Trump Watch

Trump's base among white nationalists goes back to at least the Reagan era. The recent El Paso killings have been treated as an isolated event carried out by a loner. But the attacks in Charleston, Charlottesville, Christchurch, El Paso and elsewhere are connected; they are all part of the White Power movement, with roots going back to the 1970s. That’s what Kathleen Belew says -- she writes for the New York Times op-ed page, she teaches history at the University of Chicago, and she’s the author of the book “Bring the War Home: The White Power Movement and Paramilitary America,” it’s out now in paperback. Also: Your Minnesota moment:Trump comes to Minneapolis, home of Ilhan Omar, on Thursday night. Plus: The big question about impeachment is not the House -- there now seem to be enough votes there to pass at least one article of impeachment--the big question is about the Senate and whether some Republicans will abandon Trump. Former Republican Senator Jeff Flake says that at least 35 Republican senators

Could the Republican defense of Trump in the impeachment proceedings open the door to a watershed victory for Democrats across the board? Even before Nancy Pelosi finally agreed that it was time to begin impeachment proceedings, the Democrats’ prospects for a sweep of the 202 elections were good. That’s what Stan Greenberg says -- he’s a longtime pollster and adviser to Democratic presidents from Clinton to Obama. He’s also a bestselling author, with a new book out – it has the wonderful title 'R.I.P. G.O.P.' Also: Jeet Heer of The Nation magazine considers the Republicans’ defense of Trump – that Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden really was corrupt in his dealings in Ukraine, and that he really did influence his father’s work as vice president, and so Trump was right to ask the president of Ukraine for more information. Plus: historian Eric Foner talks about voter suppression and the right to vote, about who gets to be a citizen, what rights undocumented immigrants have, and about the history of mass incarcera

After months of resisting calls for impeachment, Nancy Pelosi has authorized beginning the proceedings--and the whistleblowers' complaint became public today -- it's devastating for Trump. John Nichols comments on the latest. Next up: Edward Snowden has published an new memoir called "Permanent Record" -- for comment we turn to DD Guttenplan, editor of The Nation, which has published an excerpt. Plus: What should day one of the post Trump era look like? We talk with David Dayen of the American Prospect about the things that the next president of the US could do on the first day in office without passing any new legislation. For more visit: https://prospect.org/day-one-agenda/using-presidential-power-executive-authority/

The Working Families Party has just endorsed Elizebeth Warren – not Bernie Sanders. For comment and analysis we turn to John Nichols, host of the Nation podcast “Next Left”. Next Up: Fifty-thousand auto workers went out on strike Sunday night against General Motors – we hear from Jane McAlevey, the new Strikes Correspondent at The Nation. Plus: The Tories and Boris v. the GOP and Trump: DD Guttenplan compares and contrasts the two parties.

How will the American war in Afghanistan end? Probably like the American war in Southeast Asia--that's what Andrew Bacevich says-- he's Professor Emeritus of International Relations and History at Boston University. Next up: A new labor law has passed in the state of California, requiring that gig workers at Uber, Lyft and elsewhere be classified as employees -- how big a deal is it? Harold Meyerson of the American Prospect explains. Also: Who is "Un-American"? We talk with David Maraniss, author of the new book, "A Good American Family: The Red Scare and My Father".

Democratic candidates debated climate change last night on CNN and we're especially interested in what the front-runner in the polls, Joe Biden, had to say; also, a new labor bill that could determine the future of the gig economy -- for comment, we turn to Harold Meyerson. Next up: Is Melania Trump a secret hero of the people--or an accomplice of evil? Amy Wilentz explains. Also: Sola means "peace" in Pashto; and SOLA (The School of Leadership, Afghanistan)is the first and only boarding school for girls in Kabul; we talk with the school's founder, Shabana Basij-Rasikh about the future of girls' education in Afghanistan after an American pullout. To find out more, visit https://www.sola-afghanistan.org

The Green New Deal and Unions; plus: Elizabeth Warren in Minnesota -- Harold Meyerson reports on labor opposition to fighting global warming--mostly in the building trades and a few other locals. Next: Trump is trailing badly in the polls--so how does he think he can win? Jeet Heer explains. Plus: Star Wars, Ghost Busters, Rocky and Dirty Harry -- we talk with J. Hoberman author of "Make My Day: Movie Culture in the Age of Reagan".

