Trump Watch

Republicans forced Wisconsin to go ahead with an election on Tuesday, despite the coronavirus, after rejecting the proposals to extend voting by mail. John Nichols reports -- he says it's a frightening example of what they will try to do in November to reduce the Democratic vote. Also: The Cold War was fought in many ways: it was a traditional political and military confrontation, but it was also a cultural contest, on a global scale – and one of the most important arenas in the cultural contest was sports. historian Robert Edelman explains: he’s co-editor of the new book The Whole World Was Watching: Sport in the Cold War." Plus: Nation columnist Laila Lalami talks about her novel “The Other Americans." it’s about the suspicious death of a Moroccan immigrant in a small town in California. It’s a family saga, a murder mystery, and a love story. And it’s out now in paperback.

Harold Meyerson reports that Republicans in the Senate voted against expanded unemployment benefits almost unanimously. And the bailout support for big banks and corporations has many fewer restrictions than the small business funding support. But moments of crisis are also moments of opportunity, and number one on the Dem's list should be Medicare for All. Also: E. J. Dionne, the Washington Post columnist, talks about what it’s going to take to beat Trump in the Age of the Coronavirus – his new book is called “Code Red: How Progressives and Moderates Can Unite to Save Our Country.” Also, Katha Pollitt has some advice about how to spend all those hours at home – watching movies on TV -- and reading the classics. And finally, the great Gail Gollins of the New York Times op-ed page talks about the adventures of older women. Her book, “No Stopping us Now,” is out in paperback.

David Dayen of The American Prospect analyzes all the ways the economic stimulus bill passed by the Senate rewards the big corporations and doesn't do enough, or won't work well enough, for the unemployed, small businesses, and everybody hoping to receive a direct payment. David writes "Unsanitized" daily at Prospect.org. Also: Paul Krugman, the New York Times columnist and Nobel-prize winning economist, says that we don’t have an easy way of responding to the economic threats posed by the corona-virus, and that Trump’s preoccupation with the stock market is a big mistake. And we have 20 minutes without Trump: a conversation with Rebecca Solnit about how she became a writer and a feminist, growing up in San Francisco in the eighties. her new book, a memoir, is called “Recollections of my Nonexistence.”

Melina Abdullah, a founder of Black Lives Matter in Los Angeles (she's also Professor of Pan-African Studies at Cal State LA), talks about how the coronavirus raises new issues for Black Lives Matter--while the old ones remain vital--and how it also changes the forms for organizing protest.

John Nichols examines everything that went wrong with Tuesday’s elections, and talks about what we must do to ensure there’s no postponement of the November election. Also: the Republican senators who say paid sick leave for people with the coronavirus will “make workers lazy”—that’s what Ron Johnson says, he represents Wisconsin. Also: Melina Abdullah on Black Lives Matter in the Age of Coronavirus. She's a founder of the LA chapter and also Professor of Pan-African Studies at Cal State LA. And Amy Wilentz, our Chief Jared Correspondent, reports on the Kushners and the Coronavirus.

Trump's Oval Office TV address on the coronavirus was followed by the biggest losses in the stock market since 2008. Meanwhile, the House Democrats have proposed a bill that includes paid sick leave, food assistance, and other measures to help wage workers through this pandemic. Will the Republicans pass it? Harold Meyerson comments. Next up: Can Joe Biden recruit Bernie's young voters? Also, we need congress to fund a universal vote-by-mail system now: what might the Republican party do about that? Jeet Heer of the Nation magazine comments. Plus: Fifteen minutes without Trump: Historian Adam Hochschild on his new biography, "Rebel Cinderella: From Rags to Riches to Radical, the Epic Journey of Rose Pastor Stokes".

Harold Meyerson of The American Prospect says "electability" trumped (no pun intended) both the ground games and the air games of the candidates. plus: The Nation has endorsed Bernie, AND his movement--D.D. Guttenplan, editor of the magazine, explains. And Joan Walsh talks about life after Super Tuesday - what Bernie needs to do now.

Bernie has already won--the ideas primary: That’s what Bob Borosage argues. Bernie sets the agenda for the race and the other candidates define themselves in relations to his positions. Also: pundits have declared that Elizabeth Warren is finished, but we’re not so sure. While Warren came in third in Iowa and fourth in New Hampshire and Nevada, only a hundred delegates have been selected—while more than 1,900 delegates are necessary to win. Eventually, progressives and moderates in the party will have to come together--Could Warren be the unity candidate? Joan Walsh takes up that question. Plus: John Sayles has directed two dozen films, including Matewan and Lone Star. Here he talks about his new novel, 'Yellow Earth'—it’s about what happens when shale oil is discovered underneath an Indian reservation in the North Dakota badlands—and outsiders descend.

Democrats can win in rural America: Jane Kleeb talks about strategies for fighting Trump in red states. She’s a grassroots organizer based in Hastings, Nebraska, and she put together the coalition of ranchers, farmers, Native Americans, and environmentalists that stopped the Keystone XL Pipeline. She’s chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party, and her new book is 'Harvest the Vote.' Also: another episode of The Children’s Hour: stories about Ivanka, Jared, Don Junior, and little Eric. Today: Don Junior writes a best-seller! Just like his father, his mother, and his sister: a family of literati. Amy Wilentz reports.

