Living in the USA

Trump and Texas go after Dem. House seats: Harold Meyerson; after the sixties: Robert Reich; 'From Dictatorhip to Democrcy': Alan Minsky

Trump's scheme to maintain control in the House in the midterms? Eliminate Democratic seats in Texas by redistricting. Texas House Democrats have responded by fleeing the state to block the necessary quorum on the proposed district map – now, the FBI might be deployed to arrest those Democrats; but, for what crime? Harold Meyerson comments.Also: Robert Reich says the origin of our troubles with Trump and MAGA go back to the sixties; he says it started with the sixties movements – which created “a giant political void that would eventually be filled by Donald Trump’s angry, bigoted cultural populism.” His new memoir is “Coming Up Short.” Plus: "From Dictatorship to Democracy" by Gene Sharp, the world's top scholar on peaceful protest, seems to be all about Trump but was published a decade before Trump appeared on the scene. For example: "Dictatorships are never as strong as they think they are. And people are never as weak as they think they are" – the book is our thank you gift for donations during today's KPFK fund drive – Alan Minsky comments.

Dems Who Didn't Vote: Celinda Lake; Summer Reading: John Powers; Springsteen v. Trump: Alan Minsky

Six million Democrats who voted for Joe Biden in 2020 did not vote in 2024. What’s wrong with them? Pollster and strategist Celinda Lake explains who they are, and what it would take to get them back to the polls in the 2026 midterms – and in 2028.Also: a suggestion for summer reading: M: Son of the Century is a 750-page historical novel about the rise of Mussolini, by Antonio Scurati. John Powers, critic-at-large for NPR’s Fresh Air, says the book suggests some parallels between 1920s Italy and Trump’s America. The book is out now in paperback.Plus: "In my home, the America I love, the America I've written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration." - Bruce Springsteen, May 14, 2025, during his European tour – Alan Minsky comments.

From Musk to Mamdani: Maurice Mitchell; How Organizers Win: Michael Ansara

There’s trouble in Trump world: Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, is launching a Third Party to challenge Trump’s Republicans in the midterms and maybe in 2028. Maurice Mitchell, national director of the Working Families Party, explains why Musk will fail - and how Mamdani succeeded at winning the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City.Also: How does a movement build support when large parts of the country are opposed to its goals? How do you connect with people who disagree with you? For some answers, we’ll turn to longtime organizer Michael Ansara. His new book is The Hard Work of Hope.

Stopping ICE in LA: Mark Rosenbaum; Epstein and Trump: Harold Meyerson; Birthright Citizenship: David Cole

A federal court in LA has ordered ICE to stop arresting people because they look Latino—because that's racial discrimination, and it's unconstitutional. Mark Rosenbaum of Public Counsel explains.Also, MAGA has accepted every one of Trump's lies, until the Jeffrey Epstein files—what makes this one different? Harold Meyerson explains.Plus: Trump’s executive order abolishing birthright citizenship—guaranteed by the 14th Amendment—has been blocked for a second time, this time because of a class-action suit. David Cole explains why Trump will lose this case when it gets to the Supreme Court.

Trump vs. LA: Harold Meyerson; Musk & Technocracy: Jill Lepore: 'Creation Lake': Rachel Kushner

Trump’s ICE is attacking undocumented people in LA County because there are a lot of them -- maybe a million, out of a total of almost 5 million Latinos, and also because LA is one of the most Democratic counties in the country. And LA has a big and militant alliance of immigrants rights groups that are fighting Trump. Harold Meyerson will explain the deportation battle in Southern California at this point. Plus: Elon Musk’s obsession with rockets and robots sounds futuristic, but “few figures in public life are more shackled to the past” – that’s what Jill Lepore has found. His ideas at DOGE seem to come from his grandfather, a founder of the anti-democratic Technocracy movement of the 1930s. Jill Lepore teaches history and law at Harvard, and writes for The New Yorker.Also: Rachel Kushner will talk about the informant and provacateur who infiltrates an anarchist eco-commune in rural France – the central character in her award-winning novel, “Creation Lake” - it’s out now, in paperback.