Trump Watch

Adam Hochschild talks about his visit to a gun show, the NRA, the Koch brothers, and gun laws in America — his new piece, "Bang for the Buck," is in the latest issue of the New York Review of Books. Next, Trump made his first statement on Stormy Daniels today — we turn to Joshua Holland of The Nation (our Chief Stormy Correspondent) for the update. Lastly, yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — Tavis Smiley talks about his last days and his legacy.

Harold Meyerson comments on Trump's attack of Amazon, the prospect of a Trump re-election, the new model for unions after the Janus v. AFSCME case, and much more — his new article, "What Now for Unions" is out now in The American Prospect. Next, we ask Amy Wilentz, should Ivanka be indicted? She describes the "grotesque abuse of power" that is the Trump Kleptocracy. Lastly, Katha Pollitt says, it's time to "get real about Russiagate."

John Nichols with Breaking News from Wisconsin: trade policy, tech, and a victory for voting rights — you can read more in, "Scott Walker Is Ordered to Stop Blocking Special Elections," his new piece published today, in the Nation. Also today: the 10th anniversary of "Men Explain Things To Me," we hear the backstory firsthand from the author, Rebecca Solnit. Lastly, Chris Hayes on Trump, Crime and his new book, "A Colony in a Nation," out now in paperback from W. W. Norton & Company.

David Corn on Trump, Putin and his new book, "Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump." Plus: Is Disneyland really the happiest place on earth? Peter Dreier says, "Not if you work there." Dreier, Professor of Political Science at Occidental College, was part of the research team behind, "Working for the Mouse: A Survey of Disneyland Resort Employees," an Economic Roundtable report released February, 2018. Lastly, March 16, marks the 50th anniversary of the My Lai massacre; we talk with Hugh Thompson, the pilot who put an end to the killing that day fifty years ago.

The mass shooting at that high school in Parkland, Florida is still in the news, because of the brilliant political work being done by the students who survived. George Zornick analyzes the big picture: the decline of the gun industry, the growth in popular support for an assault weapons ban, and campaigns to shame companies that support the NRA and haven't divested from gun manufacturers. Plus: Last week the supreme court heard a case that could cripple public-sector unions, some of the last strong unions in America. Jane McAlevey talks about Janus v. AFSCME and what the unions need to do to recover the ground they have lost.

Amazon is a radically new kind of monopoly that seeks to control all of online commerce. Stacy Mitchell says it’s time for anti-trust action to separate the Amazon Marketplace from Amazon’s own retail operations. Also: Why have wages stagnated since the seventies? Bryce Covert says one reason is the mandatory noncompete and no-poaching agreements that prevent low-wage workers from taking better-paying jobs. California, Oklahoma and North Dakota have made them unenforceable; the rest of the states should do the same.

Senator Elizabeth Warren wants to make the fight against monopoly power in America a key part of the Democrats’ agenda; George Zornick reports on his interview with her for the magazine’s special issue on the topic. Also, Warren Buffett’s secret: “The sage of Omaha” is America’s favorite tycoon. He supported Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for president; even Bernie Sanders has praised his unselfishness. But David Dayen says Warren Buffett’s wealth has actually been built on monopoly power—and the unfair advantages it provides.

Here comes the next financial crisis: maybe not this week, but eventually—and Republican deregulation, undermining the institutions designed to protect us, will make it much worse. Nomi Prins explains. Plus: Remember when Trump said we should get fewer immigrants from “shithole countries,” and more from places like Norway? Ann Jones lived in Norway for four years; she explains what Norwegians might bring to the US if they did come: a commitment to equality in health care, education, and a dozen other necessities.

Gary Younge traveled from Maine to Mississippi interviewing Trump’s white working-class supporters. He found anxiety, pain, and a loss of hope. For many, he concludes, “Whiteness is all they’ve got.” Plus, Amy Wilentz talks about Ivana Trump’s new memoir, ‘Raising Trump’—stories about Don Jr., Ivanka, and little Eric, and their mom and dad. It’s like a reality show about “Real Housewives of Trump Tower.”

