Make It Make Sense with Grant Hermes

Two bombshell reports from the Wall Street Journal and New York Times say Donald Trump is named multiple times in the Jeffrey Epstein files, and that he was told about it by the Attorney General back in May.  While the White House says it's not true, the evidence of at the very least the White House knowingly lied to the American public or, at the worst, had a plan to create a cover-up for mo...

The official Democratic Party review about what went wrong in the 2024 election is nearly done, according to a new story from the New York Times.  In it, the party isn't looking at whether Biden should've run, should've dropped out sooner, if Harris was the right candidate to replace him and whether her campaign said and did the wrong things. In fact, the review is supposed to avoid...

Grant breaks down the latest chapter in the Epstein saga as one that Trump has been unable to shake. No matter how hard he's tried, it's stuck with the media, Democrats... and his supporters.  The House passed Trump's take-backsies bill, which included $9 billion in funding approved back in March, but to get it over the line, they had to include the Epstein files.  And then a new Wa...

Republicans in Congress, at President Trump's request, are calling take-backsies on $9 billion in funding for PBS, NPR, and foreign aid.  Despite all three of those things remaining wildly popular, Congress is preparing to pass a bill to claw back money it has already approved. It's a move we haven't seen done successfully in 33 years.  Grant breaks down why defunding public media c...

The Make America Great Again movement is splitting at the seams after the Department of Justice said there wasn't a "client list," something Trump's base supporters had been calling for to be released for years.  Fueled by the belief that Epstein was the key to uncovering a cabal of child abusers or worse, they helped Trump retake the White House, believing he was their benevol...

After the unexpected victory of Zohran Mamdani in the New York mayoral primary, one question has emerged; is this the new model for Democrats.  The party has been listless without a clear vision or leader or message to voters and has begun to show cracks about what the future should look like.  Grant talks with Amanda Litman, Cofounder of Run For Something and author of When We're In Charge:...

Trump blows through his 90 deals in 90 days deadline, extending when he'd finally make good on threats to start tariffs to August 1.  But if he's the Deal Maker in Chief, then why would he need to extend the timeline?  Grant talks about the few deals that have been made, what's been happening in the meantime and what it'll mean for all of us when we go to buy things for the nex...

With the passage of the Big Beautiful Bill, US immigration forces are getting a major boost in funding. A lot of it is going to ICE for new agents as enforcement increases in how militaristic it looks and acts. But most of the funding is going to building new places to hold immigrants before they're likely deported. Grant breaks down how the money is being used, where it's coming from, a...

The state of Texas is dealing with massive, deadly flooding just outside San Antonio.  While the National Weather Service did predict heavy rain and gave warnings, the floods have claimed the lives of 82 people (at the time of this episode), with dozens more still missing. Meteorologists say the forecasts and coordination were as good as they could be given massive cuts to NWS and NOAA.  Grant wal...

Congress passes Trump's Big Beautiful Bill. Despite its name, it will cut more than a trillion from Medicaid. It will make deep cuts to SNAP, clean energy, college endowments, and increase state and local taxes.  It will mean giving huge tax breaks to the ultra-rich and making the poorest Americans pay more. It's not at all popular, but it's what Trump wanted, so it's what he g...

The Senate passed the One Big Beautiful Bill that's filled with a budget that's going to remake Medicaid, SNAP, and American wealth for a generation. It passed by a super narrow majority, 51-50, and now heads to the House, where it's expected to pass before hitting Trump's desk on the Fourth of July.  Grant talks about how the bill got passed, despite being massively unpopular....

A quick bonus episode about the Supreme Court ruling in Trump v. CASA that might remake the way federal laws are applied and enforced across the country, making for a messy and chaotic legal system.  Support the show Follow along on social media  SaySo: @GrantHermes   X: @GrantHermes Insta: @Grant__Hermes Tiktok: Grant_Hermes

In the conversation about the US bombing Iran, there has been a lot of talk about the mission, the policy behind it, and how well it worked.  But one of the main driving reasons Trump chose to approve the mission hasn't been talked about: the religious extremism inside his administration.  Grant talks with Matt D. Taylor, the senior Christian scholar and the Institute of Islamic, Christian, a...

