Shows / Right Now With Perry Bacon
Right Now With Perry Bacon
A twice-weekly show about national politics with a focus on the radicalism of the Trump administration and tactics to combat it. The program features in-depth discussions with experts and politicians. It goes beyond the daily headlines to explain why things are happening and put them in a broader context.
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Episodes
Right Now With Perry BaconA Blue Wave Doesn’t Mean Authoritarianism in the U.S. Is Over
In the latest episode, Perry is joined by Lucan Way, a political scientist at the University of Toronto, to discuss authoritarianism in the U.S. Right Now with…
Right Now With Perry BaconThe Best Ways To Change People’s Minds About Politics
In the latest episode, Perry is joined by Sarah Stein Lebrano, author of Don’t Talk About Politics, to discuss how people change their minds. Right Now with…
Right Now With Perry BaconThe Most Important Fight in American Politics Isn’t Republicans Versus Democrats
In the latest episode, Perry is joined by Hamilton Nolan of How Things Work to discuss labor, billionaires, and American democracy. Right Now with Perry Bacon…
Right Now With Perry BaconThe Blue Wave Is Coming to the States As Well
In the latest episode, Perry is joined by Chaz Nuttycombe of State Navigate to discuss the midterm outlook for state legislatures. Right Now with Perry Bacon…
Right Now With Perry BaconWhat Lula’s Struggles in Brazil Tell Us About Progressive Politics
In the latest episode, Perry is joined by Michael Paarlberg of Virginia Commonwealth University to discuss Brazil’s upcoming runoff. Right Now with Perry…
Right Now With Perry BaconTrump Is Running Out of Foreign Policy Wins—and Options
In the latest episode, Perry is joined by Elizabeth Saunders to discuss the Iran war, Rubio’s Greece speech, and what a cornered Trump might do after the…
Right Now With Perry BaconFrom Jesse Jackson to Trans Rights: How Democrats Triangulate
In the latest episode, Perry is joined by political scientist Paul Frymer to discuss whether Democrats treat transgender Americans as a “captured…
Right Now With Perry BaconWhy We Should Abandon the Term “Working Class”
In the latest episode, Perry is joined by Monica Potts, staff writer at The New Republic covering class politics, to discuss why “working class” has become a…
Right Now With Perry BaconWhat Kind of Liberalism is The Democratic Party Pushing?
In the latest episode, Perry is joined by historian Lily Geismar to discuss how professional-class dominance reshaped the Democratic Party — and whether a…
Right Now With Perry BaconThe Danger of the Democratic Party’s Obsession With the Center
The Democratic Party frequently campaigns on a promise of technical competence and professional management, but Chaotic Neutral author Ed Burmila argues that…
Right Now With Perry BaconHow Purple-State Democrats Should Talk About Trans Issues
As a wave of Democratic candidates in swing and red districts distance themselves from LGBTQ+ advocacy, Evan Urquhart argues that attempting to win over…
Right Now With Perry BaconIs Trumpism About To Take Over Germany?
Right Now with Perry Bacon: a twice-weekly show diving into U.S. politics, democracy, and the authoritarian threats facing America. Each episode, Perry strives…
Right Now With Perry BaconHow Higher Ed Can Fight the Anti-DEI Movement
Perry and Natasha discuss how conservative strategists capitalized on campus divisions following the 2023 Gaza protests, why faculty across the country are…
Right Now With Perry BaconHow Progressives Can Revive the Police Reform Movement
Despite years of procedural reforms, police in America continue to kill more than 1,000 people annually, and the political momentum from 2020 has faced massive…
Right Now With Perry BaconHow the 2020 Minneapolis Protests Set Up the City To Fight ICE
Minneapolis became ground zero for resistance to ICE in 2026—and Michelle Phelps, sociologist at the University of Minnesota and author of The Minneapolis…
Right Now With Perry BaconWhy The Professors’ Union Got Behind El-Sayed
The American Association of University Professors made a rare move: endorsing Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s primary. Todd Wolfson, president of AAUP and a…
Right Now With Perry BaconWhy AOC’s “Woke” Comments Landed With a Thud
AOC called it “woke 1.0” and cited a local official calling it “crazy”—and Deva Woodly, professor of political science at Brown University and a fellow at the…
Right Now With Perry BaconWill Progressives Get Another Win in Wisconsin This Week?
Michigan has voted, and now Minnesota and Wisconsin are up next in the Democratic primary wars. Ryan Cooper, senior editor at The American Prospect, joins the…
Right Now With Perry BaconWhat the Michigan Senate Race Tells Us About the Democratic Party
Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s primary by a narrow margin—and Julia Azari and Seth Masket, political scientists and former FiveThirtyEight colleagues, return to…
Right Now With Perry BaconWhy Progressive Candidates Are Thriving in the Midwest
Michigan votes tomorrow, Wisconsin votes next week, and both primaries have become this cycle’s version of the New York primary—everyone left of center is…
Right Now With Perry BaconHow AOC’s Foreign Policy Vision Is Different Than Biden’s
Everyone says they don’t know what AOC’s foreign policy is—but Jonathan Guyer, program director at the Institute for Global Affairs, argues that’s not quite…
Right Now With Perry BaconWill the Progressive Wave Knock Off Florida’s Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Debbie Wasserman Schultz decided to run in Florida’s newly redrawn 20th District instead of her old seat—and Elijah Manley, one of the primary challengers…
Right Now With Perry BaconIs Sanders-AOC-Mamdani Left Stronger Than the Tea Party Was?
Progressive candidates just had a strong primary season—but is this a real realignment or a moment that fades? Julia Azari, professor at Marquette University…
Right Now With Perry BaconAll Politics Is Gender Politics
We talk about masculinity and politics constantly right now, but gender politics runs both ways—and it’s usually invisible when it comes to men. Danielle…
Right Now With Perry BaconTrump Has Failed Where Many Authoritarians Succeed in One Critical Way
Trump has spent two years working through the authoritarian playbook—and Donald Moynihan, professor of political science and public policy at the University of…
Right Now With Perry BaconWhat Should Replace What Trump Is Destroying?
Trump’s opponents keep talking about restoring what he’s broken—but Adam Gurry, publisher of Liberal Currents, joins the show to argue that going back to…
Right Now With Perry BaconThe Good News Story in American Journalism
Right Now with Perry Bacon: a twice-weekly show diving into U.S. politics, democracy, and the authoritarian threats facing America. Each episode, Perry strives…
Right Now With Perry BaconFighting Trump and the Oligarchs’ Assault on Higher Education
Yale just released a report on declining trust in higher education—and Education Secretary Linda McMahon loved it. Charlie Eaton, professor of economic…
Right Now With Perry BaconWhy This Year Could Be a Democratic Wave Election
Democrats are favored to win back the House—but don’t expect a 2006-style wave. Carrie Dan, managing editor of Cook Political Report, joins the show to break…
Right Now With Perry BaconThe Winning Issue—If Only Democrats Will Grab It
As tech billionaires build out massive, energy-hungry infrastructure to power artificial intelligence, a surprising bottom-up resistance is uniting communities…
Right Now With Perry BaconHow Democrats Defeat Trump’s Identity Politics | Right Now With Perry Bacon
Frustration with the political establishment isn’t only about economic issues and won’t be solved simply by focusing on gross domestic product growth…
Right Now With Perry BaconTrump Is Desperately Grasping for an Exit Strategy in Iran
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Right Now With Perry BaconDemocratic Voters Don’t Want Vanilla Centrism
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Right Now With Perry BaconWhy So Many of Trump’s Authoritarian Moves Have Failed
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Right Now With Perry BaconTrump Invaded Iran Because Fascists Are Imperialists Too
Fascist leaders nearly always try to invade other countries, says University of Toronto philosophy professor Jason Stanley, author of the 2018 book How Fascism…
Right Now With Perry BaconUS Strikes Iran: What This Means For the World | Right Now With Perry Bacon
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Right Now With Perry BaconWhy Crockett v. Talarico Has Come Down to the Wire in Texas | Right Now With Perry Bacon
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Right Now With Perry BaconHow Georgia’s Senators Are Shaping The Democratic Party | Right Now With Perry Bacon
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Right Now With Perry BaconWhat Democrats Can Learn from the Struggles of Britain's Labor Party | Right Now With Perry Bacon
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Right Now With Perry BaconToday's Democrats Should Learn From Jesse Jackson | Right Now With Perry Bacon
