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The Nation Podcasts
Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.
Episodes
The Nation PodcastsStart Making Sense: How Democrats can win Working-Class Voters; how Doctors are Fighting—against Hospitals
How can Democrats win back at least some white working class swing voters? We have some striking new research about that. Katie Rader joins the Start Making…
The Nation PodcastsEdge of Sports: W. Kamau Bell, the reluctant optimist
In this episode of Edge of Sports, host Dave Zirin highlights two takes on the gender politics of sports culture. Dr. Cheryl Cooky joins the Ask a Sports…
The Nation PodcastsTime of Monsters: Establishment Economics Under Siege
The debate over the causes of inflation is heating up and showing an important divide in the discipline of economics. Mainstream economists like Larry Summers…
The Nation PodcastsStart Making Sense: Cornel West Should Not Be Running for President; plus the GOP vs. Divorce
Cornel West is running for president as a third party candidate, so he’s not going to get many votes. Nevertheless, Joan Walsh argues, he could discourage…
The Nation PodcastsPat Robertson’s Terrible Legacy
Pat Robertson, who died at age 93, was a much hated figure on the left and for good reason. For many decades, through his television show, The 700 Club, and in…
The Nation PodcastsStart Making Sense: The Far Right’s Takeover of Shasta County, plus the Enslaved Black Family: Sasha Abramsky on politics, Brenda Stevenson on history
Shasta County, California, north of San Francisco, is a pretty place, but right wing extremists have taken over the Board of Supervisors there. They’ve driven…
The Nation PodcastsTime of Monsters: Car Dealers Versus Electric Vehicles
Accelerating the shift to electric vehicles (EVs) is a centerpiece of Joe Biden’s climate policy. In making this push, the most likely choke point will come…
The Nation PodcastsStart Making Sense: D.D. Guttenplan on Biden and the Vision Thing; plus Disappearing Islands
The polls about the 2024 election are not good. Democrats lack enthusiasm for Biden, especially after his debt limit deal. The Nation's editor in chief, D.D…
The Nation PodcastsTime of Monsters: How Ron DeSantis Botched His Launch
After months of teasing voters and reporters, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has finally launched his presidential bid. He did it on an unusual platform…
The Nation PodcastsEdge of Sports: Shine On, Denver Nuggets
On this episode of the Edge of Sports podcast, we chat with the great Washington Post journalist, Michael Lee, about what makes the Denver Nuggets and their…
The Nation PodcastsStart Making Sense: Is Planned Parenthood Too Cautious? Plus: Writing and Politics
Has Planned Parenthood gotten too cautious and too corporate? Are the risk managers running the organization? Eyal Press reports on the courage of independent…
The Nation PodcastsTime Of Monsters: Biden, The Republicans, and The Debt Ceiling
Joe Biden has a divided mind when it comes to the Republican Party. On the one hand, he’s all to aware that the GOP has become radicalized and is an…
The Nation PodcastsStart Making Sense: Jeffrey Toobin on the Roots of Jan. 6; Adam Hochschild on Anti-Woke History
The ideological roots of the January 6 insurrection go back decades before Trump entered politics -- back to the bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building…
The Nation PodcastsTime of Monsters: Slaying the Debt Ceiling Dragon
Over the last thirty years, Republicans, when in control the House of Representatives, have repeatedly used the debt ceiling to force Democratic presidents to…
The Nation PodcastsStart Making Sense: Bhaskar Sunkara on Biden in 2024, plus Josh Gondelman on the Writers Strike
Progressives and Biden: what is to be done—about the 2024 election? Bhaskar Sunkara, president of The Nation, comments. Also: 11,500 members of the Writers…
The Nation PodcastsTime of Monsters: Can the Corrupt Courts Be Fixed?