Aug 14, 3:00 PM If Bernie does NOT get the nomination, the Democratic Socialists of America will not endorse the Democrat who does. “Bernie or Bust” was what they decided at their recent convention – but is that a good idea? Harold Meyerson comments--he’s editor-at-large of The American Prospect and a regular contributor to the LA Times op-ed page. Also: Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted pedophile and accused sex trafficker - who surrounded himself with an elite network of political leaders, wannabe billionaire types, and even scientists – and who committed suicide. Katha Pollitt considers the people who have been named in court documents as having accepted invitations from Jeffrey Epstein and also had sex with the underage girls he provided. Plus: After the El Paso killings by a white nationalist--Tucker Carlson said on Fox news that white supremacy was “not a real problem in America.” He called it “a hoax, just like the Russia hoax.” John Nichols examines the history of white nationalism in recent America

Trump gets worse every week. Two years ago we had massive nationwide protest demonstrations -- so why don’t more people take it to the streets these days? Nation columnist Katha Pollitt has been thinking about that. Plus: last month was the 50th anniversary of Americans walking on the moon-what would it take to get a similar mobilization today of money & effort—and vision–-to combat climate change? D.D. Guttenplan comments – he’s editor of The Nation. Also: Fifteen Minutes without Trump – we want to take a brief break from Trump Talk, and instead,we want to talk about a trek in the Himalayas – would you call that taking a break from Trump? We spoke with Pico Iyer about Peter Mattheson’s exploration of suffering, impermanence, and beauty in his classic book The Snow Leopard -- it’s out now in paperback.

The best responses to Trump on the El Paso killings came from Beto O'Rourke: “He’s not tolerating violence, he’s inciting racism and violence in this country.” Joan Walsh, National Affairs Correspondent for The Nation, examines the mainstream media’s failures in covering Trump. Beto, of course, represented El Paso in Congress. Plus: Seymour Hersh—he’s won dozens of awards for his reporting on My Lai, Abu Graib, and CIA surveillance of the anti-war movement in the Nixon years. He’s also written a dozen books – the newest one is “Reporter: A Memoir”—it’s out now in paperback. And we’re still thinking about D.A. Pennebaker, the filmmaker who made "Don't Look Back," the amazing documentary about Bob Dylan's tour of England in 1965--it made film history for its striking cinema verite style. Pennebaker died on August first--we’ll listen to clips from an interview we did with him in 2001.

Trump’s target in the 2020 election will be immigrants, ‘The Other Americans’—that’s the title of the new novel by Laila Lalami. Her last novel, “The Moor’s Account,” won the American book award and was a Pulitzer finalist. She’s written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, Harper’s, and The Guardian, and she’s a columnist for The Nation. Plus: we talk about organizing to defeat Trump--about movement strategies and tactics, & political issues and campaigns. Our guest is Michael Walzer -- His new book is “Political Action: A practical guide to Movement politics.” Also: during the presidential campaign, Donald Trump often talked about an American soldier in Afghanistan who became the longest-held American POW since Vietnam. Trump said was quote “a dirty rotten traitor” who should be shot or thrown from a plane. He was talking about Bowe Bergdahl, that story is told in a new book, “American Cypher”--we’ll speak with the co-author, Michael Ames.

Democracy is not doing well these days – we have Trump, and Brexit, and a host of other examples. Astra Taylor has been thinking about that: she talks about the paradoxes of rule by the people, the many ways it’s being frustrated, and why it remains at the center of our hopes for the future. Her new book is “Democracy may not exist, but we’ll miss it when it’s gone.” Also: Trump will make hatred and fear of refugees and immigrants a central theme of his reelection campaign next year – and so we turn to Viet Nguyen – he’s a Pulitzer-prize winner and recipient of a MacArthur ‘Genius” grant – and he says “call me a refugee, not an immigrant.” His book “The Displaced,” featuring writing by refugees,is out now in paperback.