For days, President Donald Trump and his administration have been celebrating the bombing campaign against three Iranian nuclear sites, which effectively ended the conflict between Iran and Israel. Trump has repeatedly said the strikes "obliterated" the nuclear sites.  But after an initial report about the strikes being less effective than Trump is saying, he's turned his sights on...

Israel and Iran agree to a ceasefire after Trump announces it on social media. But the peace is uneasy as both sides exchange final missile strikes and accuse the other of breaking the truce.  At the same time, Trump doesn't say where things are on negotiations with Iran about its nuclear program, how much damage was actually done during the bombing over the weekend, or where 900lbs of uraniu...

After telling the American people and the world he was going to give it two more weeks before attacking, President Donald Trump bombed three major nuclear sites in Iran over the weekend. The decision seemed to come out of the blue and shocked the world, our allies, and members of Congress.  Grant answers the three big questions: what happened, is this legal, and what happens next? Support the show...

During the second Trump administration, news organizations have been under threat and under attack. ABC and CBS have faced settlements. NBC and CNN have been threatened with having their licenses to broadcast pulled. PBS and NPR are being defunded.  But no place has the attack on journalism been felt more than at Voice of America, the US foreign press organization that broadcasts to dozens of coun...

Over the last week, Israel and Iran have been bombing one another as global tensions rise over nuclear weapons and facilities being targeted by both sides.  President Trump has also been unpredictable about whether the US is actively involved, but reportedly has given the go-ahead for US airstrikes; we just don't know when.  Grant breaks down how we got here, what happens next, and what'...

After a weekend of history-making protests and a lackluster military/birthday parade, the occasions were really marked by a new set of political violence.  An assassination and three more attempted assassinations of Democrats in Minnesota by an alleged gunman who had plans to go after dozens more Democratic leaders upended the weekend.  Grant talks about what we know in that case so far, the rise...

During a Department of Homeland Secuirty press conference on Thursday, California Senator Alex Padilla (D) attempted to interrupt to ask a question. DHS accused him of not identifying himself (He did) and lunging at Secretary Kristi Noem (video from mulitple angles shows he didn't). Instead of allowing him to ask his question, Padilla, a sitting member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was f...

The Trump administration has mobilized 700 Marines from Twenty-nine Pines military base in California to join 2100 National Guard troops in LA to do what? We're not sure. The orders are vague and only say "protect" federal buildings and agents without anything more.  But is it legal for Trump to put US military troops on the streets? Grant talks about the laws surrounding when troop...

As protests, violent clashes, and some property destruction break out in Los Angeles over federal raids of workplaces, schools, and courthouses, the White House seems bent on pressing the boundaries on whether Trump can send in US troops.  In today's episode, Grant breaks down what happened in L.A., why you should care that officers aren't showing badges, names, or faces, and what to wat...

As Elon Musk exits the White House and has a  very  public falling out with Donald Trump, the consequences of his time there won't be fully realized for a while.  But, there is one place to start where, when history looks back, may be the most talked about thing—the death toll from diseases spread around the world by Musk ending USAID.  Grant breaks down what we know about the cost of shuttin...

Back from a short hiatus!  Grant talks all about how we're seeing the White House, which has been moving as fast as it can to break things, start to come apart by picking fights with prominent groups, its own agencies, and its insiders.  He breaks down the White House fight with the influential conservative group the Federalist Society and why it matters for the future of the more than 120 co...

The idea that manufacturing jobs were shipped overseas or across borders to other countries is a frequent explanation from both Republicans and Democrats about why the American middle class has been hollowed out.  But it's a convenient half-truth. The other side we don't talk about is the other kind of offshoring, from the shores of the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico.   Grant talks to...