Living in the USA

Sarah Leonard of The Nation says Hillary's campaign memoir "What Happened" has its enjoyable parts, but fails to recognize the populist forces that explain what happened. plus Bob Dreyfuss on the Robert Mueller's coming indictment of Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort -- and Todd Gitlin replies to critics of Ken Burns's Vietnam series on PBS -- it's a powerful portrayal of the reasons the war was a disaster, he argues.

Hillary’s book about what happened in her loss to Donald Trump – it’s called ‘What Happened,” and D.D. Guttenplan of The Nation says she really doesn’t understand what happened. Plus: the horrible Betsy DeVos – billionaire opponent of public schools, and now Trump’s Secretary of Education: David Dayen will explain. Plus, the Republicans’ final attempt to repeal Obamacare is underway; Harold Meyerson will report.

Hillary's book about 'What Happened' has a clear message, Tom Frank says: "don't blame me." Also: Is Pence Worse? Do we really want Trump out? Joan Walsh says 'yes' to both. And Harold Meyerson comments on the Medicare-for-all bill introduced in Congress yesterday by our man Bernie. He says it’s not only necessary, it’s “strategically savvy.”

Harold Meyerson of The American Prospect talks about Trump's 180 on DACA and the Dreamers. Also: Hurricanes, Texas Toxics and Trump's EPA: John Nichols comments. And Bob Dreyfuss explains what we now know about Facebook taking money from Russians for political ads, and answers the question, 'Who is Felix Sater -- and why is Trump so afraid of him?"

Plus: What Trump's people have been doing (or not) about the disaster in Texas. Elizabeth Holtzman, who served on the House Judiciary Committee that brought articles of impeachment against Nixon, reviews the case against Trump at this point -- and what special counsel Robert Mueller is doing to protect his investigation. Also: Trump vs. Trans soldiers and sailors: the ACLU is taking him to court. Chase Satrangio explains. And John Nichols of The Nation talks about his new book "Horsemen of the Trumpocalypse," and what they've been doing about the floods in Texas.

Plus: Trump & Golf, & an Abbie Hoffman anniversary Frank Rich has been “wallowing in Watergate,” as he put it, and found some fascinating stuff about Trump’s situation today and Nixon’s a year before his fall. Also: the ways Nixon was significantly stronger than Trump in resisting impeachment and resignation. Also: if you understand golf, you understand Trump. Golf is a game for “successful greedheads and their wannabes,” says legendary sportswriter Robert Lipsyte. It’s a waste of space and water, and it poisons local aquifers with chemicals. And it represents all that is retrograde and exclusionary in American life. Lipsyte asks, Doesn’t that remind you of our president? Plus: It was 50 years ago today: Abbie Hoffman and friends invaded the heart of capitalism, the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street, and threw money from the gallery onto the trading floor. Bruce Dancis explains what happened --he was there.

Joshua Green talks about Steve Bannon's relationship with Donald Trump —Green's best-selling book is "Devi's Bargain: Steve Bannon, Donald Trump, and the Storming of the Presidency." Plus: Bannon was fired because of his interview with The American Prospect -- Harold Meyerson, The Prospect's executive editor, talks about the interview, who said what, and how it happened. And the story of the big fight against big oil and big money in one city: Richmond, California. Steve Early will tell that story—his new book, with a foreword by Bernie Sanders, is "Refinery Town: Big Oil, Big Money, and the Remaking of an American City."

Trump has stopped hinting about firing Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating him and his campaign – - maybe because Mueller has a growing number of supporters among Republicans. Robert Dreyfuss reports -- plus the news about the FBI raiding Paul Manafort's house. Also: Bernie has been busy: Ben Wallace-Wells has been travelling with Bernie Sanders, who has done rallies in more than a dozen states over the last few weeks. And Katha Pollitt has some advice for the anxious and the depressed among us on how to survive the coming months of the the Age of Trump.

David Cole, legal director of the ACLU, talks about different ways Trump could end the work of the special counsel -- and what that would mean politically. plus Nancy MacLean, author of "Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America" and Bob Dreyfuss of The Nation on the Russia investigations and the Trump family businesses.

Amy Wilentz comments on Jared Kushner's congressional testimony about that meeting with the Russian promising dirt on Hillary, and 6-year-old Arabella "interrupting" the NY Times interview with Trump in the Oval Office. Also: Rick Wartzman on the rise and fall of good jobs in America--his new book is "The End of Loyalty." And Harold Meyerson analyzes the latest efforts of Senate Republicans to repeal and replace Obamacare.

