Here&#39;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.

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Danny and Derek welcome back Akbar Shahid Ahmed, Diplomatic correspondent for The Washington Sun and author of <a href="https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324118190" rel="nofollow">Crossing the Red Line: Biden, His Advisors, and Israel’s War on Gaza</a>, to talk about the Biden administration’s role in enabling the genocide in Gaza. They discuss the conditions in the Strip as of the current day; Biden’s small inner circle of Antony Blinken, Jake Sullivan, and Brett McGurk; Jack Lew’s role of ambassador and the dubious war crime review process he implemented; the Rafah red line and its immediate collapse after Israel invaded; and the Democratic Party’s domestic political miscalculations heading into 2024 and 2028.   Advertising Inquiries: <a href='https://redcircle.com/brands'>https://redcircle.com/brands</a> Privacy & Opt-Out: <a href='https://redcircle.com/privacy'>https://redcircle.com/privacy</a>

The Biden Administration’s Complicity in Gaza w/ Akbar Shahid Ahmed / American Prestige

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Only two Justices backed Trump in the Court’s ruling blocking his efforts to enlist the postal service in restricting voting by mail in the midterms. David Cole explains why this is a huge victory, but far from the end of Trump’s effforts to undermine Democratic voting.Also: The blue state attorneys general have succeeded in blocking the efforts of Trump’s allies at Paramount-Skydance from taking over Warners-Discovery, at least for now, but their lawsuit followed months of protests organized by, among others, Jane Fonda’s Committee for the First Amendment. Rashad Robinson has our analysis – his new book is From Presence to Power: How to take on the Fights that Matter – and Win. Advertising Inquiries: <a href='https://redcircle.com/brands'>https://redcircle.com/brands</a> Privacy & Opt-Out: <a href='https://redcircle.com/privacy'>https://redcircle.com/privacy</a>

The Supremes say ‘No” to Trump on Mail Voting, plus the Paramount-Warner Merger Fight / Start Making Sense

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Yotam Marom has been helping build movements—and many of the most important movement organizations—for the last 20 years. His new book, For Louder Days: Reaching Beyond a Politics of Powerlessness, is an essential read for everyone on the left who wants to win a better world.Yotam, who became an organizing leader in Occupy Wall Street alongside Jonathan approximately a million years ago, joined us to talk about the left&#39;s conflicted relationship to power, leadership, identity, and strategy. We discuss how and why movements too often get in our own way, turn on each other, and play small, and talk through the big shifts we need to make if we hope to win the big battles ahead. Advertising Inquiries: <a href='https://redcircle.com/brands'>https://redcircle.com/brands</a> Privacy & Opt-Out: <a href='https://redcircle.com/privacy'>https://redcircle.com/privacy</a>

Overcoming the Left’s Politics of Powerlessness w/ Yotam Marom / Fighting Fascism

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I, for one, welcome our new AI overlords. In this week’s news: the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service confirms last month was tied for the hottest ever recorded (0:52); the Houthis/Ansar Allah take the port city of Mokha (1:45); the U.S. and Iran exchange ship attacks as oil prices rise (5:25); the IAEA refers Iran to the United Nations (7:32); Trump predicts an end to the Iran war immediately after the midterms (8:59); 12 countries ban products made in Israeli settlements (10:52); a new report alleges that Netanyahu ignored October 7 warnings and a chance to recover hostages (13:49); the IDF takes a strategic ridge in Lebanon, then escalates strikes (18:30); an arbitration court rules against India on the Indus Waters Treaty (20:49); new claims of famine emerge in Sudan’s Darfur region (23:05); the Nigerian government and Boko Haram maintain a ceasefire (24:59); the Trump administration phases out U.S. support for anti-AIDS programs in Namibia (27:21); American envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff visit Russia and Ukraine (29:22); Ukraine tries to close Russian airspace (31:20); and in a trade war update, Canadian tariffs on U.S. goods take effect (32:50).         Don&#39;t forget Derek&#39;s Substack,<a href="https://www.foreignexchanges.news/" rel="nofollow"> Foreign Exchanges</a>.Enjoy Danny&#39;s new Substack,<a href="https://imperialistrealism.substack.com/" rel="nofollow"> Imperialist Realism</a>. Advertising Inquiries: <a href='https://redcircle.com/brands'>https://redcircle.com/brands</a> Privacy & Opt-Out: <a href='https://redcircle.com/privacy'>https://redcircle.com/privacy</a>

