The Nation Podcasts

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White American Liberals, Pt 2 w/ Kevin Schultz | American Prestige May 13, 2025

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Kevin Schultz, Chair of the Department of History at the University of Illinois-Chicago, returns to the program to continue the discussion of his new book⁠ ⁠Why Everyone Hates White Liberals (Including White Liberals): A History⁠. In this second part of the discussion, Danny, Derek, and Kevin get into the origins and power of the "radical chic" and "limousine liberal" criticisms, the concept of "positive polarization" as championed by figures like Spiro Agnew, the perceived abandonment of the white working class by the Democratic Party, the role of Nixon in this political shift, the influence of Phyllis Schlafly and George Wallace, George McGovern and the "acid, amnesty, and abortion" label, Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s attempt to redefine liberalism, the transition of some Cold War liberals to neoconservatism, the Democratic Party's embrace of neoliberalism and the rise of "Atari Democrats," the cultural phenomenon of "owning the libs," the association of the professional managerial class with contemporary liberalism, and potential new political vocabularies beyond the "liberal" label, and more.

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How Crypto Corruption Took Over Washington | Time of Monsters with Jeet Heer May 11, 2025

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On this episode of The Time of Monsters, Jacob Silverman on why it’s hard to regulate the high tech ponzi economics.

Over the last few years, crypto-currency has emerged as a political powerhouse, thanks to tens of billions in campaign donations. As Jacob Silverman reports in a recent feature in The Nation, “crypto, despite being a relative flop commercially, has infiltrated American politics.” This is most bluntly obvious in Donald Trump, who has become a crypto king in corrupt schemes that have enriched him and his family in billions of dollars. But almost as corrupt are the members of congress, of both parties, reluctant to regulate crypto. I talked to Jacob about the dangers crypto poses to the American economy and to American democracy.

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US-Houthi Ceasefire, Israel's Gaza Plans, and Global Trade Tensions | American Prestige May 09, 2025

Show notes

Though Jake is absent for the week, Danny and Derek remain steadfast in their dedication to bring you news. They discuss the U.S.-Houthi ceasefire; the Israeli government's plans for Gaza; Trump’s push for a Gaza ceasefire and Saudi deal on his upcoming Middle East trip; new clashes between India and Pakistan as well as more details from Wednesday morning's strikes; the possibility of U.S.-China trade talks; the reality of a U.S.-U.K. trade deal; drone strikes on Port Sudan; peace talks in the DRC; Vladimir Putin's V-E Day ceasefire; Friedrich Merz’s chaotic chancellor election and the AfD’s potential classification as an extremist group; the European Union’s effort to poach U.S. academics; and finally, the Trump administration’s push for countries to adopt Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service.

Then, after the show, Danny and Derek speak with Trevor Beaulieu and Josh Olson about their new podcast, "White Canon."

⁠⁠Check out White Canon here!

Topics:

02:04 The US-Houthi ceasefire.

06:49 Israel's plans for Gaza.

12:46 Donald Trump's planned visit to the Persian Gulf and his goals.

16:34 Tthe new clashes between India and Pakistan.

20:21 Potential US-China trade talks.

22:41 The US-UK trade deal.

23:44 The recent Australian elections.

25:50 The RSF attacking Port Sudan.

27:59 The advancing peace talks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

30:44 Putin's VE Day ceasefire and its effectiveness.

32:51 Friedrich Merz needing a second ballot to become German chancellor.

34:37 The AFD party in Germany.

36:34 The EU's efforts related to academics.

39:17 US pushing countries to adopt Starlink.

42:30 Discussuin w/ Trevor Beaulieu and Josh Olson about their new podcast, "White Canon."

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The Roots of Elon Musk’s War On Empathy w/ Julia Carrie Wong | Tech Won't Save Us May 08, 2025

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On this episode of Tech Won't Save Us, Paris Marx is joined by Julia Carrie Wong to discuss Elon Musk’s recent opposition to empathy, how it comes out of the Christian right, and the relationship it has to previous discussions of longtermism.

Julia Carrie Wong is a features writer at The Guardian.

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Sherrod Brown: Winning Back the Working Class, plus ‘the Tide is Turning’ | Start Making Sense May 07, 2025

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After serving 18 years in the Senate, and losing last November, Sherrod Brown analyzes what it will take for Democrats to recover from the defeats of 2024, and comments on his own political future – he could run for senator or for governor in 2026.

