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. 5 DAYS AGO

    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

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. 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
  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. JAN 28

    WITHpod Special: Hear a Chapter of Chris’ New Book: ‘The Siren’s Call’

    Hi, WITHpod listeners! It’s an exciting day and we have a special treat for you. Today, we’re sharing the first chapter of Chris’ new book, “The Sirens’ Call: How Attention How Attention Became the World's Most Endangered Resource." From the book description: We all feel it—the distraction, the loss of focus, the addictive focus on the wrong things for too long. We bump into the zombies on their phones in the street, and sometimes they’re us. We stare in pity at the four people at the table in the restaurant, all on their phones, and then we feel the buzz in our pocket. Something has changed utterly: for most of human history, the boundary between public and private has been clear, at least in theory. Now, as Chris Hayes writes, “With the help of a few tech firms, we basically tore it down in about a decade.” Hayes argues that we are in the midst of an epoch-defining transition whose only parallel is what happened to labor in the nineteenth century: attention has become a commodified resource extracted from us, and from which we are increasingly alienated. The Sirens’ Call is the big-picture vision we urgently need to offer clarity and guidance. Audio excerpted courtesy of Penguin Random House Audio from The Sirens’ Call by Chris Hayes, read by Chris Hayes. © 2025 Christopher Hayes, ℗ 2025 Penguin Random House, LLC. All rights reserved.

    57 min
  8. Listen to “Trumpland with Alex Wagner”

    JAN 24 · BONUS

    Listen to “Trumpland with Alex Wagner”

    Introducing “Trumpland with Alex Wagner,” a new podcast covering Trump's first 100 days. Up first: reporting on the J6 pardons.

    33 min
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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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  • As Democrats continue to dust themselves off after big losses in 2024, MSNBC’s Jen Psaki examines what’s next for the party. On “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki,” she dives into two crucial questions: where do Democrats stand in this moment? And how can they win again? With a format built for real conversations and necessary pushback, Jen sits down with some of the left’s biggest names to talk about confronting Trump 2.0 and how the party can shape the future they’d like to see. This is a space for edgy, honest discourse where Jen will go beyond political talking points to determine “the blueprint” for what lies ahead.

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  • On “Trumpland with Alex Wagner,” Alex travels the country talking with the people on the frontlines of Trump’s policies and promises. For the first 100 days of the new administration, she’s taking a break from the anchor’s chair to get out into the field to bring you conversations you can't always find on TV. You’ll get a 360 degree-view of what’s happening both at home and abroad now that Donald Trump is once again president of the United States. Subscribe to MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen ad-free.

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  • Main Justice is the next era of legal analysis from Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord, the veteran lawyers behind the hit podcast Prosecuting Donald Trump. As the criminal cases against Trump wind down and his new administration comes to power, Andrew and Mary draw on their extensive experience working within the Department of Justice to break down what’s happening inside Trump’s DOJ. Each week, they use their platform on Main Justice to safeguard against assaults on our laws, our Constitution, and our democracy.

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  • Drawing upon his experience as a former chief of staff on the Senate Finance Committee and as an Emmy-winning executive producer and writer of ‘The West Wing,’ Lawrence O’Donnell examines the compelling and impactful political stories of the day. Join him every weeknight.

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  • Drawing on years of experience as communications chief for President George W. Bush and senior advisor for the McCain-Palin campaign, Nicolle Wallace provides political insight and clarity on where the decision-makers stand on complex issues. Join her for analysis and discussion with the key newsmakers every weekday.

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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.

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