Make It Make Sense with Grant Hermes

Politics has never been more chaotic, and most podcasts just add to the noise. Make It Make Sense with Grant Hermes cuts through it. Grant is an AP Award-winning journalist with over a decade of on-the-ground reporting on the biggest political stories, scandals, and elections in America. Twice a week, he takes the stories dominating the headlines and breaks them down in plain English — no jargon, no spin, no shouting. If you care about what’s happening in this country but you’re exhausted by how it’s being covered, this is the show for you. Real reporting. Clear explanations. Actual context. Make It Make Sense drops three times a week. Subscribe so you never miss it.

Make It Make Sense with Grant Hermes is a news podcast hosted by Grant Hermes, with 331 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Grant Hermes hosts Make It Make Sense with Grant Hermes, a news show with 331 episodes published.

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  Make It Make Sense with Grant Hermes

  Jack Smith Went To Washington And Republicans Dunked On By Caitlin Clark

  Sep 29, 202630 min

  Jack Smith testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee today for the first time since the January 6th prosecution was shut down. Republicans had hours to ask questions about one of the most consequential legal investigations in American history. Here's what they chose to do with that time. Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana went after Smith's wife for a documentary she made about Michelle Obama. Kennedy asked questions he openly acknowledged Smith couldn't answer about what Merrick Garland did or didn't do, about whether Smith lobbied for the special prosecutor job, about things that have already been contradicted by text messages and emails under oath. He wasn't after the truth. He put Jack Smith's wife at risk. Grant calls it one of the most unacceptable exchanges he's heard from a sitting senator in a long time. Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri (R) showed up with what he and Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) s held up as a smoking gun: a poster board with three text messages between Smith's staff and Fani Willis's staff that Schmitt claimed proved coordination between the two prosecutions. The poster was held up for about two seconds, not long enough for Smith to put on his glasses to read it. When Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) asked Schmitt to put it back up so anyone could actually see it, it turned out the game referenced in the texts was the Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball game on February 3rd, 2024. Jack Smith went to see Kaitlin Clark play. Not the Atlanta Hawks. Schmitt either didn't know his basketball or didn't care. Before all of this: the White House is running a taxpayer-funded propaganda ad during NFL games, $1.5 million so far from a DHS slush fund account, that directly copies a 2024 Trump campaign ad with the campaign logo removed. Legal experts across the political spectrum say they're illegal. The song used in the first ad was not licensed. Grant got a White House response calling it "unapologetically patriotic." Grant's framework for what the hearing actually was: DARVO -- Defend, Attack, Reverse Victim - Offender. Every accusation is an admission. And a kind of sadness about what a life lived entirely in Trump's political climate does to a person's ability to imagine that someone else could simply be doing their job. CHAPTERS: 0:00 Everything that happened over the weekend: weapons offered to Xi, blocked funding, education cuts 2:00 The taxpayer-funded Trump ads: $1.5M from a DHS account, aired during NFL games, copied from a 2024 campaign ad 4:30 The unlicensed song, the facial drooping on the wrong side, and what an intern with TikTok could have done better 6:30 Why legal experts across the spectrum say these ads are illegal and what the propaganda law actually says 8:30 Jack Smith comes to the Senate: why this hearing is happening now and what Republicans actually wanted 10:00 Smith's opening statement: what he said and why it's been consistent every time he's testified 11:30 The phone records: what investigators actually collected, why it was standard procedure, and what Republicans claimed 13:30 The Speech and Debate Clause — and why investigating a conspiracy to overturn an election fits possible treason 15:00 John Kennedy goes after Smith's wife: what he asked, what he knew he couldn't get, and what it cost 17:30 Blumenthal and Klobuchar: what it was like to be in the Capitol on January 6th, told by people who were there 19:30 The poster board: Schmitt's smoking gun, two seconds of visibility, and how Kaitlin Clark ended up in a Senate hearing 22:00 DARVO explained: Defend, Attack, Reverse Victim Offender — and why Grant says it's gaslighting on jet fuel 24:00 Every accusation is an admission: what the hearing reveals about how these senators actually do their jobs Support the show Follow along on social media SaySo: @GrantHermes X: @GrantHermes Insta: @Grant__Hermes Tiktok: Grant_Hermes

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  Make It Make Sense with Grant Hermes

  A Harvard Psychiatrist Just Updated His Assessment of Trump. It's Getting Worse.

