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.

Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign fundraising event in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, on July 27, 2024.

How Kamala Can Win, and Homeless Vets Sue the VA How Kamala Can Win, and Homeless Vets Sue the VA

On this episode of Start Making Sense, Steve Phillips analyzes changes in the electorate and Mark Rosenbaum talks about the class action suit in LA.

Jul 31, 2024 / Podcast / Jon Wiener

Vice President Kamala Harris campaigns for president as the presumptive Democratic candidate during an event, on July 23, 2024, in West Allis, Wisconsin.

Kamala and America; plus the Fight for Arizona Kamala and America; plus the Fight for Arizona

On this episode of Start Making Sense, John Nichols examines the tasks facing the Democrats, and Sasha Abramsky reports on politics in the swing state of Arizona.

Jul 24, 2024 / Podcast / Jon Wiener

Delegates wave Trump signs as the Republican National Convention opens at the Fiserv Forum, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Monday, July 15, 2024.

Politics After the Assassination Attempt Politics After the Assassination Attempt

On this episode of Start Making Sense, Harold Meyerson analyzes the Trump campaign as their convention begins, and Joan Walsh reports on Kamala Harris as a potential presidential ...

Jul 17, 2024 / Podcast / Jon Wiener

Our Failing President, and Our Right-Wing Court

Our Failing President, and Our Right-Wing Court Our Failing President, and Our Right-Wing Court

On this episode of Start Making Sense, John Nichols on Biden, and David Cole on the court’s big 6-3 decisions.

Jul 10, 2024 / Podcast / Jon Wiener

President Joe Biden participates in the CNN Presidential Debate at the CNN Studios on June 27, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia.

What Is to Be Done About Joe Biden? What Is to Be Done About Joe Biden?

On this episode of  Start Making Sense, Marc Cooper and Harold Meyerson argue the case for a new candidate and review the risks.

Jul 3, 2024 / Podcast / Jon Wiener

Voters leaning over voting booths in front of an American flag mural.

White Voters and Joe Biden; Harriet Tubman and History White Voters and Joe Biden; Harriet Tubman and History

On this episode of Start Making Sense, Steve Phillips critiques Democratic campaign strategy, and Tiya Miles talks about her new book, Night Flyer.

Jun 26, 2024 / Podcast / Jon Wiener

How the 1960s Ended—and the Unending War in Gaza

How the 1960s Ended—and the Unending War in Gaza How the 1960s Ended—and the Unending War in Gaza

On this episode of Start Making Sense, Francine Prose talks about her memoir 1974, and Hussein Ibish explains why neither Hamas nor Israel want a cease-fire.

Jun 19, 2024 / Podcast / Jon Wiener

House Progressives vs. AIPAC, and State Constitutions Protecting Rights

House Progressives vs. AIPAC, and State Constitutions Protecting Rights House Progressives vs. AIPAC, and State Constitutions Protecting Rights

On this episode of Start Making Sense, Alan Minsky on the campaign to defeat Jamaal Bowman, and Eyal Press on state Constitutions expanding rights missing from the US constitution...

Jun 12, 2024 / Podcast / Jon Wiener

Former president Donald Trump enters a news conference at Trump Tower following the verdict in his hush-money trial at Trump Tower, on May 31, 2024, in New York City.

The Trump Verdict and the Pundits—Plus, Trump and Women Now The Trump Verdict and the Pundits—Plus, Trump and Women Now

On this episode of Start Making Sense, Marc Cooper critiques the conventional wisdom, and Katha Pollitt comments on female voters.

Jun 5, 2024 / Podcast / Jon Wiener

Pro-Palestinian Protesters Holds Gather For Another Protest On University Of Texas Campus

Gaza Protest and Free Speech, Plus Biden’s Haiti Gala Gaza Protest and Free Speech, Plus Biden’s Haiti Gala

On this episode of Start Making Sense, Ben Wizner on campus arrests, and Amy Wilentz on the White House state dinner.

May 29, 2024 / Podcast / Jon Wiener

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