Elon Musk’s First Political Contributions of 2025; plus The History of Culture Wars

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The first big election of 2025 will be in Wisconsin, which elects a new Supreme Court Justice on April 1. Elon Musk is spending hundreds of millions in that race. That’s both a threat, and an opportunity for Democrats. On this episode of Start Making Sense, John Nichols will comment.

Also: How did we end up with Trump back in the White House? We got here in part because Republicans built a movement over several decades centered on what are called “the culture wars.” But there’s a long history behind the culture wars, going back at least a century to the Scopes Trial, in 1925, about teaching evolution. It’s still an issue today. Adam Hochschild is on the show to explain.

Transcript HERE   2-18-2025

How the Courts Can Stop Trump

The former national legal director of the ACLU analyzes recent efforts to block the president’s executive orders. 

Dozens of lawsuits have been filed to block Trump’s executive orders, and he has lost virtually every case thus far. Courts have enjoined his freezing of funds, enjoined his efforts to shut down USAID, enjoined his efforts to buy off government officials by paying them till September to do nothing, enjoined his orders barring transgender women from being put in women’s prisons for their safety, enjoined his effort to overturn birthright citizenship. Basically, the courts are doing their job—thus far. But what if he defies them? Or what if the Supreme Court reverses all the lower court actions? We asked David Cole, who recently stepped down as National Legal Director of the ACLU to return to teaching law at Georgetown. He writes for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The New York Review of Books, and he’s legal affairs correspondent for The Nation.

… continued at The Nation, HERE 2-18-2025

Churches against Trump: Harold Meyerson; The courts and the resistance: David Cole

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Churches are coming together to fight Trump – the lawsuit filed challenges ICE raids in places of worship on First Amendment Freedom of Religion grounds. Also, what does it tell us that both Lisa Murkowsi and Susan Collins voted ‘Yes’ for two terrible Trump nominees (Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr.) when they didn’t have to? Harold Meyerson comments.

Plus: Trump has lost a series of major legal battles in the last week, where courts have ruled that key executive orders of his are unconstitutional. But what happens if Trump defies the courts? David Cole comments—he recently stepped down as national legal director of the ACLU to return to teaching law at Georgetown University.  2-14-2025

The Courts v. Trump and Musk

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Trump has lost a series of major legal battles in the last week, where courts have ruled that key executive orders of his are unconstitutional. But what happens if Trump defies the courts? David Cole comments—he recently stepped down as national legal director of the ACLU to return to teaching law at Georgetown University.

Also: “One of the most important lawsuits in the history of the United States” (The American Prospect): the suit brought by Public Citizen to stop Elon Musk’s attempted takeover of the Treasury Department’s payment system. Robert Weissman explains—he’s co-president of Public Citizen.  Transcript HERE   2-12-2025

Trump vs The rest of us: Harold Meyerson; grassroots action: Leah Greenberg

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The Democrats have become more active in trying to stop the worst of Trump – and Musk – Harold Meyerson of The American Prospect comments on Senate and House leaders – and on the recent administration attacks on the NLRB.

Also: Trump’s strategy of flooding the zone with executive actions is intended to paralyze the opposition. But there’s lots of grassroots mobilization underway right now, and one of the biggest organizers of that mobilization is Indivisible. Leah Greenberg will explain the group’s strategy and tactics — and this week’s work assignments — to get four Republicans to vote “No” on Trump’s terrible nominees. Leah is one of the co-founders and co-executive directors of Indivisible.  2-7-2025

Mobilizing Against Trump in Week 3: Rebecca Solnit and Leah Greenberg

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Understanding our power: “If you’re always consumed by the next outrage, you can’t look closely at the last one.” (Ezra Klein) Last week, Trump tried to stop payment of all federal grants and assistance. But people rose up in protest, and within a day Trump rescinded the entire effort. How did we do it? What does that tell us about him–and about our power? Rebecca Solnit comments – her new blog is “Meditations in an Emergency.”

Also: Trump’s strategy of flooding the zone with executive actions is intended to paralyze the opposition. But there’s lots of grassroots mobilization underway right now, and one of the biggest organizers of that mobilization is Indivisible. Leah Greenberg will explain the group’s strategy and tactics — and this week’s work assignments — to get four Republicans to vote “No” on Trump’s four terrible nominees. Leah is one of the co-founders and co-executive directors of Indivisible.

Transcript HERE   2-5-2025

Chris Hayes on the Fight for Our Attention

In this interview, the MSNBC host discusses Trump’s mastery of our age of attention, and his new book, The Sirens’ Call. 

Chris Hayes was The Nation’s Washington editor from 2007 to 2011. He started out writing for the Chicago Reader, then In These Times. He went from The Nation to MSNBC, and became host of All In with Chris Hayes, which won an Emmy. His new book is The Sirens’ Call: How Attention Became the World’s Most Endangered Resource. This interview has been edited and condensed—read the full transcript here.

Jon Wiener: I have a friend who refuses to watch Trump on TV. Why not? “Because,” he says, “Your attention is the most valuable thing you have.” In your new book you describe your own struggle to pay attention to what is most valuable—especially in the morning, when you sit on the couch…

Chris Hayes: “In the morning, I sit on the couch with my precious younger daughter. She’s six years old, and her sweet soft breath is on my cheek as she cuddles up with a book asking me to read to her before we walk to school. Her attention is uncorrupted and pure…

… continued at The Nation, HERE 1-3-2025

 

Chris Hayes: How Trump Wins the Battle for Attention

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Our attention is limited. That makes it valuable, Chis Hayes says– not just to us, but to those who’d like to exploit it. Chris’s new book is The Sirens’ Call: How Attention Became the World’s Most Endangered Resource; before he became host of “All in with Chris Hayes” on MSNBC, he was The Nation’s Washington Correspondent.

Also: Your Minnesota Moment: officials in sanctuary cities and counties in Minnesota face threats from the Trump administration. Host Jon Wiener explains the threats to undocumented residents from Stephen Miller, and the response from Minnesota’s Attorney General Keith Ellison.

Transcript HERE   1-31-2025

Triumph over Trump: John Nichols; Paying Attention: Chris Hayes; Sanctuary in Minnesota

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This week’s popular outrage over Trump’s stopping funding of all social programs forced him to throw in the towel after just a few hours – demonstrating how weak he is, and how powerful the opposition can be. John Nichols comments.

Also: The battle to get us to pay attention: Chris Hayes explains–His new book is “The Siren’s Call.”

Plus: Your Minnesota Moment – Trump attacks small town sanctuaries for undocumented residents.  1-31-2025

How We Got Here, plus Thanking the Undocumented

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How Trump ‘won’: In 2024, 244 million Americans were eligible to vote. 31.5% voted for Trump, 30.6 % voted for Harris, 38% did not vote. Trump won the same share of the eligible voters as he did four years ago (32%), But Harris’s share of eligible voters fell by 3.5 points compared to Biden. Why did 7 million Democratic voters stay home? Harold Meyerson has our analysis—he’s editor-at-large of The American Prospect.

Also: now that Trump is preparing to round up and deport undocumented residents, we want to thank them for everything they’ve done to make America good. It’s a sentiment they don’t hear nearly enough—especially the “unaccompanied minors,” who have “shown more bravery in their young lives than anyone in Trump’s administration could ever dream of.” Gustavo Arellano will explain—he’s a columnist for the LA Times whose father came to the US in the 1960s in the trunk of a Chevy.  Transcript HERE   1-22-2025