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Donald Trump announced Friday that he would be voting against an abortion rights ballot measure in his home state of Florida. Amy Littlefield reports on the crucial battle in the state that had been the South’s last refuge for abortion access.
Plus: Rachel Kushner talks about the informant and provacateur who infiltrates an anarchist eco-commune in rural France – the central character in her new novel, “Creation Lake.” Transcript HERE 9-5-2024
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Bibi is keeping the war in Gaza going not only for his own political survival but to help Trump defeat Kamala – Harold Meyerson comments.
Also: Trump announced Friday that he would be voting against a abortion rights ballot measure in his home state of Florida. Amy Littlefield reports on the crucial referendum in the state that had been the South’s last refuge for abortion access.
Plus: Rachel Kushner talks about an informant and provocateur who infiltrates an anarchist eco-commune in rural France—the central character in her new novel, Creation Lake. 9-5-2024
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We’ve had a series of surprises in the last several weeks, but none have been more surprising than Kamala emerging as a great candidate. Harold Meyerson explains: it’s not so much that she has changed, it’s that the Democratic Party has changed.
Also: Democracy in America is being undermined by the Electoral College, the Senate filibuster, the gerrymandering of the House, and the corruption of the Supreme Court. It’s time to write, and ratify, a new constitution: that’s what Erwin Chemerinsky says. His new book is “No Democracy Lasts Forever: How the Constitution Threatens the United States.”
Transcript HERE 8-28-2024
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With ten weeks to go until election day, we’ll look at where we’ve been in the last several weeks – most surprising: Kamala Harris emerging as a great candidate. Harold Meyerson explains that it’s not so much that Harris has changed but that the Democratic Party has.
Also: 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 draws parallels between 1920s Italy and Trump’s America.
Plus: The Warmth of Other Suns, about the great migration of Black people out of the South, has made The New York Times 100 Best Books of the Century list; from the archives, my discussion with its author, Isabel Wilkerson (originally recorded in 2010). 8-29-2024
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As the Democrats meet to celebrate Kamala, Trump seems disoriented and unsure what to do next. Nevertheless he’s holding on to 44% of the electorate. How come? Marc Cooper has our analysis.
Also: Kamala may be rising in the polls, but the Number One nonfiction bestseller in America is still “Hillbilly Elegy” by J.D. Vance. Luckily for us, Becca Rothfeld has read it, so we don’t have to. She’s nonfiction book critic for the Washington Post.
Transcript HERE 8-22-2024
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The Trump campaign – it’s not going well right now. Marc Cooper has our analysis, and advises, rather than follow the two-or-three-point difference in polling, that we should instead look at the trend lines. Also, he reminds us that at the end of July in 1988, Michael Dukakis was leading George Bush by 14 points.
It’s still August — and time for more summer beach reading. While the Democrats hold their convention in Chicago, the number one nonfiction bestseller in America is “Hillbilly Elegy” by J.D. Vance. Luckily for us, Becca Rothfeld, author of “All Things Are Too Small” and the nonfiction book critic of The Washington Post, has read it, so we don’t have to.
From the archives: The legendary Father Greg Boyle, Jesuit pastor of Dolores Mission in Boyle Heights starting in 1986, has made it his mission to help gang members who want to quit. He founded Homeboy Industries in 1988. We spoke about his wonderful book “Tattoos on the Heart: Stories of Hope and Compassion” (Originally broadcast Jan., 2012) 8-22-2024
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What is happening with the Trump campaign? He seems to be losing his grip, while Kamala gets big crowds and dominates the news. Harold Meyerson comments.
Also: Sherrod Brown is up for reelection to the Senate in Ohio, where Biden got only 45% four years ago. He explains is political philosophy, which has enabled him to win reelection twice before. (originally broadcast in 2020).
Transcript HERE 8-15-2024
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Trump mostly stays home at Mar-a-Lago while Kamala and Tim Walz meet huge crowds in the swing states. Harold Meyerson comments on the current asymmetrical state of the campaign.
Plus: Talking politics, and history, with Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown – he’s up for reelection this year, in a state where Biden got only 45%. (originally recorded in October 2020)
Also: Elon Musk has been a leader in the transition to renewable energy, and has made Twitter into a threat to democracy. He has become the face of 21st-century capitalism. David Nasaw has our analysis. (recorded in October, 2023.) 8-15-2024
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JD Vance’s remark about “childless cat ladies” who “want to make the rest of the country miserable” continues to reverberate in the news. Katha Pollitt has our analysis, and rebuts Vance’s argument that people who don’t have children don’t have a stake in the country’s future.
Also: It’s August—and that means it’s time for summer beach reading. We asked John Powers, critic at large for Fresh Air with Terry Gross, for suggestions. His pick is Antonio Scurati’s M: Son of the Century, a 750-page novel about the rise of Mussolini.
Transcript HERE 8-1-2024
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Tim Walz was a great choice for Kamala’s VP – Harold Meyerson explains – and takes up the question, what’s happening to the Trump campaign?
Also: JD Vance’s remark about “childless cat ladies” who “want to make the rest of the country miserable” continues to reverberate in the news. Katha Pollitt has our analysis, and rebuts Vance’s argument that people who don’t have children don’t have a stake in the country’s future.
Plus: Your Minnesota Moment: David Carr was a great New York Times media columnist; here he talks about his days as a drug addict in Minneapolis. His book is Night of the Gun. (originally broadcast 9/10/08) 8-1-2024
Talking about politics, thinking about the Left.
The podcast “Living in the USA” is the online version of “Living in the USA” at KPFK radio, hosted by Jon Wiener and broadcast live Thursdays at 4pm at 90.7FM in LA, also streaming live at www.kpfk.org
New episodes posted every Thursday afternoon, at livingintheusapod.com
