Make It Make Sense with Grant Hermes

Grant Hermes
  • 4.9 (28)
  • Politics
  • Updated Weekly

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.

  1. 1d ago

    She Locked Up Detroit's Corrupt Mayor. She Says Trump Is Doing the Same Things. She Has a Fix.

    Barb McQuade spent her career as a US Attorney prosecuting organized crime, including the conviction of former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick on extortion, bribery, and fraud charges. Trump later pardoned Kilpatrick. In her new book, The Fix, she argues the Trump administration is running the exact same playbook she spent her career prosecuting. Her words: "it's just crime." Grant and Barb walk through the parallels in detail. The kickback scheme that sent Kilpatrick's associates to prison looks a lot like the DOJ's immunity deal and slush fund. The pattern of inflicting pain until someone complies, then owning them permanently, is the same pattern Barb saw with extortion victims in Detroit and the same pattern she sees in how Trump dismissed the bribery case against Eric Adams in exchange for cooperation on immigration enforcement. But this isn't just a conversation about the problem. Barb has actual proposals: moving the US Marshal Service under the judicial branch so courts can enforce their own contempt orders, ranked choice voting to reduce the power of extremists in both parties, independent redistricting commissions like Michigan's, and term limits for Supreme Court justices that would prevent any single president from reshaping the court for a generation. 0:00 An optimistic episode, finally: meet Barb McQuade, author of The Fix 3:11 Why Barb calls this a "mob-style government" instead of authoritarianism 6:39 "It's just crime": why this framing matters and how Peter Magyar used it to defeat Orban 7:30 The Kwame Kilpatrick case: kickbacks, extortion, and the contractor who couldn't say no 11:04 The Eric Adams parallel: dismissing a bribery case in exchange for loyalty 12:17 Win by losing: how Trump flexes power even when courts block him 14:00 The real fix: bolstering Congress as the check the founders intended 17:00 Ranked choice voting and how Alaska elected Lisa Murkowski's independence 19:30 Ending gerrymandering: Michigan's independent redistricting commission as the model 21:30 Getting money out of politics: Michigan's utility contribution ballot measure 25:12 Should Democrats expand the Supreme Court? Barb's answer: term limits instead 28:51 A radical idea: moving the US Marshal Service under the judicial branch 31:52 Does this collapse from the inside, or is Trump too big to fail? 34:07 Where to find Barb's book and her podcast, Sisters in Law The Fix: Saving America from the Corruption of a Mob-Style Government  Make It Make Sense Substack This episode is sponsored by Cozy Earth. Summer nights and a chaotic news cycle are a rough combo — at least your sheets shouldn't make it worse. Cozy Earth's bamboo sheets and brushed bamboo pajamas are temperature-regulating, insanely soft, and built for actually sleeping cool. Use code MIMS25 at CozyEarth.com for 30% off — and when you do, you're also supporting the show. Support the show Follow along on social media  SaySo: @GrantHermes  X: @GrantHermes Insta: @Grant__Hermes Tiktok: Grant_Hermes

    35 min

  2. 2d ago

    Trump Announced a Ground Invasion of Iran. Then Called It Off, Six Hours Later.

    103 days into a war Donald Trump promised would never happen, the United States is striking targets inside Iran and along the Iranian coast for the third straight day. The Secretary of Defense announced the US would target bridges and power plants. Legal scholars say those strikes are unconstitutional. International law experts say targeting civilian infrastructure is a war crime. This morning, Trump announced the US would be taking Kharg Island, Iran's most important oil hub. Senator Patty Murray called it a quagmire. Iran's lead negotiator called it a quagmire. Military and constitutional scholars called the strikes illegal. Six hours later, Trump posted on Truth Social that the strikes were cancelled and a peace deal was done. Iran was not on the list of countries that approved the deal. Iran has not commented. This is the 39th time Trump has announced a peace deal is ready to be signed. Grant also breaks down why 265 ships are still stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, what it means that the US has drawn down its own oil reserves to historic lows, and what Mike Johnson said when asked whether Congress should authorize the war — and then ran away from the cameras. CHAPTERS: 0:00 The US is back at war with Iran. Three days of strikes. Here's what changed. 1:30 Sponsor: Cozy Earth 3:00 The helicopter Iran shot down, the rescue, and the US airstrike response 4:15 Why these strikes are unconstitutional: no Congressional authorization, no War Powers justification 5:30 Mike Johnson asked if Congress should authorize the war. He ran away from the cameras. 6:45 Senator Ron Johnson: Congress can't be trusted to know about its own wars 8:00 Targeting power plants and bridges: why Hegseth's "on our terms" is an admission of war crimes 9:30 The covert oil mission: 100 million barrels through the Strait, 265 ships still stranded 11:00 Trump says "I love inflation." The White House spin vs. what oil executives are actually telling the administration. 12:30 Kharg Island explained: why taking it means boots on the ground and a full-scale ground war 14:00 55% of Americans oppose any invasion. Support for the war is now at minus 20. 15:15 Six hours later: the invasion is off. Peace deal number 39 is announced. Iran wasn't consulted. 16:45 103 days of a war Trump promised would never happen. No end in sight. PROMO CODES This episode is sponsored by Cozy Earth. Summer nights and a chaotic news cycle are a rough combo — at least your sheets shouldn't make it worse. Cozy Earth's bamboo sheets and brushed bamboo pajamas are temperature-regulating, insanely soft, and built for actually sleeping cool. Use code MIMS25 at CozyEarth.com for 30% off — and when you do, you're also supporting the show. Support the show Follow along on social media  SaySo: @GrantHermes  X: @GrantHermes Insta: @Grant__Hermes Tiktok: Grant_Hermes

    17 min

  3. 4d ago

    Trump Got Debunked in California, Booed In New York, and Then Iran Shot Down a Helicopter

    California held its primary last week. Six days later, votes were still being counted. That's normal. But Trump, Elon Musk, and Mike Johnson decided it was evidence of massive fraud, with zero evidence, which they have admitted publicly. Grant breaks down exactly why California's count takes as long as it does, why a Republican surge followed by a Democratic catch-up is just math and not a conspiracy, and why you should treat everything you're about to hear about the 2026 midterms through this same lens. Trump did this in 2020. It worked. He's doing it again. Then there's the president's health. At his NBC Meet the Press interview in Wisconsin, Trump struggled to stand up from his chair, wobbled, and reached out to grab journalist Kristen Welker to steady himself. At the NBA Finals in New York the same night, he was booed loudly at Madison Square Garden, told reporters the crowd reaction was "mostly cheers" of enthusiasm, and then appeared to nod off during the game, in an arena regularly hitting 90 decibels. In the stills, Grant reports, the drooping on the right side of Trump's face was visible again. And then, as Grant was recording, Iran shot down an American helicopter. The pilots were rescued. Trump vowed retaliation. The ceasefire, whatever it was, appears to be over again. 0:00 Trump's 2026 midterm election denial playbook has already started — here's what to watch for 1:05 The LA mayor's race: Spencer Pratt, Karen Bass, and why Republicans lost the runoff 2:30 Elon Musk, Trump, and the "fraud" claim that a Trump-appointed US attorney debunked in 12 hours 4:02 Why mail-in ballots cause a "surge" — and why it's just math, not fraud 5:10 The "pig in a python" problem: why California's count takes six days 6:20 Trump storms out of the NBC Meet the Press interview — the full exchange with Kristen Welker 8:38 Mike Johnson: "It can't be proven, but everybody knows" — why this argument is designed to be unfalsifiable 10:38 Why election denial works politically even when no one believes it 11:40 Sponsor: Cozy Earth 13:30 Breaking news: Iran shoots down an American helicopter, Trump vows retaliation 14:36 Trump's health at the NBC interview: struggling to stand, reaching out to Welker to steady himself 15:50 Standing rallies, seated press conferences, and a pattern Grant has been tracking for months 17:00 Trump gets booed at the NBA Finals — then says the crowd was "mostly cheers" of enthusiasm 17:51 Trump appears to nod off at Madison Square Garden — and the face drooping is back 19:00 Why Grant keeps reporting on Trump's health even when the White House ignores it Things You Forgot From Civics Class PROMO CODES:  This episode is sponsored by Cozy Earth. Summer nights and a chaotic news cycle are a rough combo — at least your sheets shouldn't make it worse. Cozy Earth's bamboo sheets and brushed bamboo pajamas are temperature-regulating, insanely soft, and built for actually sleeping cool. Use code MIMS25 at CozyEarth.com for 30% off — and when you do, you're also supporting the show. Support the show Follow along on social media  SaySo: @GrantHermes  X: @GrantHermes Insta: @Grant__Hermes Tiktok: Grant_Hermes

    20 min

  4. Jun 5

    Trump Has Made $1.8 Billion From Crypto While President. A Corruption Researcher Explains How.

    Zach Everson is the research director at Public Citizen and the head of their Trump Accountability Project. He is a former Forbes reporter who has spent a decade tracking how Donald Trump uses the presidency to make money. This term, he says, the scale is incomparable to the first. Forbes estimates Trump has made roughly $1.9 billion from crypto since being reelected. That includes the meme coin, the USD1 stable coin backed by a UAE-linked investment firm, and World Liberty Financial, which sold 49% of itself to the UAE's national security advisor days before Trump was inaugurated. Zach breaks down exactly how each product works, why the money flows to Trump even when the coins are essentially worthless, and why a $2 billion investment from a foreign government's financial arm into a product Trump controls is the most serious emoluments case no one is talking about. They also get into why this corruption isn't breaking through with the public the way it should, what it would actually take to stop a future president from doing the same thing, and why Zach says Trump has opened a Pandora's box that neither party has closed. CHAPTERS: 0:00 Trump is using the presidency to make money in broad daylight. This is how. 1:53 Meet Zach Everson: 10 years tracking Trump's business interests at Forbes and Public Citizen 2:47 Why Zach left Mar-a-Lago visitor tracking behind and went all-in on crypto 4:15 The difference between Trump's first and second term: from $100K ballroom rentals to billions 6:38 How Trump went from "crypto is thin air" to making $1.9 billion from it 7:10 The NFTs, World Liberty Financial, the meme coin, and the USD1 stable coin explained 10:00 How the meme coin makes money even when it's worthless 11:30 The UAE invested $2 billion into Trump's stable coin. Here's what they got in return. 13:30 Forbes pegs Trump's crypto earnings at $1.9 billion since reelection 15:00 Why crypto is the perfect influence-peddling vehicle: public blockchain, hidden identities 16:00 85% of Trump's stable coin is held overseas. What that actually means. 17:05 The emoluments clause, the UAE's national security advisor, and the case no one is bringing 18:11 Sponsor: Cozy Earth 19:47 How Trump's for-profit presidency escalated from a soap bar to billions in crypto 22:15 Why the public stopped caring about Trump's corruption and what it would take to change that 23:05 Don Jr. up sevenfold, Eric Trump worth $400 million: the children's cut 25:34 Why the slush fund broke through when the crypto billions didn't 27:04 How do we stop the next president from doing this? What guardrails could actually work? 29:57 Wrap-up and where to find Zach's work LINKS:  MAKE IT MAKE SENSE SUBSTACK  PUBLIC CITIZEN PROMO CODES:  This episode is sponsored by Cozy Earth. Summer nights and a chaotic news cycle are a rough combo — at least your sheets shouldn't make it worse. Cozy Earth's bamboo sheets and brushed bamboo pajamas are temperature-regulating, insanely soft, and built for actually sleeping cool. Use code MIMS25 at CozyEarth.com for 30% off — and when you do, you're also supporting the show. Support the show Follow along on social media  SaySo: @GrantHermes  X: @GrantHermes Insta: @Grant__Hermes Tiktok: Grant_Hermes

    31 min

  5. Jun 4

    Trump Hadn't Been Seen in a Week And Then Showed Up Like This?

    Trump went seven full days without a public appearance. When he resurfaced, it was first in a pre-taped podcast interview with a friendly outlet where he didn't look well, and then in an unscheduled Oval Office press conference where he struggled to follow questions, compared a flat reflecting pool to skyscrapers, and told Kaitlin Collins to smile more. That press conference also produced the clearest sign yet that the Iran conflict is not a ceasefire in any meaningful sense of the word. The US has now fired on six civilian merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump couldn't say the word "ceasefire" when asked directly. Congress noticed. The House passed a war powers resolution to end the Iran conflict last night, with four Republicans crossing party lines. The Senate already passed its own version two weeks ago. What happens if Trump ignores both, and what it means for the midterms, is what Grant breaks down today. Also: Todd Blanche gets rewarded for protecting Trump's immunity deal with a nomination for Attorney General, the $1.8 billion slush fund is dead on paper but not really, and Sen. Lindsey Graham is already working on a replacement. Going Postal: The New USPS Rule To Surveil Your Vote PROMO CODES:  This episode is sponsored by Cozy Earth. Summer nights and a chaotic news cycle are a rough combo — at least your sheets shouldn't make it worse. Cozy Earth's bamboo sheets and brushed bamboo pajamas are temperature-regulating, insanely soft, and built for actually sleeping cool. Use code MIMS25 at CozyEarth.com for 30% off — and when you do, you're also supporting the show. Support the show Follow along on social media  SaySo: @GrantHermes  X: @GrantHermes Insta: @Grant__Hermes Tiktok: Grant_Hermes

    20 min

  6. Jun 2

    Trump's $1.8 Billion Slush Fund Is Collapsing. His Own Party Is Turning on Him.

    Two federal judges have now stepped in to freeze Trump's $1.8 billion anti-weaponization slush fund. One judge in Virginia halted all payouts. A judge in Miami reopened the entire IRS lawsuit after 35 former federal judges called the settlement a fraud on the court. The DOJ quietly backed down Monday and said it would comply. That means the Trump loyalists who were promised a payout for their loyalty are not getting one, at least for now. And the Republicans in the Senate are furious. Grant also breaks down the Bill Pulte appointment as acting DNI, why legal experts say it may be illegal, what the Iran ceasefire collapse actually means for oil prices this summer, and Trump's "I don't care" tell that one of his own biographers says is code for something specific. CHAPTERS 0:00 Everything that went wrong for Trump this week 1:52 Bill Pulte named acting DNI: who he is and why the appointment may be illegal 4:08 How Pulte used housing agencies to go after Trump's political enemies 6:00 Iran ceasefire collapse: what actually happened over the weekend 8:13 What Trump's "I don't care" actually means, according to his biographer Michael Wolff 8:40 Oil at $150 a barrel? Gas could hit $6 by Fourth of July 11:00 Sponsor: Cozy Earth 12:37 The $1.8 billion slush fund explained: how a lawsuit against himself became an immunity deal 15:00 Two judges freeze the slush fund: Virginia halts payouts, Miami reopens the IRS case 17:09 The DOJ backs down, Trump loyalists get nothing, and Senate Republicans revolt 19:00 The "wounded bear caucus": why a furious GOP Senate is Trump's biggest problem right now THINGS YOU FORGOT FROM CIVICS CLASS PROMO CODE This episode is sponsored by Cozy Earth. Summer nights and a chaotic news cycle are a rough combo — at least your sheets shouldn't make it worse. Cozy Earth's bamboo sheets and brushed bamboo pajamas are temperature-regulating, insanely soft, and built for actually sleeping cool. Use code MIMS25 at CozyEarth.com for 30% off — and when you do, you're also supporting the show. Support the show Follow along on social media  SaySo: @GrantHermes  X: @GrantHermes Insta: @Grant__Hermes Tiktok: Grant_Hermes

    20 min

  7. May 29

    A CIA Veteran Says Trump Is Using "National Security" the Way Dictators Do. He's Seen It Before.