The emerging scandals at the Supreme Court are only getting worse with new revelations about Clarence Thomas and his wife Ginni being the beneficiaries of…
The Nation PodcastsStart Making Sense: Impeach Clarence Thomas; plus Joe Biden, the GOP, and 'Freedom'
D.D. Guttenplan, editor of The Nation, argues that it's time to impeach Clarence Thomas. He also says it's time to remove and replace Diane Feinstein, whose…
The Nation PodcastsEdge of Sports: Lamar Jackson And The State of the Black Quarterback
On this week's episode of the Edge of Sports podcast, we talk to Prof. Louis Moore, author of "We Will Win The Day," about Lamar Jackson's new…
The Nation PodcastsTime of Monsters: A Corrupt Court Faces No Accountability
The American judicial system is facing a far reaching legitimacy crisis, with the Republican ominated judges continuing to push an extremist ideological vision…
The Nation PodcastsStart Making Sense: Anatol Lieven Reports from Ukraine, plus Amy Wilentz on Haiti
Anatol Lieven is back after three weeks in Ukraine, where he found soldiers determined to win, and Russian bombardment doing surprisingly little damage. Also…
The Nation PodcastsTime of Monsters: Tucker, Twitter and Taibbi
This has been an eventful week in both the news media and social media. Tucker Carlson was apparently fired from Fox News. Meanwhile, Twitter under the aegis…
The Nation PodcastsEdge of Sports: David Aldridge on The End of Dan Snyder
This week, we speak to Washington media legend David Aldridge about the forthcoming sale of the Washington football team by its much-loathed owner Dan Snyder…
- The Nation Podcasts
Start Making Sense: Rebecca Solnit on Climate Action, plus John Nichols on Abortion Politics
It’s getting late to take action about the climate emergency, but it’s not too late: that’s what Rebecca Solnit and Thelma Young Lutunatabua say in their new…
The Nation PodcastsTime of Monsters: Resurgence In The Midwest
The victories of Brandon Johnson in Chicago and Janet Protasiewicz in Wisconsin are the latest signs that the upper Midwest, after a long period of trending…
- The Nation Podcasts
Start Making Sense: Elie Mystal, Joan Walsh and Chris Lehmann on Trump and his 34 Felonies; plus Afghan Girls in Exile
Donald Trump and his 34 felonies: can he really be brought to justice for paying off Stormy Daniels? We feature highlights of The Nation’s roundtable…
The Nation PodcastsTime of Monsters: The Abortion Battle Rages in the Courts
In an earlier podcast, Moira Donegan, frequent Time of Monsters guest and columnist for the Guardian, predicted that Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk would strike down…
The Nation PodcastsEdge of Sports: A Radical Retelling of NBA History
This week we speak to Theresa Runstedler, author of the book Black Ball: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, and the Generation that Saved the Soul of the…
The Nation PodcastsStart Making Sense: John Nichols on Recent Progressive Victories and Chris Lehmann on Trump's Indictment
The landslide victory of the progressive candidate in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race, Janet Protasiewicz, ten times bigger than Biden's, shows how abortion…
The Nation PodcastsThe Time of Monsters: Two Cheers for Arresting Trump
While the arrest of former president Donald Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business record can be welcomed as a rare example of accountability for the elite…
The Nation PodcastsEdge of Sports: Why the NBA World Lost Its Joy
On this episode of Edge of Sports, we speak to Michael Lee of the Washington Post about why this has been the most dispiriting NBA season in recent history. We…
The Nation PodcastsStart Making Sense: Low-Paid Workers Strike and Win in LA; Minor League Baseball Players Form a Union
In Los Angeles last week, a three-day strike by 30,000 public school custodians, food service workers, bus drivers and teacher's aides ended with a 30% pay…
The Nation PodcastsThe Time of Monsters: Trump Is Still GOP Top Dog
On this episode of The Time of Monsters, Alex Shephard discusses why Ron DeSantis and other rivals are faltering. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is the…
The Nation PodcastsStart Making Sense: Katha Pollitt on Women in 2023, plus Christian Appy on Protest in 1969
American women in 2023: the news is bad, but it’s not all bad. Katha Pollitt is on the Start Making Sense podcast to explain. Also: the largest anti-war…
The Nation PodcastsThe Time of Monsters: New Fronts on the Abortion Fight
Last year, the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision. This has only emboldened the…
The Nation PodcastsEdge of Sports: Ja Morant On The Edge
On this episode of the Edge of Sports podcast, we speak to Daily Memphian columnist Chris Herrington about the personal troubles of Memphis Grizzlies point…
The Nation PodcastsStart Making Sense: John Nichols on Banks and Regulations, plus Gregg Gonsalves on Masks and Covid
Since the collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank last week, we need to understand how and why medium-sized banks have been allowed to avoid…
The Nation PodcastsThe Time of Monsters: Havana Syndrome and the Psychosomatic Empire
The good news is we have one less thing to worry about: so-called Havana Syndrome turns out not to be caused by a mysterious super-weapon to harm American…
The Nation PodcastsEdge of Sports: Hooked On Women's Hoops with Kate Fagan
On this episode of the Edge of Sports podcast, we speak to author and sports opinionist Kate Fagan about her new illustrated history of the women in…
The Nation PodcastsStart Making Sense: Ron DeSantis says ‘The Left Made Me Do It”; plus our Oscar preview with John Powers
Ron DeSantis has written a political autobiography, “The Courage to be Free.” The Nation's DC Bureau Chief, Chris Lehmann calls it “a paranoid rant disguised…
