Start Making Sense with Jon Wiener

Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the week in news. Hosted by Jon Wiener and presented by The Nation Magazine.

Start Making Sense with Jon Wiener is a news podcast hosted by The Nation Magazine, with 178 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

The Nation Magazine hosts Start Making Sense with Jon Wiener, a news show with 178 episodes published.

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  Start Making Sense with Jon Wiener

  Primary Elections from LA to Maine, plus AI "Poetry"

  Jun 10, 202635 minS0

  <p>Democratic strength, and Democratic divisions, in primaries from L.A. to Maine—Harold Meyerson has our analysis of the week’s political developments.</p><p>Also: Can AI write poetry? Good poetry? Katha Pollitt decided to find out. She’s an award-winning poet herself, and a columnist for The Nation</p><br/><br/>Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands<br/><br/>Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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  Start Making Sense with Jon Wiener

  The Dems After Tuesday’s Primaries, plus Elmore Leonard’s Bad Guys

  Jun 3, 202645 minS0

  <p>California’s jungle primary on Tuesday set the stage for the next Democratic governor of the state, and primaries in Iowa, New Jersey and elsewhere tested the strength of progressives in the party. John Nichols has our analysis.</p><p>Also: from the archives: Elmore Leonard, who died in 2013 at age 87, was unpretentious about his massive accomplishments: 45 novels, more than a dozen turned into movies, and a reputation as one of the great writers of dialogue. When we spoke in 2000, he had just published Pagan Babies, and his movies Get Shorty, Jackie Brown, and Out of Sight had been hi...

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  Start Making Sense with Jon Wiener

  Stopping Trump’s Slush Fund, plus the Transformations of Bill Gates

  May 27, 202643 minS0

  <p>Trump’s Billion Dollar Ballroom is a familiar kind of corruption, but his slush fund to pay the insurrectionists and paramilitary groups that commit violence in his name is an unprecedented attack on democracy. Rob Weissman of Public Citizen explains, and also talks about the immense, and immnsely unpopular, proposed Arc d’Trump.</p><p>Also: Bill Gates was once the country’s youngest billionaire and the first billionaire to come from tech. Then he became the most hated man in America; then the biggest philanthropist, and the world’s most admired man. Then we learned of his ties to Jeffr...

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  Start Making Sense with Jon Wiener

  Winning State Legislatures and Winning Midterm Elections

  May 20, 202638 minS0

  <p>State legislatures have a lot of power in America—the States Project focuses on expanding that. Daniel Squadron explains. His new book is The Fourth Branch: How State Government can Save Our Union.</p><p>Also: this week’s polls and this week’s primaries have nothing but bad news for Trump and his followers. John Nichols has our analysis.</p><br/><br/>Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands<br/><br/>Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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  Start Making Sense with Jon Wiener

  Democrats After the Voting Rights Act, plus Jews Against Zionism

  May 13, 202640 minS0

  <p>Last week was one of the roughest for Democrats since Trump won the election in 2024 - the Supreme Court ended Black congressional representation in most of the South and opened the door to the creation of several more Republican House seats – and then the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the state’s initiative that created four more Democratic House seats was invalid. Nevertheless Trump is so unpopular that Democrats remain strong favorites to retake the House in November. Harold Meyerson comments.</p><p>Also: During the first part of the 20th century, 100,000 Eastern European Jews joined a socialist organization that...

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