Start Making Sense

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Start Making Sense is The Nation’s flagship weekly podcast, hosted by contributing editor Jon Wiener, featuring the magazine’s writers and editors as well as activists who shape the week in news. Subscribe at Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts, for new episodes each Wednesday.

Mosque

How Mosques Became FBI Targets After 9/11 How Mosques Became FBI Targets After 9/11

Ahilan Arulanantham on state secrets, plus Amy Wilentz on The Chair.

Sep 16, 2021 / Podcast / Start Making Sense and Jon Wiener

Texas abortion law

Abortion Politics and Republican Power Abortion Politics and Republican Power

Rick Perlstein on the Texas law, plus Eric Foner on Tulsa.

Sep 9, 2021 / Podcast / Start Making Sense and Jon Wiener

Biden Afghanistan speech

Will the Afghanistan Withdrawal Hurt Biden? Will the Afghanistan Withdrawal Hurt Biden?

John Nichols doesn’t think so. Plus Adam Shatz on William Gardner Smith’s Parisian years.

Sep 2, 2021 / Podcast / Start Making Sense and Jon Wiener

Afghan woman refugee

What America Owes Afghan Women: Katha Pollitt What America Owes Afghan Women: Katha Pollitt

Plus Eric Foner on Black politics and history.

Aug 26, 2021 / Podcast / Start Making Sense and Jon Wiener

Talban in Herat

Andrew Bacevich: The Taliban’s Triumph Andrew Bacevich: The Taliban’s Triumph

Plus John Powers on Dick Gregory.

Aug 19, 2021 / Podcast / Start Making Sense and Jon Wiener

Trump rally

Trump: the Big Loser on the Infrastructure Bill Trump: the Big Loser on the Infrastructure Bill

Joan Walsh on the GOP, and Anne Sebba on Ethel Rosenberg.

Aug 12, 2021 / Podcast / Start Making Sense and Jon Wiener

Capitol building

The Democrats Made Miserable Concessions on Their Infrastructure Bill The Democrats Made Miserable Concessions on Their Infrastructure Bill

John Nichols on “bipartisanship,” plus Art Spiegelman on Street Cop.

Aug 5, 2021 / Podcast / Start Making Sense and Jon Wiener

Joe Biden speaks at Mack Truck Lehigh Valley Operations

The Delta Variant: What Joe Biden Needs to Do Now The Delta Variant: What Joe Biden Needs to Do Now

Gregg Gonsalves on the pandemic, plus John Powers on Summer of Soul.

Jul 29, 2021 / Podcast / Start Making Sense and Jon Wiener

Bernie Sanders

Bernie’s Big Deal Bernie’s Big Deal

John Nichols on the budget, plus Francine Prose on Ethel Rosenberg.

Jul 22, 2021 / Podcast / Start Making Sense and Jon Wiener

Biden and Putin

Rethinking Global Security: Katrina vanden Heuvel Rethinking Global Security: Katrina vanden Heuvel

World politics after the Biden-Putin Summit: Katrina vanden Heuvel argues that we need to rethink what real security means, and that it can’t mean a new cold war but joint ac…

Jul 15, 2021 / Podcast

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