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Right Now With Perry BaconMamdani Is Showing His Pragmatic Side as Mayor | Right Now With Perry Bacon
In his first month as New York City’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani has endorsed candidates aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America—and also centrist…
Right Now With Perry BaconThese Democrats Are Best Positioned to Win the 2028 Nomination | Right Now With Perry Bacon
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Right Now With Perry BaconThe Religious Left Is a Leader in the ICE Resistance | Right Now With Perry Bacon
The “religious right” has long been a key part of Republican politics. But the role of the faithful in the GOP is shifting, says David Buckley, a political…
Right Now With Perry BaconWhy Anti-Trump Resistance Is Succeeding | Right Now With Perry Bacon
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Right Now With Perry BaconICE: Past and Present
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Right Now With Perry BaconTrump Is Destroying Higher Ed. Here’s How Democrats Can Rebuild It | Right Now With Perry Bacon
The Trump administration has laid siege to colleges, cutting their funding and launching ridiculous investigations. But the administration took advantage of…
Right Now With Perry BaconWhy Trump Is Losing Ground Even in This Deep-Red State | Right Now With Perry Bacon
President Trump’s approval is dropping across the country, even in states that backed him strongly in 2016 and 2020. That’s partly why Democrats did so well in…
Right Now With Perry BaconTrump Is Running a “Global Mafia” | Right Now With Perry Bacon
President Trump has sometimes been described as antiwar or isolationist. That’s totally wrong, says Matt Duss, executive vice president for the Center for…
Right Now With Perry BaconElizabeth Warren’s Bold Plan for Democrats to Win in 2026—and 2028 | Right Now With Perry Bacon
Senator Elizabeth Warren says Democrats need to be a “big tent” party that includes more working-class voters. But that tent should not be expanded to…
Right Now With Perry BaconTrump’s Authoritarianism Is Getting Worse | Right Now With Perry Bacon
By the end of last year, President Trump was declining politically, with his poll numbers plunging and members of the Republican Party increasingly distancing…
Right Now With Perry BaconTrump Plays Imperialist While Americans Need Help at Home | Right Now With Perry Bacon
Democrats in Congress and the broader public must signal their opposition to the Trump administration overthrowing the Venezuelan government or the president…
Right Now With Perry BaconThe US Deposed Maduro. Now What? | Right Now With Perry Bacon
President Trump’s decision to have U.S forces attack Venezuela and capture President Nicolás Maduro was one of the most radical of his administration, says…
Right Now With Perry BaconCollective Action: The Way Out of Authoritarianism | Right Now With Perry Bacon
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Right Now With Perry BaconWhat a Real DNC “Autopsy” of the 2024 Election Would Say | Right Now With Perry Bacon
There’s a lot of commentary that Democrats are declining with the “working class.” Those analyses are usually grounded in declining Democratic support among…
Right Now With Perry BaconAffordability Isn’t a “Silver Bullet” for Democrats | Right Now With Perry Bacon
Democrats are increasingly discussing affordability and blaming high costs of goods on President Trump. But Brian Beutler and Will Stancil, two liberal…
Right Now With Perry BaconMedia Isn't Broken By Accident | Right Now With Perry Bacon
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Right Now With Perry BaconWhy Trump May Never Be Popular Again | Right Now With Perry Bacon
President Trump started the year having won the popular vote for the first time, made significant gains with voters of color and consolidated the support of…
Right Now With Perry BaconSome Indiana Republicans Are Balking at Trump’s Gerrymandering Scheme | Right Now With Perry Bacon
With President Trump’s deep unpopularity and the traditional backlash against the president’s party, Republicans seem destined to lose the House. So last…
Right Now With Perry BaconThe State Where Trump Voters Have Serious Buyer’s Remorse | Right Now With Perry Bacon
A surprisingly close U.S. House race in Tennessee this week was the latest illustration that Donald Trump is increasingly unpopular, even in places that he was…
Right Now With Perry BaconTrump’s Hold on the GOP Has Never Been Weaker | Right Now With Perry Bacon
Is President Trump a lame duck? Maybe. The president’s sagging approval ratings are emboldening Democrats and even some Republicans to increasingly challenge…