Trump’s not on the ballot this year, but that’s not stopping Democratic women from running against him in races across the country. John Nichols reports on recent Democratic victories where female candidates in special elections in state races flipped formerly Republican seats—they show how to do it in the mid-term elections in November. Also: Fortress America is crumbling—the rise of China started long before Trump, but he’s alienated allies and abandoned alliances in a way that may now make the process irreversible. Alfred McCoy explains.

Since Trump took office a year ago, Katha Pollitt says, women have been unleashing decades of pent-up anger: starting with the Women’s March, then in some amazing political victories, and in the #MeToo movement. But Trump has also shown how terrible the loss of the White House has been. Also: David Bromwich says there are no surprises with Trump: he’s been the same for decades, a “wounded monster” with a history of racism and a contempt for people he considers “losers.” But defeating him requires more than an issue—it has to be a cause.

Trump has targeted California, the biggest blue state, with his tax and immigration policies, but the state has been resisting—and some vulnerable Republican House members have been withdrawing from their reelection races. Harold Meyerson of The American Prospect comments. Plus: Father Greg Boyle of Los Angeles talks about his amazing work with former gang members—he’s the founder and head of Homeboy Industries, the biggest and best job training and reentry program in America for previously incarcerated men and women. His new book is Barking to the Choir.

Historian Linda Gordon talks about the KKK of the 1920s, and the arrest of Fred Trump, father of the president, at a Klan march in New York City in 1927. her new book is "The Second Coming of the KKK." Also, historian Nancy MacLean talks about the roots of the right's stealth plan for America, a bringing together of libertarian economic theory and segregationist opposition to civil rights. Her new book is "Democracy in Chains" - it was named the "most valuable political book of 2017" on The Nation's progressive honor roll.

Our year-in-review show starts with Katha Pollitt on #MeToo, from Bill O'Reilly to Al Franken. Katha of course is a columnist for The Nation. Also: Alabama was the state with the most remarkable political year. Howell Raines, the legendary Alabama journalist, reviews the year, starting with Jeff Sessions's appointment as attorney general and ending with his replacement by the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Alabama in 30 years.

Gary Younge traveled from Maine to Mississippi interviewing Trump’s white working-class supporters. He found anxiety, pain, and a loss of hope. For many, he concludes, “Whiteness is all they’ve got.” Plus, Amy Wilentz talks about Ivana Trump’s new memoir, 'Raising Trump'—stories about Don Jr., Ivanka, and little Eric, and their mom and dad. It’s like a reality show about “Real Housewives of Trump Tower.”

For our year-in-review show, we turn to John Nichols, The Nation magazine's National Affairs Correspondent, who highlights the Resistance in 2017. His Progressive Honor Roll for the year appears at TheNation.com.

Two ways to interview a Nazi: on the one hand, The New York Times recently did a profile of “the Nazi next door,” portraying him as an ordinary guy; on the other, Gary Younge confronted Richard Spencer, America’s leading white supremacist, on video. With Gary’s help, we compare and contrast the two approaches.

Jane Mayer of The New Yorker reports on Mike Pence's family, his life, and his lifelong ambition to be president.

"Raising Trump" is Ivana's new book about Don Jr., Ivanka, Jared and little Eric—Amy Wilentz says it's not your typical child-raising advice book. Plus: The GOP tax bill in the Senate: Harold Meyerson brings us the bad news. And historian Linda Gordon on the arrest of Fred Trump (Donald Trump's Father) at a KKK rally in 1927, and, her new book: "The Second Coming of the KKK: The Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s and the American Political Tradition”

The legendary journalist Howell Raines reports from Alabama on the continuing Republican support for Roy Moore, the Senate candidate accused of molesting a 14-year-old and sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl. Meanwhile, his Democratic opponent, the heroic civil-rights attorney Doug Jones, is running “the most vigorous Democratic campaign that’s been waged in Alabama in at least 30 years.” Also, Trump and the bomb: We’re hoping the generals keep him from doing anything crazy, like starting a nuclear war with North Korea—but the system is set up to give the president control over nuclear weapons, rather than the military. Adam Shatz explains--he wrote about Trump and the bomb for the London Review of Books.