Racial anxiety was more important than economic anxiety in motivating Trump’s voters, Joy Reid of MSNBC argues. A key factor in Trump’s victory was nostalgia for a white, Christian America where men were still in charge. And of course Hillary fell short not only with male voters but with voters of color overall. Joy’s new book is The Man Who Sold America: Trump and the Unraveling of the American Story. Also: Jared Kushner’s Mideast Peace Plan, announced in Bahrain to an audience of billionaires and Gulf potentates, promised $50 billion in economic development funds to Palestinians—if they would abandon their aspirations for an independent state. Neither the Palestinians nor the Israelis participated in the conference. Amy Wilentz, a longtime contributing editor at The Nation, comments – she was Jerusalem correspondent for The New Yorker.

Today, Trump admitted defeat on is effort to add a citizenship question to the 2020 United States Census -- as he addressed cameras live from the White House Rose Garden, we turned to John Nichols for comment. Next: Walls have been used against immigrants to the US before -- historian Linda Gordon talks about the 1920s, when anti-immigrant hostility conquered Congress. Plus: MAD Magazine (1952 - 2020): Jeet Heer on the death and influence of "one of the major showcases for media criticism in America."

Campaigning in Iowa, Elizabeth Warren has made her story an American story, Joan Walsh says, and thereby found a good way to connect her policy proposals to her own life, and thereby to other people’s lives--and also to refute critics who say she’s an out-of-touch policy wonk. Also: Joe Biden and his friends: he says some of them were segregationist senators – and he thinks that was a good thing, something that made it possible for him to pass important legislation. Jeet Heer says that’s a fantasy—Republicans are not going to work with Biden if he gets the nomination and defeats Trump. Jeet is a new National Affairs Correspondent for The Nation.

The Supremes gave the green light to gerrymandering--a disaster, but blocked the census citizenship question; and, the first round of 2020 Democratic nominees debated last night -- John Nichols reports. Next up, Trump and war with Iran: not this week: comment from Jeet Heer, the newly-appointed national-affairs correspondent at The Nation. Plus: The re-enfranchisement of felons who have served their sentences in Florida is law now and the Republicans are attacking it (again) -- Sasha Abramsky reports.

For most Americans, the question “Which is worse: Trump or Brexit?” has an easy answer: of course it’s Trump! But D. D. Guttenplan, The Nation’s new Editor, says it’s more complicated than that: for starters, Americans can get rid of Trump in next November’s elections, but it’s almost impossible now for the Brits to get rid of Brexit. Next up, Elon Musk wants us to go to Mars. Should we join him? Katha Pollitt explains why not – she wrote about zillionaires and space travel in this week’s Nation magazine. Plus: Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib talks with John Nichols about being one of the first two Muslim women in Congress.

During Bernie's speech in Washington yesterday he defined democratic socialism as: "Requiring and achieving political and economic freedom in every community in this country." He also proposed a 21st century economic bill of rights -- for comment we turn to Harold Meyerson. Next up, the Democrats in California: Joe Biden was MIA -- David Dayen reports. 6/13/19 Also: The Indivisible Pledge; what is it and why didn't Joe Biden sign? Ezra Levin of the Indivisibles, explains.

Over 8,000 names are engraved on the Middle East Conflicts Wall Memorial, and each year, more are added. The wall is unlike any other war memorial in the US -- particularly because of its location: not in Washington DC but in Marseilles, Illinois, a small prairie town with a population of about 5,000. We talk with historian Andrew Bacevich about his recent visit to the memorial. Also: Isn't abortion rights a women's issue? Katha Polllitt says, 'no' and explains what men should be doing differently to help women and themselves. Plus: Michael Ames on Bowe Bergdahl & the disaster of the Afghan war--his new book is "American Cypher". And Ilhan Omar on John Nichols’ new podcast from The Nation, “Next Left.”

May 22, 3:00 PM Bernie is back on Page One of the New York Times, but their report last weekend was not about his new plan to save public schools–the most progressive education program in modern American history–or his proposal to end all subsidies for oil and gas companies. Instead, it was about a trip he made to Nicaragua in 1985, more than 30 years ago. They didn’t like it. How do we explain the New York Times’s coverage of Bernie Sanders? Amy Wilentz comments. Plus: There are 1,000 redactions in the 448 pages of the Mueller report--individual names and entire pages--that we are not allowed to see. They are part of a larger problem of government secrecy which started long before Trump and which is now threatening to cripple our democracy—Karen Greenberg explains.