Make It Make Sense with Grant Hermes

Grant Hermes
  • 4.9 (30)
  • Politics
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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's Won 24 Lawsuits Against Trump. Here's What She Thinks Is Coming Next

    This week has been one of the most chaotic and fast-moving weeks in the fight over how Americans will vote in November. The USPS mail-in ballot rule went final. A judge blocked it. The Supreme Court lifted that block. Another judge put it back in place. All in the space of four days. And through all of it, Common Cause has been in the middle of the legal fight. Virginia Kase Solomon is the president of Common Cause, the 56-year-old nonpartisan pro-democracy organization that fought Watergate reforms, ended the Vietnam War effort, and is now on the front lines of every major election protection lawsuit of this moment. She is also the former president and CEO of the League of Women Voters. Common Cause has won 24 lawsuits against this administration. They are plaintiffs in the mail-in ballot case, the voter roll data case, and at least one more that Virginia says is coming. Grant and Virginia talk through what the chaos of this week actually means for your vote in November, why the confusion itself is part of the strategy, what a third reconstruction looks like and why Virginia believes it is possible, why the mail-in ballot attack may be an own goal that unites more voters than it suppresses, and what the Texas cattle ranchers who voted for Trump are now saying to Common Cause organizers on the ground. 866-OUR-VOTE or 888-VE-Y-VOTA (Spanish)  CommonCause.org Make It Make Sense Substack This episode is sponsored by TelosRX. Connect with licensed U.S. providers online to see if a GLP-1 weight loss treatment is right for you. Prescription required after consultation; results vary. Consult a doctor before taking any medications.  Telosrx.com CHAPTERS 0:00 The fastest-moving week of the election fight yet: what happened with the mail-in ballot rule 2:30 Meet Virginia Kase Solomon: president of Common Cause, 24 lawsuits won, former head of the League of Women Voters 3:18 56 years of Common Cause: founded during Watergate and Vietnam, back at the same fight 5:43 How do you grapple with the Groundhog Day feeling of fighting the same battles again? 8:00 What the chaos around the mail-in ballot rule is actually designed to do: confusion is the strategy 11:00 What Common Cause's lawsuit says and where the legal fight stands right now 15:00 Why the mail-in ballot attack might be an own goal: one in three Americans voted by mail in 2024 18:00 The third reconstruction: what transformative change looks like beyond just rebuilding what was there before 20:00 The million conversations: what Common Cause is actually hearing from everyday Americans at kitchen tables 22:00  The Texas cattle ranchers who voted for Trump and are now asking "who do I trust?" 25:00  Grant's observation: people everywhere want the same basic things, we're just not saying so 28:00  Why the mail-in ballot attack might unite voters across party lines rather than divide them 29:42 What a third reconstruction actually looks like: not rebuilding the old, but something new 33:37  The bait and switch: what Trump promised rural voters and what they're actually getting Support the show Follow along on social media  SaySo: @GrantHermes  X: @GrantHermes Insta: @Grant__Hermes Tiktok: Grant_Hermes

