Living in the USA

August 1968, 50 years ago: fighting the police outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, while the whole world was watching: it was the culmination of an overwhelming year for the anti-war movement. But where was young Donald Trump? Activist, sociologist and author of "The Sixties: Years of Hope, Days of Rage," Todd Gitlin, comments on politics then -- and now. Plus, John Nichols says...

Pulitzer prize-winning restaurant critic Jonathan Gold died July 21; Harold Meyerson talks about how he taught readers in LA about the new immigrant city around them--by exploring immigrant neighborhoods and their restaurants. Harold also reviews Trump world after Trump's worst week. Also Tom Frank explains how we got from Obama to Trump -- his new book is “Rendezvous with Oblivion." Plus Bob Zaug...

Harold Meyerson of The American Prospect analyzes Trump’s tumultuous post-Putin week, perhaps a turning point for Republicans--at least some Republicans. Also: Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of the Law School at UC Berkeley, talks about the worst things about Brett Kavanaugh, and about his greatest vulnerabilities in the upcoming confirmation hearings for Trump’s Supreme Court nominee. Plus: Does your jo...

Laurent Dubois, author of "The Language of the Game: How to Understand Soccer," and Alan Minsky, KPFK Program Director, and founding member of the People's Game Football Collective, join guest-host Amy Wilentz to explore the world of the World Cup. Plus: Jeff Wasserstrom, American historian of modern China and Professor of History at the University of California, Irvine, talks about Xi Jinping, Tr...

The Supreme Court gave the green light to anti-abortion 'pregnancy crisis centers' in California, and the campaign to overturn Roe v. Wade is under way -- we talk with Katha Pollitt about the future of abortion rights with Trump's Supreme Court. Next up, David Cole, Legal Director of the ACLU talks about voting rights and the ACLU in the age of Trump--and says "vote like your rights depended on it...

The only Republican in the House from LA County, Steve Knight, is facing a strong challenge from first-time Democrat Katie Hill. He's against Obamacare; she's for Medicare for All -- and her chances look good. Dana Goodyear of the New Yorker reports. Plus: Despite Trump's reversal on family separation at the border, the crisis continues. Sonia Nazario, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author...

Over 11,000 immigrant children are being held in detention centers across the US: Harold Meyerson of The American Prospect comments on the political disaster for Trump of his family separation policy; Zoe Carpenter of The Nation reports on the inside of a Border Patrol children's detention center in Texas--and the uncertainities those children now face; and Ahilan Arulanatham, Legal Director of th...

Seymour Hersh won a Pulitzer Prize in 1970 for his expose of the My Lai massacre—he was a 33-year-old freelancer at the time. Since then, he’s won pretty much every other journalism award. He’s worked as a staff writer for The New York Times and The New Yorker. He’s also written a dozen books, most recently Reporter: A Memoir. Plus: Since Trump took office, the Democrats have flipped 44 state legi...

Trump asked for, and got, a ten percent increase in defense spending this year – even though the American military is the most massive, the most technologically advanced, and the best-funded fighting force in the world. But in the last fifteen years of constant war it has won nothing. Tom Engelhardt comments; he’s the legendary editor who created and runs the TomDispatch website, and his new book...

After reviewing Trump’s growing confrontation with Europe, Yanis Varouvakis concludes that 'Trump Isn’t Stupid.' Yanis is a former finance minister of Greece who took office in 2015, after five years of debt crisis and economic and social decline had left half the country’s young people unemployed. Greece at that point elected the most radical coalition to govern a European country in decades. Yan...

Is Trump crazy? Amy Wilentz talks about 'The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump,' a book edited by Bandy X. Lee, in which 27 psychiatrists and mental-health experts give their assessments of the president. The book was number four on the New York Times bestseller list. Also: Trump and the NRA: at the beginning of the 2016 campaign, Trump's status as a gun person was uncertain -- but he succeed in tran...

Trump’s plan on pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal is to pressure Iran to restart negotiations on terms more favorable to the US—but that’s never going to happen, says Michael Klare. And Trump has no Plan B – except for war—which could quickly involve Israel fighting in Lebanon against Iran’s ally Hezbollah, which has thousands of rockets aimed at Israeli cities. Also: the coming showdown in Tex...

The amazing news from Korea about the prospects for peace and de-nuclearization: historian Bruce Cumings of the University of Chicago comments, warning that the Washington consensus opposes a treaty. His books include “The Korean War: A History” and “North Korea: Another Country.” Plus: Trump’s greatest vulnerability may not be Russiagate, but rather his financial and tax crimes. David Cay Johnsto...

