Runaway Country with Alex Wagner

Since an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good in Minneapolis, President Trump and MAGA have labeled her a “domestic terrorist” and come up with one reason after another to justify her death. This week Alex interviews Michel Moore, the former Chief of Police for the Los Angeles Police Department, to hear how law enforcement is interpreting the event. Then she speaks to The Bulwark’s Tim Miller to q...

2026 has started off with strikes on Venezuela, the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro, and a brazen slew of threats from President Trump against Greenland, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, and Iran. This week, Alex speaks to Venezuelans about what their hopes and fears are for the future of their country. Then she's joined by Pod Save America's Jon Favreau and Pod Save the World's Ben Rhodes to break...

Are President Trump’s tariffs illegal? Will the independence of federal agencies be a thing of the past? Is birthright citizenship about to be taken away? These are just a few of the consequential questions before a Supreme Court that's hell-bent on destroying obstacles to President Trump's executive power. Alex talks to two plaintiffs at the center of of these cases, Toymaker Rick Woldenberg and...

Under the leadership of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Pentagon is in disarray. From a lack of transparency on extrajudicial strikes in the Caribbean, to the Signalgate scandal, to kicking out the Pentagon press corp – this administration has put a leader at the helm who is both embarrassing and a threat to national security. This week, Alex hears from The Atlantic’s Nancy Youssef about what...

The Trump administration is using the tragic shooting of two National Guard members by an Afghan national as justification to close the door on immigration, refugees, and asylum seekers trying to enter the US. This week, Alex speaks to an Afghan aid worker who now fears for his family's safety, and then is joined by Joy Reid to talk about how this is all part of a larger MAGA plot to Make America...

This week, the House and Senate voted nearly unanimously to release all of the files related to the investigation into sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, after President Trump pulled a complete 180 and signaled his support. So how and why did things change? Alex speaks to Marina Lacerda, a survivor of Epstein’s abuse, about why the release is so important for both a sense of justice and her personal...

Democrats and Republicans may seem worlds apart politically, but both parties are running into a similar problem – getting pushed into uncomfortable positions. Less than a week after election wins across the country, it only took 7 Democratic Senators and one Independent to wipe away the feeling of victory and instead cave to Trump and the GOP’s bullying on the government shutdown. Republicans, ho...

Tuesday’s elections ushered in big wins for Democrats in the NYC mayoral race, Virginia and New Jersey’s Governors’ races, California’s redistricting measure, and more. Meanwhile, Democrats in Congress are still standing their ground as the government shutdown now becomes the longest in US history. Alex speaks to MSNBC’s Chris Hayes about what Democrats should take away from these two test cases,...

Alex talks about the hottest issue leading up to next week’s election….the 2026 election. California’s Proposition 50 is a power play by Governor Newsom and Democrats to fight back against Republican gerrymandering in Texas, in the hopes of saving Democratic seats in Congress in the midterm elections. Now a firestorm has ignited with states across the country launching redistricting efforts, and b...

Alex digs into the destruction of due process and rule of law under the Trump administration. First, she hears from Judge Anam Petit, a recently fired immigration judge who explains how the legal system is being quietly dismantled to prioritize deportations. Then, Alex speaks to Andrew Weissmann, former lead prosecutor in Robert Mueller’s Special Counsel’s Office, about whether our system is forev...

Being an American right now is a wild ride. Every day brings a new controversy, breathless media narratives, and the same loud voices rushing in to score political points. Then another Truth Social post drops and the circus moves on. But all that noise is drowning out the actual story. On her new podcast Runaway Country, veteran journalist Alex Wagner talks to the voices at the center of the headl...

Hey everyone, Jon Favreau here with a special announcement. From now on, new episodes of The Wilderness will appear on the Pod Save America feed, and we’ll have some updates soon about when that’s coming! In the meantime, this feed will now be home to Crooked’s brand new show Runaway Country with Alex Wagner. Think of Runaway Country as a cousin to The Wilderness with Alex talking to voters on the...

On the final episode of this season of The Wilderness, Jon is joined by UCLA political scientist Lynn Vavreck and senior Harris campaign advisor David Plouffe. Lynn and Jon discuss why, despite all of this election's wild changes, Lynn is still expecting a close outcome in November and then David Plouffe sits down with Jon to talk about what we can do to help Kamala beat Trump. Take action with Vo...