    Steve Cash from The Steady State is back on the show this week. He spent his career as a prosecutor, CIA counterterrorism officer, and DHS intelligence official. He also lived and worked in countries run by authoritarian leaders. What he's watching happen in the United States right now looks familiar. In this conversation, Grant and Steve break down how "national security" has become the Trump administration's all-purpose justification for avoiding oversight, accountability, and logic. When everything is national security, Steve argues, nothing is. They also get into the other half of the story: the ballroom, the arch, the UFC cage going up on the White House lawn, the reflecting pool redesign, Trump Penn Station. What does it mean when a sitting president is spending war cabinet meetings talking about monument construction? Steve Cash is a co-founder of The Steady State, a national security organization made up of former intelligence, diplomatic, and defense officials.  CHAPTERS: 0:00 The ballroom, the bunker, and what Trump keeps giving away about White House security 2:39 Dictator aesthetic: why authoritarian leaders always build monuments to themselves 7:28 "Dictator chic" and the architecture of power from Saddam Hussein to Mar-a-Lago 9:20 The UFC cage on the White House lawn and the logic of bread and circuses 11:13 The juxtaposition: a national security bunker next to an open-air arena for 5,000 people 13:35 Sebastian Gorka's counterterrorism strategy and labeling political opponents as terrorists 16:00 When "national security threat" means anyone who disagrees with Trump 17:39 The Soviet playbook: how making everything national security makes nothing national security 19:11 Sponsor: Cozy Earth 21:00 How do we trust national security assessments after Trump? Can it be rebuilt? 22:13 Steve's Churchill analogy: we're still fighting on the beaches 24:30 The six biggest national security threats in the next six months 26:58 Trump's claim we don't need the Strait of Hormuz, Cuba, Venezuela, and a president who can't keep the wars straight 28:18 Trump's health, his inability to track facts, and what it means when we can't trust any information 30:08 How to fight back: get smart, find allies, embrace the risk, and hold fast LINKS: The Steady State: https://www.thesteadystate.org Steady State Substack: https://steadystate1.substack.com/ Subscribe on Substack: Mimsnewspod.substack.com Support the show Follow along on social media  SaySo: @GrantHermes  X: @GrantHermes Insta: @Grant__Hermes Tiktok: Grant_Hermes

    36 min

  8. May 28

    Iran Violated The Ceasefire While Making A Deal, Troops Ready To Invade Cuba & Trump's Face On Money

    It's a grab bag episode, because everything is happening at once. Iran launched missiles at Kuwait AND drones near the Strait of Hormuz while reportedly agreeing to a 60-day ceasefire extension. Troops are massing in the Caribbean ready to invade Cuba. Trump's DOJ is investigating E. Jean Carroll, the woman he was found to have sexually assaulted in civil court and owes $91.6 million. DHS is reportedly planning to shut down 70% of international travel. And Trump skipped meeting the 14 service members wounded in the war he started, while he was in the same building. AND there's now a UFC cage match arena going up on the White House lawn. CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro 01:45 Iran "Ceasefire" — Violations & The New MOU Deal 06:30 Cuba Invasion — Troops Are Ready 10:00 Trump's Polls Hit Record Lows 12:15 The Reflecting Pool Rant & Penn Station 16:00 Trump Wants His Face on a $250 Bill 19:30 The UFC Arena on the White House Lawn 23:00 DOJ Targets E. Jean Carroll 27:30 Trump Skipped the Wounded Soldiers at Walter Reed 30:00 Wrap-Up The Invisible Wall Is Being Built How Does The Government Make Money?  PROMO CODES:  This episode is sponsored by Cozy Earth. Summer nights and a chaotic news cycle are a rough combo — at least your sheets shouldn't make it worse. Cozy Earth's bamboo sheets and brushed bamboo pajamas are temperature-regulating, insanely soft, and built for actually sleeping cool. Use code MIMS25 at CozyEarth.com for 30% off — and when you do, you're also supporting the show. Support the show Follow along on social media  SaySo: @GrantHermes  X: @GrantHermes Insta: @Grant__Hermes Tiktok: Grant_Hermes

    20 min
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4.9
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About

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.

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