Make It Make Sense with Grant Hermes
By: Grant Hermes
Language: en-us
Categories: News, Politics, Commentary
The political world is fast paced, chaotic and often it's just too much to keep up with. That's where Grant Hermes comes in. Grant has been a journalist over a decade on the ground covering the biggest US political stories, scandals and elections. Twice a week, he'll break down the biggest political news you need to know. It's never been more important to stay informed and sometimes all it takes is a little help to Make It Make Sense.
Episodes
Venezuela, Latino Voters and Avoiding Nuclear War w/ Mike Madrid
Jan 09, 2026Grant talks to Mike Madrid, the former GOP operative, consultant, and now the mind behind The Great Transformation Substack, about the bombing and capture mission in Venezuela, what it means for Latin America, Latino voters in the US, and the US's new position on the global stage.
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Duration: 01:01:11ICE Kills A US Citizen In Minnesota, What Now?
Jan 08, 2026An ICE officer shot and killed a 37-year-old US Citizen, wife, and mother named Renee Good on a neighborhood street in Minneapolis, MN. All of it was caught on video from multiple angles.
Grant explains what the videos actually show, how the Trump Administration is attempting to protect the officer, defame the victim, turn up the heat on anti-ICE protesters, and why it's part of a predictable pattern of ICE's aggressive tactics.
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Duration: 00:20:07Trump's Old World Order Plan For Venezuela
Jan 07, 2026It's been a whirlwind start to 2026. The United States is actively working to run Venezuela after bombing the country and capturing its leader, Nicolas Maduro.
But we didn't do it for democracy or drugs or security. We did it for oil, at least according to the president.
Grant explains how the strike in Venezuela happened, what the White House is saying happens next, and the plan to remake the world the president is has that's right out of a playbook we haven't seen since the 1800s.
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Duration: 00:25:50Did The US Bomb Venezuela Or Not?
Dec 30, 2025President Donald Trump made a surprise announcement the week of Christmas; the US had attacked a Venezuelan port with a drone strike. But no one has been able to prove it definitively, leaving Americans wondering, are we at war or not?
Grant explains what we might know about the alleged airstrike, what we definitely know about the 30th strike on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea, and why this military campaign from the Trump Administration is setting off Iraq War alarm bells.
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Duration: 00:13:03The MIMS Christmas Story Special!
Dec 24, 2025The first of what might be a new tradition here at Make It Make Sense. Grant reads you some of his favorite Christmas and holiday stories!
First, The Polar Express. The Caldecott Medal-winning classic from 1985 by Chris Van Allsburg
Second, A Letter From Santa Claus by Mark Twain.
Third, A Visit From St. Nicholas by Clement-Clarke Moore
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Duration: 00:18:45The Epstein Files Redactions Are "Breaking The Law"
Dec 23, 2025The Department of Justice missed its deadline to release all the Epstein files to the public and is now actively saying it's going to continue to break the law by continuing to withhold documents without justification.
Grant explains what happened with the release, what's being redacted, what's not, who is and isn't being protected in the files and what consequences there could be for the top people at the DOJ in 2026.
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Duration: 00:19:35Do The Epstein Files Take Down MAGA? w/ Anthropologist Alex Hinton
Dec 19, 2025With the Epstein files set to be released on Friday, Grant talks to Alex Hinton. Alex is a Rutgers Professor of Anthropology, Director of the Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights, and UNESCO Chair on Genocide Prevention.
He talks to Grant about looking at MAGA as a cultural movement, what the release of the Epstein files may (or may not) mean for Trump's most die-hard supporters and what happens to MAGA after Trump.
LINKS:
Alex Hinton @ Rutgers
It Can Happen Here
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Duration: 00:42:03Trump's Right Hand Woman: On The Record, Off The Rails
Dec 16, 2025Vanity Fair drops two bombshell stories based on months of interviews with the White House Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles.
Wiles says Trump has an "alcoholic's personality," that JD Vance is a "conspiracy theorist," and that Pam Bondi "whiffed" on the Epstein files. She also admits to knowing about Elon Musk using drugs while working in the White House and that she's ok with retribution.
But maybe the most important thing is that the interviews show an administration in chaos and a president who seems to be pretty checked out when it comes to doing t...
Duration: 00:19:11"Children Will Die" Because Of Dept. of Ed's New Policy w/ Zero Abuse Project CEO, Jeff Dion
Dec 12, 2025Grant sits down with the CEO of the Zero Abuse Project, Jeff Dion, to talk about the Department of Education's new policy to downgrade degrees for jobs required to report child abuse, neglect, and maltreatment.
Jeff talks about the worries that abuse prevention experts are having right now, why mandated reporters need more training right now, and what might happen next if the Department is at odds with bipartisan efforts to curb abuse.
LINKS:
"Children Will Die": Anti-Abuse Leaders Warn About Dept. of Ed Degree Changes
Zer...
Duration: 00:29:59Congress Shrugs And Lets Insurance Costs Spike
Dec 11, 2025After weeks of fighting over what will happen to Affordable Care Act subsidies that help millions of Americans afford their health insurance, Republicans in the Senate shrugged and voted to let prices spike.
Not just for people on the ACA but for everyone.
Grant explains what's happening with Obamacare (the ACA), why this is happening without a plan to stop it and what happens next.
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Duration: 00:15:53Who In Trump's Cabinet Is Getting Fired?