John Nichols of The Nation opens the show with comment on Jeff Sessions's past, present, and possible future--Sessions is featured in John's forthcoming book, "Horsemen of the Trumpocalypse." And Al Franken talks about the dangers of humor in politics, about the voters who supported Trump, and the need for a public option in health care in America. He also answers the question, "Is Jeff Sessions a lying little weasel"? His new book, a numer one bestseller, is "Al Franken: Master of the Senate."

It’s not enough to say “no” to Trump, Naomi Klein argues; we need to transform ourselves and our movement to bring about the change we need. And we revisit our 2003 interview with Al Franken about his number one bestseller, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them. Now he has a new number=one bestseller: Al Franken, Giant of the Senate.

45 out of 50 of the state governments are resisting Trump’s voting commission – even the red states. And the five others are not complying; they simply haven't decided yet. It’s pretty amazing -- John Nichols comments. Also: The LA Times series of editorials about Trump, titled “Our Dishonest President,” was published as a book on July 4. When they first appeared online they got more than seven million page views. Nick Goldberg, editor of the paper’s editorial pages, explains what the series argued, and why it was such a success. Plus: young people are voting – for old socialists – in many countries. Why is that? Sarah Leonard has some answers; she wrote about it for the New York Times op-ed page.

Harold Meyerson of The American Prospect proposes concrete programs to win back white working class voters who switched from Obama in 2012 to Trump in 2016. plus George Zornick of The Nation talks about the Senate healthcare fiasco-- and legendary LA Activist attorney Carol Sobel makes the case for the rights of homeless people.

Amy Wilentz comments on the latest news about Jared Kushner, the most trusted man in the Trump White House, as he arrives in Israel seeking peace in the mideast. Also Harold Meyerson comments on the Republicans' impending fiasco in the Senate with Trumpcare, and looks for lessons in the defeat of Jon Ossoff for Congress in suburban Atlanta. and John Nichols makes the case for impeachment, arguing that Trump is guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors.

Every day seems to be a bad news day for the President -- today, yesterday, the day before. . . Rick Perlstein comments. plus Jonathan Lethem on Bob Dylan's Nobel speech and "Great American Writing on Rock" and Larry Tye on "Bobby Kennedy: The making of a liberal icon"

As things get worse for Donald Trump, he's likely to become more irrational and dangerous, says Sasha Abramsky of The Nation. Also--Trump is NOT like Nixon--that's what Rick Perlstein says. He wrote the classic "Nixonland."

Harold Meyerson traces parallels--and differences--between Nixon's efforts to stop the FBI from investigating him, and Trump's efforts to accomplish the same thing. Nixon's efforts led to impeachment; will Trump's? Also: Evangelicals and politics: Frances Fitzgerald comments.

Amy Wilentz follows Donald Trump on Twitter -- we ask her what that's like, and why she does it. Also, she has a modest proposal: somebody should stop him. Plus: Harold Meyerson on the Trump impeachment scenario: lessons from the Democrats' successful effort to remove Nixon, and the Republicans' failure to remove Bill Clinton.

John Nichols comments on the appointment of Robert Mueller as special prosecutor, and its significance for the impeachment scenario. and Ari Berman reports on the Supreme Court's ruling in the North Carolina voting rights case, and on Trump's "election integrity" commission.

(1) Harold Meyerson on the politics around Trump firing FBI Director James Comey -- and the 2018 elections (2) Laura Poitras on her film about Julian Assange, "Risk"

John Nichols on the House vote on Obamacare--and The Democrats' obligation to resist. Plus Margaret Atwood on the shocking relevance of “The Handmaid’s Tale” on Hulu; and Katha Pollitt says “It’s not McCarthyism to demand an investigation of Trump."

RICK PERLSTEIN says “I thought I understood the American right. Trump Proved Me Wrong.” And the great BILL McKIBBEN talks about the People’s Climate March, coming up in Washington this Saturday. We’ll have a rundown of all the sister marches in southern California – from Santa Barbara and Ventura to Riverside to Irvine-- and also the LA Sister March in Wilmington, in the LA Harbor area. Also, our favorite county supervisor, SHEILA KUEHL, talks about the “Resist Los Angeles” march in LA on Monday May 1 – starting in MacArthur Park at 11.

(1) Tom Frank has been on the road in the Red States – we’ll ask him whether he thinks Bernie could have beaten Trump. (2) JOHN NICHOLS comments on Fox News firing the horrible Bill O’Reilly—and on Democratic candidates for the House in Georgia and Montana. (3) Steve Bannon, the fascist maniac, is out, and the calm bankers from Goldman Sachs are in--at the Trump White House: DAVID DAYEN will talk about what that means for tax reform, and for our future.