Bernie emerged from the New Hampshire primary as the Democratic frontrunner; Harold Meyerson says that, as more of the "moderates" drop out, Bernie needs to get some of their supporters--starting with Biden's. Also: Democrats are full of anxiety about the November election. Whoever they support, they wake up anxious that somehow Donald Trump will not be defeated on Nov. 3. There are many ways that the voting process could be sabotaged, starting with a cyberattack on the power grid on Election Day. That’s what Rick Hasen says. His hew book is “Election Meltdown: Dirty Tricks, Distrust, and the Threat to American Democracy.”

It's been a big week in American politics: Monday: the long awaited Iowa Democratic caucuses failed to give results; Tuesday: Trump gave his State of the Union address; Wednesday: the Senate Republican majority voted NOT to convict Trump of high crimes and misdemeanors or to remove him from office; and today Trump gave a 63-minute victory speech -- Harold Meyerson comments. Next up: February is Black History month -- we talk with Taylor Branch about Martin Luther King Jr. from 1965 and the Selma campaign to 1968 and the Memphis sanitation strike.

As Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate continues, the Democrats continue to come out ahead politically. also, the latest on Bernie on the campaign trail -- Harold Meyerson of the American Prospect comments. Also The W.H.O. declared the coronavirus outbreak that originated in Wuhan, China a global health emergency today -- we talk with historian of modern China about China's handling of the crisis with Jeff Wasserstrom. Plus: Toxic masculinity -- on the football field and in the White House -- Robert Lipsyte talks about the Super Bowl and Trump.

The Senate impeachment trial shows the "ism" the Republicns fear more than socialism or liberalism is empiricism, says Harold Meyerson -- as the Democrats move toward concluding their presentation, and the Republicans refuse to admit evidence or hear witnesses. Also: A Report from Haiti: It’s been ten years since Haiti was devastated by the earthquake that killed more than a hundred thousand people. Amy Wilentz, who has been reporting on Haiti for three decades, returned to the island and found the country oddly calm, despite deepening poverty, violence, and corruption. She also found “little sprouts of possibility everywhere.”

Harold Meyerson talks about how to get past the fight between Bernie and Elizabeth Warren-- and about the upcoming trial in the Senate. Next up -- a report from Hong Kong: historian Jeff Wasserstrom talks about the months of demonstrations there and what they mean for the future. Plus: Tom Lutz, founding editor of the LA Review of Books, has a novel out: "Born Slippy" from Repeater Books.

The House votes on the war powers resolution and we are NOT at war with Iran today -- for comment and analysis we turn to John Nichols. Next up, progressive politics in the red, purple and blue districts of Orange County -- Gustavo Arellano reports. Plus: Fires continue to devastate Australia; Lizzie O'Shea reports from Melbourne. Also, we talk about her new book, 'Future Histories: What Ada Lovelace, Tom Paine, and the Paris Commune Can Teach Us About Digital Technology'.

Historically, a booming economy means the incumbent will be re-elected -- but NOT in 2020, says Harold Meyerson of the American Prospect: 'Trump Trjumps the Economy," and will not be reelected in 2020. Next up, we talk with Bill McKibben about the Green New Deal and his new book "FALTER: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?" Plus: Rick Perlstein on impeachment -- Nixon's and Trump's.

The 2020 election will liberate us from Donald Trump and Republican hegemony. A sweeping Democratic victory will make it possible at last for us to address our most serious problems. That’s what Stan Greenberg says – he’s a longtime pollster and adviser to Democratic presidents from Clinton to Obama. He’s also a bestselling author, with a new book out – it has the wonderful title R.I.P. G.O.P.: how the New America is Dooming the Republicans. Plus: Stacey Abrams probably would be governor of Georgia right now if the vote count had been fair and the vote suppression stopped – she’s a remarkable person and a fighter for the right to vote. Her new book is “Lead from the Outside”--it was Number Three on the New York Times bestseller list. Also: We look back at some of the big events of 2019, and some of our favorite interviews, starting with the terrorist attacks by white nationalists, in El Paso and elsewhere. Historian Kathleen Belew says they are NOT isolated events carried out by loners; in fact they

Wednesday was the worst day of Trump's life. But does impeachment help the Democratic candidates? Harold Meyerson doesn't think so -- he's editor at large of the American Prospect. Also, our segment that has nothing to do with Trump: Thousands of Muslim women left their homes in the US and Europe to travel to Syria to join ISIS, the Islamic State, especially after it declared a Caliphate in 2013. Many of them were educated and successful – Why did they do it? Azadeh Moaveni wanted to find out—she spent years interviewing former ISIS women in camps in Turkey and Kurdistan. Her book is "“Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS.”

Last month, Virginia became the first Southern state in the post-civil rights movement era to entirely flip back to Democratic control. How did they do it? And can the Democrats do the same thing in other states in 2020? Joan Walsh comments. Also: what Trump is doing about war criminals: maybe you heard that he’s pardoning them--and firing Pentagon officials who object. Jeet Heer has a report, and a political analysis. Plus: More workers went on strike in America last year than at any time since 1986, more than 20 years ago. There’s something happening here--we have comment from Bryce Covert.

Bernie’s back in second place – he spoke recently with John Nichols of The Nation, and we have highlights—“It can’t all be Bernie Sanders,” he says to John, emphasizing that a movement is necessary to change America. Also: Martin Scorcese’s new film “The Irishman” is playing now on Netflix; it claims to tell the true story of the murder of Jimmy Hoffa, the head of the Teamsters Union, who disappeared in 1974. But nobody who’s studied that history thinks the movie is right about what happened to Hoffa. Does that fact change our judgement about the film? John Powers comments; he’s critic at large for Fresh Air with Terry Gross.