activists from the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee, and the Non-­Sectarian Anti­-Nazi League. Steven J. Ross has that history – his new book is The Secret War Against Hate. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this week's political rundown, John Nichols explains why Trump may never succeed at building any of his ICE prison camps, and how this Friday's May Day strike is a test of our power to resist.Also: MOCA's “Monuments” show in LA critiques Confederate monuments that have been taken down in response to protests. Critic Christopher Knight has our evaluation. The show closes Sunday. (Originally broadcast Oct. 31, 2024.)Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We need an AI revolution that works for the people, not just the billionaires. That's Ro Khanna's “AI Manifesto.” He's the member of Congress who represents Silicon Valley, and also a leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. His manifesto is the cover story in The Nation magazine's new issue.Also: Trump's support continues to decline on everything he does, especially the war with Iran. But as he becomes weaker, he becomes more dangerous. Harold Meyerson comments; he's editor-at-large of The American Prospect.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

It's been only a couple of weeks since the No Kings 3 protests, but we can see now how protest and resistance are changing in America: that one it wasn't just bigger than the previous No Kings. It was different: Deeper and more connected. Rebecca Solnit argues that to understand resistance and change today, we need a much longer perspective than a couple of years. Her new book is The Beginning Comes After the End. Also: Minneapolis made history with its mobilization against ICE. But what about the rest of the state, where the immigrant population has been growing for a couple of decades? What kind of resistance has developed there? Emma Janssen went to small town Minnesota to find out. She's a writing fellow at The American Prospect.  Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Minnesota changed everything: how Minnesota's resistance to ICE provides a model and inspiration for a national pro-democracy movement. Deepak Bhargava will explains; he's president of the Freedom Together Foundation.Also: July 4 will mark the 250th anniversary of the United States, which Trump is celebrating with a campaign to “eliminate” what he calls “divisive anti-American ideology” from American's historic sites, national parks, and the National Zoo. Historian Beverly Gage has another idea – a road trip to visit some of those places where history happened. Her new book is This Land is Your Land: A Road Trip Through US History.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Our Behind the Sound episodes seek to bring us, the concert goer, "backstage" so we can better understand how the iconic sound of a particular band is created.  It has become something of a tradition to do this with a tribute band that does such an incredible job re-creating the sound and visuals of a band that has incredible music, and is someone we can no longer catch a live show of.  This week we spend time with Start Making Sense, who've become the premier Talking Heads tribute band around.Fronted by Jon Braun, who bears an uncanny resemblance to David Byrne, this gathering of musicians have brought an incredible commitment to creating the quirky and brilliant music of the much-loved band.We'll spend time meeting everyone that makes up Start Making Sense, and see how it all comes together with Load-in and Sound Check, which at times is its own thoroughly enjoyable performance art.And then we'll share some of the songs from a recent performance at the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, PA and ask the band members to provide commentary throughout, both about their early stages and their fav moments from the road.The music of Talking Heads has excited, inspired, and healed folks worldwide since their first show at CBGB's in 1975. If David Byrne is one of the geniuses of modern times, then Start Making Sense is a tribute to genius. Start Making Sense celebrates the entire Talking Heads' catalog meticulously executing the sounds and iconic live visual elements in every performance. Together these skilled and dedicated musicians enjoy bringing the unique, infectious energy of a Talking Heads live show that you know and love to the stage.Don't miss this one!Text us your thoughts on this episode, and who should be OUR #NextFavBand...As always, our hope is to bring you "your next favorite band".  If you tuned in today because you already knew this musician - thank you very much!  We hope that you enjoyed it and would consider following us and subscribing so we can bring you your #nextfavband in the future.  And check out nextfavband.com for our entire catalog of interviews!If you have a recommendation on who you think OUR next favorite band should be, hit us up on social media (@nextfavband everywhere) or send us an email at nextfavband@stereophiliastudio.com.Thank you to Carver Commodore, argonaut&wasp, and Blair Crimmins for allowing us to use their music in the show open and close.  It makes everything sound so much better!Let's catch a live show together soon!#nextfavband #livemusic #music #musicinterview #musician  #singer  #guitar  #song  #newmusic  #explorepage  #instamusic #bestmusic #musicismylife #musicindustry #musiclife #songwriter #musiclover #musicfestival 