  2. 2d ago

    Trump's Midterm Hail Mary Is More Trump

    68 days to the midterms. The road to Republicans keeping the House is all but closed. And this week the White House made a series of moves that look like the early stages of declaring a national emergency around the election. First: the USPS mail-in ballot restriction rule went into effect despite no federal framework for it to operate in and no time for states to comply. USPS is telling states that any ballot from a state that doesn't comply will not be delivered or returned. Second: Trump declared a national emergency to secure America's bulk power systems, specifically citing critical software and digital capabilities, which voting machines and vote-counting machines are classified as under federal law. Third: DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin told the White House Transparency Task Force that Chinese-made parts were found in some election equipment in some states and that this could compromise the midterms. He cited a 2024 intelligence assessment. He left out the very next sentence of that assessment, which says foreign actors will probably refrain from attacking because they almost certainly could not alter vote counts without detection. Fourth: DHS is now withholding disaster relief funding from states that won't conduct hand-counted paper ballot audits, even though hand counts are demonstrably less accurate than the machines we already use. Fifth: ICE arrests hit 50,000 in July, a 70% increase from the month before. A Republican governor in Wyoming has asked his attorney general to investigate aggressive federal election monitors. Trump can't suspend an election under a national emergency. But he can disrupt one. And he can use the chaos to claim the results are fraudulent. It's the only way he's ever won. Grant also breaks down Trump's midterm strategy of spending $400 million not on close races but on ads about his own accomplishments, why Republican strategists are nervous about it, and why renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America" will ruin the final verse of Gordon Lightfoot's Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. CHAPTERS 0:00 Trump's midterm strategy: make it about him, spend on ads, and hope 33% approval is enough 2:00 251 endorsements, nine losses, and why his 87% success rate with non-incumbents is genuinely impressive 3:30 South Carolina runoff: $800K, a campaign trip, and Darlene Graham wins thanks to Trump 5:00 The Atlantic: Trump wants ads about himself and his accomplishments. GOP strategists are worried. 6:30 The polls: negative 48 net approval overall, negative 42 on the economy, negative double digits even on immigration 8:00 Lake Ontario becomes Lake America by executive order.  9:00 The scapegoat setup: Trump promotes a list blaming Republicans for not being loyal enough 10:30 Sponsor break 12:00 The five pieces of a potential national emergency around the election: here's what was announced this week 13:00 Piece one: USPS mail-in ballot rule goes into effect with no framework and no time 14:00 Piece two: national emergency declared over the power grid, citing critical digital infrastructure 15:30 Piece three: Chinese parts in voting machines — and the sentence Mullin left out of the intelligence report 17:00 Piece four: DHS holds disaster relief hostage over hand-counted paper ballot audits 18:30 Piece five: ICE arrests hit 50,000 in July, up 70%. A Republican governor investigates his own federal monitors. 20:00 What a national emergency around the election would and wouldn't do: Trump can't cancel the vote 21:30 The playbook: play the victim, claim the game is rigged, disrupt, deny. It's worked before. Support the show Follow along on social media  SaySo: @GrantHermes  X: @GrantHermes Insta: @Grant__Hermes Tiktok: Grant_Hermes

  3. 4d ago

    The Supreme Court Won't Stop Trump's Mail-In Ballot Block. For Now.

    On Monday the Supreme Court issued an unsigned shadow docket opinion lifting a federal judge's block on Trump's new postal service rule, the one that would let USPS decide not to deliver or return mail-in ballots. The conservative majority didn't say the rule is legal. They said the challenge came too early because USPS hadn't published its final rule yet. That final rule goes public tomorrow. One in three Americans voted by mail in 2024. Roughly 100 million people. Eight states and Washington DC run entirely vote-by-mail elections. In Utah, 95% of voters voted by mail. If USPS follows the executive order but the citizenship verification list doesn't exist yet, which it doesn't, because DHS hasn't built it, then USPS has no list to check ballots against, which means it either sends nothing out or returns nothing that comes in. Grant games out three scenarios: elections decided by incredibly small margins, members of Congress not seated because states can't properly carry out elections, or a zombie Congress come January with no legal authority to act, concentrating even more power in the White House. Most experts don't think it gets that far. But this is a new door for claiming fraud after the election, and with the president in the White House instead of the wilderness, the deny stage of the executive override playbook is going to be better resourced than 2020. The good news: there is a second lawsuit from the League of Women Voters and Common Cause that will now be ripe for the Supreme Court to hear, and time, for once, may be on the side of voters. On Canada: Trump demanded Quebec reduce its use of the French language as a condition of trade talks. Canada's Prime Minister called it an act of colonization. Ontario's Premier called Trump a dictator. Trump threatened to rename Lake Ontario "Lake America." Grant explains why this is the Southern Strategy applied to international relations and why the actual tariffs don't kick in until after the midterms. CHAPTERS 0:00 The most jam-packed week of news yet and it's only Tuesday: what's on the board 1:30 Canada trade war: 50% tariffs, $50 billion in goods, and why we get 99% of our natural gas from Canada 3:00 Trump called this deal "the best agreement we've ever made" when he signed it in 2020. Now he hates it. 4:00 How the talks collapsed: the White House team imploded and then demanded Quebec stop speaking French 5:30 Canada calls it colonization. Ontario's Premier calls Trump a dictator. Trump threatens to rename Lake Ontario. 7:00 The Southern Strategy goes international: why this is culture war, not trade policy 8:30 The good news: the actual tariffs don't kick in until after the midterms 9:30 Sponsor: TelosRX 11:30 The Supreme Court clears the way for the postal service mail-in ballot rule: what actually happened 13:00 Ripeness explained: why the Court said the challenge came too early and what happens tomorrow 14:30 One in three Americans voted by mail in 2024. Here's what happens if USPS follows the order with no list. 16:00 Gaming it out: three scenarios from small margins to zombie Congress 18:00 The Purcell principle, Justice Jackson's dissent, and why timing is the real legal battlefield 19:30 The second lawsuit: League of Women Voters and Common Cause, and why time may be on voters' side 21:00 This is a new door for election denial — and it's harder to fight from the White House than the wilderness This episode is sponsored by TelosRX.  Connect with licensed U.S. providers online to see if a GLP-1 weight loss treatment is right for you. Prescription required after consultation; results vary. Get started HERE. Support the show Follow along on social media  SaySo: @GrantHermes  X: @GrantHermes Insta: @Grant__Hermes Tiktok: Grant_Hermes