  Sep 25, 202644 min

  In May, Dr. Henry Abraham and about 30 colleagues published a letter saying medical professionals have a duty to warn the public about what they are observing in the president of the United States. Five months later, Grant brought him back to ask one question: has anything changed? The answer is no, it's getting worse. Everything they warned about has been consensually validated by new examples. This is not a diagnosis. Dr. Abraham is explicit about that throughout. These are clinical observations based on thousands of hours of publicly observable behavior from the most recorded person in human history. The observations that have continued to accumulate since May: Trump asked "Where is Marco Rubio?" while Rubio was sitting next to him. He told the same story about Jon Ossoff twice in 15 minutes without remembering he'd told it. He wandered disoriented at a ceremony with the Japanese Prime Minister. He had to be physically guided to the microphone by President Erdogan in Turkey after a 10-hour night flight. He got distracted signing the Greenland agreement when a blonde woman approached him and forgot what he was doing. He wandered out of the room instead of letting Xi exit first during their meeting today. Dr. Abraham's assessment: worsening short-term memory consistent with early dementia, impoverishment of speech, polysyllabic vocabulary replaced almost entirely by monosyllables, inappropriate affect, and an increasing inability to modulate the rage response that has always been part of his pathology. Then, Dr. Abraham's explains Trump's history of violence. The president's love of it, his lack of understanding of what a nuclear weapon actually does, who he'll become when he is backed into a corner by an expected election loss, and his lack of prefrontal cortex function to recognize the consequences of his actions before he takes them, is a genuinely dangerous situation, and why he's offering a gentleman's bet that whatever Trump does after a midterm loss "won't be constitutional, won't be thought out, and will create a terrible crisis in the country." Dr. Henry Abraham's Stuff For Public Consumption Substack Join the SaySo News App! SaySo is a brand new news app built for people who actually want to be informed, not just keep scrolling. No outrage-chasing algorithm, no AI slop, just vetted creators delivering fact-driven coverage you can get through in a few minutes a day. I'm one of the early creators on the platform, posting there alongside others I trust. Check it out and download SaySo This episode is sponsored by Cozy Earth. Fall is almost here, but summer isn't done with us yet. Cozy Earth's bamboo sheets are temperature-regulating, so you're covered whether it's cozy sweater weather or 79 degrees at midnight for no reason. Use code MIMS25 at CozyEarth.com for 21% off and when you use that code, you're supporting the show. CHAPTERS: 0:00 Why Grant brought Dr. Abraham back: the president's behavior has been escalating and it's time for an update 4:42 Meet Dr. Henry Abraham: 30 years at MGH and Harvard Medical, former Tufts substance abuse director, psychiatrist 5:01 The update: has anything de-escalated since May? The answer is no. 5:45 Consensual validation explained: why seeing the same symptoms again and again is scientifically meaningful 7:00 "Where is Marco?" — Rubio was sitting next to him. What that specific moment tells a psychiatrist. 8:30 The Ossoff story told twice in 15 minutes: short-term memory loss vs. narcissism 10:32 The "weave" defense — and why the clinical evidence goes beyond explaining it away 11:00 Three strikes of disorientation: Japan, Turkey, Greenland — and strike four with Xi today 14:42 Impoverishment of speech: from polysyllabic sentences to "disgrace," "pig," "loser," "sad" 18:00 The White House called Dr. Abraham a "Trump-deranged loser." He explains why he considers it an honor. 21:00 The party test: how dementia affects impulse control and why Trump can't resist the contagion of a crowd 25:00 The Iran war as a neurological event: impulsivity, poor judgment, and no prefrontal guardrail 25:00 The Iran war as a neurological event: impulsivity, poor judgment, and no prefrontal guardrail 31:35 The institutions he's damaged: CDC, measles epidemic, things that can't simply be rebuilt 32:30 What actually drives him: not control, but wealth, adulation, and praise — with no guardrails 35:07 The serial killer patient and the two brain regions: prefrontal cortex vs. temporal cortex 37:00 Trump's love of violence: Bloodsport, WWF, and what that means when he has the nuclear codes 39:00 "He doesn't understand what a nuclear weapon actually does" — Dr. Abraham explains what Trump thinks it is 40:36 The ketchup thrower, the January 6th throttle, and why the rage is getting worsE 41:21 The gentleman's bet: "He will do something. It won't be constitutional. It will create a terrible crisis." Support the show Follow along on social media SaySo: @GrantHermes X: @GrantHermes Insta: @Grant__Hermes Tiktok: Grant_Hermes

