The Nation Podcasts

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Bonus - How the British Empire Lost America w/ Andrew Shankman / American Prestige Jul 06, 2026

Show notes

Danny and Derek are joined by historian Andrew Shankman to talk about the road to US independence from Great Britain. They discuss differences between Spanish and British colonization strategies, the intellectual and philosophical origins of the American Revolution, the Stamp Act crisis, distinctions in racial conceptions between the American colonies and the West Indies, key revolutionary figures, the early American republic, the unique economic situation of Boston and Massachusetts, and post-revolution relations with Britain and indigenous peoples.

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The RAM Crisis is Coming for All Your Tech w/ Chris Person / Tech Won't Save Us Jul 02, 2026

Show notes

Public ire toward AI keeps growing as the data center boom continues to hit people’s pockets. Chris Person joins Paris Marx to discuss the soaring cost of consumer electronics, including why prices are unlikely to fall anytime soon, and how people can experiment with homespun cyberpunk tech.

Chris Person is a co-founder of Aftermath and makes Highlight Reel.

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The History of Iran’s Nuclear Program w/ Sina Azodi / American Prestige Jul 01, 2026

Show notes

Sina Azodi, assistant professor of Middle East politics and director of the Middle East Studies program at George Washington University, returns to the show to talk about Iran’s nuclear program. The group discusses the Shah’s nuclear agenda, Atoms for Peace, Iran’s signing of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, how the Iran-Iraq War influenced Iran’s nuclear policy, missed opportunities for diplomacy after 9/11, Trump’s withdrawal from the JCPOA and why Biden didn’t revive the deal, and the recent war with Iran.

Grab a copy of Sina’s book Iran and the Bomb: The United States, Iran, and the Nuclear Question.

And contribute to ⁠GiveDirectly's campaign to help survivors of the earthquake in Venezuela⁠.

Note: In lieu of a news episode this week, we will be posting an interview relevant to the holiday.

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What Trump Lost–and Won–with the Supremes; plus Haitians after TPS / Start Making Sense Jul 01, 2026

Show notes

Trump biggest losses in the Supreme Court rulings announced this week were on birthright citizenship—widely anticipated—and the voting rights case where the majority ruled states could count ballots mailed but not received by election day. His biggest win was abolishing independent agencies except for the Federal Reserve. David Cole has our analysis—he’s the former legal director of the ACLU.

Also: The Court ended Temporary Protected Status, TPS, for Haitians (and others), but that does not mean deportations will begin immediately. Instead most of those with TPS will be given an opportunity to contest a deportation order or apply for remaining on a different basis. Amy Wilentz comments on the current responses in New York City, Miami, Springfield, Ohio, and in Congress.

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For the Union Makes Us Strong w/ Sara Nelson / Fighting Fascism Jun 29, 2026

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Sara Nelson is the President of the Association of Flight Attendants, and one of the most badass leaders in the labor movement today. But that doesn’t mean we don’t conduct a hard-hitting, critical interview of her. Well, actually, that’s exactly what it means. Hear Sara lay out the challenges and opportunities that unions face right now, and the role of organized labor in fighting fascism. And hear us just kinda fan-boy nod along to everything she says!

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The Triumph of Mamdani and the DSA w/ Ross Barkan / The Time of Monsters with Jeet Heer Jun 29, 2026

Show notes

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani had a very good night on Tuesday: a slate of candidates he endorsed won in Democratic primaries in both state and congressional races. This victory was shared by the Democratic Socialists of America, which is now clearly replacing the old political machines in its ability to get out the vote. Ross Barkan wrote about these elections for The Nation and joins the podcast to tell the story of the rising left in urban America.

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Iran Talks Advance, Starmer Resigns, Israel Targets Children in Gaza / American Prestige Jun 26, 2026

Show notes

Danny and Derek’s promised ring ceremony regrettably must be relocated from MSG due to a scheduling conflict. In this week’s news: The Iran negotiations show signs of progress (1:26) despite disputes over the agreement (5:20), plus conflicting reports over the status of the Strait of Hormuz* (9:24); Lebanon sees a reduction in fighting and another round of talks (12:31); in Gaza, Israel is targeting children (15:38), plus a Board of Peace update (16:48); Keir Starmer resigns as PM of the UK (18:40); the DPRK/North Korea appears to be back on Trump’s radar (21:18); a battle over El Obeid, Sudan, still looms (22:53); Trump is again angry with NATO and has a spat with Italian PM Meloni (25:07); in Russia-Ukraine, an update on the war (27:40), Poland strips Zelenskyy of an award (30:21), and the Russians are again displeased with Trump (32:40); election updates in Colombia (34:25), Peru (36:08), and Ethiopia (37:27); and Trump unveils the new Air Force One (39:23).

*After the time of recording, the initiative to rescue stranded ships in the Strait of Hormuz was paused due to a vessel being attacked.

Check out the replay of Wednesday’s livestream.

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Data Center Opposition Is Uniting Communities w/ Saul Levin / Tech Won't Save Us Jun 25, 2026

Show notes

As tech companies race to build hyperscale data centers, communities are coming together to push back. Saul Levin joins Paris Marx to discuss how rising opposition to data center construction is uniting people across party lines and prompting broader conversations around what infrastructure people want instead.

Saul Levin is a community organizer and host of The Hum.

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How Zionism Failed w/ Omer Bartov / American Prestige Jun 24, 2026

Show notes

Omer Bartov, Dean’s Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University, joins the program to talk about Zionism’s transformation from an emancipation movement into a form of ethno-nationalism. They delve into Zionism’s formation alongside European colonialism, how settler encroachment influenced Palestinian nationalism, comparisons with European settler colonialism, whether Zionism’s “wrong turn” was in the formation of the State of Israel itself, the meaning of “never again,” how the historical memory of the Holocaust is used to justify Israeli expansion, Israel’s lack of a constitution, and liberal Zionism in the United States.

Be sure to get a copy of Omer’s book Israel: What Went Wrong?

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Norm Eisen: Fighting Trump’s Threats to Voting; plus Protest Success Stories / Start Making Sense Jun 24, 2026

Show notes

Election protection: defending Ohio’s biggest voter registration group, and blocking Trump’s attacks on voting by mail: Norm Eisen, co-counsel on the first Trump impeachment, comments.

Also: how protest pushed ICE to abandon most of its warehouse detention center plans, and pressured Georgia Republicans to abandon their redistricting plans – John Nichols explains.

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