President Donald Trump went on 60 Minutes for the first time in 5 years and laid out how he sees the most pressing issues, like the government shutdown and high prices. Those answers were telling, but throughout the entire interview, Trump was mostly telling on himself. He admitted to pardoning a money launderer without knowing anything about the case. He said he didn't think ICE is going far enough in cities like Chicago and wants credit for NOT sending the military into US cities. He'...

Grant is joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, co-founder and co-editor of The American Prospect, Princeton professor Paul Starr. Paul is the author of the new book American Contradiction: Revolution and Revenge from the 1950s to now (link below). He talks about how we got to this moment of retribution and revenge, how it's different from how political scores used to be settled, and why Americans have stricter rules for Democrats than Republicans when it comes to who gets to get reve...

The government shutdown is a month long now, just five days behind the longest ever. But it's not the record deadline that's the big one; it's the one happening this weekend. On Nov. 1, food stamp benefits and health insurance subsidies expire for tens of millions of Americans who rely on those programs to avoid starvation or get vital care. Grant explains whether a judge in Massachusetts can stop kids from going hungry, why this shutdown is already the worst we've ever had, and i...

Donald Trump says again he's not ruling out a third term, even though there's no legal way for him to become president again after 2028. But that's not stopping MAGA from talking about and some Republican Senators not ruling it out either. But the new focus on a third term comes as Trump reveals new things about his health, namely, he underwent an MRI and more cognitive tests at a mystery second visit to Walter Reed Hospital earlier this year. Grant breaks down what the Constituti...

This month, the US Supreme Court looks poised to cut out the heart of the Voting Rights Act, which has been making sure Americans of all kinds can take part in free and fair elections with a chance to have their voices represented at all levels of government. Grant talks to Dave Daley, an elections expert, about what this recent case in front of SCOTUS is, how the VRA actually works, and what it means for Americans of color and all Americans to lose the soul of the VRA. LINKS: Dav...

The president decided to demolish the East Wing of the White House this week without warning or approval to make way for his new ballroom. The images of heavy machinery tearing into the First Lady's office have sent shockwaves through our collective ideas of American imagery. Grant talks about how Trump went back on his word about not touching the White House, what we're losing by losing the East Wing, how this is unlike anything presidents have done in modern US history, and what it me...

The second round of the No Kings protests swept the country over the weekend with an estimated 5-7 million people participating in more than 2600 rallies and marches. But what did they actually do? Grant breaks down what the largest US protests in 50 years actually means, how the White House is doubling down on calling Trump a king as he continues to threaten American cities with the Insurrection Act. PROMO CODE: Today's episode is sponsored by Afuera Coffee. Get 15% o...

With the government still shut down and the Speaker of the House indicating they're willing to wait it out for the long haul, the Nov. 1 expiration date on affordable healthcare through tax credits for millions is coming quickly. Grant is joined by University of Michigan Assistant Professor Michael Shepherd, who studies rural health care and how it meets politics and race. They explore what it means for rural hospitals that are already strapped for cash and facing closures, what happens...

Grant breaks down the complicated case being heard by the US Supreme Court that could fundamentally change how we run our elections, especially in the South. The court could potentially make it legal to draw districts based on race, which could bring back Jim Crow-era elections and put people of color out of power for decades. Ending this part of the landmark Voting Rights Act has been the goal of Chief Justice John Roberts, and he might get what he's always wanted. PROMO CO...

Send us a text Members of Congress are still deadlocked over how to reopen the government as the shutdown hits the two-week mark. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson says we're "barreling" toward the longest shutdown in history, but has his own motives for not coming to the table including carrying out Project 2025 and helping Trump keep the Epstein files hidden. As that's happening, Democrats continue to push for restoring Medicaid and Obamacare tax credits, but American frustration with...

Send us a text It seems like American politics right now is filled with conspiracies. Deep state plots to undermine Trump. Vaccines cause autism. Joe Biden's Autopen or The Epstein Files. But University of Miami political science professor Joe Uscinski tells Grant, it's not the conspiracies that are the problem, or even how many people believe them, but that so many people in power right now believe them. It's a conversation that just might change the way you think about conspirac...

Send us a text The White House is in serious talks to invoke the Insurrection Act over nonexistent out of out-of-control crime and invented and self-incited scenarios of violence against ICE agents in Chicago and Portland. As Texas troops stand ready to invade Illinois on the President's orders, Grant breaks down what it would mean for Trump to use the Insurrection Act, how it works and answers the question, just how close are we to civil war? PROMO CODE: Today's episode is sponsored by...

Send us a text National Guard troops from Texas are now staging at a base an hour outside Chicago, preparing to be deployed to the streets of America's largest city. Grant breaks down whether Trump can really just send troops into cities wherever and whenever he wants, how that's gone in other states and what the law says about it. PROMO CODE: Today's episode is sponsored by Distil Union Get 20% your entire order with the code: MIMS25 DISTILUNION.COM Support the show Follow alon...

Send us a text Grant is joined again by Dr. Scott Greer from the University of Michigan to get a check-up on the Make America Healthy Again movement. They talk about how people like RFK Jr, Dr. Mehmet Oz and others have turned what were some of our most trusted government agencies inside out and upside down. Plus, what not to do when it comes to trying to "do your own research" and why Scott thinks that MAHA may turn out to be a sore spot for MAGA in the not-so-distant future. LIN...

Send us a text The government officially shut down this week as Democrats refused to vote with Republicans, saying they want certain access to Medicaid and ACA insurance restored. Republicans and Donald Trump are going scorched earth. First, they've been spreading the lie that Democrats want to give healthcare to undocumented immigrants. Grant does a little debunking. Second, the administration is planning to fire tens of thousands of workers and maybe shutter entire agencies while the ...

Send us a text President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth address hundreds of military generals and admirals at an extraordinary assembly to talk about the future of the US Military. Almost all of it from Pete Hegseth was about waging a culture war on members of the military, dragging it back to the end of the Cold War. In his speech, Trump talked about using the military against his political enemies and American citizens, in a stunning address that made it clear about how he t...

Send us a text American education is in crisis. Test scores are dropping. Whole classrooms are falling through the cracks. The federal Department of Education is being dismantled. But what does that mean for our local schools, and where should they go next? Grant talks with Jorge Elorza, former Providence, RI mayor and current CEO of Democrats for Education Reform. Elorza wants to embrace an idea that normally comes from Republicans: School Choice. They talk all about the fa...

Send us a text The federal government shuts down in less than a week, and it seems like neither side wants the blame but might stand to gain from it. Democrats want a chance to stand up to Trump while promising to fight for healthcare. Republicans want to keep things the way they are, while also maybe hoping they can fire thousands of federal workers and keep the Epstein Files from seeing the light of day for a little while longer. Grant breaks it all down as the clock ticks close...

Send us a text After the death of Charlie Kirk, the Trump administration is trying to amp up the pressure on political opponents. The FCC made explicit threats and gave explicit instructions to media companies to suspend Jimmy Kimmel. Trump got caught publishing a private message to AG Pam Bondi to go after his political enemies. He's trying to establish a new catchall domestic terror organization. All of it is happening as his poll numbers sink ahead of a major fight over funding the governm...

Send us a text There are clearer and clearer signs that the Trump Administration is pulling the US into what scholars call "competative authoritarianism." Grant it joined by Colorado State Professor of political communication Karrin Anderson to talk about who these governments work, how journalists should be approaching our current administration, and how we can all work together to pull ourselves out of the anti-democracy nose dive. LINKS: Professor Karrin Anderson Woman Presiden...