Jon is joined Democratic message guru Anat Shenker-Osorio and longtime political strategist Michael Podhorzer to talk about how swing voters are reacting to a Harris-Walz ticket and what message the campaign will need to win them over in November. They break down why Tim Walz has been a uniquely effective messenger, how Kamala Harris is reclaiming freedom from Republicans, and how Minnesota’s 2018...

Jon is joined by longtime pollster Sarah Longwell to discuss how swing voters are reacting to Kamala Harris’ unexpected campaign for president. How did they react to Biden’s decision to withdraw? What concerns do they have about Kamala Harris’ chances against Trump? And is her candidacy reigniting their capacity for hope? Sarah shares new focus group tape from Kamala Harris’ first week on the camp...

Jon is joined by youth polling experts John Della Volpe and Kristen Soltis Anderson to talk about apathy among young voters this election cycle. Why are they so disengaged? Are some truly defecting to Trump? And what message, if any, can get them out for the polls? Jon, John, and Kristen dive into the focus group tape to unpack Gen Z’s opinions of our octogenarian presidential candidates, their to...

Jon is joined by Carlos Odio and Stephanie Valencia, founders of Equis Research, the nation’s leading polling and research firm focused on the Latino electorate, to talk about what Democrats can do to win back the Latino voters who left the party for Trump in 2016 and 2020. Why are some of them leaning towards Trump? How did they react to Biden’s border actions? And what issues are they most focus...

Jon is joined by pollster Terrance Woodbury and Lavora Barnes, Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, to talk about the black voters who may cast their ballots for Trump this November. Who are they? Why are they leaving the Democratic Party? And how can we bring them back into the fold? Jon, Terrance, and Lavora dive into focus group tape, the Trump campaign’s strategy, and Biden’s recent speeche...

Jon is joined by longtime pollster Sarah Longwell and former Republican strategist Tim Miller to get inside the minds of two-time Trump voters who are no longer sure if they’ll vote for him again. What’s changed? Well, January 6th, a few criminal trials, and some obviously bogus claims that the election was stolen. But is that enough to get them over the line for Joe Biden? Jon, Tim, and Sarah lis...

Welcome back to The Wilderness. Jon talks about what it will take to rebuild 2020’s anti-Trump coalition with political analyst Ron Brownstein, political scientist Lynn Vavreck, Democratic strategist Addisu Demissie, Democratic strategist Jen Palmieri, and Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg. They’ll talk about the  risks of a second Trump term and how you can help prevent it.  It may be a chall...

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re not an undecided voter. But if you don’t want Donald Trump to become president again, between now and November you’ll need to convince as many as you can to cast their ballot for Joe Biden.  With the help of some of the smartest strategists, pollsters, and organizers in politics today, host Jon Favreau explores the minds of voters who will decide the 2024...

Can Democrats keep Georgia blue? We hear from young Black voters in Atlanta about Stacey Abrams, Raphael Warnock, Joe Biden, voting rights, and the future of democracy. Organizer Nsé Ufot, political commentator and strategist Symone Sanders, and pollster Terrance Woodbury join Jon to discuss what they had to say.  New episodes of The Wilderness drop every Monday. Subscribe to The Wilderness wherev...

Are demographics destiny? We talk to working-class Latino voters in Las Vegas about what issues matter most to them and whether they’ll vote for Democrats this fall. Political scientist Ruy Teixeira, former Bernie Sanders presidential campaign manager Faiz Shakir, and Carlos Odio of EquisLabs join to discuss.  If you want to learn more about how you can take action in the fight for our democracy,...

Are young voters the key to the midterms? We hear from disillusioned Gen-Z voters in Orange County, California as well as their Member of Congress, Katie Porter. Then Data For Progress’ Evangel Penumaka, organizer and former Texas Democratic Senate candidate Cristina Tzintzún-Ramirez, and John Della Volpe of Harvard Kennedy School join Jon to dig into what the voters had to say.  If you want to le...

How can Democrats reach disconnected voters? We talk to Biden voters in Pittsburgh who are fed up with national politics. Jon breaks down their responses with Pennsylvania Representative Malcolm Kenyatta, data expert Dan Wagner, and John Fetterman senior campaign strategist Rebecca Katz. If you want to learn more about how you can take action in the fight for our democracy, head over to Vote Save...