Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast - podcast cover

Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast

Chris Hayes, MSNBC & NBCNews THINKwww.nbcnews.com
Every week Chris Hayes asks the big questions that keep him up at night. How do we make sense of this unprecedented moment in world history? Why is this (all) happening? This podcast starts to answer these questions. Writers, experts, and thinkers who are also trying to get to the bottom of them join Chris to break it all down and help him get a better night’s rest. “Why is this Happening?” is presented by MSNBC and NBCNews Think.

Episodes

Why ‘Everything is Tuberculosis’ with John Green

Tuberculosis is the deadliest infectious disease in the world. Why does something that’s curable still kill millions every year? And what does this illustrate about global health disparities? John Green is the author of “ Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection .” Green is also the co-creator of Vlog brothers, which he co-hosts with his brother Hank Green. He joins WITHpod to discuss why tuberculosis is seen as a disease of poverty, what the disease exp...

Apr 01, 202555 minEp. 250401

Weaponization of the FBI from Hoover to Trump 2.0 with Beverly Gage

J. Edgar Hoover is one of the most polarizing figures in U.S. history. And the seeds he planted as the decades long founding director of the FBI continue to shape much of today’s conservative political landscape. Kash Patel, who now leads the FBI, has openly vowed to find ways to punish Trump’s political enemies. While that’s appalling, it’s not the first time an FBI director has used abused institutional power. There’s a lot of historical precedent that we can compare and contrast with the curr...

Mar 25, 202551 minEp. 250325

What’s the Deal with Congestion Pricing? with Janno Lieber

Public streets play a big role in our day-to-day lives. And if you’ve visited any large metropolitan city, you’ve seen just how much traffic can fill up roadways. New York City became the first city in America to implement congestion pricing, a program aimed at generating revenue and making streets less crowded. But the initiative hasn’t been immune to opposition, including from the Trump administration, which has ordered the city to end the program. Janno Lieber is the chair and CEO of the Metr...

Mar 18, 202556 minEp. 250318

Resisting Threats to Democracy with Rep. Robert Garcia

The Democratic Party has its work cut out. Meanwhile, there’s a fundamental issue: the party doesn’t currently have formal power. It doesn't have a majority in either House of Congress, it doesn't control the executive branch, and the Supreme Court has a 6-3 Trump majority. And all of this is creating a kind of impotent rage, frustration and feeling that Democratic leadership hasn’t really risen to the moment. But how might Democrats stand up in this moment? Rep. Robert Garcia, is a representati...

Mar 11, 202558 minEp. 250311

The Darkest Corners of the Internet with Elle Reeve

Trolls have basically taken possession of the U.S. government. How have trolls been able to go from being mostly cordoned off in dark parts of the internet to gaining so much influence in American culture and politics? Our guest this week has spent years researching and reporting on-the-ground to learn more about how the battle online between the right and the left has moved into the real world. Elle Reeve is a correspondent at CNN and the author of “ Black Pill: How I Witnessed the Darkest Corn...

Mar 04, 202554 minEp. 250301

The Stalled Engine of American Opportunity with Yoni Appelbaum

A defining feature of America from its inception has been physical mobility. And that physical mobility has been the engine of social mobility. But we’ve seen a great deal of economic and social sclerosis over the past few decades. Our guest this week has how, for many people, America has ceased to be the land of opportunity. Yoni Appelbaum is a deputy executive editor of The Atlantic, author of “Stuck: How the Privileged and the Propertied Broke the Engine of American Opportunity,” and a social...

Feb 25, 202559 minEp. 250225

The Uncertain Future of USAID with Jeremy Konyndyk

So much has happened in the past few weeks. And we’ve seen a speed game of sorts being played by the Trump administration to try to act as rapidly as possible to rework the administrative state of the government. One example of that is the attempts to end the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The letters have even been taken off of the building. But is any of this even legal and what are the implications of gutting USAID? Jeremy Konyndk is the president at Refugees International...

Feb 18, 202551 minEp. 250213

Crypto in Trump 2.0 with Zeke Faux

A lot of things are changing. And there’s a lot of things that the new White House administration wants to do differently. One of the areas where we’ve seen a lot of attention is cryptocurrency. Some of the latest developments are pretty confounding, to say the least. Lucky for us, our guest this week has spent years following crypto. Zeke Faux is a reporter for Bloomberg News and the author of “Number Go Up: Inside Crypto's Wild Rise and Staggering Fall.” He joins WITHpod to discuss some of the...

Feb 11, 202549 minEp. 250208

Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”

On a new podcast series, “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki,” host Jen Psaki dives into two crucial questions: where do Democrats stand in this moment? And how can they win again? Listen to the full first episode here, as Jen sits down with Governor Wes Moore of Maryland. They reflect on the meaning of patriotism, where the party can be bolder, and authenticity as a winning factor. Follow “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki” to catch new episodes. Episode two with writer Jack Schlossberg is in the feed now...

Feb 10, 202536 min

The Reality at the Border with Jonathan Blitzer

It’s no surprise that immigration policy is an area that we’ve seen so much focus on recently. The Trump administration has moved with lightning speed to roll out its immigration agenda. With everything that’s going on, we thought it would be good to have a conversation about some of the deep roots and complexities in history that have brought us to this moment. Jonathan Blitzer is a staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of “Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central Americ...

Feb 04, 202559 minEp. 250204

WITHpod Special: Hear a Chapter of Chris’ New Book: ‘The Siren’s Call’

Hi, WITHpod listeners! It’s an exciting day and we have a special treat for you. Today, we’re sharing the first chapter of Chris’ new book, “The Sirens’ Call: How Attention How Attention Became the World's Most Endangered Resource." From the book description: We all feel it—the distraction, the loss of focus, the addictive focus on the wrong things for too long. We bump into the zombies on their phones in the street, and sometimes they’re us. We stare in pity at the four people at the table in t...

Jan 28, 202557 minEp. 250128

Listen to “Trumpland with Alex Wagner”

Introducing “Trumpland with Alex Wagner.” On “Trumpland,” MSNBC’s Alex Wagner takes a break from the anchor chair to get out into the field and speak with the people on the frontlines of Trump’s policies—and promises. Listen to the full first episode here, as Alex travels to DC—but not for the inauguration. Hours after President Trump was in sworn into office for the second time, he began issuing a series of presidential pardons for the January 6th insurrection. Listen along as Alex speaks to th...

Jan 24, 202533 min

Musk in the Trump 2.0 Era with Kate Conger

We’ve never had a situation where the world’s richest man has essentially joined the White House as a co-president of sorts. What might this mean, especially when we consider Elon Musk’s history of unchecked power? Kate Conger is a New York Times reporter based in San Francisco, covering X and other technology companies. She’s also a co-author, along with Ryan Mac, of “Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter” Conger joins WITHpod to discuss what has happened to X under Musk’s stewardshi...

Jan 21, 202552 minEp. 250121

Weight Loss Drugs for Curing Addiction? with Nicholas Reville

The amount of overdose deaths in the U.S. is staggering. And while addiction is a disease, there’s no specific medical treatment or cure for it. Our guest this week points out that weight loss drugs and GLP-1s, or glucagon-like peptide-1s, which are used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity, can be effective for helping people reduce cravings and consumption of drugs, alcohol and compulsive behaviors like gambling. Nick Reville is the cofounder and executive director of the Center for Addiction ...

Jan 14, 202556 minEp. 250114

Strategies for the Resistance 2.0 with Leah Greenberg

Well, here we are. The second inauguration of Donald Trump is quickly approaching. And there’s no doubt that progressives have a lot of work to do in the months and years ahead. Our guest this week co-founded one of the biggest groups that initially came about in response to Trump 1.0. Leah Greenberg is co-founder and co-executive director of Indivisible, an organization with a mission to organize thousands of local groups to resist the GOPs agenda, elect local champions and fight for progressiv...

Jan 07, 202553 minEp. 250207

The Case for Unconditional Cash Transfers with Jiaying Zhao

Happy New Year! Given the holiday, we are sharing one of our most memorable conversations. Stay tuned through the end as we also share updates on this topic. From the original description: You’d probably guess that a major factor contributing to homelessness is a lack of money. Yet, very few programs provide unconditional and lump sum cash to unhoused individuals as a solution. There are a number of barriers that have impeded the broad implementation of this type of assistance, which include the...

Dec 31, 202447 minEp. 241231

What Happens When Americans Get $1,000 a Month Unconditional Cash Transfers? with Elizabeth Rhodes and David Broockman

What are the effects when you give $1,000 a month in unconditional cash transfers to low-income Americans for three years? Our guests this week studied the behavioral and political outcomes of this in a 3,000-person study. Elizabeth Rhodes is the research director for the Unconditional Cash Study at OpenResearch, a nonprofit research lab founded by OpenAI founder Sam Altman. David Broockman is an associate professor of political science at the University of California, Berkeley and worked as the...

Dec 24, 202445 minEp. 241218

“The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi” with Wright Thompson

The 1955 murder of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old Black boy who was abducted and lynched in Mississippi, is one of the most infamous crimes in American history. Yet, decades later, so much of what happened to Till is still widely unknown. Our guest this week points out that this is no accident. Wright Thompson is a senior writer for ESPN and is the author of several books including his latest, “The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi,” which is the subject of this week’s conversation...

Dec 17, 202453 minEp. 241217

How Democratic Backsliding Happens with Steve Levitsky

We’re in strange times. In the U.S., we’re finding ourselves in a situation in which the possibility of genuine democratic retrenchment and some version of presidential authoritarian dictatorship is a real possibility. There’s a lot to consider as the liberal democracy we’ve become accustomed to could erode right before our eyes in the near future. Steve Levitsky is a professor of government at Harvard and serves as the director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies. Levitsk...

Dec 10, 202452 minEp. 241206

Chris is the guest this week!

There’s a lot to consider about what Trump 2.0 portends for the future of our country, lives and democracy. A lot of questions remain. And perhaps maybe now more than ever, it’s all been keeping Chris up really late at night, like so many of you. Chris and WITHpod producer Doni Holloway unpack post-election thoughts and discuss moving forward. More information about Chris' latest book, "The Siren's Call: How Attention Became the World's Most Endangered Resource" + info about the book tour here....