The Nation PodcastsThe Time of Monsters: Fox News and the Quicksand of Lies
The ongoing defamation suit launched by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News for its coverage of the 2020 election has already resulted in the release of…
The Nation PodcastsStart Making Sense: Saree Makdisi on Israelis and Palestinians; Kimberlé Crenshaw on the Battle over Black Studies
Israel’s new far-right government, headed, again, by Benjamin Netanyahu, is working to undermine democracy for Israelis and advance Israel’s annexation of…
The Nation PodcastsStart Making Sense: John Nichols on the Most Important Election Before 2024, plus Gregg Gonsalves on the End of the Covid Emergency
The most important election of 2023 is in Wisconsin next month, where voters can change the state's supreme court and end domination by conservatives. They’ve…
The Nation PodcastsStart Making Sense: Black history banned in Florida; “The Crown” and the Royal Family: Robin Kelley on Ron DeSantis, plus Gary Younge on the monarchy
Black history, banned in Florida—and excluded from the College Board’s recommended AP Black Studies course. UCLA professor Robin Kelley will comment on that –…
The Nation PodcastsStart Making Sense: QAnon & the Republicans, Ireland & the Irish: Chris Lehmann on politics, plus Fintan O’Toole on his ‘personal history’
“The government, media, and financial worlds in the U.S. are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who run a global child sex trafficking…
The Nation PodcastsStart Making Sense: The Constitutional Solution to the Debt Limit Crisis, plus Victor Navasky Remembered
House Republicans are refusing to raise the debt limit, threatening that the US will default on its bond payments. But the Constitution has the solution for…
The Nation PodcastsStart Making Sense: How to Defeat Kyrsten Sinema; Universal Basic Income in L.A.: Steve Phillips on politics, Sasha Abramsky on poverty
Kyrsten Sinema, the Arizona senator who quit the Democratic Party in December, is up for reelection next year, and will be challenged by progressive Democrat…
The Nation PodcastsStart Making Sense: Abortion rights battles return in the 2023 elections; plus wages at Walmart
Abortion rights voters are reshaping politics in the coming political season—starting with a special election to the Virginia State Senate. Also: the most…
The Nation PodcastsStart Making Sense: Fintan O’Toole on the Next Insurrection; Katha Pollitt on “She Said”
If you were planning a future coup, what could you learn from the failure of Trump’s efforts on January 6? Fintan O’Toole says it would need a better story –…
The Nation PodcastsNelson Lichtenstein's Post-Mortem on the UC Strike and Andrew Bacevich on America’s “Very Long War”
Teaching Assistants and other grad student employees at the University of California won a historic victory in their strike last month. What does that mean for…
The Nation PodcastsBest of 2022: Elie Mystal on the Constitution, plus Kelly Lytle Hernández on “Bad Mexicans”
For our end-of year show, we are featuring a couple of our favorite book segments from 2022. First, a Black guy’s guide to the Constitution: Elie Mystal…
The Nation PodcastsUC Strike Settlement? Nelson Lichtenstein; plus Sean Wilentz on Bob Dylan’s Xmas Album
The biggest strike in the country this year, and the biggest in the history of American universities, may be over. After five weeks of picketing and protests…
The Nation PodcastsSteve Phillips on Sinema and Nelson Lichtenstein on the U.C. Strike
The Democrats triumphed in Arizona this November, electing the governor and the secretary of state, and reelecting senator Mark Kelly --in what used to be a…
The Nation PodcastsJoan Walsh on the Georgia runoff and Nelson Lichtenstein on the UC strike
On this episode of the Start Making Sense podcast, Nation correspondent, Joan Walsh, comments on Democratic incumbent, Senator Raphael Warnock beating Herschel…
The Nation PodcastsBeverly Gage on J. Edgar Hoover, plus Erwin Chemerinsky on Originalism
We know a lot about the bad things J. Edgar Hoover did, but it turns out there’s a lot we didn’t know. Historian Beverly Gage joins the podcast to explain. Her…
The Nation PodcastsThe Undocumented Can Work Jobs at the U. of Calif., and Latinas Are Fighting Toxic Pollution
Hundreds of thousands of young immigrants brought here by their undocumented parents since 2007 are not eligible for DACA. But now they may be eligible for…
The Nation PodcastsJoan Walsh on the Georgia Runoff; Gustavo Arellano on the LA Vote
The Georgia Senate runoff campaign has begun--Joan Walsh has just returned from Atlanta, and explains why Trump’s candidate Herschel Walker seems likely to…
The Nation PodcastsThe Nation and the Midterms: D.D. Guttenplan, Elie Mystal, Joan Walsh, John Nichols, and Chris Lehmann
The Nation's political writers analyze the good, the bad, and the ugly in the midterms, and find keys to building a winning coalition for 2024. Advertising…
The Nation PodcastsHow We Win the Midterms: Steve Phillips; plus Black Landowners in North Carolina: Cameron Oglesby
How can we save democracy from white nationalism and right-wing authoritarianism? Steve Phillips argues we need to organize and turn out the millions of…
The Nation PodcastsStacey Abrams Explains her Work; We Remember Mike Davis
Stacey Abrams, running for governor in Georgia, is behind in the polls of likely voters, which the pollsters define as people who vote regularly, especially in…
The Nation PodcastsChris Lehmann on Republican Plans for 2023, plus Adam Hochschild on Repression in WWI America
What will Republicans do if they win control of the House in the midterms? Now they’ve said something about that, officially: they call it their “Commitment to…