  4. Aug 21

    A Former Intel Officer Explains Exactly How Trump Plans To Hijack The Midterms

    74 days to the midterms. Alexandra Chandler is the Director of Free and Fair Elections at Protect Democracy, a former Naval Intelligence officer and former intelligence analyst under the Secretary of Defense. Her organization is currently suing the Trump administration over the postal service mail-in voting rules, the voter roll data grabs, FCC regulatory threats against media, and multiple state-level election interference attempts. She is fighting this fight every single day. The most important thing she explains in this conversation is the executive override framework: the three-stage playbook Protect Democracy identified by studying 2020, Trump's behavior out of power, and authoritarian precedents worldwide. Stage one is deceive: use the federal government's tools to spread disinformation, selectively declassify intelligence, produce fake studies, poison faith in the process, and galvanize a political base. Stage two is disrupt: use the lies from stage one as justification to invoke emergency powers and interfere with election machinery. Stage three is deny: when disruption fails in court, use the original lies to claim the results where you lost were fraudulent, setting up the grievance for the next cycle. Grant and Alexandra also discuss why this president is attempting the authoritarian playbook from a position of genuine weakness rather than popularity, what happens when you try to compress the political environment while being deeply unpopular, and how that desperation changes the nature of the threat heading into November. The conversation ends with specific, concrete things every person listening can do: know your state's voting rules, volunteer as a poll worker or monitor, encourage early voting, volunteer with the Democracy Legal Defense Network if you're a lawyer, and support local independent journalism. How You Can Protect Democracy Protect Democracy: Executive Override CHAPTERS: 0:00 74 days out: the White House is setting up to undermine free and fair elections. Here's who fights back. 2:38 Meet Alexandra Chandler: 13 years in US intelligence, now Director of Free and Fair Elections at Protect Democracy 3:12 How under threat are our elections right now? Alexandra's honest answer. 4:00 The playing field vs. the machinery: two separate threats that require two separate frameworks 5:00 Why this president is attempting autocracy from a position of genuine weakness — and why that's more dangerous 7:30 The executive override framework: deceive, disrupt, deny — the three-stage election theft playbook 8:30 Stage one — deceive: fake studies, selective declassification, disinformation to poison faith in elections 9:15 Stage two — disrupt: use the lies as justification to invoke emergency powers and interfere with machinery 9:45 Stage three — deny: when courts stop the disruption, use the original lies to claim fraud and set up the next cycle 10:27 The direct through line from 2020 to January 6th to 2026: Grant and Alexandra connect the dots 12:00 "Admirably sustainable and renewable": the only recycling this administration does 14:00 The postal service rule, the voter roll grabs, ICE at polling stations: what's actually being attempted 20:00 Zero for 23 in court: why the shadow docket is the next battlefield 28:00 What healthy democracies do that ours doesn't: proportional representation and structural reform 35:00 How to inoculate yourself against what's coming: specific actions every person can take right now 39:00 Know your state's rules, volunteer as a poll worker, support local journalism, and help lawyers find election work Support the show Follow along on social media  SaySo: @GrantHermes  X: @GrantHermes Insta: @Grant__Hermes Tiktok: Grant_Hermes

