Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast

MSNBC
  • 4.6 (8.9K)
  • NEWS
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

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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.

  1. 2D AGO

    How Project 2025 is Reshaping America with David Graham

    We got a pretty clear heads up about what Trump 2.0 could portend for so many facets of American life. The Mandate for Leadership, also known as Project 2025, is perhaps the clearest compilation of goals for Trump’s second term. Now that 100 days have passed of the second Trump administration, we thought it would be a good time to see where things stand. David Graham is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of “The Project: How Project 2025 Is Reshaping America.” He joins WITHpod to discuss what has already been done, what’s been most surprising, how he sees the plans playing out and more.

    54 min

  2. MAY 6

    Protests, Political Violence and Its Alternatives with Erica Chenoweth

    You’ve probably seen footage or photos of people protesting the Trump regime. Some data suggests that the volume of protestors is higher than in Trump’s first term. But at the same time, you might be wondering if we’re seeing enough civil resistance to preserve American democracy. Our guest this week is one of the authors of a study that found that just 3.5% of the population taking to the streets is enough to block authoritarian takeover. Erica Chenoweth is a political scientist at Harvard. They join to discuss historical and contemporary strategies for protesting, democratic backsliding, global comparisons and more.

    58 min

  3. APR 29

    “Trump Is Not a King” with NY Attorney General Letitia James

    A good amount of institutions have capitulated and complied in recent months with many of the Trump administration’s actions that far overstep executive authority. At the same time, we’ve seen a few places where there has been opposition and resistance to tactics employed by the Trump 2.0 regime. Some of the most pushback has come from democratically elected attorneys general. Our guest this week points out that Trump “can’t override laws with sharpies” and that checks and balances still exist. Letitia James is the attorney general for the state of New York. She joins WITHpod to discuss why she says Trump is on a “revenge tour,” whether or not she feels the rule of law will prevail as we move forward from the first 100 days and more. And a BIG thank you to all of our WITHpod fans for voting for us to win a People’s Voice Webby Award in the category of Best Interview or Talk Show. We truly appreciate your support. ICYMI, WITHpod full episodes are now on YouTube. You can watch by visiting msnbc.com/withpod.

    55 min

  4. APR 22

    ‘America, América' with Greg Grandin

    The United States is pretty intertwined with Latin America. So why has it historically been seen as more of a European outpost as opposed to a nation in the Western hemisphere that is part of the broader Americas? Our guest this week points out that there are other ways to understand the history and identity of the U.S., aside from the narrative that is so often a part of contemporary discourse. Greg Grandin is the C. Vann Woodard Professor of History at Yale and the author of “America, América: A New History of the New World.” He joins WITHpod to discuss rethinking our conceptions of the “New World,” democratic backsliding in the U.S., why he says we should rethink hemispheric history and more.

    58 min

  5. APR 15

    ‘Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza’ with Peter Beinart

    We’re now a year and a half into the war in Gaza. Our guest this week has spent a lot of time thinking and writing about all that has unfolded. Peter Beinart is the author of numerous books including his latest, “Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning” and writes “The Beinart Notebook” on Substack. He’s also an MSNBC analyst and the editor-at-large of “Jewish Currents.” He joins WITHpod to discuss what the war in Gaza has revealed about American Judaism, why he says Jews must tell a new story, what his vision of the future is and more. And ICYMI, an exciting announcement: “Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast” is now on YouTube! Watch at msnbc.com/withpod. Plus, we're nominated for a Webby Award! Please vote for us and your other favorite MSNBC podcasts by April 17th: Why Is This Happening? With Chris Hayes in the Podcasts - Interview/Talk Show category:https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/shows/interviewtalk-show Into America: Uncounted Millions in the Podcasts - News & Politics category:https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/limited-series-specials/news-politics Prosecuting Donald Trump in the Podcasts - Crime & Justice category:https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/shows/crime-justice

    55 min

  6. APR 8

    How Process is Killing Progress with Ezra Klein

    Why has America's 20th century vision of innovation and opportunity transformed into a stagnant and stunted dystopian reality? Our guest this week claims that “the crisis that’s clicking into focus now has been building for decades” and it’s all because we haven’t been following building enough. Ezra Klein is host of The Ezra Klein Show podcast, a columnist for New York Times Opinion and the author of “Abundance,” which he co-wrote with Derek Thompson. He joins WITHpod to discuss how liberals have failed on progress, how they can shift gears in MAGA America, and how we might reimagine abundance for everyone. And an exciting announcement: “Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast” is now on YouTube! Watch at msnbc.com/withpod. Plus, we're nominated for a Webby Award! Please vote for us and your other favorite MSNBC podcasts by April 17th: Why Is This Happening? With Chris Hayes in the Podcasts - Interview/Talk Show category: https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/shows/interviewtalk-show Into America: Uncounted Millions in the Podcasts - News & Politics category: https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/limited-series-specials/news-politics Prosecuting Donald Trump in the Podcasts - Crime & Justice category: https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/shows/crime-justice

    1h 11m

  7. APR 1

    Why ‘Everything is Tuberculosis’ with John Green

    Tuberculosis is the deadliest infectious disease in the world. Why does something that’s curable still kill millions every year? And what does this illustrate about global health disparities? John Green is the author of “Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection.” Green is also the co-creator of Vlog brothers, which he co-hosts with his brother Hank Green. He joins WITHpod to discuss why tuberculosis is seen as a disease of poverty, what the disease exposes about healthcare inequities, concerns about the Trump administration retracting foreign aid and more.

    55 min

  8. MAR 25

    Weaponization of the FBI from Hoover to Trump 2.0 with Beverly Gage

    J. Edgar Hoover is one of the most polarizing figures in U.S. history. And the seeds he planted as the decades long founding director of the FBI continue to shape much of today’s conservative political landscape. Kash Patel, who now leads the FBI, has openly vowed to find ways to punish Trump’s political enemies. While that’s appalling, it’s not the first time an FBI director has used abused institutional power. There’s a lot of historical precedent that we can compare and contrast with the current moment. Beverly Gage is a historian at Yale University and the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century.” She joins WITHpod to discuss Hoover’s influence, the politicization of the FBI, the abuse of its power, the FBI in Trump 2.0 and more.

    51 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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