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  Make It Make Sense with Grant Hermes

  The US Rolls Out The Red Carpet For The World's Leading Communist

  Sep 24, 202621 min

  Two things happened today that don't add up when you put them next to each other. At 1 am, a federal judge ordered Trump to immediately reinstate CNN, MSNBC, and Politico's White House credentials. The order specifically said the national security justification was invented, "simply put, the record lacks factual support." The White House did not comply immediately. It waited until 12:45 pm, several hours after Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping appeared together for the official welcome ceremony, ensuring the three outlets missed the biggest photo op of the week. The judge's two-week restraining order means this isn't over. Meanwhile: Trump met Xi at the airport, something no president has done for a foreign leader in 60 years, normally reserved for popes. When Xi's plane landed, the literal red carpet wasn't ready, so White House staff had US Marines get on their hands and knees to smooth it out while Chinese officials watched. Trump stood at the ceremony in a winter coat and black gloves in 70-degree weather while Xi wore a suit. When the planned military flyover happened, Xi stood still, and Trump winced visibly. The White House later released a doctored photo of the moment; Grant put it through analysis, in which Trump is no longer grimacing, has one glove removed, and looks noticeably different. The White House did not respond to questions about whether AI or editing software was used. Trump does not know what he wants from this meeting. When asked whether AI, Iran, or trade would be on the table, he talked about the grass. The central irony: Trump's party has spent months saying communism is the root of all evil, and Democrats will turn America into a godless communist wasteland. With 39 days to the midterms, watch how they circle the square of rolling out the red carpet for the world's leading communist dictator. CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Press ban update: a judge ordered reinstatement at 1 am. The White House ignored it until 12:45 pm. 2:00 - The judge's actual words: "Simply put — the record lacks factual support." That's judge-speak for you made it up. 3:30 - The real security risk the White House missed: a far-right influencer posting the presidential motorcade route live 5:00 - Trump TV averaged about 1,000 viewers and why the far-right replacement pool couldn't pull it off 7:00 - Why the dual-pool matters even when it looks stupid: building a parallel reality for the president 9:00 - Xi lands in DC: the first Chinese president on US soil in 11 years and what was at stake 10:30 - Trump meets Xi at the airport: something no president has done for a foreign leader in 60 years 12:00 - Marines on their hands and knees smoothing the red carpet while Chinese officials watched 3:30 - 70 degrees. Trump in a winter coat and black gloves. Grant explains why that's worth noting 15:00 - Trump winces at the planned flyover. Xi stands still. The image that will be used everywhere is of the president flinching 16:30 - The doctored White House photo: no grimace, one glove missing, Trump looks different. Grant ran the analysis 18:00 - Trump asked about AI, Iran, and trade with Xi. He talked about the grass 19:30 - What's actually on the table: AI, Iran, Taiwan, trade — and what China gets from the Iran war 21:00 - The red carpet vs. the red scare: Trump fawning over the world's leading communist with 39 days to go Support the show Follow along on social media SaySo: @GrantHermes X: @GrantHermes Insta: @Grant__Hermes Tiktok: Grant_Hermes

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  Make It Make Sense with Grant Hermes