We're still thinking about No Kings 3 day on Saturday: 8 million people. 3,300 events. ‘No Kings' protests in almost every city and town in the country. 100 towns in Texas alone had No Kings protests! It was the largest single-day nonviolent protest in American history. John Nichols analyzes the possibilities for what comes next.Also: No one expected that revoking the constitutional right to abortion would wind up expanding access to it. But ever since the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision in 2022 allowed more than a dozen states to ban abortion outright, the number of abortions in this country has actually risen every year. How did that happen? Amy Littlefield explains; her new book is Killers of Roe: My investigation into the mysterious death of abortion rights.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The No Kings 3 protests this Saturday are going to be big – maybe the biggest day of protest in American history. Leah Greenberg, co-founder and co-director of Indivisible, will explain—starting with the plans for St. Paul, site of the day's flagship event.Also: Trump has renewed his year-long campaign against universities that have been resisting his authoritarian rule - he's focused his attacks on the most prestigious private university, Harvard, and the most prestigious public university, UCLA, suing each of them in the past week for – “antisemitism.” David Myers, who teaches Jewish history at UCLA, commentsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Trump's war in Iran is bringing economic chaos and suffering to much of the world, but for American voters, the biggest effect is the soaring price of gasoline – and the political implications for Republicans in the midterms are clear to everyone. Meanwhile Minneapolis has shown how Americans can resist unjust and illegitimate power.Also: The Working Families Party is organizing voters not just to win a Democratic majority in Congress but for a movement election, a historic expansion of the electorate that includes a demand for significant change. Maurice Mitchell, the party's National Director, explains.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Tom Stevenson analyzes the latest news and long-term prospects of Trump's Iran war, for both Iran and the US. Tom is a contributing editor for the London Review of Books, where he writes about, among other things, politics in the Mideast.Also: what news are people getting these days, and where are they getting it? Especially the people we call “news avoidant” & “low information” voters--the ones we want to vote for Democrats in November: what are the big stories for them? Tara McGowan explains-- she's founder and CEO of Courier Newsroom, a digital media company that operates a network of local news outlets.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

After Senate Democrats block the SAVE act, Trump is likely to declare a national security emergency – claiming China could interfere in the midterms – as a basis for restricting voting. David Cole comments; he's former legal director of the ACLU.Also: Congress must challenge Trump's war on Iran and assert its constitutional duty to take up War Powers resolutions and assert its primacy over matters of war and peace. John Nichols explains.  Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Trump's State of the Union speech was predictable, but nevertheless revealing of his state of mind. John Nichols has our analysis.Also: In 1949 when Jackie Robinson appeared before HUAC, the House Un-American Activities Committee, to discredit Paul Robeson. Howard Bryant talks about why that happened, and what happened afterwards - to each of them. His new book is “Kings and Pawns.”Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Trump, facing the wave of popular opposition to pretty much everything he's doing, is working to block Democrats from voting in the midterms, and “election protection” has become a key part of the preparations underway from blue state attorneys general and from voting rights groups like the Brennan Center and the ACLU. Harold Meyerson explains.Also: A large proportion of slaves who escaped from slavery in the South escaped not on foot, but by boat. Marcus Rediker tells their story - his new book is Freedom Ship: The Uncharted History of Escaping Slavery by Sea.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The size and scale of the resistance to ICE in Minneapolis is too vast to fully comprehend. John Nichols has our report – he's The Nation's executive editor, and he's just spent several days talking to the city's leaders and activists.Also: Democrats could win a Senate seat in Texas this November. Texas is not so much a red state as it is a low-turnout state. Steve Phillips analyzes Jasmine Crockett's campaign for the Democratic nomination, which relies on organizing non-voters and reluctant voters.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The next two weeks Democrats in Congress will be working to use the budget to set limits on ICE-to require judicial warrants, masks off and body cameras on, and to set use of force standards. John Nichols, The Nation's executive editor, will comment.Also: The Super Bowl is by far the biggest entertainment event of the year in the US, and this Sunday the halftime show will feature Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny, who has been demanding “ICE Out!” How did the Super Bowl halftime show become the center of resistance to ICE? Dave Zirin, The Nation's sports editor, will explain.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We have the power to rein in ICE and protect our neighbors, Leah Greenberg argues – she's co-founder and co-executive director of Indivisible, the group that organized No Kings 2 last October, the largest demonstration in American history. The key right now, she says, is for Senate Democrats to refuse to fund Homeland Security in this week's budget vote, unless Republicans agree to put meaningful restrictions on that lawless agency.Also: The group Standing Together says it is still possible for Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side with full equality and justice for everyone. The are the largest Jewish-Arab grassroots movement in Israel, working to create an alternative to the existing reality by building political power. Sally Abed explains -- she's a Palestinian citizen of Israel, a leader of Standing Together, and she was elected to the Haifa city council in February 2024,Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The landscape of resistance in Minneapolis, John Nichols reports, includes surprisingly powerful and effective faith groups, plus unions, neighborhood mutual aid and community safety networks, ICE observer teams, and direct action groups, plus the ACLU and its allies, as well as the outspoken mayor and the fighting state attorney general. Also: DOGE did NOT reduce spending – at all. But it did reduce federal employment; 271,000 people lost their jobs in the federal government, according to CATO. Sasha Abramsky set out to find out what it was like for some of those people -- his new book reports on the experiences of eleven fired federal workers: American Carnage: How Trump, Musk, and DOGE butchered the US Government.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