Dec 09, 2025There's been a lot of talk about Trump getting fed up with certain members of his administration. Pete Hegseth, Kristi Noem, Kash Patel, and Pam Bondi have all made the wrong kind of headlines.
Grant breaks down what those headlines are, who might replace those people, and what the odds are that they actually get fired despite Trump talking behind their backs.
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Duration: 00:21:34Is This Millennials' Political Moment? w/ Amanda Litman from Run For Something
Dec 05, 2025Grant welcomes Amanda Litman from Run For Something and author of the book When We're In Charge (link below) back on the show to talk about the tipping point in American politics that was this last fall.
They talk about the big elections that took place around the country, including Zohran Mamdani's win in NYC. But they also talk about the shift from older politicians and leaders to Millennial and Gen Z candidates, how that's reordering our political landscape and our lives at the national and local levels.
Plus, they look ahead to what might be...
Duration: 00:35:35Pete Hegseth's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week
Dec 04, 2025It has been a week for the books for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
First, there was new, corroborated reporting that he might have ordered a war crime in the Caribbean.
Second, the Admiral that Hegseth has been blaming testified in classified briefings to members of Congress, who came out and said it was a disturbing ordeal.
Third, more new reporting about how Pete ousted a 4-star Admiral over the legality of the Caribbean strikes and DEI.
Fourth, a new Department of Defense investigation says Hegseth may have jeopardized US lives by s...
Duration: 00:18:39Did Pete Hegseth Commit A War Crime?
Dec 02, 2025A growing scandal rocked the White House over the Thanksgiving holiday. The Washington Post reported that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth gave an order to kill two people who had survived an initial strike on their alleged drug boat.
If true, it would clearly violate the language of the laws of war and treaties the US has signed.
Grant breaks down what Hegseth and the White House are saying, the fact that they haven't been able to get their story straight and a new revelation from the Pentagon that the strike orders may have come fr...
Duration: 00:20:38Why So Many Americans Are Afraid To Talk Politics w/ Junelle Cavero from My Code
Nov 21, 2025This week’s interview is with Junelle Cavero, a State Representative from Arizona and head of political at the multicultural-focused media company My Code.
She joined Grant to talk about the brand new polling that My Code just released about how multicultural Americans view the president, his administration and the state of the nation. Spoilers, it’s not good for Trump with some real buyer’s remorse showing as dissatisfaction with his major policies rises.
But one of the most surprising findings was about how multicultural voters are pulling back from public political discussions out of fear...
Duration: 00:36:28Trump Signs Off On The Epstein Files And Chaos At The DOJ
Nov 20, 2025Donald Trump signed the bill to release the Epstein files after being jammed by the Senate, which passed the bill in a matter of hours.
Now it's in the hands of the DOJ to release the files which has spent months combing through and redacting the files. But, the FBI might have to start that over given what's in the bill that was just passed, and the DOJ will have to explain to Congress why things were redacted or withheld.
Is it a long play for the midterms, or did Donald Trump just sign off o...
Duration: 00:17:50Republicans Flip On The Files
Nov 18, 2025The House of Representatives overwhelmingly vote to release the Epstein files ( Grant reacts live) but it's only the beginning of the process.
Grant explains Trump and Republican leaders' flip-flop on releasing the files, whether it's really an about-face, and whether the Senate might use the files as a political bargaining chip.
Plus, Trump's weekend crash-out over the files. He lashes out at reporters and long-time supporters as he tries to claim he was never as close with Epstein as we've seen.
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Duration: 00:24:55An Out Of Control Week w/ Ryan Welton From Oklahoma Memo
Nov 14, 2025Another crossover episode this week!
Every Friday, Grant joins Ryan Welton at the Oklahoma Memo to talk national politics.
The two talk all about the shutdown, the shocking details in the Epstein files and whether MAGA is starting to sour on Trump or if there's anything that could ever make that happen.
LINKS:
Oklahoma Memo
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Duration: 00:46:58Shady Shutdown Deals And New Epstein Emails
Nov 13, 2025The longest government shutdown in US history is officially over after 43 days. But the worst of the fighting in Washington might just be ramping up.
Grant explains what's in the final government reopening deal, the blatant self-dealing grift GOP Senators tucked into the deal, and when you'll start seeing government money again.
But with the shutdown out of the way, it means the fight over forcing the DOJ to release the Epstein files is in full swing. It's plunged the White House is in full panic mode, targeting abuse survivors to flip their votes to re...
Duration: 00:20:43Did The Democrats Cave Or Play The Long Game?
Nov 11, 2025Eight Democratic caucus senators vote to end the government shutdown after 40 days, after brokering a deal with Republicans that doesn't include protecting healthcare subsidies for millions of Americans. It was the reason Democrats forced a shutdown, and now it looks like they get nothing.
What was it all for? Did the Democrats really cave or were they playing the long game?
Grant explains the deal the Senate made, the divide within the Democratic party over who should lead it, and what has to happen in the House before the shutdown can actually end.
Su...
Duration: 00:19:25What Is Going On With MAGA Fashion? w/ Lindsey Louise
Nov 07, 2025Grant is joined by fashion writer and the voice behind the great Substack, The Official Nancy Drew Newsletter, Lindsey Louise to talk about what the deal is with MAGA fashion and political fashion in general right now.
Lindsey breaks down how fashion on the right is about power, who has it, who doesn't, and what value messages MAGA's different factions are sending each other and the rest of the world
Plus, what the Left's version of that is, and the conversation surrounding Erica Kirk's leather pants as a power play.
LINKS
What Can We REALLY Learn From This Week's Elections?
Nov 06, 2025It was a mini-midterm appetizer sampler of elections this week across the country. At nearly every turn Democrats won in high profile races big and small. But what does it mean? Does it mean anything?
Grant breaks down the races for governor in VA and NJ. The California vote to redistrict the state and the huge win for Zohran Mamdani to be the next mayor of New York.
Those races were certainly rebukes of the Trump administration, but what does that say about Republicans? Can the Democrats get unified after these elections? What will the ne...
Duration: 00:18:06Trump's 60 Minutes Confessional
Nov 04, 2025President 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's willing to overhaul the Senate to avoid working with Democrats to help people keep t...
Duration: 00:21:05America's Revenge Politics w/ Paul Starr
Oct 31, 2025Grant 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 revenge and why that matters.
LINKS:
Paul Starr event links
A...
Duration: 00:43:44How Bad Is The Government Shutdown Going To Get?
Oct 30, 2025The 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 if senators holding their own "shadow negotiations" while Trump's out of the co...
Duration: 00:17:20How Trump's Health And 3-Term Push Are Connected
Oct 28, 2025Donald 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 Constitution says about presidents who want to be president three times, Tr...
Duration: 00:21:20The End Of The Voting Rights Act As We Know It w/ Dave Daley
Oct 24, 2025This 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:
Dave Da...
Duration: 00:39:12Why Trump's White House Tear Down Is More Than A Renovation
Oct 23, 2025The 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 means to have this looming ballroom funded by donors and not the p...
Duration: 00:24:59How Big Of A Deal Was No Kings 2?
Oct 21, 2025The 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.
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What's Going To Happen To Rural Hospitals Now? w/ Prof. Michael Shepherd
Oct 17, 2025With 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 to rural communities that depend on medical jobs for their economies, and, most importantly, if these tax c...
Duration: 00:30:53Is This Supreme Court Going To End Voting Rights?
Oct 16, 2025Grant 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.
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Duration: 00:14:57Why Is The Government Still Shutdown?
Oct 14, 2025Members 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 Congress may be coming to a head very soon.
PLUS, Grant gives an update on the amazing news that a ce...
Duration: 00:18:46Why Do So Many Of Us Believe Conspiracy Theories? w/ Prof. Joe Uscinski
Oct 10, 2025It 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 conspiracy theories, the people who believe them, and why you believe the ones you do too.
LIN...
Duration: 00:43:43The Insurrection Act: How Close Are We To Civil War?
Oct 09, 2025The 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?
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Duration: 00:17:07Can Trump Just Send Troop...Anywhere?
Oct 08, 2025National 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.
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Duration: 00:16:19The Hostile Takeover Of America's Health w/ Dr. Scott Greer
Oct 03, 2025Grant 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.
LINKS:
DR. SCOTT GRE...
Duration: 00:30:49Why is Trump Making The Shutdown As Painful As Possible?
Oct 02, 2025The 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 government is closed. Grant breaks down what the plan is, why it might be illegal, and who's really to blame for the shutdown.
...
Duration: 00:17:16The Department of (Culture) War
Sep 30, 2025President 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 thinks about how he's allowed to use the men and women in uniform.
PL...
Duration: 00:25:44How Can We Fix America's Schools? w/ Jorge Elorza
Sep 26, 2025American 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 failing state of education in the US, can Democrats really make a difference by changing course on decades of pol...
Duration: 00:37:23Does Congress Actually WANT A Government Shutdown?
Sep 25, 2025The 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 closer to a shutdown...again.
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Duration: 00:19:16Trump's New Pressure Push
Sep 23, 2025After 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 government.
Grant makes sense of it all.
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Duration: 00:19:22Talking Ourselves Back From The Brink with Prof. Karrin Anderson
Sep 19, 2025There 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 President
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Duration: 00:49:37The Plan To Make Free Speech Illegal
Sep 19, 2025Vocal leaders on the right, members of the Trump Administration and even the President himself are calling for the government to target not just violent political opponents, but people who share their views without acting on them.
Grant breaks down how the admin is using Charlie Kirk's death to go after people they don't like, starting with trying to go after free speech.
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Duration: 00:20:19The Supreme Court's Shadow Docket Crisis w/ Liz Dye
Sep 12, 2025With the next Supreme Court term just around the corner, it's time to talk about the Court's "shadow docket" of emergency rulings that have been happening over the summer.
Grant is joined again by Liz Dye from Law and Chaos and Legal Eagle (links below) to talk about how the administration has been using the shadow docket to go around the law and normal legal process, what lower courts have been doing to hold the line, and just how long they can hold out.
LINKS:
Law And Chaos
Legal Eag...
Duration: 00:50:35The Assassination of Charlie Kirk
Sep 11, 2025The right-wing commentator, youth leader, and political power broker Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during an event in Utah on Wednesday. It's an event that is going to rock the political world and by extension, the country.
In the hours after he was shot, far-right voices, Republican leaders, and the President have been blaming "the left" and Democrats with some calling to make just being a Democrat illegal.
Grant talks about what happened in Utah and how the FBI manhunt has gotten off to a botched start. Then he dives into what those conservative l...
Duration: 00:19:10The Birthday Book Bombshell
Sep 09, 2025House Oversight Democrats release THAT birthday book with Trump's message to Jeffrey Epstein, and it sends the White House scrambling to try and tamp down the story that Trump hasn't been able to shake.
Grant breaks down what's in the book, what we expect more of, how Trump and the GOP are reacting, and what it could mean for what Trump's administration does next to divert attention away from the Epstein files.
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Duration: 00:15:09CROSSOVER EPISODE: Grant Gets Interviewed On Let's Pod This
Sep 05, 2025Today's episode is something different. Grant is the one being interviewed on the Let's Pod This podcast, discussing how Make It Make Sense is created, his news-reading process, and which stories he thinks are overhyped or underreported in today's news.
LINKS:
Let's Fix This
Let's Pod This
National Association of Nonpartisan Reformers
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Epstein Survivors Demand Action, Will Congress Listen?
Sep 04, 2025Dozens of survivors of Jeffrey Epstein, their families, lawyers, and a bipartisan trio of lawmakers came to the Capitol to demand that leaders sign off on just voting to release the Epstein Files. While that's been happening, House Republicans tried to pull a bait and switch with the files, Trump called the women a hoax and "irrelevant," and has started attacking people who think about releasing the files.
Grant breaks it all down. What we learned from survivors, what they want, where Congress is, and why what happens next might be up to voters.
PR...
Duration: 00:19:22Trump's Proof Of Life Press Conference
Sep 02, 2025After nearly a week of not being on video, rumors swirled over Labor Day weekend that Donald Trump might have had some kind of emergency. On Tuesday, the president held an Oval Office press conference about moving Space Command, but really, the world was watching for his health.
Grant breaks down what we learned in the press conference, why you should care about Space Command and that Trump said he's going to send in National Guard troops to Chicago.
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A Shooting in Minneapolis And An Attack On Mental Health
Aug 28, 2025After another deadly mass shooting in a school in the US, Americans are looking for answers among the horror.
The White House and Conservatives are using the shooter's gender identity as a trans person to further try and criminalize being transgender, are offering "thoughts and prayers" to the victims while working to expand access to guns, and RFK Jr is using it to go after life-saving medicine.
Grant breaks down the White House response, the myth of widespread trans shooters, how we know that mass shooters are evil, but aren't necessarily mentally ill, and what it...
Duration: 00:22:40Dictator Week At The White House
Aug 27, 2025Donald Trump floats the idea of being a dictator as he threatens to send National Guard troops into Chicago and other cities. He also uses the DOJ to go after a high-level former advisor while giving himself a title he doesn't have under the Constitution.
Grant breaks down what that all means, how Trump could dispatch troops to American cities, and what it would cost in dollars... and our freedoms.
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Ratf*cking America w/ Author David Daley
Aug 22, 2025Extreme gerrymandering is ruining American democracy and right now, the country is in the middle of a redistricting arms race. Essentially, it's politicians choosing voters instead of voters choosing politicians.
Grant talks to author and redistricting expert David Daley about just how extreme things are about to get after Texas and California vowed to change their maps, how and why Republicans have drawn more extreme district maps over the past 20 years, and what can be done to walk us back from the brink of our gerrymandering armageddon.
LINKS:
David's books
A...
Duration: 00:45:32Why Is The DOJ Going After Children's Doctors?
Aug 21, 2025The DOJ sent out dozens of subpoenas to hospitals and doctors demanding private information about their patients. social security numbers. Diagnoses. Prescriptions. Addresses. Even info about their parents and when treatment started.
All of these kids are trans.
Grant talks about what's in the subpoenas, how it's part of a bigger goal from the Trump Admin to go after people who need more protection, not less and how it actually affects all Americans, trans or not.
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Duration: 00:18:42Whose Side Is Trump On In The War In Ukraine?
Aug 19, 2025Grant breaks down what happened at the Alaska Summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, how it looks like Trump got bowled over by the Russian president, and didn't stand his ground on a ceasefire.
Then, Grant talks about hosting the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, at the White House and whether or not Trump has the ability to bring together a peace summit before it's too late.
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Duration: 00:17:24Safe to Speak? Whistleblowing In Today's America w/ Whistleblower Aid's David Kligerman
Aug 15, 2025As the second Trump administration has been firing ethics officials and accountability officers, the whistleblower has become more important than ever.
But who protects the people who take the risk to tell the truth?
Grant talks to David Kligerman, Senior VP at Whistlebloweraid.org. The non-profit organization helps whistleblowers come forward to sound the alarm about unethical and illegal things happening in our government.
They talk about how dangerous it is to be a whistleblower right now, how busy they've been with so many people coming forward, and why whistleblowers are as important no...
Duration: 00:44:44Why Is Trump Meeting Putin In Alaska?
Aug 14, 2025Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday to start another round of peace talks to end the war in Ukraine. It's the first time Putin will meet with a US president on US soil in a decade.
But why is it in Alaska? Sure, it's technically the closest state to Russia, but there's more to it.
Grant breaks down why meeting in Alaska is actually a win for Putin, what Trump has been saying about the meeting, and why the dance of diplomacy is about the sm...
Duration: 00:19:31Trump Moves To Make DC A Police State Capital
Aug 12, 2025Donald Trump has federalized the DC Metro police and called in hundreds of DC National Guard troops to fight crime and homelessness in the nation's capital.
The problem? There isn't a crime wave in DC, and arresting homeless people isn't going to make them not homeless.
Grant explains Trump's unprecedented decision, what is actually happening on DC streets and why, more than any other point so far, it's important to pay attention to what's coming out of the White House.
