S1 Ep36: The Rise of Hate with Jonathan Greenblatt
Jen dives into the Iowa caucus results driven by an unenthusiastic electorate dominated by Trump’s radical minority and welcomes ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt.  They analyze the explosion of anti-semitism after the 10/7 attack and what constitutes it, the rise of hate on college campuses, and the dangers posed by the social media algorithms driving popular opinion.  Then, they emphasize the impor...
1hr 3m Jan 17, 2024
1hr 3m
S1 Ep35: Upholding the Law with Michael Waldman
Jen contrasts the strong pro-democracy speeches of President Biden with Trump’s immunity claims, and welcomes the Brennan Center’s Michael Waldman.  They lay out the scope of corruption delegitimizing the SCOTUS, and look at term limits, court expansion, an ethics code, and regular presidential appointments as possible remedies.  Then, they discuss the progression of the DOJ’s prosecutions of T...
54m Jan 10, 2024
54m
S1 Ep34: Ask Jen Anything
In this special New Year’s episode, Jen discusses the recent victory for judicial independence in Israel and the resignation of Harvard President Claudine Gay, before taking your questions covering everything from the personal to the political.  Politically, she covers the impact of A.I., how we can reform the Supreme Court, the popularity of Senator Fetterman, how to persuade Trump’s voters, a...
45m Jan 03, 2024
45m
S1 Ep33: US-Israeli Relationship with Halie Soifer
Jen breaks down the latest developments in the Israel-Hamas war and welcomes CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, Halie Soifer.  They discuss what it means to be Jewish amid the explosion of anti-semitism in the United States, and examine the interplay between Jewish values and intersectionality.  As part of their analysis, they weigh the strength of the pro-Israel response by Presi...
55m Dec 27, 2023
55m
S1 Ep32: States United with Joanna Lydgate
Jen welcomes States United Democracy Center CEO Joanna Lydgate to sound the alarm over the war on democracy being waged by Trump and the election deniers he inspires.  They discuss the dangers their rhetoric poses to election workers, their motives for undermining our voting systems, and why we need to take them at face value.  Critically, they emphasize how protecting democracy should be the s...
40m Dec 20, 2023
40m
S1 Ep31: The Hamas War on Women with Ruth Halperin-Kaddari
Jen welcomes legal scholar Ruth Halperin-Kaddari to raise the alarm about the violence against women perpetrated by Hamas on 10/7.  They discuss the scope of the crimes and fight back against the propaganda attempting to cover them up by laying out the evidence from video footage, first responder reports, and testimony from the hostages.  Then, they share the importance of speaking out for Isra...
1hr 4m Dec 13, 2023
1hr 4m
S1 Ep30: The Electronic Front Lines with Yael Eisenstat
Jen welcomes ADL vice president Yael Eisenstat to discuss her experience fighting against the growing extremism on social platforms.  Drawing on Yael’s time at Facebook, they explore the complicity of companies willing to harness bigotry and partisanship for views, the danger of political lies and vote manipulation on the social platforms, and how companies are hiding behind claims that they ca...
59m Dec 06, 2023
59m
S1 Ep29: Awakening Democracy with Heather Cox Richardson
Jen welcomes historian and author Heather Cox Richardson to explore the historical continuum of the Right’s war on freedom and equality from before the Civil War through the rise of MAGA. They discuss how the Southern oligarchy of the Bleeding Kansas era used race to push the average citizen to vote against their interests, and lay out  how that authoritarian legacy continues to drive limitatio...
1hr 5m Nov 29, 2023
1hr 5m
S1 Ep28: Governing In Spite of MAGA with Rep. Eric Swalwell
Jen welcomes Rep. Eric Swalwell to examine the MAGA takeover of the Republican Party and its effect on our politics.  They lay out how their party believes in ruling rather than governance and is undermining our democracy with attacks on our voting rights, using gerrymandering and lobbying to maintain power.  They also break down how the Right has abandoned our allies and weakened our national ...
35m Nov 22, 2023
35m
S1 Ep27: Overcoming Authoritarianism with Thomas Zimmer
Jen welcomes historian and democracy activist Thomas Zimmer to investigate the Right’s descent into ethno-religious authoritarianism and how to defeat it.  They break down how media bubbles have allowed the lies driving radicalism to flourish, and the ways the white christian nationalist minority is trying to gain control by using raw power to subvert our institutions.  Critically, they pivot t...
1hr 11m Nov 15, 2023
1hr 11m
S1 Ep26: The Conspiracy To End America with Stuart Stevens
Jen is joined by author and veteran political consultant Stuart Stevens to take a journey through the evolution of the Republican party towards authoritarianism under Trump.  They explain how it became dominated by white grievance and the religious right by forgoing policy solutions that could attract minorities, women, and young people in favor of conspiracy and control.  Jen and Stuart believ...
1hr 1m Nov 08, 2023
1hr 1m
S1 Ep25: "Democracy Is The Worst Form Of Government…Apart From All The Others” with Ian Bassin
Jen is joined by the co-founder of Protect Democracy Ian Bassin to explore the growing threat of authoritarianism at home and abroad by laying out the cultural, institutional, and personal forces that Trump and the MAGA Right are exploiting to undermine our democracy.  They examine how times of uncertainty allow the siren song of the strong man to encourage voters to compromise on our national ...
1hr 4m Nov 01, 2023
1hr 4m
S1 Ep24: 1619 Project with Nicole Hannah-Jones
Jen welcomes creator of The 1619 Project Nicole Hannah-Jones to illuminate how she has used the Black experience to revolutionize our understanding of our history across multiple mediums.  While explaining her process, they discuss the power of the personal story to connect to the past, how The 1619 Project uses the collective to take back control of our past from elites and those in power.  Th...
55m Oct 25, 2023
55m
S1 Ep23: The United States V. Trump with Norm Eisen
Jen is joined by legal maven and ethics expert Norm Eisen to review the pending cases against Trump and his associates.  They discuss how he is his own worst enemy, why we should put our faith in the juries, the effect of his potential testimony, and the legal strategies he will likely use.  Further, they examine the impact of the 2024 election, the evidence against him and his co-conspirators,...
55m Oct 18, 2023
55m
S1 Ep22: Democracy’s Perfect Storm with Daniel Ziblatt & Steven Levitsky
Jen is joined by the authors of “Tyranny of the Minority”, Professors Daniel Ziblatt and Steven Levitsky, to discuss how Republicans are wielding minority power to undermine our democracy.  They explore the constitutional mechanisms enabling them, spanning the electoral college, unbalanced representation in the Senate, and the adoption of the filibuster.  Then they lay out their proposals to fi...
51m Oct 11, 2023
51m
S1 Ep21: The Lincoln Project V MAGA with Reed Galen & Rick Wilson
Jen is joined by Reed Galen and Rick Wilson of the Lincoln Project to discuss the fight to take down Trump. A fight they’ve waged since he revealed his authoritarian tendencies.  They explain why he can’t be fought like a normal candidate, how the media gets played by conservatives, and argue that defeating him is a battle for democracy that goes beyond party divisions.  Together, they explore ...
56m Oct 04, 2023
56m
S1 Ep20: The Civil Rights Movement with Diane McWhorter
Jen is joined by Pulitzer Prize winning author Diane McWhorter to discuss the civil rights movement in the South that arose to defeat the fascistic alliance between industrialists, the wealthy, and their enforcers in the Klan.  They lay out how Black activists, labor unions, and their allies put aside their differences to overcome them and make civil rights a national issue.  During the convers...
1hr Sep 27, 2023
1hr
S1 Ep19: The Case Against Trump with Rep. Jamie Raskin
Jen is joined by Rep. Jamie Raskin to lay out the case against Trump and examine the legal issues that should keep him out of the presidency.  They cover the potential of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to keep him out of office for his role in the January 6th insurrection, why his incitement against the election is not protected by the Constitution, and how he attacked our voting rights and pr...
57m Sep 20, 2023
57m
S1 Ep18: The Democratic Majority with Simon Rosenberg
Jen is joined by master political strategist Simon Rosenberg to discuss why polling vastly overestimated the non-existent so-called Red Wave in 2022 and how the results of the special elections since then demonstrate that the electorate is continuing to punish Republicans.  They explore how the Dobbs decision, Supreme Court radicalism, Trump and his party’s attempts to overturn the election, th...
57m Sep 13, 2023
57m
S1 Ep17: The Russian Menace with Bill Browder
Jen is joined by finance expert and human rights campaigner Bill Browder for an inside look at the corruption and oppression in Putin’s Russia that directly targeted Bill’s company and friends.  In their conversation they cover Putin’s massive theft from businesses operating there, how he uses torture and violence against his political enemies, and why defeating him in Ukraine is essential to p...
54m Sep 06, 2023
54m
S1 Ep16: Right to Vote with Marc Elias
Jen talks with champion of voting rights Marc Elias to review developments in the court cases facing Trump relating to aggressive actions by his lawyers, his threatening behavior, and the attempts to move Georgia cases to federal court.  Then, they lay out the Republican war on voting rights through their efforts to influence elections by gerrymandering, the rogue legislatures like Alabama’s ig...
59m Aug 30, 2023
59m
S1 Ep15: Mid East Madness with Dennis Ross
Jen is joined by Amb. Dennis Ross to explore the recent developments shaking up middle eastern politics.  They cover the cross demographic and widespread protests in Israel against attempts by hard liners to take control of the judiciary and what it means for the country’s future.  Then, they dive into Netanyahu’s efforts to create a breakthrough deal to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia, e...
53m Aug 23, 2023
53m
S1 Ep14: Trump's fourth indictment with Rep. Dan Goldman
With Trump racking up another indictment in Georgia, Jen sits down with legal maven Rep. Dan Goldman to dive into the charges he faces.  During their conversation they explore how RICO prosecutions work to bring down criminal enterprises and why it strengthens the possibility of conviction, and explain why the jury pool won’t be corrupted by politics or wild rhetoric from Donald.  They also emp...
54m Aug 16, 2023
54m
S1 Ep13: Jay Rosen
Jen welcomes NYU journalism professor Jay Rosen to discuss the modern media ecosystem and how the classic both sides approach and opinion free corporate coverage is failing us with repeated coverage centered on crisis.  They also examine the pressures on journalists from institutions, and more importantly what it will take to fix things.  Will re-establishing truths over savviness with a focus ...
49m Aug 09, 2023
49m
S1 Ep12: Maya Wiley
Jen brings on legal maven and civil rights leader Maya Wiley to take on the continuing hold white grievance has over our politics, why its complaints are dangerous and misguided, and how it influences the Republican party.  From there, they explore the pernicious leverage social media gives to outdated philosophies of hate, and how to fight back with our institutions and at the personal level. ...
42m Aug 02, 2023
42m
S1 Ep11: Fred Guttenberg
Jen is joined by author and activist Fred Guttenberg to tackle the pressing need to address gun violence, how we can fight back, and what our government needs to do to protect the vulnerable.  In their conversation they explore the obscene power of the NRA and the mythologies supporting weapons of war, how to construct a legal strategy that can start securing electoral and legislative wins, and...
52m Jul 26, 2023
52m
S1 Ep10: Ruth Ben Ghiat
Jen sits down with expert on authoritarianism Ruth Ben-Ghiat for a look at the mythic hold strongmen have on political systems around the world and how Trump took up that mantle here.  They cover how he resurrected the spoils system, used divisive language to create a cult-like following, and his attempts to create disinformation that tears apart loyalty to anyone besides him.  More importantly...
47m Jul 19, 2023
47m
S1 Ep9: Growing Extremism with Robert P. Jones
Jen has a conversation with author and expert on the rise of the radical religious right in recent years, Robert P. Jones.  Together they look at the growing power and platforms held by White Christian Nationalists, the role they play in social division and Republican policies, and how Trump allowed the SCOTUS to become compromised by fundamentalists.  They also break down how that message has ...
49m Jul 12, 2023
49m
S1 Ep8: Margaret Sullivan
Jen is joined by author of “Newsroom Confidential” and media maven Margaret Sullivan for a deep dive into the current state of the 4th Estate.  In their conversation, they discuss the growing dominance of right-wing framing and language on some of the most critical issues facing the country, and what to do when you’re tasked with covering the preposterous.  Whether it’s related to the Donald or...
47m Jul 05, 2023
47m
S1 Ep7: Ilyse Hogue
Following the anniversary of the despicable Dobbs decision by the SCOTUS, Jen is joined by author and former NARAL President Ilyse Hogue for a deep dive into the war on women’s rights.  They discuss how far our country is set back by state government abortion laws, the role of right wing Christian Nationalism in weakening the agency of women by replacing justice with ideology, and how theocracy...
41m Jun 28, 2023
41m
S1 Ep6: Ron Klain
Jen brings on recent White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain to explore the successes of President Biden and the challenges that he still faces.  They dive into how his defense of democracy by giving primacy to the rule of law has its limitations, but hasn’t stopped him from strengthening NATO, producing jobs, passing a budget, and solving the problems left behind by Trump.  Also discussed are the...
37m Jun 21, 2023
37m
S1 Ep5: Dahlia Lithwick
Jen is joined by legal expert, author and Slate senior editor, Dahlia Lithwick for a deep dive into the current state of our judicial system and what it means for all of us.  In their conversation, they discuss how the Supreme Court has been undermining the public trust with its partisanship, disregard of precedent (and even Originalism!), and how the courts can’t be ignored so long as they hav...
51m Jun 14, 2023
51m
S1 Ep4: Matt Bennett
Jen is joined by co-founder and EVP for Public Affairs at Third Way Matt Bennett to lay out the destruction of moderation in our politics, the rise of extremism on the right, and the disastrous horse race approach of the media.  Are they locking us into a Biden-Trump re-election battle that few people want?  And if they are, is a third party something that could be dangerous to our democracy wh...
39m Jun 07, 2023
39m
S1 Ep3: Matthew Dowd
Jen is joined by author, journalist, and political thought leader Matthew Dowd for an insider’s look at the sport-ification of media, and how it leads to political nihilism and rising extremism due to the both sides approach it uses.  They also dive deep into the changes happening at CNN evidenced by Trump’s town hall, the shallow coverage of the difficulties Republicans created for the debt ce...
29m May 31, 2023
29m
S1 Ep2: George Conway
In this inaugural episode, Jen welcomes legal expert and brilliant pundit George Conway for his insider view of E. Jean Carroll’s cases against Donald, the factors behind why she’s been successful so far, and to look at the system’s surprising defense of our democracy against him.  George also shares how he introduced E. Jean to the lawyer behind her victory, and why Donald will keep losing bas...
41m May 24, 2023
41m
S1 Ep1: Trailer for Jen Rubin's Green Room
Trailer for Jen Rubin's Green Room
4m May 08, 2023
4m