As Trump's support collapses, he has lashed out in two directions--sending an unprecendented number of ICE agents to Minneapolis, where one of them murdered Renee Good, and sending the military to Venezuela, where he says he has seized control of the oil industry. Harold Meyerson comments.Also: Twenty Minutes Without Trump: There's a new TV series about how capitalism came to Communist China, 30 episodes made for Chinese TV by the great Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai, running now on the Criterion Channel. John Powers, critic-at-large on Fresh Air with Terry Gross, explains.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Trump's attack on Venezuela is likely to weaken his political support even further, because it does nothing about affordability or health care. And it's not at all clear the big oil companies want to spend billions restoring Venezuelan production. John Nichols comments.Also: the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ordered the VA to provide housing for disabled vets on its land in Los Angeles, something they have refused to do for more than a decade. The ruling should end homelessness among disabled vets everywhere – Mark Rosenbaum of Public Counsel, who won the case, explains.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The year in politics: Harold Meyerson of The American Prospect comments on Trump's collapsing support in 2025, and the rise of the resistance—in both the unprecendented national mobilizations culminating in the second No Kings Day, and the Democratic triumph in virtually all elections in 2025.Also: the year in court: David Cole, who stepped down this year as national legal director of the ACLU, reviews the 149 rulings against Trump in federal courts this past year, and the 21 times the Supreme Court has supported his attacks on democracy.Our Sponsors:* Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In June, Trump sent more than 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to occupy Los Angeles and terrorize the immigrant population. But by the end of July, almost all the Guard and the Marines were gone. Bill Gallegos explains how that happened and what other cities can learn from it. Also: Bob Dylan fans have been puzzled and troubled by his Christmas album ever since he released it in 2009. To help figure out what Dylan was doing, we turn to Sean Wilentz. He's author of Bob Dylan in America, and he also teaches history at Princeton. (Originally recorded in January, 2005.)​ Our Sponsors:* Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ths coming Friday is the deadline for the Justice Department to turn over the Epstein files to Congress. But we already know the key fact about Epstein's famous friends--they didn't care that he had hired a 14-year-old girl for sex—and gone to jail for it. But why was that? Katha Pollitt comments.Also: the hidden politics of the New York Times crossword puzzle: Natan Last explains; his new book is Across the Universe: the Past, Present, and Future of the Crossword Puzzle.Our Sponsors:* Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Republicans are about to end Obamcare subsidies, driving up premiums for 20 million people during the year of the midterm elections. How have they managed to end up after all these years with no health insurance plan of their own? John Nichols comments.Also: Bob Dylan's earliest recordings have just been released—the first is from 1956 when he was 15 years old—on the 8-CD set ‘Through the Open Window: The Bootleg Series vol. 18” – which ends in 1963, with his historic performance at Carnegie Hall. Sean Wilentz explains – he wrote the 120 page book that accompanies the release. Our Sponsors:* Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Zorhan Mamdani takes office in four weeks as the first socialist mayor of New York City. How should we understand the constraints he faces, without accepting those constraints? Bhaskar Sunkara has our analysis; he's president of The Nation and author of ‘The Socialist Manifesto.'Plus: Sports Talk on The Nation podcast! Of course Thanksgiving was a big weekend for football on TV - a weekend where millions of viewers got to see a festival of brain injuries -- concussions after receiving blows to the head. Dave Zirin will comment - he's the long-time sports editor of The Nation and host of the Edge of Sports podcast.Our Sponsors:* Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Last Friday Marjorie Taylor Greene announced she was quitting after Trump excommunicated her from MAGA, while the same day Trump welcomed Zohran Mamdani to the White House with open arms and high praise. What's going on with Trump? Harold Meyerson comments - he's editor at large of The American Prospect.Also: Alice Waters, the legendary founder of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, winner of the National Humanities Medal, awarded by Obama, talks about how to make school lunch delicious, affordable, organic, and beautiful - and locally sourced from regenerative farmers. Her new book is A School Lunch Revolution.Our Sponsors:* Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

