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The National Guard, still in DC, bolstered by units from southern Red states, remains overwhelmingly unpopular, especially ICE’s deportation efforts – Harold Meyerson reports.

Also: In The Nation’s interview with Zohran Mamdani, he talks how he won the New York City Democratic primary for mayor, by addressing the city’s affordability crisis—and what the Democrats can learn from his victory. Katrina vanden Heuvel and John Nichols, who conducted the interview, introduce our excerpts and set the stage.

Plus: In WWII, Denmark rescued a larger proportion of their Jewish population than any other country – 95%. How they did it suggests how we can resist Trump’s attacks on undocumented residents. Sarah Sophie Flicker explains – she’s an organizer who’s a co-founder of the Women’s March on Washington.  8-22-2025

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Report from Washington D.C. – where Trump has deployed the National Guard, ICE and FBI agents. He has also federalized the D.C. Police Department​ – this requires them to cooperate with ICE. These operations contrast with Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in LA, which, has a “different political topology”– Harold Meyerson comments.

Also: Donald Trump is demanding that UCLA pay a $1 billion fine for antisemitism on campus – in addition to the $584 million in cuts to medical and scientific research already imposed by his administration. But one Billion? Why not one Trillon? David Myers will comment – He’s a distinguished professor at UCLA who teaches Jewish history.

Plus: From the Archives: Adam Hochschild on guns in Trump’s America after the Parkland shootings. He talks about armed militias, about the law in Iowa that permits the carrying of loaded guns in public by people who are blind, and about why the Koch Brothers are major funders of the NRA—even though they are not especially enthusiastic about guns. (Originally recorded April 20, 2018.) 8-15-2025

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Trump’s scheme to maintain control in the House in the midterms? Eliminate Democratic seats in Texas by redistricting. Texas House Democrats have responded by fleeing the state to block the necessary quorum on the proposed district map – now, the FBI might be deployed to arrest those Democrats; but, for what crime? Harold Meyerson comments.

Also: Robert Reich says the origin of our troubles with Trump and MAGA go back to the sixties; he says it started with the sixties movements – which created “a giant political void that would eventually be filled by Donald Trump’s angry, bigoted cultural populism.” His new memoir is “Coming Up Short.”

Plus: “From Dictatorship to Democracy” by Gene Sharp, the world’s top scholar on peaceful protest, seems to be all about Trump but was published a decade before Trump appeared on the scene. For example: “Dictatorships are never as strong as they think they are. And people are never as weak as they think they are” – the book is our thank you gift for donations during today’s KPFK fund drive – Alan Minsky comments.  8-8-2025

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Six million Democrats who voted for Joe Biden in 2020 did not vote in 2024. What’s wrong with them? Pollster and strategist Celinda Lake explains who they are, and what it would take to get them back to the polls in the 2026 midterms – and in 2028.

Also: a suggestion for summer reading: M: Son of the Century is a 750-page historical novel about the rise of Mussolini, by Antonio Scurati. John Powers, critic-at-large for NPR’s Fresh Air, says the book suggests some parallels between 1920s Italy and Trump’s America. The book is out now in paperback.

Plus: “In my home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration.” – Bruce Springsteen, May 14, 2025, during his European tour – Alan Minsky comments.  8-1-2025

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There’s trouble in Trump world: Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, is launching a Third Party to challenge Trump’s Republicans in the midterms and maybe in 2028. Maurice Mitchell, national director of the Working Families Party, explains why Musk will fail – and how Mamdani succeeded at winning the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City.

Also: How does a movement build support when large parts of the country are opposed to its goals? How do you connect with people who disagree with you?  For some answers, we’ll turn to longtime organizer Michael Ansara. His new book is The Hard Work of Hope.  7-25-2025