Jen Rubin's Green Room

Jen is joined by author and activist Fred Guttenberg to tackle the pressing need to address gun violence, how we can fight back, and what our government needs to do to protect the vulnerable.  In their conversation they explore the obscene power of the NRA and the mythologies supporting weapons of war, how to construct a legal strategy that can start securing electoral and legislative wins, and th...

Jen sits down with expert on authoritarianism Ruth Ben-Ghiat for a look at the mythic hold strongmen have on political systems around the world and how Trump took up that mantle here.  They cover how he resurrected the spoils system, used divisive language to create a cult-like following, and his attempts to create disinformation that tears apart loyalty to anyone besides him.  More importantly, t...

Jen has a conversation with author and expert on the rise of the radical religious right in recent years, Robert P. Jones.  Together they look at the growing power and platforms held by White Christian Nationalists, the role they play in social division and Republican policies, and how Trump allowed the SCOTUS to become compromised by fundamentalists.  They also break down how that message has fus...

Jen is joined by author of “Newsroom Confidential” and media maven Margaret Sullivan for a deep dive into the current state of the 4th Estate.  In their conversation, they discuss the growing dominance of right-wing framing and language on some of the most critical issues facing the country, and what to do when you’re tasked with covering the preposterous.  Whether it’s related to the Donald or ev...

Following the anniversary of the despicable Dobbs decision by the SCOTUS, Jen is joined by author and former NARAL President Ilyse Hogue for a deep dive into the war on women’s rights.  They discuss how far our country is set back by state government abortion laws, the role of right wing Christian Nationalism in weakening the agency of women by replacing justice with ideology, and how theocracy is...

Jen brings on recent White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain to explore the successes of President Biden and the challenges that he still faces.  They dive into how his defense of democracy by giving primacy to the rule of law has its limitations, but hasn’t stopped him from strengthening NATO, producing jobs, passing a budget, and solving the problems left behind by Trump.  Also discussed are the en...

Jen is joined by legal expert, author and Slate senior editor, Dahlia Lithwick for a deep dive into the current state of our judicial system and what it means for all of us.  In their conversation, they discuss how the Supreme Court has been undermining the public trust with its partisanship, disregard of precedent (and even Originalism!), and how the courts can’t be ignored so long as they have t...

Jen is joined by co-founder and EVP for Public Affairs at Third Way Matt Bennett to lay out the destruction of moderation in our politics, the rise of extremism on the right, and the disastrous horse race approach of the media.  Are they locking us into a Biden-Trump re-election battle that few people want?  And if they are, is a third party something that could be dangerous to our democracy when...

Jen is joined by author, journalist, and political thought leader Matthew Dowd for an insider’s look at the sport-ification of media, and how it leads to political nihilism and rising extremism due to the both sides approach it uses.  They also dive deep into the changes happening at CNN evidenced by Trump’s town hall, the shallow coverage of the difficulties Republicans created for the debt ceili...

In this inaugural episode, Jen welcomes legal expert and brilliant pundit George Conway for his insider view of E. Jean Carroll’s cases against Donald, the factors behind why she’s been successful so far, and to look at the system’s surprising defense of our democracy against him.  George also shares how he introduced E. Jean to the lawyer behind her victory, and why Donald will keep losing based...

Trailer for Jen Rubin's Green Room