Start Making Sense

The Nation is back from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago—and, judging from what we saw this week, most Democrats couldn't be happier with Kamala Harris or the state of their party.Most, but not all. Even as Harris and a string of top Democrats rode the waves of jubilation coming off the floor of the United Center, activists and delegates from the Uncommitted movement were doing everything they could to keep the issue of Gaza on the agenda.So what did the convention say about how Democrats see the race ahead? Did Harris pull off her reintroduction to the American people?On this episode of See How They Run, we're joined by Nation national affairs correspondent John Nichols to discuss all that and more.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this week's American Prestige news roundup: in Russia-Ukraine, an update on Ukraine’s Kursk invasion (0:29), reports of cancelled peace talks (3:57), and a continued Russian advance in Donbas (6:32); in Palestine-Israel, an update on Gaza ceasefire talks (9:34), the IDF is moving into the last Gaza “safe zones” (15:14), an Israeli strike kills a Fatah commander in Lebanon (17:04), and the status of the long-anticipated Iranian retaliation (18:52); Afghanistan sends its ambassador the to United Arab Emirates (20:43); a new Philippine-Chinese confrontation in the South China Sea (22:29); failed ceasefire talks in Sudan plus a cholera outbreak (24:39); troubles for the Central Bank of Libya suggest a further deteriorating political situation (26:56); and the Biden administration prepares new sanctions for Venezuela (29:58).Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this episode of Tech Won't Save Us, Paris Marx is joined by Molly White to discuss why the crypto industry is spending millions on this election cycle and Coinbase’s potential breach of election finance law.Molly White writes the Citation Needed newsletter. She is the creator of Web3 Is Going Just Great and Follow the Crypto.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

As the Democrats meet to celebrate Kamala, Trump seems disoriented and unsure what to do next. Nevertheless he’s holding on to 44% of the electorate. How come? Marc Cooper has our analysis.Also: Kamala may be rising in the polls, but the Number One nonfiction bestseller in America is still “Hillbilly Elegy” by J.D. Vance. Luckily for us, Becca Rothfeld has read it, so we don’t have to. She’s nonfiction book critic for the Washington Post.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this episode of American Prestige, champion Stephen Wertheim, senior fellow in the American Statecraft Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, returns for a discussion of his recent piece for Carnegie, “Strategic Change in U.S. Foreign Policy.” The group muses on the difficulty of altering established foreign policy paradigms before delving into several case studies such as NSC-68, Nixon's Vietnam Withdrawal, Carter's Failed Korea Withdrawal, NATO Enlargement, and the Global War on Terror, emphasizing the need for foresight, strategic planning, and a willingness to incur political costs to make such change possible.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this episode of See How They Run, Regina Mahone on how the Democrats' approach to reproductive freedom has changed post-Biden—and how it hasn't.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This week on the American Prestige news roundup: conditions in Gaza continue to worsen under Israel (1:14), “ceasefire talks” continue to amble along (7:58), the US again to send massive amounts of weapons to Israel (12:59), and the IDF is again reported to be using Palestinians as human shields (17:18); the US lifts its ban on “offensive weapons” sales to Saudi Arabia (19:57); new attacks on Myanmar’s Rohingya people (22:51); a surprise resignation from Japan’s PM Kishida Fumio (24:29); ceasefire talks begin for Sudan’s conflict (26:08); trouble in South Sudan’s political transition (29:14); an update on Ukraine’s invasion into Russia while Russia continues its advance toward Pokrovsk (31:02); the Wall Street Journal makes a big claim about the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline sabatoge (35:49); and the Biden administration offers Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro “amnesty” (38:42).Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this episode of Tech Won't Save Us, Paris Marx is joined by Hussein Kesvani to discuss the far-right attacks that happened after the Southport stabbing in the UK and how larger structural issues in media, politics, and tech laid the groundwork for violence against visible minorities.Hussein Kesvani is a co-host of Trashfuture and Ten Thousand Posts.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What is happening with the Trump campaign? He seems to be losing his grip, while Kamala gets big crowds and dominates the news. Harold Meyerson comments.Also: Sherrod Brown is up for reelection to the Senate in Ohio, where Biden got only 45% four years ago. He explains is political philosophy, which has enabled him to win reelection twice before. (originally broadcast in 2020).Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this episode of American Prestige, Danny and Derek are back with Matthew Guariglia, senior policy analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation and visiting scholar of history at Emory University, for the second part of our discussion on the history of policing in New York City.We delve further into the NYPD’s efforts at “ethnic policing,” exploring the Italian squads of the early 20th century, how tackling the Mafia anticipated modern-day police efforts at tackling transnational crime, how World War I challenged the idea of police squads recruited from immigrant and minority communities, the NYPD’s relationship with the nascent FBI, and how these past efforts at reform inform contemporary debates.Listen to the first episode here!You can find Matthew’s book Police and the Empire City: Race and the Origins of Modern Policing in New York.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this episode of See How They Run, D.D. Guttenplan is joined by Alyssa Oursler and Chris Lehmann to talk about Kamala Harris’s pick for VP and the bid for the White House.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this week's episode of American Prestige's news roundup: Danny and Derek bring you an update on the horror in Gaza (0:32), Hamas names Sinwar as overall leader (7:07), more ceasefire efforts (9:43), and the wait for a retaliation from Iran continues (13:44); protests in Bangaldesh force Sheikh Hasina’s resignation (18:43); rebels in Myanmar make gains in Shan State (23:56); Mali and Niger cut diplomatic relations with Ukraine (25:39); the US withdrawal process continues in Niger (28:12); a Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Oblast (29:21) and European countries are buying more Russian natural gas (33:02); the Colombia/ELN ceasefire expires (35:35); the Pentagon rescinds the plea deal it offered three Guantanamo Bay detainees (37:44); and July 2024 breaks the streak of “hottest month ever” despite being abnormally above average (40:21).Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this episode of Tech Won't Save Us, Paris Marx is joined by Luke LeBrun and Rachel Gilmore to discuss Shopify's connection to right-wing politics, through its connection to a far-right news outlet and its reluctance to enforce its content policy on users selling hateful merchandise through their platform.Luke LeBrun is the editor of PressProgress and Rachel Gilmore is an independent journalist.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