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Duration: 00:24:57Adopted and Afraid w/ Adoptee Rights Law Center's Greg Luce
Aug 08, 2025As the Trump administration continues to more aggressively target immigrants to boost arrests and deportations, there has been a growing fear among a group of Americans that they could be targeted or used as a test group for attacks on citizenship.
Adoptees.
In this episode, Grant talks to Greg Luce. Luce is the founder of the Adoptee Rights Law Center, the Executive Director of Adoptees United, Inc., an attorney for adoptees, and an adoptee himself. They talk about the fear in the adopted community right now, how he's handled Trump's new immigration enforcement and whether a...
Duration: 00:38:32The President Who Cried Hoax
Aug 07, 2025It's been a week of big news in two things Trump has called hoaxes: Russian election meddling and the Epstein files.
First, Grant breaks down what's going on with the new DOJ investigation into "Russiagate," the "hoax" that multiple investigations proved wasn't a hoax. But, Dir. of National Security Tulsi Gabbard is now trying to say it wasn't just a hoax but a treasonous plan to undermine Trump.
Then, he explains the latest in the Epstein saga after Epstein's accomplice, Ghislane Maxwell, was interviewed by the Deputy AG before getting a surprise transfer to a "c...
Duration: 00:24:27A Texas Sized Stand-Off Over The 2026 Election
Aug 05, 2025A fight over the landscape of the 2026 midterms has been playing out in Texas, and this week it crossed state lines.
Grant breaks down what's happening with the new election maps in Texas, why more than 50 TX Democrats aren't living in the state right now, and why this fight could affect you no matter where you live or which party controls your state.
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Duration: 00:19:25Why Are Politicians Such... Weirdos? w/ Democratic Strategist Mike Nellis
Aug 03, 2025Democratic strategist Mike Nellis joins Grant to talk about the future of the Democratic party, specifically with his old boss Kamala Harris who announced she wasn't going to run for Governor of California, leaving a presidential run in 2028 on the table.
They also talk about Trump's admission about Epstein-Mar-A-Lago admission, whether Democrats are doing the right thing when it comes to talking about the Epstein files and where teh party needs to go next.
Plus, why are there so many...weirdos who run or are in office and why can't we get candidates to be ju...
Duration: 01:06:58Stocks, Locks and Two Angry Men
Aug 01, 2025A little watched Senate committee boiled over this week as Senators are trying to pass a bill that would ban members of Congress and future Presidents and Vice Presidents from trading stock. The fight was just the tip of an iceberg sized problem of alleged insider trading in Congress.
Grant breaks down the bill, the fight over it, why Trump got mad at it, and what happens next.
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Duration: 00:19:31Trump's Deal Making Smoke and Mirrors
Jul 29, 2025Donald Trump has promised huge things on trade and tariffs, setting the deadline (again) for this Friday, Aug. 1. But so far, those deals haven't come through.
The White House has officially inked three (3) deals of 90 they promised to have finished a month ago, and still have 166 "letters of deals" to send out.
Grant breaks down where things are at, why the two latest "deals" with the EU and Japan may already be falling apart, and what that means for the rest of us in the meantime, including the possibility of another round of checks with Tr...
Duration: 00:17:20Dismantling Justice w/ Justice Connection's Stacey Young
Jul 25, 2025After a week of a lot of news comign from the Department of Justice surrounding how it's handled the Epstein Files, this week's interview is a look back at a conversation Grant had with Stacey Young.
Young, a former DOJ attorney, is the founder and Executive Director of Justice Connection, which helps DOJ employees who recently left the department or are about to leave.
They talk about how the department back in May, was being dismantled and reassembled to serve Donald Trump. With the new Epstein information, the conversation can be looked at through a ne...
Duration: 00:42:25Trump and The Epstein Files: Is It A Lie or A Cover Up?
Jul 24, 2025Two bombshell reports from the Wall Street Journal and New York Times say Donald Trump is named multiple times in the Jeffrey Epstein files, and that he was told about it by the Attorney General back in May.
While the White House says it's not true, the evidence of at the very least the White House knowingly lied to the American public or, at the worst, had a plan to create a cover-up for months.
Grant talks about what's in the new reports, how republicans and voters are reacting, and whether there's evidence that points to...
Duration: 00:19:59Do Democrats Even Want To Win Again?
Jul 22, 2025The official Democratic Party review about what went wrong in the 2024 election is nearly done, according to a new story from the New York Times.
In it, the party isn't looking at whether Biden should've run, should've dropped out sooner, if Harris was the right candidate to replace him and whether her campaign said and did the wrong things. In fact, the review is supposed to avoid the presidential race almost altogether.
Which begs the question, why do it then?
Grant talks about what's in the review, what's not, and why it matters mo...
Duration: 00:11:41Why Trump Can't Make The Epstein Files Go Away
Jul 18, 2025Grant breaks down the latest chapter in the Epstein saga as one that Trump has been unable to shake. No matter how hard he's tried, it's stuck with the media, Democrats... and his supporters.
The House passed Trump's take-backsies bill, which included $9 billion in funding approved back in March, but to get it over the line, they had to include the Epstein files.
And then a new Wall Street Journal piece detailed a part of how close Trump and Epstein were with a cryptic and very weird birthday card from Trump, which has many speculating wh...
Duration: 00:17:15The GOP's 9 Billion Dollar Take-Backsies
Jul 17, 2025Republicans in Congress, at President Trump's request, are calling take-backsies on $9 billion in funding for PBS, NPR, and foreign aid.
Despite all three of those things remaining wildly popular, Congress is preparing to pass a bill to claw back money it has already approved. It's a move we haven't seen done successfully in 33 years.
Grant breaks down why defunding public media could mean putting lives at risk and why not funding foreign aid will put lives at risk.
Plus, how this bill might be cover for an illegal act by the White House, and...
Duration: 00:18:07Will The Epstein Files Tear MAGA Apart?
Jul 15, 2025The Make America Great Again movement is splitting at the seams after the Department of Justice said there wasn't a "client list," something Trump's base supporters had been calling for to be released for years.
Fueled by the belief that Epstein was the key to uncovering a cabal of child abusers or worse, they helped Trump retake the White House, believing he was their benevolent, billionaire savior from the "deep state."
But after he said it was no big deal, the base started to revolt, and Trump hasn't been able to get a handle on t...
Duration: 00:16:59Who Are The New Generation Of Leaders? with Amanda Litman
Jul 11, 2025After the unexpected victory of Zohran Mamdani in the New York mayoral primary, one question has emerged; is this the new model for Democrats.
The party has been listless without a clear vision or leader or message to voters and has begun to show cracks about what the future should look like.
Grant talks with Amanda Litman, Cofounder of Run For Something and author of When We're In Charge: The Next Generation's Guide To Leadership about what Democrats can learn from younger leaders, how the party has to adapt or die in the face of a...
Duration: 00:35:53Trump's 90 Days Are Up... Where Are All The Deals?
Jul 10, 2025Trump blows through his 90 deals in 90 days deadline, extending when he'd finally make good on threats to start tariffs to August 1.
But if he's the Deal Maker in Chief, then why would he need to extend the timeline?
Grant talks about the few deals that have been made, what's been happening in the meantime and what it'll mean for all of us when we go to buy things for the next few months.
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Is Trump Building Detention Centers...Or Camps?
Jul 08, 2025With the passage of the Big Beautiful Bill, US immigration forces are getting a major boost in funding. A lot of it is going to ICE for new agents as enforcement increases in how militaristic it looks and acts. But most of the funding is going to building new places to hold immigrants before they're likely deported.
Grant breaks down how the money is being used, where it's coming from, and whether we can call what the Administration wants to create concentration camps, like some people have been saying.
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Duration: 00:14:11Why The Texas Floods Are Bad For All Of Us
Jul 07, 2025The state of Texas is dealing with massive, deadly flooding just outside San Antonio.
While the National Weather Service did predict heavy rain and gave warnings, the floods have claimed the lives of 82 people (at the time of this episode), with dozens more still missing. Meteorologists say the forecasts and coordination were as good as they could be given massive cuts to NWS and NOAA.
Grant walks through those cuts, how they affected Texas, how they're already affecting all of us, and why cuts to FEMA could mean more disasters for longer.
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Duration: 00:16:22Will Trump Have To Bail Out The Big Beautiful Bill?
Jul 03, 2025Congress passes Trump's Big Beautiful Bill. Despite its name, it will cut more than a trillion from Medicaid. It will make deep cuts to SNAP, clean energy, college endowments, and increase state and local taxes.
It will mean giving huge tax breaks to the ultra-rich and making the poorest Americans pay more. It's not at all popular, but it's what Trump wanted, so it's what he got.
Except... he doesn't seem to know what's in it, and as Grant explains, he's been making promises to members to use executive orders to change the bill after he...
Duration: 00:18:39The Senate Passes The Big Beautiful Bill...What Now?
Jul 02, 2025The Senate passed the One Big Beautiful Bill that's filled with a budget that's going to remake Medicaid, SNAP, and American wealth for a generation. It passed by a super narrow majority, 51-50, and now heads to the House, where it's expected to pass before hitting Trump's desk on the Fourth of July.
Grant talks about how the bill got passed, despite being massively unpopular. What it does. What you're going to hear that it does, and what happens next.
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BONUS: The Supreme Court's BIGGEST Ruling Yet?
Jun 27, 2025A quick bonus episode about the Supreme Court ruling in Trump v. CASA that might remake the way federal laws are applied and enforced across the country, making for a messy and chaotic legal system.
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How Trump Embraced Christian Nationalism and Bombed Iran (w/ Matt D. Taylor)
Jun 27, 2025In the conversation about the US bombing Iran, there has been a lot of talk about the mission, the policy behind it, and how well it worked.
But one of the main driving reasons Trump chose to approve the mission hasn't been talked about: the religious extremism inside his administration.
Grant talks with Matt D. Taylor, the senior Christian scholar and the Institute of Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies about the influence of Christian Zionism, Christian Dominion, and Christian nationalism on Trump and it's getting more extreme.
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... Duration: 00:46:22Trump Ends A War Abroad... To Start A Fake One At Home
Jun 26, 2025For days, President Donald Trump and his administration have been celebrating the bombing campaign against three Iranian nuclear sites, which effectively ended the conflict between Iran and Israel. Trump has repeatedly said the strikes "obliterated" the nuclear sites. But after an initial report about the strikes being less effective than Trump is saying, he's turned his sights on waging a war of words against the press, spearheaded by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
Grant talks about the recent developments in the latest fight between the Trump administration and the press corps, what we actually know about the st...
Duration: 00:21:38A CeaseFire... For Now
Jun 24, 2025Israel and Iran agree to a ceasefire after Trump announces it on social media. But the peace is uneasy as both sides exchange final missile strikes and accuse the other of breaking the truce.
At the same time, Trump doesn't say where things are on negotiations with Iran about its nuclear program, how much damage was actually done during the bombing over the weekend, or where 900lbs of uranium were moved to in Iran.
Plus, Trump is dying to get a Nobel Peace Prize for bombing Iran. Why? Because Obama. Grant explains it all.
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Duration: 00:19:13The US Joins The War With Iran
Jun 23, 2025After telling the American people and the world he was going to give it two more weeks before attacking, President Donald Trump bombed three major nuclear sites in Iran over the weekend. The decision seemed to come out of the blue and shocked the world, our allies, and members of Congress.
Grant answers the three big questions: what happened, is this legal, and what happens next?
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Silencing The Voice Of America w/ VOA White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara
Jun 20, 2025During the second Trump administration, news organizations have been under threat and under attack. ABC and CBS have faced settlements. NBC and CNN have been threatened with having their licenses to broadcast pulled. PBS and NPR are being defunded.
But no place has the attack on journalism been felt more than at Voice of America, the US foreign press organization that broadcasts to dozens of countries and has a mission to accurately tell the world about what's happening in America. The Trump administration is now dismantling the vital news organization that's been in place for decades.
...
Duration: 00:38:03Are We At War With Iran?
Jun 19, 2025Over the last week, Israel and Iran have been bombing one another as global tensions rise over nuclear weapons and facilities being targeted by both sides.
President Trump has also been unpredictable about whether the US is actively involved, but reportedly has given the go-ahead for US airstrikes; we just don't know when.
Grant breaks down how we got here, what happens next, and what's at stake if negotiations fail or Trump changes his mind.
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No Kings, No Crowds, And Our New Cycle Of Violence
Jun 17, 2025After a weekend of history-making protests and a lackluster military/birthday parade, the occasions were really marked by a new set of political violence.
An assassination and three more attempted assassinations of Democrats in Minnesota by an alleged gunman who had plans to go after dozens more Democratic leaders upended the weekend.
Grant talks about what we know in that case so far, the rise in political violence that's becoming a new normal, and what's making it worse.
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Troops in LA, A Senator In Handcuffs And A Nation On Edge w/ Mike Madrid
Jun 13, 2025During a Department of Homeland Secuirty press conference on Thursday, California Senator Alex Padilla (D) attempted to interrupt to ask a question. DHS accused him of not identifying himself (He did) and lunging at Secretary Kristi Noem (video from mulitple angles shows he didn't).
Instead of allowing him to ask his question, Padilla, a sitting member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was forcefully removed, made to kneel, and handcuffed by federal agents. It's practically unprecedented.
Grant talks to Mike Madrid, the long-time CA conservative strategist about his friendship with Padilla, how what's happening in LA a...
Duration: 00:40:17Marines In LA: Can Trump Do That?
Jun 10, 2025The Trump administration has mobilized 700 Marines from Twenty-nine Pines military base in California to join 2100 National Guard troops in LA to do what? We're not sure. The orders are vague and only say "protect" federal buildings and agents without anything more.
But is it legal for Trump to put US military troops on the streets? Grant talks about the laws surrounding when troops can be deployed against Americans, why this is different than in the past, and why the White House appears to be looking for a reason to escalate to even more unprecedented levels of force.
... Duration: 00:17:30Is L.A. Trump's Test Balloon For Dictatorship?
Jun 09, 2025As protests, violent clashes, and some property destruction break out in Los Angeles over federal raids of workplaces, schools, and courthouses, the White House seems bent on pressing the boundaries on whether Trump can send in US troops.
In today's episode, Grant breaks down what happened in L.A., why you should care that officers aren't showing badges, names, or faces, and what to watch for in Trump's pattern of testing the waters for his most extreme ideas.
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Disease and Death: Elon Musk's Real DOGE Legacy W/ Fmr. USAID Dep. Admin. Jim Kunder (Replay interview)
Jun 06, 2025As Elon Musk exits the White House and has a very public falling out with Donald Trump, the consequences of his time there won't be fully realized for a while.
But, there is one place to start where, when history looks back, may be the most talked about thing—the death toll from diseases spread around the world by Musk ending USAID.
Grant breaks down what we know about the cost of shutting the agency and revisits an interview with former Deputy Administrator of USAID Jim Kunder, whose interview from Feb. 8 is just as, if not mo...
Duration: 00:37:43A MAGA Meltdown
Jun 05, 2025Back from a short hiatus!
Grant talks all about how we're seeing the White House, which has been moving as fast as it can to break things, start to come apart by picking fights with prominent groups, its own agencies, and its insiders.
He breaks down the White House fight with the influential conservative group the Federalist Society and why it matters for the future of the more than 120 court cases Trump is involved in.
Then, he talks about Stephen Miller's blow-up with Immigration officials over not arresting *enough* people and how that's cau...
Duration: 00:22:06The Other Offshoring: Why Jobs Went South, Not Abroad w/ Prof. Gary Winslett
May 30, 2025The idea that manufacturing jobs were shipped overseas or across borders to other countries is a frequent explanation from both Republicans and Democrats about why the American middle class has been hollowed out.
But it's a convenient half-truth. The other side we don't talk about is the other kind of offshoring, from the shores of the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico.