After almost a year of Trump stonewalling about the Epstein files, Republicans in the House finally took a stand against him. More than a hundred Republican members were prepared to vote for releasing the files. Facing a dramatic defeat, on Sunday night Trump caved, and Tuesday the vote in the House was nearly unanimous. John Nichols has our analysis.Also: The Americans who fought in World War II have been called “the greatest generation,” but historian David Nasaw argues that it's more appropriate to regard them as “the wounded generation.” That's the title of his new book about vets coming home after WWIIOur Sponsors:* Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.com* Check out BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/THENATIONAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

As mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani will be the first socialist in American history to hold significant power. It's a huge opportunity, and a huge responsibility. Bhaskar Sunkara, president of The Nation and author of “The Socialist Manifesto,” will comment.Also: How a band of visionaries and a million dollars upended America – in the 1920s, which had some remarkable similarities to our own era. Award winning historian John Fabian Witt will explain; his new book is ‘The Radical Fund.'Our Sponsors:* Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.com* Check out BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/THENATIONAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Voters can take a stand against Trump's candidates in next Tuesday's elections in Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, California, and New York City – and move toward redistricting that favors Democrats. Harold Meyerson explains.Also: a new art exhibit in Los Angeles, called ‘Monuments,' displays ten decommissioned Confederate monuments alongside the work of 19 artists responding or relating to them. It's at MOCA, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and at the Brick, an arts nonprofit. Christopher Knight comments -- he's art critic for the LA Times and winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Criticism.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

No Kings Day on Oct. 18 was the largest peaceful protest in American history. Rebecca Solnit comments, and refutes Republican statements about violence on the left. Her most recent book is “Orwell's Roses.”Also: the fight to control the LA police: a decades long effort that culminated in 1992, after the Rodney King riots, when longtime police chief Darryl Gates was forced out. Danny Goldberg comments – at the time he was board chair of the ACLU of Southern California Foundation, and his new book is “Liberals With Attitude.” Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Saturday is the second No Kings Day – it should be the biggest single day of protest in American history, with more than 2,500 events planned. Leah Greenberg will explain the preparations – she's co-founder of Indivisible, the group that called the first No Kings day, June 14 – five million people participated in that one, held the same day as Trump's birthday parade – the one no one came to.Also: there's “a forthrightly antifascist film” that critics call “wild and thrilling” -- of course, that's “One Battle After Another,” the Paul Thomas Anderson movie starring Leonardo di Caprio as a burnt out left wing bomber, targeted by an ICE captain played by Sean Penn. John Powers will comment—he's critic at large on Fresh Air with Terry Gross.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

