Start Making Sense Clips

How to interview a Nazi: on the one hand, the New York Times recently did a profile of “the Nazi next door,” portraying him as an ordinary guy; on the other, Gary Younge confronted Richard Spencer, America’s leading white supremacist, on video. With Gary’s help, we compare and contrast the two approaches. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/...

Republicans who have stood up to Trump—like Jeff Flake and John McCain—seem like truth-telling heroes to a lot of liberals; but not to Rick Perlstein.  The author of the classic political history Nixonland talks about the trouble with anti-Trump Republicans. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What will it take for Republicans to pass “the biggest tax scam in history” (Paul Krugman’s phrase)?  George Zornick reports on the obstacles the GOP is facing in the Senate, and the pressure its members are feeling from donors.  Still to come, if the bill passes the Senate: problems in the House, where the Tea Party Republicans may be more serious about the deficit and the debt. Plus: Sexual hara...

Sexual harassment in Washington—we’ve learned a lot about that in the last week, and about the way Congress deals with complaints against its members.  The procedures have been called “flawed.”  Joan Walsh comments, starting with the different cases of John Conyers and Al Franken. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Hillbilly Elegy, the best-selling memoir by J.D. Vance, is often taken as a good explanation of the white working class rage that led to Trump’s election. But Steven Hahn doesn’t agree—he says the book “has the feel of a college application essay”—a simplistic caricature of family dysfunction and the author’s efforts to escape and achieve. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privac...

David Cole on stopping Trump, Lawrence O’Donnell on 1968, and Steven Hahn on “Hillbilly Elegy.” Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

2016 was a bad year in American politics, but 1968 was worse, says Lawrence O’Donnell, the MSNBC host. That was the year Nixon beat Hubert Humphrey, guaranteeing that the war in Vietnam would continue. O’Donnell’s new book is “Playing with Fire: The 1968 Election and the Transformation of American Politics.” Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.c...

Corey Robin talks about Trump’s place in the tradition of reactionary political thought—his book 'The Reactonary Mind: from Edmund Burke to Donald Trump' is out now in a new paperback edition. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We’re hoping the generals keep Trump from doing anything crazy, like starting a nuclear war with North Korea—but the system is set up to give the president control over nuclear weapons, rather than the military. Adam Shatz talks about Trump and the bomb. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The legendary journalist Howell Raines reports from Alabama on the continuing Republican support for Roy Moore; Adam Shatz talks about Trump's place in the system to control nuclear weapons; and Corey Robin talks about Trump's place in the tradition of reactionary political thought. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The GOP tax bill faces problems in the House, and may never get to the Senate—where additional obstacles await. George Zornick explains. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Katrina vanden Heuvel reports on Russia's monument to victims of the Gulag and comments on Robert Mueller's investigations and the lessons of Trump's victory. Plus George Zornick discusses the obstacles facing the GOP's tax bill in Congress, and legendary restauranteur Danny Meyer explains why he's against tipping. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & O...

Legendary New York restauranteur Danny Meyer talks about why he's against tipping—he spoke at a dinner in honor of The Nation's Food issue, held at his restaurant at the Whitney Museum, "Untitled." Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Michelle Goldberg talks about Republicans and Trump, after the indictments. Bob Dreyfuss says the indictments of Paul Manafort are only the beginning of the results of the work of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. And Tony Schwartz, who wrote Trump's monster best-seller, "The Art of the Deal," talks about Trump's personality—and the ominous implications for all of us. Advertising Inq...

Tony Schwartz knows a lot about Trump—he wrote Trump’s best selling memoir “The Art of the Deal.” Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The arrest of Trump’s campaign chief Paul Manafort on Monday on multiple felony charges is only the beginning of the results of the work of Special Counsel Robert Muller. The political implications for Trump are ominous. Bob Dreyfuss explains.  Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Is Trump crazy? Amy Wilentz talks about “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump,” edited by Bandy X. Lee, where 27 psychiatrists and mental health experts give their assessments of the president' narcissism, impulsiveness, and aggression. The book is Number Four on the New York Times bestseller list this week. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle...

Would Pence be worse? Jane Mayer of The New Yorker reports—she interviewed more than 60 people in search of answers, including Pence’s mother. Several say he’s wanted to be president at least since high school. Also: Amy Wilentz on Trump; plus Raj Patel on Cheap Food. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Raj Patel explains how we can get to a more just and equitable food future—he wrote about that for The Nation’s special issue on "The Future of Food." His new book is “A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things.” Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Will the generals save us from Trump’s irrationality, ignorance, impulsiveness, and aggression? John Nichols is skeptical. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein revelations of sexual harassment and assault, Joan Walsh talks about the torrent of #metoo stories, which reveal just how much time women spend dealing with male abuse. Plus John Nichols on Trump's Generals and Zoë Carpenter on the Future of Food. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

How do we get a more equitable & sustainable food system? Zoë Carpenter discusses The Nation's special issue on the politics of food. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

“Human Flow” is Ai Weiwei’s amazing documentary on the global refugee crisis. He’s our greatest political artist—here he talks about his first feature film, shot in 23 countries and dozens of refugee camps. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

How Ivanka and Don Junior were almost indicted for fraud in 2012 over the failing Trump Soho project--Amy Wilentz reports on the strange story of how the investigation was dropped. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

E.J. Dionne argues that Trump has mobilized progressive political forces that can transform America. Plus Ari Berman reports on the argument about gerrymandering at the Supreme Court, and Joan Walsh sits down with Hillary Clinton for a conversation about what happened in the campaign. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy