Living in the USA
Living in the USA
Talking about politics, thinking about the Left. Hosted by Jon Wiener, co-author of "Set the Night on Fire: L.A. in the Sixties," contributing editor at The Nation, and broadcast live at KPFK 90.7FM in LA Thursdays at 4.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 10, 2017 • 59min
Harold Meyerson: the Virginia vote; Katha Pollitt: Anger Management; Mike Wallace: 'Greater Gotham'
The Democratic triumph in Tuesday's Virginia election and its implications for 2018--Harold Meyerson comments, also: what the Democrats should do on tax policy.
Plus: Katha Pollitt on anger management, one year after Trump was elected;
And: New York City--it's Trump's home, and it's also the antithesis of Trump. Comment from Mike Wallace--he won the Pulitzer Prize in History in 1999 for "Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898" and has authored a follow up, it's called "Greater Gotham: A History of NYC 1898-1919".

Nov 3, 2017 • 1h 5min
Amy Wilentz on the Trump family & the indictments; Plus, the Tax Bill, John Nichols comments
Amy Wilentz joins us live in-studio to talk about the Trump family troubles around the indictments; Plus, John Nichols talks about what's in the House tax bill.

Oct 27, 2017 • 32min
E.J. Dionne: America After Trump—plus Why are Trump voters so angry? Historian Steve Hahn
America After Trump: E.J. Dionne argues that Trump has mobilized progressive political forces that can transform America—and he reminds us that Trump never had a majority of voters, and is the most unpopular presidents in our history. E.J. is co-author of "One Nation After Trump: A Guide to the Perplexed, the Disillusioned, the Desperate, and the Not-Yet-Deported."
Also: Why are Trump voters so angry? Historian Steve Hahn examines explanations of white working class rage, starting with the monster bestseller “Hillbilly Elegy” by J.D. Vance, which has spent more than a year on the best-seller list. Also: “White Rage” by Carol Anderson, and Justin Gest’s book “The New Minority: White Working Class Politics in an Age of immigration and Inequality.”

Oct 19, 2017 • 33min
Ai Weiwei talks about the global refugee crisis: 'Human Flow'--Plus Amy Wilentz on Ivanka
Ai WeiWei, the most famous political artist in the world, talks about his new documentary on global refugee crisis. It's called “Human Flow” --it opens in LA Friday Oct 20.
Plus: Amy Wilentz on 'The Children's Hour': Ivanka, Jared, and Don Jr.

Oct 13, 2017 • 30min
Is Trump Crazy? The Psychiatrists speak & Amy Wilentz Reports; George Zornick on the NRA & Las Vegas
Is Trump Crazy? The Psychiatrists speak in "The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump" by Bandy Lee, MD -- Amy Wilentz comments: do psychiatrists have a "duty to warn"?
Plus: Trump and the NRA after the Las Vegas shootings, George Zornick comments.

Oct 6, 2017 • 47min
Trump and the Triumph of Fear: Sasha Abramsky--plus John Nichols on Trump's Generals
Sasha Abramsky talks about Trump and the triumph of fear -- his new book is “Jumping at Shadows: The Triumph of Fear and the End of the American Dream.”
Also: Pundits say the three former generals on Trump's staff are "the adults in the room" who will block him from doing his worst. John Nichols isn't so sure about that -- the generals are featured in his book "Horsemen of the Trumpocalypse."
And, for something completely different: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy. One of the darkest days at the end of what we call “the sixties” came on Sept. 9, 1971, after 1,300 prisoners at the Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York rebelled -- to protest years of mistreatment. The true story of what happened at Attica was covered up by officials for decades. but now, 47 years later, we finally know the true story, thanks Heather Ann Thompson.

Sep 29, 2017 • 44min
Hillary's 'What Happened', plus Paul Manafort's Indictment and Ken Burns's Vietnam
Sarah Leonard of The Nation says Hillary's campaign memoir "What Happened" has its enjoyable parts, but fails to recognize the populist forces that explain what happened.
plus Bob Dreyfuss on the Robert Mueller's coming indictment of Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort --
and Todd Gitlin replies to critics of Ken Burns's Vietnam series on PBS -- it's a powerful portrayal of the reasons the war was a disaster, he argues.

Sep 22, 2017 • 59min
Hillary's 'What Happened' DD Guttenplan Reports; David Dayen on DeVos & Harold Meyerson on Obamacare
Hillary’s book about what happened in her loss to Donald Trump – it’s called ‘What Happened,” and D.D. Guttenplan of The Nation says she really doesn’t understand what happened.
Plus: the horrible Betsy DeVos – billionaire opponent of public schools, and now Trump’s Secretary of Education: David Dayen will explain.
Plus, the Republicans’ final attempt to repeal Obamacare is underway; Harold Meyerson will report.

Sep 15, 2017 • 58min
Tom Frank on Hillary's "What Happened" plus Joan Walsh on Pence & Harold Meyerson on Bernie
Hillary's book about 'What Happened' has a clear message, Tom Frank says: "don't blame me."
Also: Is Pence Worse? Do we really want Trump out? Joan Walsh says 'yes' to both.
And Harold Meyerson comments on the Medicare-for-all bill introduced in Congress yesterday by our man Bernie. He says it’s not only necessary, it’s “strategically savvy.”

Sep 8, 2017 • 58min
Trump's 180 on Dreamers and DACA: Harold Meyerson; Nichols on Trump's EPA & Dreyfuss on Facebook
Harold Meyerson of The American Prospect talks about Trump's 180 on DACA and the Dreamers.
Also: Hurricanes, Texas Toxics and Trump's EPA: John Nichols comments.
And Bob Dreyfuss explains what we now know about Facebook taking money from Russians for political ads, and answers the question, 'Who is Felix Sater -- and why is Trump so afraid of him?"