Canada-US Trade War Escalates, Houthis Seize Yemeni Port, Report Says Netanyahu Ignored 10/7 Warnings / American Prestige

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For this Labor Day episode we’re joined by Bill Fletcher, a longtime union organizer who’s spent the last several years working to build out the labor movement’s anti-fascist infrastructure. Bill has an important reminder for those of us who direct most of our anti-fascist energy against Trump and the oligarchy: MAGA isn’t some astroturf trick. It’s a genuine social movement representing some 25-30 percent of Americans, and any strategies that ignore this fact are missing something fundamental about today’s dangerous political reality. You can learn more about Bill&#39;s organization, Standing for Democracy, here. Advertising Inquiries: <a href='https://redcircle.com/brands'>https://redcircle.com/brands</a> Privacy & Opt-Out: <a href='https://redcircle.com/privacy'>https://redcircle.com/privacy</a>

Understanding MAGA as a Social Movement w/ Bill Fletcher Jr. / Fighting Fascism

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What can ancient human prehistory teach us about fighting fascism today? It turns out, quite a bit! So says historian Patrick Wyman, whose recent book, Lost Worlds, covers the 10,000 years between the end of the Ice Age and the Late Bronze Age collapse. Together, we discussed what makes societies fall apart, what is lost when they do, and how history demonstrates that human agency — and our decisions today — really do matter in determining what comes next for our civilization. Check out Patrick’s wonderful book, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/lost-worlds-how-humans-tried-failed-succeeded-and-built-our-world-patrick-wyman/d35a39f742ad1625" rel="nofollow">Lost Worlds: How Humans Tried, Failed, Succeeded, and Built Our Worl</a>d⁠. And his great podcast, Past Lives: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/past-lives/id1852618120" rel="nofollow">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/past-lives/id1852618120</a> Advertising Inquiries: <a href='https://redcircle.com/brands'>https://redcircle.com/brands</a> Privacy & Opt-Out: <a href='https://redcircle.com/privacy'>https://redcircle.com/privacy</a>

How Civilizations Fall w/ Patrick Wyman / Fighting Fascism

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/9/9/12/d4c78ebc-074a-4a26-9233-81ffc3568491_ap_265_david_griscom_nation.mp3

Danny and Derek speak with David Griscom, co-host of <a href="https://www.leftreckoning.com/" rel="nofollow">Left Reckoning</a> and author of T<a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-myth-of-red-texas-cowboys-populism-and-class-war-in-the-radical-south-david-griscom/357907e2647302a7" rel="nofollow">he Myth of Red Texas: Cowboys, Populism, and Class War in the Radical South</a>, to talk about the all-but-ignored history of leftwing politics in Texas. Topics include: the current state of Texas politics, the Farmers’ Alliance and the People’s Party, the Texas Socialist Party and its newspaper The Rebel, the role of religion in Texas socialism, and the prospects for socialism in modern-day Texas.   Along with the book and podcast, be sure to also check out David’s Substack <a href="https://therattler.substack.com/" rel="nofollow">The Rattler</a>. Advertising Inquiries: <a href='https://redcircle.com/brands'>https://redcircle.com/brands</a> Privacy & Opt-Out: <a href='https://redcircle.com/privacy'>https://redcircle.com/privacy</a>

Texas’s Radical Roots w/ David Griscom / American Prestige

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Is the resistance to data centers a new kind of mass politics? David Wallace-Wells explains why the answer is “yes.” He’s a writer for The New York Times Opinion pages and author of the unforgettable book “The Uninhabitable Earth.”Also: How to be a dissident in an age of fear – Ami Fields-Meyer has thought a lot about that. For starters: don’t start from scratch; don’t try to do it alone. Ami is co-author of the new book “On Courage.” Advertising Inquiries: <a href='https://redcircle.com/brands'>https://redcircle.com/brands</a> Privacy & Opt-Out: <a href='https://redcircle.com/privacy'>https://redcircle.com/privacy</a>

The Amazing Movement Against Data Centers, plus How to be a Dissident / Start Making Sense

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The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that Trump could proceed with construction of his ballroom—they explicitly did not rule on the merits of the case, but on the issue of standing for the plaintiff. Robert Weismann has our analysis – he’s co-president of Public Citizen.Also: The Democrats are now favored to win not only the House but also the Senate in November – they need to flip four seats, and their candidates are ahead in five. John Nichols explains. Advertising Inquiries: <a href='https://redcircle.com/brands'>https://redcircle.com/brands</a> Privacy & Opt-Out: <a href='https://redcircle.com/privacy'>https://redcircle.com/privacy</a>

The Supremes and the Ballroom, plus the Dems and the Senate / Start Making Sense

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The Trump administration has announced a new set of harsh sanctions against Iran. This is a strange development since originally Trump launched a war on Iran on the pretext that sanctions weren’t working. Trita Parsi of the Qunicy Institute argues the current tactic won’t work and is a holding action as both the US and Iran bide their time in a long conflict. Parsi’s writings can be found on his Substack. In the interview, we discuss <a href="https://tritaparsi.substack.com/p/why-so-many-countries-around-the" rel="nofollow">his column</a> on the surprising way many governments are rooting for Iran to check US imperialism. Advertising Inquiries: <a href='https://redcircle.com/brands'>https://redcircle.com/brands</a> Privacy & Opt-Out: <a href='https://redcircle.com/privacy'>https://redcircle.com/privacy</a>

The Iran War Stalemate w/ Trita Parsi / The Time of Monsters with Jeet Heer

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/8/28/13/2cf6794d-48b8-42b9-b283-60caf0511718_new_260827_nation.mp3

American Prestige brand MREs use Argentinian beef, but don&#39;t worry, it&#39;s the good kind. In this week’s news: the US launches a new sanctions campaign against Iran (1:35); Iran and Oman negotiate the management of the Strait of Hormuz (5:49); a Haitian gang killing (9:20); the Israeli government takes bids for its E1 settlement (11:52); the US removes Syria from the terrorism sponsors list (14:30); the Syrian Democratic Forces announces its dissolution (15:43); Trump submits the Saudi nuclear deal to Congress (18:31); progress is made in negotiations between the DRC and M23 (23:46); the Ebola outbreak in the DRC continues to expand (26:26); the CIA director visits Russia (28:07); US-Canada trade talks collapse (31:10); and the United States prepares a deep sea mining auction around overseas territories (35:35).Don&#39;t forget Derek&#39;s Substack, ⁠Foreign Exchanges⁠.Enjoy Danny&#39;s new Substack, I⁠mperialist Realism⁠. Advertising Inquiries: <a href='https://redcircle.com/brands'>https://redcircle.com/brands</a> Privacy & Opt-Out: <a href='https://redcircle.com/privacy'>https://redcircle.com/privacy</a>

News — New US Sanctions on Iran, Syrian Democratic Forces Dissolve, US-Canada Trade Talks Collapse / American Prestige

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/8/27/13/490700e2-e57e-412d-904f-08d78a655d0d_343_clarissa___js_audio.mp3

Not long ago, tech jobs were sought after for their security, benefits, wages, and the progressive values promoted by Silicon Valley companies. But now workers are barely hanging on. Clarissa Redwine and JS Tan join Paris Marx to discuss the state of worker organizing in the tech industry, including how it’s changed since the mid-2010s and where it needs to go from here.Clarissa Redwine is a tech worker and labor activist. JS Tan is a PhD candidate at MIT and writes the Value Added newsletter. They are the authors of Against Tech Oligarchy: Worker Resistance in the World&#39;s Most Powerful Industry. Advertising Inquiries: <a href='https://redcircle.com/brands'>https://redcircle.com/brands</a> Privacy & Opt-Out: <a href='https://redcircle.com/privacy'>https://redcircle.com/privacy</a>