  5. Aug 20

    $40 TRILLION Dollars In Debt And Counting

    Primary season is officially over. 75 days to the midterms. In Alaska, former Democratic Congresswoman Mary Peltola got more first-round votes than sitting Republican Senator Dan Sullivan in a race nobody thought would be competitive. Alaska is officially a toss-up. In Florida, Democratic Socialist state representative Angela Nixon beat Alexander Vindman — who outraised her 16 to 1 — in the Democratic Senate primary. She ran no corporate or PAC money, led sit-ins at the governor's office with a pink megaphone, got arrested for trespassing, and won. In South Carolina's Republican runoff, Mark Sanford — yes, that Mark Sanford, the one who went hiking on the Appalachian Trail while actually visiting his Argentine girlfriend — is running against Darlene Graham, Lindsey Graham's sister, who was booed off her own primary stage when she accidentally admitted she opposed the Iran war. On the national debt: the US passed $40 trillion this week. It has doubled in the last decade, and economists point to two drivers — the 2017 Trump tax cuts and the Republican pattern of spending more and paying back less under every Republican president since 1980. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the government is buying back US bonds to stabilize the dollar. When asked about the global oil economy directly connected to what he's doing, he said he didn't understand it. And then JD Vance told a group of young Republicans the US has had it too good for too long as the global currency standard and implied the country should pull back from that position. His mentor and financial backer Peter Thiel, for context, last year couldn't answer whether he thought humanity as a species should survive. TODAY'S THE LAST DAY TO GET THE MAKE IT MAKE SENSE ANNIVERSARY SUBSCRIPTION DEAL! $5/Month or $50/year to get access to everything Make It Make Sense has to offer!  https://makeitmakesensepod.substack.com/ CHAPTERS: 0:00 Primaries are done. 75 days to the midterms. Here's what just happened. 2:00 Alaska: Peltola gets more votes than Sullivan in a race nobody thought was competitive 4:00 Ranked choice voting explained: how Alaska's jungle primary actually works 5:30 Alaska is officially a toss-up: the Sarah Palin through line and what makes Alaska Republicans different 7:00 Florida: Angela Nixon beats Vindman 16-to-1 in fundraising, wins with a pink megaphone and no PAC money 9:00 The DSA wave hits a statewide race: why establishment Democrats are panicking again 10:30 Florida Congressional seat: Cory Mills out, arms dealing and domestic assault allegations explained 12:00 South Carolina runoff: Mark Sanford vs. Darlene Graham, who got booed off her own primary stage 14:00 Sponsor break 15:30 The national debt hits $40 trillion: how it doubled in a decade and who economists blame 17:30 Scott Bessent admits he doesn't understand the global oil economy he's been managing 19:00 Trump wants to claim the Strait of Hormuz as US territory. His own Secretary of State says it's illegal. 21:00 JD Vance tells young Republicans the US has had it too good as the global currency standard 22:30 Peter Thiel couldn't answer whether humanity should survive. He funds JD Vance. 23:30 What all of this means for prices, your mortgage, and your daily life This episode is supported by Klear Protein. It's a clear whey protein you mix with water for a light, refreshing drink. 20g of protein, zero sugar, zero lactose, and no bloat. MIMS listeners get an exclusive 20% off any product, the best deal they offer with the code MIMS25. level up your protein game at klearprotein.com. (I earn a commission when you use my link.) Support the show Follow along on social media  SaySo: @GrantHermes  X: @GrantHermes Insta: @Grant__Hermes Tiktok: Grant_Hermes

  6. Aug 19

    The President's "Human Binky" And His Lawyer

    Natalie Harp. She's a 35-year-old White House staffer who credits Donald Trump, not her doctors, with saving her life from bone cancer. She slept in the women's locker room of Trump's Bedminster golf club during the 2024 campaign to be physically closer to him. She leaves devotional notes in his documents and in his lunch. The Secret Service flagged her as a potential threat to the president. Maggie Haberman called her Trump's "human pacifier." And when Trump hid in the catering cart in Turkey, he brought two people: Pete Hegseth, who makes sense, and Natalie Harp. Senator Jon Ossoff mentioned her at a Georgia rally in a way that clearly implied an affair. Grant explains why that implication was sexist and harmful regardless of political stripe, why the Republican outrage over it is cynical and selective, and what the Harp story actually tells us about what this White House runs on. But first, Todd Blanche's first weekend as official Attorney General. He attended a Republican gubernatorial rally in New York, which is almost certainly against federal law and definitely against the norm of a politically independent DOJ. Then he went on Meet the Press and said the quiet part loud: he doesn't believe in DOJ independence. He said Trump has never asked him to do anything unethical or illegal, which is a lie that Grant documents in detail, including the Comey indictment, the journalist harassment, the slush fund, the IRS immunity deal, and a federal judge referring Blanche for formal discipline for attempting to defraud her court. He also accidentally called Trump his client on live television. Later in the interview, Blanche announced the DOJ is taking its 23 failed voter data lawsuits to the Supreme Court's shadow docket. Grant has been saying this was coming for weeks. Cheers to two Years of Make It Make Sense! Independent journalism only works with your support, so thank you! The price is still $5/month, but that changes August 20th. Subscribe now to lock in $5/month or $50/year! MakeItMakeSense.Substack.com CHAPTERS:  0:00 Todd Blanche's big debut weekend as Attorney General 2:00 The Meet the Press interview: "I'm not into that idea" of DOJ independence 3:30 Why Blanche's claim that Trump never asked him to do anything unethical is a documented lie 5:00 Blanche accidentally calls Trump "my client" on live television 6:00 The 139-year history of DOJ independence and what the White House's own executive order says about it 7:30 The reflecting pool question: "proof is a pesky thing" and the case Blanche wants to revive 8:30 23 failed voter data lawsuits headed to the shadow docket: Grant called this weeks ago 10:00 Sponsor break 11:30 Who is Natalie Harp: bone cancer survivor, OAN anchor, Trump devotee, "human pacifier" 13:00 The notes, the locker room, and being flagged by the Secret Service as a potential threat 15:00 Why she was in the catering cart: the two people Trump took when he thought Air Force One might be attacked 16:30 Senator Ossoff names her at a rally: what he implied, why it was sexist, and why the outrage is selective 18:30 The Fox News Kamala Harris joke the same people cheered: the hypocrisy documented 20:00 What Blanche and Harp have in common: the price and the reward of near-fanatical loyalty to Trump This episode is supported by Klear Protein. It's a clear whey protein you mix with water for a light, refreshing drink. 20g of protein, zero sugar, zero lactose, and no bloat. MIMS listeners get an exclusive 20% off any product, the best deal they offer with the code MIMS25. level up your protein game at klearprotein.com. (I earn a commission when you use my link.) Support the show Follow along on social media  SaySo: @GrantHermes  X: @GrantHermes Insta: @Grant__Hermes Tiktok: Grant_Hermes

  7. Aug 14

    "Authoritarian Projects Don't Like Science." And Other Vaccine Truths

    When the White House announced its new vaccine recommendations this week, Grant knew he needed someone who actually understands what these diseases do to human bodies. Dr. Scott Greer is a professor of public health policy and comparative politics at the University of Michigan, and he joins the show to explain what the new schedule actually means and what the diseases it leaves unprotected against actually look like. The short answer: nothing has changed. There is no new research. The split MMR vaccine Trump described doesn't exist and would take 5 to 10 years to develop. No insurance plans are changing. No pediatrician offices are changing their protocols. The American Academy of Pediatrics is not following the recommendations. But the long-term risk is real. Scott explains what measles, mumps, and rubella actually do. Measles can cause permanent brain damage and is so contagious that if one person in a room has it, 90% of unvaccinated people in that room will get it. Mumps causes inflammation of the testicles in boys, often leading to infertility. Rubella during the first trimester of pregnancy causes severe birth defects including blindness, deafness, heart defects, and intellectual disabilities. These are the diseases we nearly eradicated that are now coming back. Scott and Grant also talk about why authoritarian governments historically reject science, why the timing of this vaccine announcement, right before school starts, is politically significant, and how health is becoming a midterm wedge issue that Democrats may actually be better positioned on than they realize. Dr. Scott Greer at the University of Michigan  Just ONE WEEK LEFT to get in on the Make It Make Sense Anniversary subscription deal. Become a paid subscriber at the launch price of $5/mo before August 20th. Make It Make Sense Substack CHAPTERS 0:00 Why Grant brought in an expert: the vaccine announcement needed a doctor, not a journalist 3:13 Dr. Scott Greer: University of Michigan public health and comparative politics professor 3:42 "I wish I were shocked": what Scott's first reaction to the new schedule actually was 4:30 Nothing has actually changed yet: no insurance changes, no pediatrician changes, no new vaccines exist 5:02 The split MMR vaccine Trump described: it doesn't exist and would take 5 to 10 years to develop 6:11 The immune system overload myth: why "too much liquid" isn't how vaccines or immune systems work 7:28 Why MMR was bundled in the first place: fewer trips, faster immunity, less time unprotected 7:54 Spacing out vaccines means longer windows of vulnerability: how this increases spread 9:05 What measles actually does: 90% transmission rate, brain damage, and why it's a "runaway train" right now 12:00 What mumps actually does: inflammation of the testicles and infertility in post-pubescent males 14:00 What rubella actually does during pregnancy: blindness, deafness, heart defects, intellectual disabilities 17:00 The diseases we nearly eradicated: what polio actually looked like in American cities 22:00 Why authoritarian governments historically reject science but love technology 28:00 The timing: why announcing this right before school starts is politically significant 33:00 Health as a midterm wedge issue: how Democrats could use RFK Jr. and MAHA against Republicans 36:00 The bigger picture: what it means when one party stops believing in evidence-based policymaking Support the show Follow along on social media  SaySo: @GrantHermes  X: @GrantHermes Insta: @Grant__Hermes Tiktok: Grant_Hermes