Grant talks to Middlebury College Associate Professor Gary Winslett, whose new article for the Washington Post is all about this other offshoring and why we should be talking more about it. Their co...
Duration: 00:49:24The Kids Aren't Alright
May 29, 2025The Trump administration ramps up its attacks on higher education, specifically Harvard and foreign students.
But what does it mean to lose the tens of thousands of foreign students who attend American universities every year?
Grant breaks down how we got here, what the White House is doing, and how it will affect all of us.
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Democrats FINALLY Get Their 2024 Report Card
May 27, 2025The 2024 election report card, or autopsy, depending on how you want to talk about it, for Democrats is out, and it is a failing grade almost across the board.
Democrats lost with practically every kind of voter from almost every walk of life except young, college-educated women. Grant breaks down what this new report tells us about where voters are and where the Democratic party is heading if nothing changes.
Then there's more bad news for Democrats as a separate poll finds people think of the Democratic party as weak, corrupt, and too liberal, while th...
Duration: 00:14:29Prescription For Failure: Why Trump’s Drug Plan Is Bad w/ Yale Economist Jason Abaluck
May 23, 2025Two weeks after Donald Trump announced he was going to lower drug prices from anywhere from 30% to 90%, there still haven't been any deals made.
But more than that, what he wants to do, something called Most Favored Nation status, is bad policy, especially when it comes to drug prices.
Grant is joined by Yale Economist Jason Abaluck to talk about why Trump's plan to lower drug prices won't lower them, might raise prices, could stifle medical innovation at home and abroad, and what that means for your next prescription.
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Duration: 00:43:53A Big Beautiful Breakdown
May 22, 2025House Republicans pass Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill," and there are some serious consequences hurtling toward Americans.
Hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, while giving multi-millionaires huge tax breaks, sending the national debt and deficit skyrocketing.
Grant breaks it all down and talks about why the timeline of the vote, which literally put members of Congress to sleep, and the timeline of the new budget should make you ask, What are they trying to hide?
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Un-Protected Status
May 20, 2025The US Supreme Court hands the Trump Administration a big win by allowing it to end Temporary Protected status for 350,000 Venezuelans in the US.
It's a crucial part of more than a dozen immigrant communities across the country, impacting more than 800,000 people with TPS and their families.
The thing is, Venezuelan Americans voted for Trump in large numbers, campaigned for him, and supported his policies. So why end this program that's so popular with them?
Grant talks about why the Administration wants to do this, what it has to do with other Supreme Co...
Duration: 00:15:01Joe Biden Has Cancer
May 19, 2025Former President Joe Biden announces he has advanced and aggressive prostate cancer. It's a devastating diagnosis, though one doctors say is treatable, despite his age.
The diagnosis is raising new questions about Biden's health during the end of his presidency and during his abandoned presidential campaign, especially as the Democratic party is in the middle of a brewing civil war over where the party needs to head next.
The former president's health announcement has also become a convenient cover for Republicans as they work to gut Medicaid and Medicare while giving tax breaks to the we...
Duration: 00:16:12Devastation at the DOJ w/ Stacey Young from The Justice Connection
May 16, 2025Since the beginning of the second Trump administration, the Department of Justice has been equal parts reviled and remade by the White House. Much, if not most, of that damage has been done to the FBI and the department's civil rights initiatives that for the last half century have made sure schools are safe for kids, our workplaces were free from discrimination, that our votes mattered and we could vote, and that corporations follow the law.
But those things have been gutted and in some cases, shut down in all but name.
In this week's int...
Duration: 00:42:28Don't Trust Your Lying Eyes
May 16, 2025Donald Trump takes his first state visit in his second term. Just like his first, the trip is to the Middle East.
During the trip, the president is supposed to be making deals (a weird thing for a president to be doing in the first place), and as the White House has been announcing them, the numbers don't make sense.
The Administration keeps inflating deals and investments while asking the American people not to trust their own eyes.
Grant breaks it all down.
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Duration: 00:17:07Drugs and Deals
May 13, 2025The White House makes an agreement with China on trade and tariffs that is essentially having its bluff called on the cornerstone of Trump's economic agenda. In return, the US doesn't get all that much except higher prices and a promise to keep negotiating. Not exactly expert deal-making.
Then, Trump tries to ram through negotiating prescription drug prices with pharma companies from the Oval Office, despite the idea being shot down during his first term. Will anything be different this time?
Grant makes sense of both things in today's episode
Support the show Duration: 00:16:37
What Is Habeas Corpus?
May 12, 2025The White House says it's looking into suspending a bedrock legal principle that would mean speeding up its mass arrests and deportations of immigrants across the country, called the Writ of Habeas Corpus.
It means, "have the body," and says that a person needs to be brought before a judge when they're accused of a crime. Right now, the Trump Administration thinks it's getting in the way of their plans to deport millions of people in the US.
On top of that, the Department of Homeland Security said arrests of Democratic members of Congress might be...
Duration: 00:16:46Oh, Canada
May 07, 2025President Trump hosts newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the Oval Office. The two men haven't had the coziest relationship since Trump began putting tariffs on Canada, raising prices, and calling for Canada to become the 51st US state, which Carney said was like a Harry Potter villain.
Trump also mentioned he would like people to stop asking about the tariffs and deals because he could get them done now, but won't, but might not have to make deals, but still will, and round and round.
Grant breaks down what Trump is really ta...
Duration: 00:14:41