Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast

MSNBC
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  • NEWS
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Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast

Ad-free listening + bonus content.

$2.99/month or $29.99/year

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.

  1. 2D AGO

    Resisting Threats to Democracy with Rep. Robert Garcia

    The Democratic Party has its work cut out. Meanwhile, there’s a fundamental issue: the party doesn’t currently have formal power. It doesn't have a majority in either House of Congress, it doesn't control the executive branch, and the Supreme Court has a 6-3 Trump majority. And all of this is creating a kind of impotent rage, frustration and feeling that Democratic leadership hasn’t really risen to the moment. But how might Democrats stand up in this moment? Rep. Robert Garcia, is a representative from California’s 42nd congressional district. Before that, he was the mayor of Long Beach. He joins WITHpod to discuss his thoughts on whether or not we’ve lost the American republic, the unlawful nature of so many Trump 2.0 actions, ways Democrats can adjust messaging and more.

    58 min

  2. MAR 4

    The Darkest Corners of the Internet with Elle Reeve

    Trolls have basically taken possession of the U.S. government. How have trolls been able to go from being mostly cordoned off in dark parts of the internet to gaining so much influence in American culture and politics? Our guest this week has spent years researching and reporting on-the-ground to learn more about how the battle online between the right and the left has moved into the real world. Elle Reeve is a correspondent at CNN and the author of “Black Pill: How I Witnessed the Darkest Corners of the Internet Come to Life, Poison Society, and Capture American Politics.” She joins WITHpod to discuss the politics of “black pilled” and “red pilled” young men, the ways in which online extremism so often translates into political violence and more.

    54 min

  3. FEB 25

    The Stalled Engine of American Opportunity with Yoni Appelbaum

    A defining feature of America from its inception has been physical mobility. And that physical mobility has been the engine of social mobility. But we’ve seen a great deal of economic and social sclerosis over the past few decades. Our guest this week has how, for many people, America has ceased to be the land of opportunity. Yoni Appelbaum is a deputy executive editor of The Atlantic, author of “Stuck: How the Privileged and the Propertied Broke the Engine of American Opportunity,” and a social and cultural historian of the U.S. He joins WITHpod to discuss how the idea of mobility has changed within the last century, how things might become less “stuck” and more.

    59 min

  4. FEB 20 • MSNBC PREMIUM ONLY

    Chris Hayes “The Sirens’ Call” Live Event with Jia Tolentino

    SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE: Hi, WITHpod listeners! If you’ve been listening to the podcast recently or following Chris at all, you probably know he has a new book out, “The Sirens' Call: How Attention Became the World's Most Endangered Resource.” As a special bonus episode for MSNBC Premium Subscribers, we’re sharing a recording of a recent live conversation he did with Jia Tolentino of The New Yorker. The event was held at St. Joseph’s University in Brooklyn. You can learn more about The Sirens’ Call, purchase a copy and get more info about the book tour here: https://www.msnbc.com/the-sirens-call

    59 min

  5. FEB 18

    The Uncertain Future of USAID with Jeremy Konyndyk

    So much has happened in the past few weeks. And we’ve seen a speed game of sorts being played by the Trump administration to try to act as rapidly as possible to rework the administrative state of the government. One example of that is the attempts to end the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The letters have even been taken off of the building. But is any of this even legal and what are the implications of gutting USAID? Jeremy Konyndk is the president at Refugees International. He served as a senior official at USAID in the Obama and Biden administrations. Konyndk joins WITHpod to discuss progress that has already been undone, diplomatic repercussions, the effects on American soft power and the uncertain future of USAID.

    51 min

  6. FEB 11

    Crypto in Trump 2.0 with Zeke Faux

    A lot of things are changing. And there’s a lot of things that the new White House administration wants to do differently. One of the areas where we’ve seen a lot of attention is cryptocurrency. Some of the latest developments are pretty confounding, to say the least. Lucky for us, our guest this week has spent years following crypto. Zeke Faux is a reporter for Bloomberg News and the author of “Number Go Up: Inside Crypto's Wild Rise and Staggering Fall.” He joins WITHpod to discuss some of the latest developments in cryptocurrency, concerns about the government purchasing it, Trump memecoins and more.

    49 min
  7. Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”

    FEB 10 · BONUS

    Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”

    In her new podcast series, Jen Psaki talks to Democratic leaders about the path forward for the party.

    36 min

  8. FEB 4

    The Reality at the Border with Jonathan Blitzer

    It’s no surprise that immigration policy is an area that we’ve seen so much focus on recently. The Trump administration has moved with lightning speed to roll out its immigration agenda. With everything that’s going on, we thought it would be good to have a conversation about some of the deep roots and complexities in history that have brought us to this moment. Jonathan Blitzer is a staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of “Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis.” He joins WITHpod to discuss what he has called “misguided” policy, the real-life impacts and more.

    59 min
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About

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.

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