Living in the USA

We are in “one of the most perilous and fraught moments for American democracy since the mid-nineteenth century,” says Chris Hayes; what’s hopeful is that “the movement we’ve seen in the streets is the largest protest movement in American history.” Chris of course hosts “All In” weeknights on MSNBC; he’s also editor-at-large of The Nation, and he spoke recently with Katrina vanden Heuvel at a Nation magazine online event. Plus: Covid-19 is the disease that reflects all our social and economic illnesses: that’s what Manuel Pastor says, he’s director of the Equity Research Institute at USC. He reports on who’s got the dangerous jobs and who’s unemployed, which kids have computers and internet connections for at-home classes, and which don’t, and whether Trump’s effort to recruit Latino voters in key states might work. Also: Russian efforts to interfere with our elections – that’s the subject of a new HBO documentary by one of our favorite documentary makers, Alex Gibney. He’s got footage from inside Russian “troll farms” and videos unearthed from the Russian deep web to reveal the “agents of chaos” who were key players in our elections. Ella Taylor has a review – she’s our resident TV critic.

Rick Perlstein talks about the rise of Reagan, from what seemed like a career-ending defeat in the 1976 GOP primary, to his narrow victory in the popular vote in 1980--and how the darkness of the culture war has shaped the Republican Party that Trump came to dominate. Rick's long-awaited book, 1100 pages long, is "Reaganland: America's Right Turn, 1976-1980." Also: Katie Porter, the new member of Congress who flipped a longtime Republican district in Orange County, talks about defending the postal service and about ending student loan debt. Plus: we’ll talk about politics on TV in 1968 with Ella Taylor -- and about a new documentary, called “The Sit-In: Harry Belafonte Hosts the Tonight Show,” when his guests included Bobby Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and also Aretha Franklin. And it’s streaming now on Peacock.

After Kenosha: will Trump’s efforts to mobilize white backlash voters succeed, the way Nixon did in 1968? “No,” says Harold Meyerson. Also: Radically changing our broken criminal justice system—Jody Armour's visionary radicalism. He teaches law at USC and he’s a prominent defender of Black Lives Matter—and his new book has just been published—it’s called “N*gger Theory: Race, Language, Unequal Justice, and the Law.” Plus: Ella Taylor recommends “Epicentro,” sort of a documentary about Cuba—it’s streaming now on KinoMarquee.com.

The Republican National Convention is hard to watch, but Harold Meyerson is doing it for us. He reports on the highlights (Melania), and the low moments (Kimberly Gilfoyle). Also: The Children's Hour, stories about Don Jr., Ivanka, Little Eric, and Tiffany, told by Amy Wilentz. Today: the kids go to the convention! Plus: Our TV critic Ella Taylor recommends the six-part documentary "Immigration Nation" on Netflix, and the 72-episode drama "A French Village," about collaboration and resistance in WWII - on Prime.

The Democratic National Convention featured several Republicans but almost no Bernie supporters: Harold Meyerson comments. Plus: A Black Lives Matter leader in LA confronts the LAPD—outside her house. Melina Abdullah is a co-founder of Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles; she’s also professor of Pan-African studies at Cal State Los Angeles—and last week she was on the front page of the paper in LA. We asked her what happened. Also: Virus-time TV with Ella Taylor – today Ella recommends “the 24th” - a new feature film about an all-black army regiment sent to Texas in 1917, and the violent confrontation with local racists that followed --it’s a true story about the only racial insurrection in American history where more whites were killed than blacks--16 whites died, including 5 policemen, and 4 of the Black soldiers. over a hundred Black soldiers were courmartialed - for mutiny. Thirteen were hanged immediately, and six more later.

The pandemic has slowed the speed of life under capitalism, Naomi Klein suggests in her recent conversation with Katrina vanden Heuvel—and that has created greater empathy and solidarity, expressed in the unprecedented support for the Movement for Black Lives. But the “Screen New Deal”—the virtual classroom and workplace—are bringing greater isolation and increasing corporate power. Also: Trump’s rushing to develop a vaccine and declare victory over Covid-19 just before the November election – whether or not the current research, “Operation Warp Speed,” has succeeded. Gregg Gonsalves explains the challenges to the researchers, and the dangers posed by Trump: an ineffective vaccine that will create more resistance and skepticism about future vaccines. Gregg teaches epidemiology at Yale School of Public Health. He’s also the winner of a MacArthur genius fellowship. Plus Ella Taylor talks about the new film “Boy’s State” – it’s about 1100 teenage boys in Texas brought together by the American Legion to organize a state government. And no, it’s not a horror movie – it’s a documentary. Finally, Your Minnesota Moment: Ilhan Omar defeats a well-funded opponent.

We’ve been told many times that Trump won the 2016 election because his populist appeal won the white working class. Populism is the problem, in this view -- populism mobilized the irrationality, bigotry, & authoritarianism of the white working class. Tom Frank say that’s all wrong -- he wrote the classic “What’s the Matter with Kansas?,” and now he has a new book out: “The People, NO: A Brief History of anti-Populism.” And Ella Taylor reviews a documentary about fascism in the Philippines – where the regime of President Rodrigo Duterte has killed 30,000 people, claiming they were drug dealers – and drug users. Also: Mike Davis talks about LA in the Sixties –the huge nonviolent direct action campaign for integrated housing that came before Watts. The defeat of that campaign, in a statewide referendum, was one of the things that made the Watts rebellion, 55 years go this month, inevitable.

The Feds vs the Protests in Portland: David Cole, National Legal Director of the ACLU, explains what's at stake there. And Ella Taylor reviews a documentary on the ACLU’s legal battles of the past few years--the fight for immigrant rights, voting rights, abortion rights and LGBTQ rights. Also, Mike Davis talks about LA in the Sixties –the fight in those years against the LAPD and for black lives continues today

Trump’s “performative authoritarianism” as a campaign ploy designed for Fox News—that’s what Harold Meyerson says. He’s Editor at large of The American Prospect. Plus: it’s time to disarm the police—that’s what Don Guttenplan argues. He’s editor of The Nation. And film critic Ella Taylor is back with virus-time TV recommendations: this week, two Netflix shows about Brazil: an animated feature on migrant labor, and a documentary about the crisis of democracy there.

Black Lives Matter-L.A. says “defund the LAPD.” And the sherriffs, and the school police. Kelly Lytle Hernandez explains – she teaches history at UCLA, and she’s the recipient of a MacArthur ‘Genius” grant. Also: Black Lives Matter protests are everywhere, including some fo the most unlikely places: Zoe Carpenter reports on what’s been happening in Laramie, Wyoming; Florence, Alabama; and even Vidor, Texas—it’s a former Ku Klux Klan haven that Texas Monthly described as the state’s “most hate-filled town.” Plus: another episode of “The Children’s Hour,” stories about Ivanka, Jared, Don Junior, and Little Eric, with Amy Wilentz. This week Ivanka gets in trouble for wearing a mask – and Don Junior’s girlfriend tests positive. And Ella Taylor talks about the new Netflix series “Stateless,” about a refugee detention camp in Australia, created by and starring Kate Blanchett—and also about “The Old Guard,” starring Charlize Theron, it’s the first superhero movie directed by an African-American woman, Gina Prince-Bythewood.