  8. Aug 13

    Sailors Are Jumping Off A Navy Ship As Trump Plays White House Foreman

    The USS Abraham Lincoln has been deployed for 250 days without making port. Sailors are supposed to dock every 30 to 45 days to resupply with food, fresh water, and rest. Instead, families of the nearly 5,000-member crew have reported sailors being served a quarter cup of pulled pork and two tortillas, mold on board, broken toilets and laundry, a shortage of hygiene products and water, and multiple sailors needing to be restrained after attempting to jump overboard. A town hall with the Navy Secretary revealed serious mental health and morale issues. Mail and packages have been lost for weeks, raising questions about whether sailors could even vote. Pete Hegseth told Congress the troops were being taken care of. Today, when asked about the families' testimony, he said almost nothing. The USS Teddy Roosevelt has been scrambled from San Diego to relieve the Lincoln — at full speed, that's three weeks away. The Lincoln is looking at six more weeks before reaching US soil. The Washington Post obtained confidential contracts showing Trump's White House construction projects will cost $927 million — the most expensive changes to the White House in 80 years. More than $500 million is coming from taxpayers, including $415 million taken directly from the Secret Service budget. Another $305 million came from private donations, and $70 million is unaccounted for. A federal appeals court ruled this week that Trump's ballroom is illegal, saying "each president is a temporary tenant, not the owner." Trump is taking it to the Supreme Court's shadow docket. On the primaries: Wisconsin's Democratic Socialist candidate Francesca Hong lost by 3,796 votes after leading by 20 points in polls. Grant explains why the polling was off, why the Milwaukee County USB drive story is not fraud, and why Mike Lindell losing the Minnesota Republican primary by 11 points is a story you should care about. ONE WEEK LEFT to cash in on the Make It Make Sense anniversary deal. Lock in the launch price of $5/mo or $50/yr before Aug. 20th.  Make It Make Sense Substack This episode is supported by Klear Protein. It's a clear whey protein you mix with water for a light, refreshing drink. 20g of protein, zero sugar, zero lactose, and no bloat. MIMS listeners get an exclusive 20% off any product, the best deal they offer with the code MIMS25. level up your protein game at klearprotein.com. (I earn a commission when you use my link.) CHAPTERS 0:00 Wisconsin and Minnesota primaries: an upset and a half, and what they actually mean 2:30 Francesca Hong loses by 3,796 votes after leading by 20 points: why primary polling is always 13 points off 4:30 The Milwaukee County USB drive story: what actually happened and why it's not election fraud 6:00 Mike Lindell loses Minnesota by 40 points: the better story nobody is covering 7:30 The USS Abraham Lincoln: 250 days deployed, no port, sailors trying to jump overboard 9:30 What sailors are being served: a quarter cup of pulled pork, two tortillas, and grey mystery food 11:00 Mold, broken toilets, lost mail, and a mental health crisis Hegseth says isn't happening 12:30 The USS Teddy Roosevelt scrambled from San Diego: three weeks away, six more weeks for the Lincoln 14:00 Senator Blumenthal demands answers: who authorized 200 days without resupply? 15:30 The $927 million White House: confidential contracts, Secret Service money, and $70M unaccounted for 17:30 The federal appeals court rules: "Each president is a temporary tenant, not the owner." Trump appeals. 19:00 Why this matters beyond the money: the White House as a symbol of something being sold Support the show Follow along on social media  SaySo: @GrantHermes  X: @GrantHermes Insta: @Grant__Hermes Tiktok: Grant_Hermes

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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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