Trump seems to have changed his mind about a lot of things in the last day or two –it seems like Putin is no longer his number one friend, China is no longer his number one enemy, and Steve Bannon is no longer his number one “chief strategist.” Harold Meyerson will comment. Also: how we got from Ferguson to Trump’s election: Chris Hayes will explain—his new book is “A Colony in a Nation.” Plus: Is Trump like Nixon? Is collusion with the Russians to win election sort of like Watergate? We’ll ask John A. Farrell – his new book is “Richard Nixon: The Life.”

Katha Pollitt on how Trump is bringing back Feminism; Chris Hayes on Trump's defeats and disasters; and John Nichols on the Gorsuch filibuster and what comes next -- at the Court, and in the Senate.

The hedge-fund magnate Robert Mercer was probably the most important backer of Trump for president. Jane Mayer of The New Yorker has the first in-depth report on this little-known figure and former Breitbart News funder. Also: Is Trump like Nixon? Both won by exploiting the resentments of the white working class; both covered up crimes committed by their campaigns against the Democrats. But Rick Perlstein, author of the classic book 'Nixonland,' says the answer is no: Trump is not like Nixon.

The House GOP postponed its vote to repeal Obamacare and replace it with TrumpCare, I mean RyanCare. On ”Trump Watch” we have comment from John Nichols of The Nation. Also: Why do many white workers who voted for Trump still support him? The Nation sent D.D. Guttenplan to the rust belt to find out— he’s returned now with his report. Plus: The City of LA has expanded its sanctuary policy – but the County sheriff is pulling back from the crucial question of the jails. We’ll speak about it with Ahilan Arulanantham, legal director of the ACLU of southern California.

Sheila Kuehl talks about all the ways Los Angeles county has taken a stand against Trump. LA County is bigger than 44 states; Sheila is one of five elected members of the Board of Supervisors. Also: The endless war in Afghanistan: now it's Trump's. Andrew Bacevich comments. Plus: Harold Meyerson talks about Trump's bad week: a budget facing lots of opposition, a health care "plan" facing lots of opposition, and a second Muslim travel ban that's been blocked by the courts.

Congressman Ted Lieu of Los Angeles talks about TrumpCare, the new Muslim Travel Ban, and the call to investigate wiretapping of Trump Tower. Also: “High Noon” was the 1952 Western where Gary Cooper has to face the bad guys alone, because the local townspeople are all cowards. Glenn Frankel the Pulitzer-prize winning author says it’s an allegory about the Hollywood Blacklist – and he thinks there are parallels to today. And Mark Rosenbaum is the attorney at Public Counsel who’s been on the front lines of the fight against Trump’s Muslim ban. Yesterday he argued the first case of a Dreamer they’re trying to deport, in Seattle, and he represents the Afghan family that was detained for more than 40 hours at LAX last week despite the fact that they had visas and had been vetted for entry into the country.

The Koch brothers, the GOP’s biggest donors, didn’t support Trump for president—but he’s supporting their pro-business and anti-environmental agenda now. Jane Mayer of The New Yorker explains; her book Dark Money is out now in paperback. plus: Who’s the political figure in our history most different from Donald Trump? The answer is easy: Eleanor Roosevelt. Blanche Wiesen Cook comments—the third and final volume of her biography of Eleanor is out now.

Amy Wilentz reviews recent reports that Ivanka has checked her father's worst impulses -- Amy's cover story about Ivanka appeared in The Nation last week. And John Nichols reviews Trump's first month -- and answers the question, 'What is Trump's biggest achievement thus far?'

Trump's 2/16 press conference: John Nichols of The Nation talks about the chaotic blizzard of news on Day 28. Trump was asked about the revelations that his National Security advisor Mike Flynn had talked with the Russian ambassador before Trump took office,He said “the leaks were real but the stories are fake.” John explains -- everything.

Matt Taibbi says “Trump made idiots of us all.” He covered the campaign for Rolling Stone—and his new book is "Insane Clown President." Also: suing the president: it’s not easy. But Erwin Chemerinsky has found a way to do it--under the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution. Erwin is Dean of the law school at UC Irvine.

Harold Meyerson on Trump's effort to recruit labor unions -- a "Faustian bargain" especially for the mostly-Latino Laborers Union. plus: "Dark Money and Donald Trump": Jane Mayer of The New Yorker comments on Trump's emerging ties to the Koch Brothers, despite their antagonism during the campaign. And Amy Wilentz talks about Ivanka, our de facto first lady -- what can she really do for working women?

KATHA POLLITT talks about the Women’s March last Saturday, and why it was so great — starting with the Pussy Hats. And Harold Meyerson reviews the situation in Washington –Trump’s first week has been a lively one. Harold of course is Executive Editor of The American Prospect. Also, Alan Minsky explains what’s happening with Trump and Trade after the TPP and with NAFTA after the blow-up with the Mexican president.