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John Nichols considers the arguments made by Trump’s lawyers, and by Republican Senators, that Trump is not guilty of inciting the insurrection of January 6, that he did not incite his followers to storm the capitol and attempt to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden as the winner of the electoral college. Also: the implications of finding Trump not guilty.
Plus: we take a step back from this week’s politics and look forward to 2022 and future elections—the Democrats’ victories in Georgia were a decade in the making can we do it again in another Republican state? Steve Phillips says “Texas is next.”   2-10-21

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Eight hundred people stormed the Capitol building on January 6, but fewer than 200 have been charged with crimes. Why so few? Elie Mystal, The Nation’s Justice correspondent, says every one of the 800 committed crimes that day and should be prosecuted.
Also: For Black History Month, Gary Younge talks about Barack Obama and his memoir A Promised Land—and the refusal of many liberals to critique his policies and decisions.
Finally: we remember Rennie Davis–he died on Feb. 2.
2-3-2020

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The national death toll from covid-19 will reach half a million next month, and new strains of the virus are threatening.  Joe Biden has called for what he calls “full-scale wartime effort,” including $350 million in direct funding, and now he’s aiming for 150 million vaccine doses in is first 100 days.  Gregg Gonsalves comments on what Biden and Congress need to do now.
Also: Faced by the pandemic and economic collapse, Biden knows he has to work harder and faster than any president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt – he doesn’t have a hundred days to launch his initiatives – he’s got to set the tone in ten.  John Nichols comments on what Biden has accomplished in his first week – and what his next priorities ought to be. 1-28-2021

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Biden’s inauguration marked a triumph of hope over fear, says Joan Walsh. First we celebrate, and then we go to work debating what is possible and what is necessary—all the things that real people really need. The next four years will bring progressives some political frustration and some disappointments, but that will be so much better than what we’ve had for the last four years.
Plus: In Joe Biden’s first speech as president-elect, he promised Black America that he would have their backs. Now he needs to take prompt action to fulfill that pledge. Barbara Ransby comments—she’s a historian, writer, and longtime political activist, a distinguished professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, best known for her award-winning biography Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement.
Also, Gary Younge, the award-winning former columnist for The Guardian and member of The Nation‘s editorial board, comments on the insurrectionists of January 6. They failed to stop Congress from certifying Biden as the winner of the election—so what WAS the plan? And what IS their future? 1-20-2021

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As the House moves to impeach Trump—a second time—for “incitement of insurrection,” Republican support for Trump is wavering. John Nichols comments on the historic moment that is at hand.
Also: Biden’s first 100 days begin January 20, and his first acts should include an executive order cancelling student debt—that’s what Astra Taylor says, she’s co-founder of the Debt Collective and has published widely. Other forms of debt cancellation can follow—medical debt, consumer debt, the coming bills for deferred rent and mortgage payments.
Plus: the PGA is cancelling their longstanding plans to hold the U.S. Open at Trump’s Bedminster golf course in New Jersey. The New York Times reports he is more devastated by this than by impeachment. The legendary sportswriter Robert Lipsyte comments on Trump and golf. (This segment originally broadcast in August, 2017).  1-14-2021