J.D. Vance’s remark about “childless cat ladies” who “want to make the rest of the country miserable” continues to reverberate in the news. Katha Pollitt has our analysis of Vance and his opponent Tim Walz, and takes up Vance’s argument that people who don’t have children don’t have a stake in the country’s future.Also: It’s August and that means it’s time for summer beach reading. We asked John Powers, critic at large for “Fresh Air” with Terry Gross, for suggestions. His pick is Antonio Scurati’s “M: Son of the Century,” a 750 page novel about the rise of Mussolini.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this episode of American Prestige, Danny and Derek are joined by Matthew Guariglia, senior policy analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation and visiting scholar of history at Emory University, for a two-part discussion on the history of policing in New York City. They explore NY policing as a case study for how the state studies people in order to inform policy, its initial function in the mid-19th century, the largely Irish and German makeup of the force at the time, the force’s interaction with different communities, how gender and race informed the force during the Progressive Era, the NYPD’s international presence and colonial aspects, the formation of “ethnic squads,” and more through the early 20th century.Matthew's book is Police and the Empire: Race and the Origins of Modern Policing in New York.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this episode of See How They Run, D.D. Guttenplan is joined by Elie Mystal and John Nichols discuss the chance to reform the court under Kamala Harris—and the dangers that await under Donald Trump.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This week on the American Prestige news roundup: Israel’s assassinations of Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas and Fuad Shukr of Hezbollah (1:02); a mini-New Cold War update featuring Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin in East Asia (9:31); Sudan coming close to engaging in ceasefire talks before collapsing at the last minute (12:30); a ceasefire in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s conflict with M23 (14:58); a large prisoner swap between Russia and the US (17:10); fallout from this week’s presidential election in Venezuela (19:31); and the US striking a plea deal with three detainees accused of plotting the 9/11 attacks (24:11).Be sure to also check out our specials on Israel’s assassinations and the Venezuela election.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this episode of Tech Won't Save Us, Paris Marx is joined by Chris Carlsson to discuss Processed World, a tech-critical, anti-capitalist magazine that satirized the absurdity of work in its publishing run between 1981 and 2005. Chris Carlsson is the author of many books, including most recently When Shells Crumble. He’s the director of Shaping SF and a cofounder of Critical Mass. He was also one of the people behind Processed World.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Kamala Harris is likely to be the next president of the United States—that’s what Steve Phillips says. He's on this episode of Start Making Sense analyzing changes in the electorate and suggests what the Democrats need to do to create majorities in the swing states.Also on this episode: Los Angeles has 4,000 homeless vets, living on the streets. Now, a class action suit demanding the VA fulfill its pledge to provide housing for them is going to trial in federal court. The lead attorney for the homeless vets, Mark Rosenbaum, explains the arguments and the evidence.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this episode of American Prestige, Danny and Derek welcome to the pod Maria Sengovaya, senior fellow at the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, to talk about her book When Left Moves Right: The Decline of the Left and the Rise of the Populist Right in Postcommunist Europe. The explore what changed for the working class in Eastern Europe after the fall of communism, cases of the Left moving Right in Hungary and Poland, the role of austerity, the characterization of right wing parties vs. the reality, how left wing and centrist parties can offer meaningful alternatives to the Right, and more.More of Maria’s work:“Populism and the Decline of Social Democracy” (with Sheri Berman), Journal of Democracy“How Ex-Communist Left Reformed and Lost,” West European PoliticsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy