Living in the USA Living in the USA

America ready to elect a Black woman president? Harold Meyerson examines the opportunities facing Kamala Harris, and the obstacles to be overcome.
Also: Democrats in Arizona are engaged in massive organizing to win an abortion rights referendum, elect a senator, and flip a House seat. And they are facing an Arizona Republican Party that is pretty crazy, to say the least. The Nation‘s Sasha Abramsky has our report.
Plus: from the archives: Barbara Enrehreich on the wellness industry, starting with those pink ribbons. Her book is "Bright-Sided." (originally broadcast November 2009)

After surviving the assassination attempt: Is Trump capable of sticking with his new feeling of gratitude, calm, and unity, or are anger and megalomania built into his DNA? Harold Meyerson comments.
Also: Kamala Harris – could she replace Biden on the ticket?  Should she?  Joan Walsh has our report.
Plus, from the archives: the song “Mack the Knife” from Berthold Brecht in 1928, to the Off Broadway revival of Threepenny Opera in 1955, to Sonny Rollins in 1956, to Bobby Darrin in 1960: we will listen, and Will Friedwald will explain.

Where do we stand with Joe Biden – today? More Democrats are saying Biden needs to step down – Harold Meyerson comments.
Also: During the Supreme Court term that just ended, the conservative majority granted new constitutional rights to hedge fund managers, big business—and Donald Trump. David Cole explains the shocking decisions that have transformed our government.
Plus: 1974, the new memoir by Francine Prose, recalls the year when “the ’60s” came to a definitive end, when it became clear that the changes we’d wanted, the changes we’d fought for, were not going to happen. She spent that year in San Francisco, where she got to know Tony Russo of the Pentagon Papers case.

What would it take to get Biden to decline the nomination? Polls about the opinion of the Democratic rank-and-file; the views of Democratic senators and House members–those in danger of losing their seats and political careers—and Biden’s own circle, for whom the crucial factor will be their assessment of his legacy. Harold Meyerson comments.
Also: Marc Cooper argues that the narrative for Joe Biden’s campaign has now been set: he’s “too old.” And the Supreme Court decision on immunity for Trump makes it essential that he be defeated. Kamala Harris would be the choice of the party establishment, if Biden agreed to step aside; at the convention, she might be nominated by acclamation, without a vote among alternative choices.
Plus: UCLA historian Robin Kelley talks about the music of Thelonious Monk – and his book: "Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original" – PLAYLIST: “‘Round Midnight,” “Well You Needn’t,” “Straight No Chaser,” “Sweet and Lovely” – 1947 Blue Note sessions. (originally broadcast 10-21-09)

Trump v. Biden 2024 – before the debate: Biden cannot look old or confused, BUT – in a way, Trump's constant ridiculing of Biden for looking old and confused actually gives Biden his biggest and best opportunity. Harold Meyerson comments.
Also: What should the Democrats do about white voters? Most of them have voted for Trump, twice. How much of that can be changed? Steve Phillips reports on new research that should reshape Democratic strategy.
Plus: On throwing cards into watermelons, how to run a flea circus, the art of dental performance and much more – remembering master magician Ricky Jay (first recorded in 2002; he died in 2018).

It's not just AIPAC that's after Squad member and incumbent representative running for New York's 16th congressional district, Jamaal Bowman – Hillary Clinton has just endorsed his opponent, George Latimer – Harold Meyerson comments.
Also: On May 31, Joe Biden declared, “It is time for this war to end.” But the leaders of both Israel and Hamas seem content for the war in Gaza to grind on into the indefinite future. Hussein Ibish explains why.
Plus: From the archives: The Holocaust was not just murder on a mass-scale, it was a huge organizational undertaking that required vast amounts of information. IBM and the Holocaust: The Strategic Alliance between Nazi Germany and America's Most Powerful Corporation, documents the technology services rendered by US-based multinational corporation International Business Machines (IBM) and its German and other European subsidiaries for the government of Adolf Hitler – author, investigative journalist and historian Edwin Black discusses this history (first recorded May, 2001).