Could Donald Trump Ban Muslims? TheNation podcast 6/23

If he were president, could Donald Trump really ban Muslims from entering the country?  Sasha Abramsky says the answer is simple: yes.

Also: the People’s Summit brought organizers and activists to Chicago last weekend for three days of planning about where to go next with the Bernie movement—at the Democratic National Convention, and after. RoseAnn DeMoro, executive director of National Nurses United, weighs in.

Plus: lessons for the left from the NRA in the wake of the Orlando shootings: David Cole, The Nation’s legal affairs correspondent, argues that gun control advocates can win if they focus on state laws rather than Supreme Court challenges. His new book is Engines of Liberty.

 

Life and Death in Gay Orlando: The Nation podcast 6/16

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Orlando has long been one of the most gay-friendly cities in the South—and still is, says Nadine Smith of Equality Florida. If people want to help, there’s a GoFundMe campaign to aid families and survivors.

Also: Bernie Sanders won the war of ideas in the Democratic party—what does that mean for Hillary Clinton now? Harold Meyerson comments.

And historian Adam Hochschild talks about the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, made up of American leftists who fought the fascists in the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s. His new book is Spain in Our Hearts.

New Tasks for the Bernie Movement in California KPFK 6/15

Bernie’s movement in California should challenge the big money behind “moderate Democrats” in the state legislature, HAROLD MEYERSON argues.

Also: TOM LUTZ has been travelling – he talked politics in Jordan, and observed the Chinese army in Tibet – we’ll talk about his new book is Drinking Mare’s Milk on the Roof of the World. (book event Friday 7pm at Chevalier’s on Larchmont Blvd.)

Plus: politics isn’t everything – there’s also movies.  we don’t have to talk about Donald Trump all the time – we can also talk with JOHN POWERS about Wong Kar Wai, the great Hong Kong filmmaker—their new book is WKW: The Cinema of Wong Kar Wai.

What Happened in California? The Nation podcast 6/9

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Everything you need to know about the California primary, where Hillary got 56% and Bernie 43%—John Nichols explains it all to producer Alan Minsky.
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Also: Andrew Cockburn of Harper’s Magazine explains how Obama’s drone “kill list” is approved—and what happens after.
Andrew’s book Kill Chain: Drones and the Rise of High-Tech Assassins is out now in paperback.

And: because politics isn’t everything, we talked about the great Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar Wai with John Powers—the films include “In the Mood for Love” and the cult favorite “Chunking Express.”
John is critic at large on Fresh Air with Terry Gross–his book WKW: The Cinema of Wong Kar Wai is out now.

Does Bernie’s Movement Have a Future? The Nation podcast 6/2

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B
ernie Sanders’s campaign rallies in California have brought out more than 100,000 people—many of whom think he can win the state’s primary next week.  Nicky Woolf of Guardian US has been following the campaign; he thinks they may be right.

Also: Elizabeth Warren seems to be Donald Trump’s most effective critic—and she seems to enjoy the work.  Margaret Talbot of The New Yorker comments.

Plus: Can the millions of Bernie supporters become a long-lasting force in American politics?  D.D. Guttenplan examines four efforts to organize progressives for the years after November 2016.

 

Can Bernie Win California? KPFK 6/1

Many of Bernie’s supporters think he can win the California primary next Tuesday.  Could they be right?  Harold Meyerson of The American Prospect comments.

Plus: Most “independent” voters in fact have long-standing ties to one party or the other—very few swing from one party to the other between elections. Joshua Holland of The Nation has the facts.

Also: The Somali terrorism trial in Minneapolis ended today—three men in their twenties accused of conspiracy to commit murder outside of the US and providing material support for a terrorist organization. Matt Pearce of the LA Times reports on the surprising Somali community in Minneapolis.