Also on this episode: Dahlia Lithwick explains three key court cases where Trump suffered major defeats, which, she argues, are likely to have an “exponential effect” on other judges. Meanwhile we are seeing a rising tide of activism in the streets. Dahlia writes about the law and the courts for Slate and hosts the ‘Amicus’ podcast.

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White American Liberals, Pt 1 w/ Kevin Schultz | American Prestige May 06, 2025

Show notes

Kevin Schultz, Chair of the Department of History at the University of Illinois Chicago, joins the program to talk about his new book Why Everyone Hates White Liberals (Including White Liberals): A History. In this first part of the discussion, they get into liberalism’s consistent spirit yet inconsistent character, the transition from progressivism to liberalism in America in the early 20th century, FDR’s use of the word “liberal” as a sort of marketing tool, the height of the “white liberal,” William F. Buckley and the modern American conservative movement, the New Left’s opposition to “the liberal order,” the perception of white liberals in the civil rights movement, and more.

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The Secret Clubhouse for Reactionary Plutocrat | The Time of Monsters with Jeet Heer May 04, 2025

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On this episode of The Time of Monsters, Chris Lehmann joins Jeet Heer to discuss the Group Chats where billionaires scheme and moan.

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WFP Out of Food in Gaza, US and Rwanda Negotiate a Migrant Deal, National Security Advisor Waltz Reassigned | American Prestige May 02, 2025

Show notes

May Day is no more, but the world, sadly, does not revolve around the left.

On this week's news roundup: a new report on 2024 global military spending shockingly shows it has increased (2:05); the UN’s World Food Programme is out of food in Gaza (4:05), the IDF herds people into Rafah (5:55), and the PLO creates a vice presidency in anticipation of a successor to Mahmoud Abbas (8:32); in Syria, violence between security forces and Druze militias kills over 70 people (12:18); the US bombs a migrant center in Yemen (16:14) as Houthi/Ansar Allah forces continue to shoot down drones (17:58); the Iran-US nuclear talks have been postponed (19:35); there are rumblings of imminent armed conflict between India and Pakistan (21:48); Trump claims to have spoken with president of China Xi Jinping as both economies take a hit from the former’s tariffs (24:31); a court ruling may upend South Korea’s election (28:00); Nigeria sees an increase in jihadist violence (30:00); Congolese and Rwandan foreign ministers set a deadline for a peace deal (32:10); in Russia-Ukraine, Russia’s Kursk operation appears to be at its end (34:03), Trump and Zelensky meet at Pope Francis’ funeral (35:33), and the US and Ukraine finally sign a mineral deal (37:26); the Trump administration designates gangs in Haiti as terrorist groups (39:54); the Liberal Party wins Canada’s election (41:19); Donald Trump relieves Mike Waltz of duty as national security advisor, but appoints him as UN ambassador (44:03); and the US is negotiating with Rwanda so that the latter may traffick migrants on the former’s behalf (48:50).

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How Brainrot AI is Upending the Internet w/ Jason Koebler | Tech Won't Save Us May 01, 2025

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On this episode of Tech Won't Save Us, Paris Marx is joined by Jason Koebler to discuss the economy behind AI slop generation, how people are building businesses on AI-generated images, and the wider consequences of their proliferation on social media.

Jason Koebler is a cofounder of 404 Media and cohost of the 404 Media Podcast.

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From the 1950s Red Scare to Trump, Plus the Alger Hiss Case | Start Making Sense Apr 30, 2025

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Donald Trump is "the greatest threat to American universities since the Red Scare of the 1950s"—that’s what Princeton’s president Christopher Eisgruber said. Others say that what Trump is doing is worse. Beverly Gage comments – she wrote “G-Man,” the award-winning biography of J. Edgar Hoover.

Also on this episode: In 1948, Alger Hiss, a prominent New Deal Democrat, was convicted of perjury for testifying that he had not been a Soviet spy. The conventional wisdom is that he was probably guilty. Now, Jeff Kisseloff says it’s not hard to show that Hiss was innocent; the hard part is figuring out who framed him. Jeff’s new book is “Rewriting Hisstory: A Fifty-Year Journey to Uncover the Truth About Alger Hiss.”

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