Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra

MSNBC
  • 4.8 (31K)
  • HISTORY
  • WEEKLY SERIES
Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra Podcast

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As a new authoritarian movement rises in American politics, stoked by one of the country’s most outrageous demagogues, there is an all-out international manhunt for an American traitor. The U.S. Army’s Nazi war crimes trials in Germany have been infiltrated by a spy -- a mole for the other side. A gruesome foreign influence operation unfolds in Washington. A blackmail plot turns deadly in the U.S. Senate. A Hail Mary scheme to stop the counting of the Electoral College votes rattles democracy’s cage. With the line between the violent ultra-right and mainstream American politics fraying beyond recognition, with the FBI always one step behind their quarry, Americans of all stripes step up to confront a seemingly unstoppable, ascendant, anti-democratic force. Join Rachel Maddow for Episode One, launching June 10, 2024, and follow now. You can also subscribe to MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts for early access to every episode the Friday before it drops, and ad-free listening to all episodes in Ultra seasons one and two.

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  1. Episode 1: Dr. Hunt

    EPISODE 1

    Episode 1: Dr. Hunt

    The sudden and shocking suicide of a popular Democratic Senator, inside his Senate office, stuns the country and the nation’s capital. And soon, a series of bombshell revelations concerning the circumstances around the senator’s death will start to reveal a web of troubling forces at work on the American ultra right in the post-war 1950s. This episode contains descriptions that reference self-harm. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.

    38 min
  2. Episode 2: The Mole

    EPISODE 2

    Episode 2: The Mole

    The American government launches an all-out manhunt for a young American ultra-right fascist who harbors sympathy for the Nazis and who is actively peddling one of the world's most dangerous weapons. Francis Yockey’s journey -- and the government’s intense search for him -- will soon leave a mark on American politics for decades to come.

    38 min
  3. Episode 3: Malmedy

    EPISODE 3

    Episode 3: Malmedy

    One of the most shocking incidents of World War II for Americans -- a cold-blooded Nazi massacre of surrendering American troops -- gets weaponized against the United States by surviving Nazis hoping to return to power, as well as a group of Americans sympathetic to their cause. A gruesome hoax around the massacre, cooked up by the Nazis, will soon rocket through American politics.

    44 min
  4. Episode 4: Spectacle

    EPISODE 4

    Episode 4: Spectacle

    Elements of the American ultra right -- including the trailing ends of the America First movement -- begin taking up a strange new cause after the war... sympathy for Nazi war criminals. The surprising efforts to oppose the Nazi war crimes trials, and advocate for individual Nazis at home and abroad, will involve some of the most high-profile voices on the American right, and will jumpstart the career of one rising Republican star, Sen. Joseph McCarthy.

    44 min
  5. Episode 5: Coming Home

    EPISODE 5

    Episode 5: Coming Home

    The U.S. government’s search for American fascist Francis Yockey picks up steam as Yockey secretly returns home to America and joins forces with the growing pro-Nazi American ultra right. With investigators continually one step behind, Yockey suddenly turns up alongside one of the country's most powerful political figures who is ascending toward the height of his powers.

    53 min
  6. Episode 6: Under Pressure

    EPISODE 6

    Episode 6: Under Pressure

    As Sen. Joseph McCarthy's activities -- and his troubling connections to those on the ultra right -- are exposed in the press, Democratic Sen. Lester Hunt launches a final effort to take McCarthy on and rein in his abuses. In response, McCarthy and his allies launch a coordinated blackmail campaign against Hunt, using his own family, that will ultimately end in tragedy. This episode contains descriptions that reference self-harm. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.

    53 min
  7. Episode 7: Mobilized

    EPISODE 7

    Episode 7: Mobilized

    With Republican Sen. Joseph McCarthy facing the most serious challenge of his political life -- a looming censure vote in the U.S. Senate -- McCarthy's most fervent supporters raise up an army to fight in his defense. The effort, which draws together mainstream Republicans and McCarthy's most radical followers on the ultra right, will involve threats of violence, harassment, and an armed show of force on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.

    51 min
  8. Episode 8: Mystery Man

    EPISODE 8

    Episode 8: Mystery Man

    With the backing of an eccentric billionaire and powerful voices on the American far-right, a high-stakes effort to make Sen. Joseph McCarthy president surfaces at the Republican convention, as the years-long manhunt for American fascist Francis Yockey finally reaches its strange and dramatic end. Francis Yockey and Joe McCarthy become martyr figures for an ascendant and aggressive ultra-right intent on reshaping American life and politics for decades to come. This story/episode contains descriptions that reference self-harm. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.

    1h 12m
  9. Introducing Season Two of Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra

    SEASON 2 TRAILER

    Introducing Season Two of Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra

    As a new authoritarian movement rises in American politics, stoked by one of the country’s most outrageous demagogues, there is an all-out international manhunt for an American traitor. The U.S. Army’s Nazi war crimes trials in Germany have been infiltrated by a spy -- a mole for the other side. A gruesome foreign influence operation unfolds in Washington. A blackmail plot turns deadly in the U.S. Senate. A Hail Mary scheme to stop the counting of the Electoral College votes rattles democracy’s cage. With the line between the violent ultra-right and mainstream American politics fraying beyond recognition, with the FBI always one step behind their quarry, Americans of all stripes step up to confront a seemingly unstoppable, ascendant, anti-democratic force. Join Rachel Maddow for Episode One, launching June 10, 2024, and follow now. You can also subscribe to MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts for early access to every episode the Friday before it drops, and ad-free listening to all episodes in Ultra seasons one and two.

    2 min
  10. Bonus Episode: Rachel Maddow in Conversation with Tony Kushner

    BONUS

    Bonus Episode: Rachel Maddow in Conversation with Tony Kushner

    In a live conversation recorded at the Provincetown, MA Town Hall on May 26, Rachel and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and screenwriter Tony Kushner discuss “Ultra,” her book “Prequel,” and the rise of fascism both throughout history and in our current political moment.

    1h 24m
  11. Bonus Episode: Combating Antisemitism Today

    BONUS • MSNBC PREMIUM ONLY

    Bonus Episode: Combating Antisemitism Today

    SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE: Rachel Maddow discusses season two of her award-winning podcast with U.S. Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, President Biden’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism. They delve into the roots of antisemitism and Holocaust denial, and the U.S. government's ongoing global efforts to combat antisemitism.

    52 min
  12. Introducing: Season 2 of “Velshi Banned Book Club”

    BONUS

    Introducing: Season 2 of “Velshi Banned Book Club”

    MSNBC's Ali Velshi brings you a second season of the “Velshi Banned Book Club.” Book banning is happening more and more. Removing literature from library shelves, school syllabi, and summer reading lists isn’t just blatant censorship; it is the tip of the sword that threatens American democracy itself. Featuring critically acclaimed and culturally impactful literature – including work by Tim O’Brien, Roxane Gay, Lois Lowry, and Stephen Chbosky – the second season of the “Velshi Banned Book Club” puts the booking banning epidemic into necessary context. Read along with Ali Velshi and follow now to listen to the first two episodes on Thursday, September 12th . Subscribe to MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts for early access to every episode the week before it drops, ad-free listening, and bonus content: https://link.chtbl.com/vbbcs2_fdtw

    2 min
See All Season 2 (12)

Trailers

Shows with Subscription Benefits

  • The Rachel Maddow Show airs Mondays at 9pm ET on MSNBC, and shortly thereafter in this feed. **SPECIAL TO THIS FEED: The January 6th hearings and corresponding analysis from Rachel Maddow and other MSNBC panelists is also archived here.

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  • Join Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, and Willie Geist, for in-depth and informed discussions that help drive the day's political conversation. Top newsmakers, Washington insiders, journalists, and cultural influencers, come together on Morning Joe for unparalleled insight and analysis around the day's biggest stories.

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  • MSNBC’s Ali Velshi brings you “Velshi Banned Book Club,” an act of resistance against the book banning and censorship epidemic sweeping the nation. In each episode, a different author joins Ali to discuss why their work is being targeted and what is so crucial about the literature itself. “Velshi Banned Book Club” is a series rooted in literary and cultural analysis, in the notion that reading is resistance. Read along with Ali. Velshi Banned Book Club Season Two Reading List: "Small Acts of Courage" by Ali Velshi “The Giver” by Lois Lowry “1984” by George Orwell “How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents” by Julia Alvarez “American Street” by Ibi Zoboi “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien “Hunger” by Roxane Gay “The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare “All the Rivers” by Dorit Rabinyan “Bridge to Terabithia” by Katherine Paterson “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky “Brown Girl Dreaming” by Jacqueline Woodson “Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi “Maus” by Art Spiegelman Velshi Banned Book Club Season One Reading List: “Two Boys Kissing” by David Levithan “Boy Erased” by Garrard Conley “All American Boys” by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely “Dear Martin” by Nic Stone “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood "The Tempest" by William Shakespeare “Nineteen Minutes” by Jodi Picoult “Give a Boy a Gun” by Todd Strasser “The 1619 Project” by Nikole Hannah-Jones “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” by Benjamin Alire Saenz “Out of Darkness” by Ashley Hope Perez “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson “Ready or Not” by Meg Cabot “Beloved” by Toni Morrison “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston

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  • 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.

    • 4.6 (8751)
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  • How do you win an unprecedented election that could see a criminally indicted ex-president take on the current Commander in Chief? How do you win crucial down-ballot races that will ultimately shape the power dynamics for whoever wins the White House? And how do you win over voters – of ANY party – when mistrust in leadership is at an all-time high? Our host, former Senator Claire McCaskill, is one of the most well-respected voices in American politics today and has some ideas. Listen to “How to Win 2024” wherever you get your podcasts.

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4.8
out of 5
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About

As a new authoritarian movement rises in American politics, stoked by one of the country’s most outrageous demagogues, there is an all-out international manhunt for an American traitor. The U.S. Army’s Nazi war crimes trials in Germany have been infiltrated by a spy -- a mole for the other side. A gruesome foreign influence operation unfolds in Washington. A blackmail plot turns deadly in the U.S. Senate. A Hail Mary scheme to stop the counting of the Electoral College votes rattles democracy’s cage. With the line between the violent ultra-right and mainstream American politics fraying beyond recognition, with the FBI always one step behind their quarry, Americans of all stripes step up to confront a seemingly unstoppable, ascendant, anti-democratic force. Join Rachel Maddow for Episode One, launching June 10, 2024, and follow now. You can also subscribe to MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts for early access to every episode the Friday before it drops, and ad-free listening to all episodes in Ultra seasons one and two.

Information

  • Channel
    MSNBC
  • Creator
    Rachel Maddow, MSNBC
  • Episodes
    21
  • Seasons
    2
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2022 NBCUniversal Media LLC, all rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra
  • Provider
    NBCUniversal Media, LLC

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