As the Supreme Court begins its new term, Trump lost six different cases in district courts just last week, ranging from bans on deploying the National Guard, to defending freedom of speech for noncitizens, to yet another court rejecting his executive order abolishing birthright citizenship. At the same time, Trump is claiming an illegitimate legal basis for ordering the murder of civilians he claims are trafficing in drugs. David Cole will comment—he's former national legal director of the ACLU.Also, There's a wonderful new history of New York City from the Depression thru WWII, out now - It's called “Gotham at War,” written by Mike Wallace. He won the Pulitzer Prize in History for the first volume in his “Gotham” series. To talk about ‘Gotham at War,' we'll turn to Brenda Wineapple, who writes for the New York Review and the New York Times Book Review; her most recent book is the Scopes trial--it's called ‘Keeping the Faith.'Our Sponsors:* this is a paid advertisement from BetterHelp. Check out BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/THENATIONAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

For the Senate Democrats this is a big week for defiance. At last they are making popular demands as part of a deal to pass a budget and avoid a government shutdown. But Trump still holds a lot of cards. Harold Meyerson will comment.Also: None of us were prepared for the double whammy of last week's White House press conference, where Trump made false claims not only about vaccines, but also about Tylenol causing autism. We'll have analysis from Gregg Gonsalves. He teaches at the Yale School of Public Health; he's been an AIDS activist for 30 years; and he's also a MacArthur Fellow -- class of 2018. And he's The Nation's public health correspondent. Our Sponsors:* this is a paid advertisement from BetterHelp. Check out BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/THENATIONAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Trump is trying to block speech that criticizes him. Last week began with JD Vance complaining about an article in The Nation that criticized the ideas of Charlie Kirk. Two days after that, ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel. And a few days after that, a protest movement forced ABC to put him back on the air. Bhaskar Sunkara comments on the fight over freedom of speech - he's president of The Nation Magazine.Also: Attacking Harvard is not unique to Trump -- for decades, indeed for centuries, American politicians have made hay by going after Harvard. Historian Beverely Gage talks about what's familiar, and what's new, in Trump's efforts – based on a reconsideration of Richard Hofstadter's classic 1963 book “Anti-Intellectualism in American Life.”Our Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/THENATIONAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Trump had four major court decisions against him in a single week last week: on tariffs, defunding Harvard, sending troops to LA, and deporting Venezuelans, different courts and appellate panels said he was violating the law. Erwin Chemerinsky comments – he's Dean of the Law School at Berkeley.Also: The new film “Caught by the Tides” by Jia Zhangke, considered worldwide to be the most important director in China: Over the last 30 years, his great project has been to tell stories that show the radical transformation of Chinese life by capitalism and the state. John Powers explains – he's critic at large on Fresh Air with Terry Gross. The film is streaming now on the Criterion ChannelAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What is Trump's strategy in deploying the National Guard to L.A., then D.C., and now probably Chicago and New York? Does he want the military in the street of blue cities for the midterms next year? They will still elect Democrats to the House. John Nichols comments.Also: ‘Huckleberry Finn' is America's great anti-slavery novel, but there's a secret behind it: Mark Twain, the author, wasn't always anti-slavery and anti-racist; in fact he fought, briefly, for the Confederacy. Adam Hochschild explains how Twain changed his mind. (Adam reviewed Ron Chernow's new bio of Twain in the latest issue of The Nation magazine.)Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In The Nation's interview with Zohran Mamdani, he talks how he won the New York City Democratic primary for mayor, by addressing the city's affordability crisis—and what the Democrats can learn from his victory. Katrina vanden Heuvel and John Nichols, who conducted the interview, introduce our excerpts and set the stage.Also: It's time to take a step back from the daily barrage of bad news to look at the big picture of the strategy Trump has been following: David Cole explains how he's exploited the power of the federal government, not just to attack his political opponents – the Democratic Party - but to weaken the institutions of civil society, which form the bedrock of democracy.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy