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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 PodcastsWe Can’t Just Protest Trump. We Must Defy Him.
Frances Fox Piven argues that social movements need to “make trouble” to effectively challenge Trump—starting with sanctuary movements that will enlist large…
The Nation PodcastsTrump: Vicious, But Vulnerable
Gary Younge says Trump’s victory shows the weakness of the Republican Party, not its strength—and argues that progressives must avoid despair and channel their…
The Nation PodcastsObama Didn’t Talk Much About Race. Did that Open the Door to Trump?
Obamacare saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of black people, but Obama never mentioned that fact—his rhetoric throughout his presidency was always more…
The Nation PodcastsBest of the Left in 2016
John Nichols says 2016 wasn’t all bad. With this year’s Progressive Honor Roll, we remember some of the people who fought the good fight, and sometimes even…
The Nation PodcastsRobert Reich: Why Republicans Are Wrong about Taxes
Could Republicans be right when they say taxes on business hurt the economy, and low wages help? Robert Reich says there’s an easy way to find out: compare…
The Nation PodcastsChris Hayes: How We Got from Obama to Trump
How did Obama’s presidency end with the election of Donald Trump? Chris Hayes comments—and talks about his trip to Kenosha, Wisconsin this week with Bernie…
The Nation PodcastsNaomi Klein, Rebecca Solnit, and Zack Exley: How Organizing Can Still Win
Naomi Klein reports from Standing Rock on the victory there over the Dakota Pipeline—the lesson, she says, is that resistance and organizing can win. Plus…
The Nation PodcastsIs the Recount Assuring Electoral Integrity, or Wasting Money on a Distraction?
Jill Stein has raised almost $7 million to pay for recounts in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. John Nichols says it won’t make Hillary president, but it…
The Nation PodcastsHow to Stop Trump
In 2002, we had Bush and Cheney in the White House with Republican control of the House and the Senate and a Republican majority on the Supreme Court…
The Nation PodcastsMike Davis: The Real Revolution of 2016 Was Not Trump’s
Trumpism is inherently chaotic, Mike Davis argues, and won’t last long, while the emergence of the Bernie Sanders movement has the potential to transform…
The Nation PodcastsMourn, Resist, Organize: Our Tasks Now
Katrina vanden Heuvel says there’s no denying the magnitude of our defeats. We need to mourn our losses—but then we have to resist, and organize. Plus John…
The Nation PodcastsDonald Trump: The View From the Rustbelt
Gary Younge has spent the last several weeks in Muncie, Indiana, reporting on politics in the rust belt. Trump voters there, he says, know his faults, but want…
The Nation PodcastsThe Progressive Candidates Who Are Shaking Up This Election
John Nichols talks about some of our favorite progressive candidates—for the Senate, the House, and state legislatures—who show what good politics look like…
The Nation PodcastsDonald Trump’s ‘Horrifying’ Refusal to Accept the Election Results
Maybe you heard the news: in the third debate, Donald Trump wouldn’t say he would accept the results of the election if he lost. Clinton called that…
The Nation PodcastsGreil Marcus: Maybe Bob Dylan Isn’t a Poet, but He Is One of America’s Greatest Artists
In this special edition of our podcast, Greil Marcus talks about “Highway 61 Revisited,” “Masters of War,” and “Like a Rolling Stone”—and the way Dylan has…
The Nation PodcastsDonald Trump’s 'Great Respect for Women'
Katha Pollitt has some words for Trump and his defenders after the groping tape and the second debate, where he argued that ISIS “chopping off heads” was worse…
The Nation PodcastsA Journey into the Heart of Trump Country
For her new book, sociologist Arlie Hochschild listened to Trump supporters explain their world in their own words. She spent five years in southwestern…
The Nation PodcastsKatha Pollitt: It’s Time to Get Active for Hillary
Feeling unenthusiastic about Hillary Clinton? Katha Pollitt says “If she loses, it’s your fault”—so it’s time to go to work on phone banks and canvassing…
The Nation PodcastsBernie Sanders Speaks: Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, and Building a Revolution
The Nation interview with Bernie: John Nichols, who with Katrina vanden Heuvel sat down with the senator, sets the scene and introduces our excerpts. Plus…
The Nation PodcastsOliver Stone: Edward Snowden Has Done Something ‘Quite Amazing’
The film 'Snowden,' which opens this weekend, was turned down by all of the big Hollywood studios. Director Oliver Stone explains what it took to make his film…
The Nation PodcastsWhite Workers, Trump, and Clinton
It’s the year of the white working class, and Joan Walsh reports on the Democrats’ efforts to win back the voters they have been losing since the sixties…
The Nation PodcastsThe Green Party’s Jill Stein Wants a Green New Deal
In this exclusive interview with Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate for president responds to the most common criticisms she hears: Won’t a Green vote make…
The Nation PodcastsWhy Won’t Obama Grant Edward Snowden Amnesty?
The power of independent journalism was demonstrated last week when the Obama Justice Department announced the end of incarceration of federal prisoners in…
The Nation PodcastsThe Woman Behind Trump
The most powerful person in Donald Trump’s campaign is not a political professional but rather his own daughter, Ivanka. Amy Wilentz explains how Ivanka got…
The Nation PodcastsWhat Donald Trump Got Very Wrong About Sexual Harassment
Katha Pollitt explains how women employees’ complaints of sexual harassment forced out Roger Ailes—and examines Donald Trump’s comments about it. Plus: Ari…
The Nation PodcastsAn Hour Without Trump
Trump is everywhere in the news this week, so we decided to do something different: 60 minutes of political talk that is Trump-free. Guaranteed. Instead: The…
The Nation PodcastsWill Hillary’s Outreach to Bernie’s Supporters Work?
John Nichols analyzes Hillary Clinton’s big speech and the place of Bernie Sanders supporters in Democrats’ plans to fight Donald Trump. Plus D.D. Guttenplan…
The Nation PodcastsCan Trump Win? The Republicans After Cleveland
Amy Wilentz and Jon Wiener debate Trump’s chances for victory in November: Jon says he won’t win; Amy says ‘don’t be so sure.’ Plus: John Nichols and D.D…
The Nation PodcastsDon’t Forget: Someone Loved Philando Castile, Someone Loved Alton Sterling
The shooting of police officers in Dallas does not change anything about the shootings of black men in Baton Rouge or St. Paul, Kai Wright argues—he’s Features…
The Nation PodcastsClinton's Email, the FBI, and the Voters
Joan Walsh says the FBI director’s blunt criticism of Clinton’s handling of her email provides the presidential hopeful with an opportunity to acknowledge…
The Nation PodcastsBrexit’s Unlikely Lessons for Hillary Clinton
The victorious campaign in Britain to leave the European Union has many striking parallels to Donald Trump’s campaign to win the White House. D.D. Guttenplan…
The Nation Podcasts Donald Trump Really Could Ban Muslims From Entering the Country
The People’s Summit brought organizers and activists to Chicago last weekend for three days of planning about where to go next with the Bernie movement—at the…
The Nation PodcastsLife and Death in Gay Orlando
Orlando was one of the most gay-friendly cities in the South—and still is, says Nadine Smith of Equality Florida. Also: Bernie won the war of ideas in the…
The Nation PodcastsWhat Happened in California?
Everything you need to know about the California primary—John Nichols explains it all to producer Alan Minsky. Also: Andrew Cockburn of Harper’s magazine…
The Nation PodcastsDoes Bernie’s Movement Have a Future?
Bernie Sanders’s campaign rallies in California have brought out more than 100,000 people—many of whom think he can win the state’s primary next week. Nicky…
The Nation PodcastsCan the Democratic Party Be United?
Bernie Sanders has stopped his direct attacks on Hillary, and he’s been able to make some strong appointments to the platform committee for the Democratic…
The Nation PodcastsDonald Trump Knows the Age of Reagan Is Over. Does Hillary?
Hillary will have to do something different to beat Donald Trump, Bruce Shapiro argues—because appealing to moderates, like the Clintons did in the nineties…
The Nation Podcasts Hillary Clinton Is Donald Trump’s Dream Opponent
Donald Trump’s ideal opponent is a member of the establishment, Steve Fraser argues—the kind that used to be called a “limousine liberal.” Hillary Clinton, he…
The Nation PodcastsIf Donald Trump Loses, Will There Be Violence?
When Hillary Clinton defeats Donald Trump in November, his millions of supporters will be told that their American birthright has once again been stolen from…
The Nation PodcastsCould Donald Trump Actually Win Some of Bernie’s Supporters?
Trump says he’ll fight for jobs against NAFTA-type trade deals, and he doesn’t take money from Wall Street. Is that enough to win some of Bernie Sanders’s…
The Nation PodcastsFrank Rich: How Hillary Could Lose to Trump
A Clinton vs. Trump campaign in the fall would be a battle of the negatives, Frank Rich says--and Hillary’s are dangerously high. Plus: Hillary and Haiti—a…
The Nation PodcastsNaomi Klein Says Climate Justice Requires Bernie’s Boldness
Naomi Klein argues that the problem with Hillary Clinton’s climate policy is not her corporate contributions; it’s her corporate ideology. The climate justice…
The Nation Podcasts Bernie Sanders Has Momentum on His Side
John Nichols says that, after the Wisconsin primary, Bernie has momentum on his side. Also: David Cole argues that citizen activists are the real force behind…
The Nation PodcastsWhat Kind of President Would Donald Trump Be?
Sasha Abramsky asks, if Donald Trump were president, would he be a familiar kind of New York deal-maker—or a deluded demagogue? Campaign contributions go…
The Nation PodcastsBernie Is Bringing the Reagan Era to an End
Bernie Sanders is the leading edge of the historical forces bringing the 40-year Reagan era to an end, says Richard Parker of Harvard’s Kennedy School. Plus…
The Nation PodcastsBernie Isn't Finished
John Nichols answers the question, what’s left for Bernie Sanders after Tuesday’s primaries? Quite a bit, he says—he’s The Nation’s National Affairs…
The Nation PodcastsBernie on the Move
Harold Meyerson says Bernie’s victory in Michigan shows he'd be a stronger candidate than Hillary in big industrial states with diverse populations and big…
The Nation PodcastsDonald Trump, Master of Hate
Joan Walsh on panic in the GOP establishment over Trump's triumphs on Super Tuesday; Joan is The Nation’s national affairs correspondent. Plus: What Trump…
The Nation PodcastsCan Anything Stop Donald Trump?
John Nichols says it’s hard to see how the Republican Party can stop Trump from winning the nomination—for starters, nobody is trying—and it’s not hard see how…
The Nation PodcastsWho Is Hillary Clinton?
Katha Pollitt asks, “Is it wrong for women Democrats to want to vote for a woman Democrat?” In 2008 she voted for Obama rather than Hillary; today she’s a…
The Nation PodcastsThe Secret to Bernie’s Startling Success
Republican disarray deepens after New Hampshire: Rick Perlstein explains the dilemma of the GOP establishment, as their chosen candidates continue to slide…
The Nation PodcastsHow Bernie Sanders Went From Trailing by Double Digits to Tying in Iowa
Gary Younge says Donald Trump is not a uniquely American phenomenon, but part of a broader Western European phenomenon of white, nativist responses to…
The Nation PodcastsFrank Rich on Donald Trump; plus Bill McKibben and Anna Deavere Smith
The GOP establishment is moving toward accepting Donald Trump as their candidate, says Frank Rich—they think he will make deals with them, while Ted Cruz…
The Nation PodcastsKatrina vanden Heuvel: Why We've Endorsed Bernie Sanders
The Nation magazine has endorsed Bernie Sanders for president; editor and publisher Katrina vanden Heuvel explains why. Also: Dave Zirin, sports editor of The…
The Nation PodcastsShould Feminists Vote for Clinton?
Katha Pollitt says feminists should vote for Hillary Clinton, who will be good for women, and who is the only Democratic candidate who can win. But Liza…
The Nation PodcastsRick Perlstein: Rahm Emanuel Must Go
Rick Perlstein on Chicago’s mayor; Adam Gopnik and Amy Wilentz on the Charlie Hebdo shooting, one year later; and Rebecca Solnit on climate change in the…
The Nation PodcastsThe Best of the Left in 2015
The most valuable activist, the biggest ideological comeback, the best newspaper front page, and more: John Nichols presents The Nation’s Progressive Honor…
The Nation PodcastsBarbara Ehrenreich Explains Why the White Working Class Is Dying—Literally
On this week’s podcast, Barbara Ehrenreich talks about the alarming rise in the death rate of middle-aged white working class men, who are committing suicide…
The Nation PodcastsISIS and American Muslims; Republicans and American Guns
Laila Lalami talks about what ISIS wants from American Muslims; Joan Walsh explains the real reason we don’t have gun control; and we remember Chernobyl—Amy…
The Nation PodcastsNaomi Klein: The Paris Climate Conference Protests Will Not Be Stopped
Naomi Klein on the Shock Doctrine and the Paris climate protests, Katha Pollitt on Europe’s refugee crisis, Eric Foner on Woodrow Wilson’s racism, and Joan…