312 episodes

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.

Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast MSNBC

    • News
    • 4.6 • 8.5K Ratings

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.

    The Origins of the Universe with Marcelo Gleiser

    The Origins of the Universe with Marcelo Gleiser

    What is the nature of existence? Why is there something rather than nothing? And what are our limits of knowledge? These are questions that have captured the imaginations of pretty much every culture that has ever existed. Our guest this week, Marcelo Gleiser, co-authored a fascinating New York Times op-ed titled, “The Story of Our Universe May Be Starting to Unravel.” Gleiser is the Appleton Professor of Natural Philosophy and a professor of physics and astronomy at Dartmouth College. He’s also author of numerous books, including his most recent one, “The Dawn of a Mindful Universe: A Manifesto for Humanity's Future.” Gleiser joins WITHpod to discuss why different scientific methods of measuring the age of the universe continually yield different results, contemporary departures from longstanding theories about the origins of the universe, the importance of us cultivating time to think about life’s big questions and more. Note that this episode was recorded on September 28th, 2023 and we held it for release until today.

    • 53 min
    WITHpod Live with Chris Hayes and Rachel Maddow

    WITHpod Live with Chris Hayes and Rachel Maddow

    We just wrapped up our fall 2023 national tour. We’ve so enjoyed taking WITHpod on the road and it’s been so good to hear feedback from so many of you. We couldn’t think of a better person to have for our tour culmination than the one and only Rachel Maddow. It was a fascinating conversation all about what we can do to save American democracy, how we got to this particular political moment and her amazing New York Times bestselling book, “Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism.” We’re thrilled to share the full recording of the event with you.

    • 1 hr 38 min
    PREVIEW: WITHpod Live with Chris Hayes and Rachel Maddow

    PREVIEW: WITHpod Live with Chris Hayes and Rachel Maddow

    We just wrapped up our fall 2023 WITHpod national tour. We couldn’t think of a better way to conclude than with the one and only Rachel Maddow. If you’re a regular listener, you know that we release full episodes every Tuesday, but we’re doing something different this week. We are excited to share a preview of the conversation today. It was a fascinating convo all about what we can do to preserve American democracy, the rise of authoritarianism and the historical events that have led to this moment, as told in her incredible New York Times bestselling book, “Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism.” You can hear the full conversation in our feed this Friday, 11/24.

    • 9 min
    Life in the West Bank with Sari Bashi

    Life in the West Bank with Sari Bashi

    It’s been over a month since Hamas' rampage in Southern Israel killed over a thousand Israeli men, women and children, and over a month of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza that has claimed 10,000 lives, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. In this episode, we’re focusing on the precipitating factors that led to the conflict and issues that continue to impede a resolution. Sari Bashi, who lives in the West Bank and is married to a Palestinian, has a unique perspective as a Jewish woman with U.S.-Israeli citizenship, living in a household that transcends the conflict. Bashi is the program director at Human Rights Watch, an author and is the co-founder of Gisha Access, an Israeli NGO whose goal is to protect the freedom of movement of Palestinians, especially Gaza residents. She joins WITHpod to discuss what the year before the war looked like, violations of international laws, the devastating impact on civilians, calls for countries to suspend military aid and more.

    Note: An earlier version of this episode's audio misstated the scale of the civilian death toll in Gaza. This version has been edited to omit this.

    • 54 min
    Defending Democracy Amid Division with Adam Kinzinger

    Defending Democracy Amid Division with Adam Kinzinger

    “You basically have one vote in 2024. Do you support democracy or do you not support democracy? And no other issue in my mind matters,” says our guest this week. Adam Kinzinger, a former Republican congressman, found himself a pariah of sorts after he voted to impeach Donald Trump, following the former president’s attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Kinzinger was one of two Republicans tapped to be on the January 6th committee after the 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. He stepped away from politics this year and recently authored “Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country,” a memoir all about his life and political career. Kinzinger joins WITHpod to discuss the transformation of the Republican Party, crossing political lines during the House Impeachment vote, why he feels Trump avoids in-person confrontation, preserving American democracy and more.

    • 49 min
    The Making of Joy Reid

    The Making of Joy Reid

    We’re happy to share a recording of the second half of our double header WITHpod live program in Philadelphia, which was recorded on October 16th. Our own Joy Reid joined us for the most recent tour stop to discuss her fascinating trajectory, including her years in Florida, which have given her unique insight into the state’s current culture wars. She also talks about her time working on political campaigns, the anti-CRT movement, the peril of this political moment and more. 


    • 53 min

Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5
8.5K Ratings

8.5K Ratings

Bolo6360 ,

West Bank show

Chris,

I love your shows. Why didn’t you challenge your guest’s assertion that Israel is an Apartheid state. You know that is not true. Israel is definitely occupiers, but apartheid? C’mon.

Sstein02 ,

Why isn’t there peace no

There is peace because the Palestinians responded to the peace process with endless suicide bombings. and a second intifada all with Arafat’s approval. It decimated the Israeli left. Why is it that there’s a “context” for Palestinian violence bbut Israelis are supposed to sit back and take it? They shouldn’t have to. I support a two-state solution but you’re not going to get there unless you change Israeli public opinion that any peace process will lead to increased violence.

harryolarry ,

Kinzinger interview

That was an amazing interview with Adam Kinzinger. He has the moral compass so desperately missing in this world. I found him fascinating to listen to and will follow his career forward. We haven’t heard the last of him yet. Good job, Chris.

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