Dec 03, 202457 minEp. 241201

Conservatism in the Trump 2.0 Years with McKay Coppins

It’s a given that any political party is going to have ideological factions around different issues. But what happens when the ostensible leader of a party has no real ideology? It’s a big question to consider in the wake of Donald Trump’s re-election. Our guest this week has followed the inherent tensions, fissures and changes within the Republican Party. McKay Coppins is a staff writer at The Atlantic, an MSNBC contributor, and New York Times bestselling author of “Romney: A Reckoning.” He joi...

Nov 26, 202455 minEp. 241126

The Role of the Press in This Moment with Matt Pearce

The information environment is rapidly changing. And with more media sources at our disposal than ever before, we’re constantly navigating between online and IRL, or in real life spaces. How does that affect our understanding of the world around us, particularly in this unprecedented moment? Our guest this week has spent a lot of time thinking and writing about this. Matt Pearce is a journalist and serves as the president of Media Guild of the West, which represents unionized journalists in Sout...

Nov 19, 202456 minEp. 241123

Where Do We Go From Here? with Anna Galland

Whew, the past few days have been a lot. Like you probably, Chris hasn’t slept much this past week. There’s a lot to process given that Donald Trump is now president-elect… again. Our guest this week, who has worked as an organizer throughout numerous political ups and downs, points out that we “must not neglect the work of standing up right now to fight back.” Anna Galland is the former executive director of MoveOn Civic Action from 2012 to 2019. She now works with a range of national pro-democ...

Nov 12, 202459 minEp. 241108

“Polarized by Degrees” with Matt Grossmann and Dave Hopkins

A lot of things will really change over the course of this week, no matter the election outcome. And with that, we were thinking it would be good to share a conversation that would be illuminating regardless of what happens. Over the past few decades, American society has experienced seismic changes. One of the trends we have seen is a rightward shift towards the Republican Party among voters without a four-year college degree and a pro democratic center-left shift of voters who have a four-year...

Nov 05, 202456 minEp. 241105

Talking Harris, Hawaii and More with Senator Brian Schatz

Well, we’re in the final stretch of the election. And as we consider so much that is at stake, it’s a great treat to have one of Chris’ favorite people to talk politics. There’s a lot to discuss, including the Senate battlefield for Democrats and why it can be so hard to get things done in the political world. Our guest this week represents one of the most unique states in the union. Senator Brian Schatz is a U.S. Senator from Hawaii and serves the chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs...

Oct 29, 202449 minEp. 241029

The Rise of The Latino Far Right with Paola Ramos

Donald Trump and the Republican Party have made significant inroads among Latino voters. At the same time, vitriolic ads are continually being released that feature racist and demagogic depictions of immigrants, especially Latino ones. And, if you remember, despite Trump’s relentless anti-immigrant rhetoric, he won a higher percentage of the Latino vote in 2020 than he did in 2016. With less than 20 days to go until Election Day, immigration policy continues to be front and center as one of the ...

Oct 22, 202455 minEp. 241022

Harris’ Media Blitz and Strategy with Symone Sanders-Townsend

With just a few weeks until the election, you’ve probably noticed that Vice President Harris has been doing a lot of media. How does she decide which outlets to give interviews to? What does the process look like behind the scenes? Lucky for us, we have the perfect guest to unpack the ins and outs of campaign press strategy, particularly in an election as consequential as this one. Symone Sanders-Townsend is co-host of “The Weekend” on MSNBC, a democratic strategist, and the author of “No, You S...

Oct 15, 202454 minEp. 241015

Listen to “Kamala: Next in Line”

Election Day is around the corner and Vice President Kamala Harris could become the first woman, first Black woman, and first South-Asian to sit in the Oval Office. In light of this moment, we’re resharing our 2020 series “Kamala: Next in Line,” from MSNBC and Wondery. Hosted by Joy Reid, "Next In Line" is an intimate and immersive look into what drives Harris, what her critics say about her, and how she arrived at this historic moment. This is a special program for our MSNBC Premium subscribers...

Oct 09, 202410 min

Reflecting on October 7th with Amir Tibon

It’s been one year since the devastating October 7th attacks by Hamas into Israel. It’s a truly awful anniversary to observe for numerous reasons. In the past year, there’s been immeasurable horror, violence, destruction and death. It is estimated that at least 40,000 people have died in Gaza and there are still over a hundred hostages. Our guest this week survived the attacks on October 7th and the chaos that ensued. Amir Tibon is an Israeli journalist working for Haaretz Newspaper and is the a...

Oct 08, 202458 minEp. 241008

Crafting a Bipartisan Miracle with Chris Murphy

Comprehensive border and immigration reform has eluded policymakers in the U.S. for decades. As global turmoil and conflict grows, questions and concerns still remain about the economic, security, and humanitarian justification and rationale for immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees seeking entry into the U.S. Vitriolic rhetoric, which has largely impeded meaningful progress, has only intensified in the months leading up to one of the most consequential elections in history. In the midst of al...

Oct 01, 202456 minEp. 241001