How Mass Layoffs Changed Working in Tech w/ Clarissa Redwine & JS Tan / Tech Won't Save Us

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Danny and Derek speak with Jonathan Cheng, China bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal, about the Christian origins of North Korea’s founding ideology and the subsequent personality cult. The discussion explores missionary Samuel Moffat’s work in Pyongyang, the conversion of Kim Il-sung’s family to Christianity, Christian nationalism during Japanese colonial rule, the turn toward socialism, Kim’s postwar personality cult, and how Christianity informs the Kim family’s rule today. Be sure to grab a copy of Jonathan’s book <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/korean-messiah-kim-il-sung-and-the-christian-roots-of-north-korea-s-personality-cult-jonathan-cheng/2df9cafcc1231627?bkshp-astro=t&ean=9781524733490" rel="nofollow">Korean Messiah: Kim Il Sung and the Christian Roots of North Korea&#39;s Personality Cult</a>. Advertising Inquiries: <a href='https://redcircle.com/brands'>https://redcircle.com/brands</a> Privacy & Opt-Out: <a href='https://redcircle.com/privacy'>https://redcircle.com/privacy</a>

North Korea's Roots in Christianity w/ Jonathan Cheng / American Prestige

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The Supreme Court is not a Trump court – at least not on several issues - but where do they stand on voting rights? And what exactly did the court say on Monday about the postal service cooperating with Trump in his effort to restrict voting by mail? David Cole explains - he’s the former National Legal Director of the ACLU, and The Nation&#39;s legal affairs correspondent.Also: Colson Whitehead won two Pulitzer prizes for his novels, and then wrote three crime stories about Harlem – the latest is Cool Machine. John Powers comments--he’s critic at large for NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross. Advertising Inquiries: <a href='https://redcircle.com/brands'>https://redcircle.com/brands</a> Privacy & Opt-Out: <a href='https://redcircle.com/privacy'>https://redcircle.com/privacy</a>

The Supremes, Trump, and Voting, plus Colson Whitehead’s Harlem / Start Making Sense

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We said we&#39;d talk about Graham Platner someday, and that day has arrived. We were all super excited about Platner. That excitement turned out to be misplaced. So what are the lessons we should draw from this saga? We also reflect back on the broader primary season, debate Woke 1, talk data centers, and look toward November, in this first just-us-cohosts-episode. Advertising Inquiries: <a href='https://redcircle.com/brands'>https://redcircle.com/brands</a> Privacy & Opt-Out: <a href='https://redcircle.com/privacy'>https://redcircle.com/privacy</a>

Unpacking Platner / Fighting Fascism

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The current conflict in the Middle East might escalate on a new front. In recent weeks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjaman Netanyahu has been touting Turkey as a potential threat on par with Iran. This conflict is partly spurred by the fact that Syria, currently rebuilding after a brutal civil war, is becoming a battleground for competing projects of regional hegemony. To discuss this as well as the prospects for a more realistic foreign policy, I talked to <a href="https://quincyinst.org/author/adam-weinstein/" rel="nofollow">Adam Weinstein of the Quincy Institute</a>. Advertising Inquiries: <a href='https://redcircle.com/brands'>https://redcircle.com/brands</a> Privacy & Opt-Out: <a href='https://redcircle.com/privacy'>https://redcircle.com/privacy</a>

Israel’s Escalating Conflict with Turkey w/ Adam Weinstein

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/8/21/13/58e09326-95bd-43a7-8e19-99a383cfb5ca_ap_news_160_260821_nation.mp3