  Trump Banned The Press And Threatened Iran With A Nuke...Again

  Sep 22, 202625 min

  Three things happened today that, on any other day in American history, would each be the only news story anyone talked about. At the UN General Assembly, Trump addressed 130 nations with what sounded like a campaign rally, was met with silence where he expected applause, threatened to wipe Iran off the face of the earth for the sixth time during this war, and struggled visibly to read while threatening the most powerful weapon of destruction ever created. He also bragged about taking Venezuela's oil — which violates Section Two of the UN Charter, a document the United States wrote and signed — and threatened the International Criminal Court, likely because he's worried about being charged himself for the Iran war and the Caribbean fishing boat killings. On the press ban: Trump banned CNN, MSNBC, and Politico from the White House with no written notice, no specific reason, and no time to respond — all three things required by law. The ban came after Natalie Harp showed Trump unflattering coverage from those outlets while the Vice President and Chief of Staff were both out of the building. By Monday all three outlets had joined a lawsuit. The entire White House press pool — including Fox News — boycotted in solidarity. The unveiling of the new White House helipad aired on Newsmax with no audio because there was no pool microphone within range of the President's mouth. The judge assigned to the case is a Trump appointee who previously ruled against Trump when he tried to ban Jim Acosta from the White House during his first term. Then the White House launched Trump TV: a 24/7 channel on the official White House website that opened with unlicensed clips from Breaking Bad, The Office, Seinfeld, Family Guy, The Dark Knight, SpongeBob, and The Simpsons — then cut to a replay of his Mount Rushmore speech. Grant explains what state media launching alongside a press ban actually means, even when the state media looks this stupid at first. This episode is sponsored by Cozy Earth. Fall is almost here, but summer isn't done with us yet. Cozy Earth's bamboo sheets are temperature-regulating, so you're covered whether it's cozy sweater weather or 79 degrees at midnight for no reason. Use code MIMS25 at CozyEarth.com for 21% off and when you use that code, you're supporting the show. Join the SaySo News App! SaySo is a brand new news app built for people who actually want to be informed, not just keep scrolling. No outrage-chasing algorithm, no AI slop, just vetted creators delivering fact-driven coverage you can get through in a few minutes a day. I'm one of the early creators on the platform, posting there alongside others I trust. Check it out and download SaySo CHAPTERS: 0:00 The UN General Assembly begins. Trump addresses 130 nations. It was a doozy. 2:00 Context before the speech: the Iran war, the Strait blockade, Gaza genocide charges, Greenland, Xi meeting Thursday 4:00 "Our power is expanding," said in the room built after the last guy who said that started a world war 5:30 Trump brags about taking Venezuela's oil at the UN. That violates Section Two of the UN Charter. 7:00 The ICC threat: why Trump hates it, and why he's probably worried about being charged himself 8:30 Trump tries to rebrand AI as "Super Intelligence," after polling his followers and ignoring the results 10:00 The sixth nuclear threat: threatening to wipe Iran off the earth while struggling to read at the podium 12:00 Why Grant tracks these health moments: he's the man with the nuclear codes 13:30 The press ban: CNN, MSNBC, and Politico banned with no notice, no reason, no due process 15:00 Natalie Harp's role: showing Trump bad coverage while Vance and the chief of staff were out of the building 16:30 The legal problems: Sherill v. Knight, Karem v. Trump, and why he's already told people he expects to lose 18:00 The pool boycott: Fox News joined. The helipad unveiling aired on Newsmax with no audio. 19:30 How White House press credentials actually work: day passes, hard passes, and the First Amendment 24:00 Trump compares himself to China on press freedom. Reporters Without Borders ranks China 178th out of 180. Support the show Follow along on social media SaySo: @GrantHermes X: @GrantHermes Insta: @Grant__Hermes Tiktok: Grant_Hermes

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  Make It Make Sense with Grant Hermes

  Did A Bipartisan Group Just Introduced a Fix To The Gerrymandering War? w/ Michael McNulty from Issue One

  Sep 18, 202648 min

  Only 18 of 435 House seats are genuinely competitive in 2026. That means 95% of Americans go to the polls for their House race with functionally one real option. It's not because the country is that divided; it's because politicians have been drawing their own districts in a nuclear arms race of gerrymandering that has no natural end. Michael McNulty is the director of Issue One, the nonpartisan organization working to fix money in politics and make elections more representative. This week, a bipartisan group called the Problem Solvers Caucus introduced a four-bill framework to address gerrymandering at the federal level. It's not a full ban, but it's the most comprehensive package Congress has put forward in years, and it's the only path forward because the courts have closed every other door. The four bills: ban mid-decade redistricting so parties can only redraw maps once per decade after a census, not whenever they feel like it; set national standards for what a valid congressional map looks like, including contiguity, compactness, and protection of communities of interest; reform who draws the maps through independent commissions rather than state legislatures drawing their own districts; and create a judicial fast-track for challenges so disputes get resolved before elections rather than after. Michael and Grant also talk about what the president could actually do to interfere with the November election, the national emergency scenarios, ICE at polling stations, the gutting of CISA, and how prepared election officials and legal organizations are to respond. Michael's honest assessment: people should vote with confidence. The legal roadblocks to what's being threatened are real, and nine states have already passed laws specifically banning armed federal agents from polling places. Issue One Voter Toolkit Vote.gov Support the show Follow along on social media SaySo: @GrantHermes X: @GrantHermes Insta: @Grant__Hermes Tiktok: Grant_Hermes

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