Full Employment is emerging as a key component of Democratic platforms — Harold Meyerson talks about the history and the prospect of a new "Jobs for All" program. Plus, the Trump re-election nightmare could come true — Tom Frank talks about why (it's the economy!) and how we can stop it. Lastly, Mueller's Questions and Trump's Answers: Bob Dreyfuss of the Nation comments on the changing story abou...

on Wed. April 25 the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the Travel Ban 3.0 case (Trump v. Hawaii) — David Cole, National Legal Director of the ACLU, for comments. Plus, the legendary Washington political journalist and author of “Washington Journal: Reporting Watergate and Richard Nixon's Downfall,” Elizabeth Drew, reviews "A Higher Loyalty," by James Comey. Lastly, it has been 50 years si...

Viet Thanh Nguyen talks about being a refugee in the US—he has edited a new collection, "The Displaced: Refugee Writers on Refugee Lives," published by Abrams Books. Plus, Harold Meyerson on California v. Trump (29 lawsuits and counting), the teacher's strike, and more. Lastly, Margaret Atwood on her book, "The Handmaid's Tale," now a TV series—season two premieres on April 25th.

Paul Ryan calls it quits: Why now? John Nichols comments. Plus, Adam Winkler on the civil rights of corporations, and what they mean in this time of Trump; his new book, "We the Corporations: How American Businesses Won Their Civil Rights," was published earlier this year. Lastly, Mark Hertsgaard on cellphones, cancer and his new article for The Nation: "How Big Wireless Made Us Think That Cell Ph...

Adam Hochschild talks about his visit to a gun show, the NRA, the Koch brothers, and gun laws in America — his new piece, "Bang for the Buck," is in the latest issue of the New York Review of Books. Next, Trump made his first statement on Stormy Daniels today — we turn to Joshua Holland of The Nation (our Chief Stormy Correspondent) for the update. Lastly, yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the...

Harold Meyerson comments on Trump's attack of Amazon, the prospect of a Trump re-election, the new model for unions after the Janus v. AFSCME case, and much more — his new article, "What Now for Unions" is out now in The American Prospect. Next, we ask Amy Wilentz, should Ivanka be indicted? She describes the "grotesque abuse of power" that is the Trump Kleptocracy. Lastly, Katha Pollitt says, it'...

John Nichols with Breaking News from Wisconsin: trade policy, tech, and a victory for voting rights — you can read more in, "Scott Walker Is Ordered to Stop Blocking Special Elections," his new piece published today, in the Nation. Also today: the 10th anniversary of "Men Explain Things To Me," we hear the backstory firsthand from the author, Rebecca Solnit. Lastly, Chris Hayes on Trump, Crime and...

David Corn on Trump, Putin and his new book, "Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump." Plus: Is Disneyland really the happiest place on earth? Peter Dreier says, "Not if you work there." Dreier, Professor of Political Science at Occidental College, was part of the research team behind, "Working for the Mouse: A Survey of Disneyland Resort Empl...

The mass shooting at that high school in Parkland, Florida is still in the news, because of the brilliant political work being done by the students who survived. George Zornick analyzes the big picture: the decline of the gun industry, the growth in popular support for an assault weapons ban, and campaigns to shame companies that support the NRA and haven't divested from gun manufacturers. Plus: L...

Amazon is a radically new kind of monopoly that seeks to control all of online commerce. Stacy Mitchell says it’s time for anti-trust action to separate the Amazon Marketplace from Amazon’s own retail operations. Also: Why have wages stagnated since the seventies? Bryce Covert says one reason is the mandatory noncompete and no-poaching agreements that prevent low-wage workers from taking better-pa...

Senator Elizabeth Warren wants to make the fight against monopoly power in America a key part of the Democrats’ agenda; George Zornick reports on his interview with her for the magazine’s special issue on the topic. Also, Warren Buffett’s secret: “The sage of Omaha” is America’s favorite tycoon. He supported Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for president; even Bernie Sanders has praised his unself...

Here comes the next financial crisis: maybe not this week, but eventually—and Republican deregulation, undermining the institutions designed to protect us, will make it much worse. Nomi Prins explains. Plus: Remember when Trump said we should get fewer immigrants from “shithole countries,” and more from places like Norway? Ann Jones lived in Norway for four years; she explains what Norwegians migh...