Danny and Derek must disclose that <a href="https://americanprestigepod.com/episodes/8473663193" rel="nofollow">they have had Hasan Piker on this program</a>. They are listening and learning from him. In this week’s news: Israel bombs a Syrian airbase, potentially moving closer to a conflict with Turkey (1:22); Jared Kushner and Benjamin Netanyahu agree to scrap the Gaza Board of Peace&#39;s Hamas disarmament plan (7:09); the Iran MOU expires as Trump escalates the economic war (9:20); the Islamic Republic might restart the shooting war (13:36); the Pentagon and Arab governments rethink America’s military presence in the Gulf (15:58); Trump curtails military exercises with South Korea, possibly moving toward diplomacy with North Korea/DPRK (18:53); the Sudanese military concludes a new cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia (24:47); the Ebola outbreak in the DRC continues to expand (27:39); in Ukraine, Zelenskyy faces calls for new elections (30:06); Trump suspends new tariffs on Canada (33:01); the U.S. moves Operation Southern Spear onto land (34:50); and a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report details the cost of the new “Trump class” battleships (36:45). Advertising Inquiries: <a href='https://redcircle.com/brands'>https://redcircle.com/brands</a> Privacy & Opt-Out: <a href='https://redcircle.com/privacy'>https://redcircle.com/privacy</a>

News — Israel Strikes Syria, Trump Escalates the Economic War on Iran, Potential US-North Korea Diplomacy / American Prestige

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A cult of fascist ideology has gripped Silicon Valley, and the tech industrial complex is threatening US democracy. Gil Durán joins Paris Marx to discuss the radical billionaire cabal that is hellbent on the consolidation of corporate and political power, including the visions they have for the future and the strategies they’re using to drive us there.Gil Durán is the author of <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/18331/9781668221402" rel="nofollow">The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy</a> and writes <a href="https://www.thenerdreich.com/" rel="nofollow">The Nerd Reich</a> newsletter.  Advertising Inquiries: <a href='https://redcircle.com/brands'>https://redcircle.com/brands</a> Privacy & Opt-Out: <a href='https://redcircle.com/privacy'>https://redcircle.com/privacy</a>

Tech Fascism Has Come for American Democracy w/ Gil Durán / Tech Won't Save Us

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Danny and Derek welcome historian Lisandro Claudio back to the program to talk about how austerity, first imposed by the U.S. during its colonial rule of the Philippines, continues to influence the Filipino political economy. They discuss the colonial gold standard, dollar diplomacy, Miguel Cuaderno and the Central Bank of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos being forced to depreciate the peso, the Filipino Left’s anti-debt stance, and the country’s dependency on exported labor. Grab your copy of Lisandro’s book <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-profligate-colonial-how-the-us-exported-austerity-to-the-philippines-lisandro-e-claudio/b3d5dc3ad2b799c7?bkshp-astro=t&ean=9781501784071" rel="nofollow">The Profligate Colonial: How the US Exported Austerity to the Philippines</a>. Advertising Inquiries: <a href='https://redcircle.com/brands'>https://redcircle.com/brands</a> Privacy & Opt-Out: <a href='https://redcircle.com/privacy'>https://redcircle.com/privacy</a>

American Austerity in the Philippines w/ Lisandro Claudio / American Prestige

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/8/19/2/c8c9177d-f167-41a0-958c-61a016461f32_2026-8-19.mp3

Indivisible’s 2,500 local volunteer-led groups are preparing for a rapid response to any threats to free and fair voting around election day, starting with plans to promote early voting, and including preparations to mobilize large-scale protests if there are attempts to undermine the results. Leah Greenberg, co-founder and co-executive director, explains.Also: Vanita Gupta reviews the massive legal planning underway to defend the vote, the count, and the certification of the winners in the midterms – she was Associate Attorney General in the Biden administration, and has been working with the Senate Democrats’ Elections Task Force on planning and preparations for November. Advertising Inquiries: <a href='https://redcircle.com/brands'>https://redcircle.com/brands</a> Privacy & Opt-Out: <a href='https://redcircle.com/privacy'>https://redcircle.com/privacy</a>

Protecting the Midterms—at the Grassroots and in the Courts / Start Making Sense

Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the week in news. Hosted by Jon Wiener and presented by The Nation Magazine.