How MSNBC’s Joyce Vance Stays Optimistic About Democracy

One of the nation's most prolific historical documentarians takes on the American Revolution, ahead of next summer, when the US will celebrate its 250th birthday. On Today's Show:Ken Burns, documentary filmmaker, and Sarah Botstein, co-director of "The American Revolution," talk about their new, 12-part docuseries on PBS called "The American Revolution," which is being released ahead of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, in July 2026.

Due to the government shutdown, millions of Americans are likely to miss their Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program (SNAP) paychecks starting this Saturday. On Today's Show:Grace Yarrow, food and agriculture policy reporter for POLITICO and author of POLITICO Pro's daily Morning Agriculture newsletter, reports on which states will be most impacted and how recipients are preparing. Plus, Karen Yi, WNYC and Gothamist reporter covering homelessness and poverty, explores how local and state resources are responding to the expected needs of NYC's communities.  

The federal shutdown continues, as President Trump continues to push the limits of executive power.On Today's Show:Joyce Vance, a legal analyst for MSNBC and former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, University of Alabama School of Law professor, and author of the Civil Discourse Substack, and of the new book, Giving Up Is Unforgivable:  A Manual for Keeping a Democracy (Dutton, 2025), talks about the rule of law and offers legal and historical context for the current moment in American history as she calls for citizens to uphold the Constitution.

On Today's Show:Julia Ioffe, founding partner and Washington correspondent of Puck and the author of Motherland: A History of Modern Russia, from Revolution to Autocracy (Ecco, 2025), talks about her new book that delves into the feminist history of Russia and why it offers context for the war in Ukraine, and the latest news of Melania Trump's backchannel conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The nation's largest city is in the midst of both a mayoral election, and various standoffs with the Trump administration.On Today's Show:Errol Louis, political anchor of Spectrum NY1 News, host of Inside City Hall and The Big Deal with Errol Louis, New York Magazine columnist and host of the podcast "You Decide," talks about how each mayoral candidate says they will respond to ICE or other federal agents conducting raids in the city, like the one that happened earlier this week in Chinatown.

In response to the "No Kings" protests this weekend, President Trump shared an AI-generated video involving brown liquid that surely signifies excrement. On Today's Show:Stuart A. Thompson, reporter at The New York Times covering online influence, breaks down his latest reporting on how President Donald Trump is using fake artificial intelligence generated imagery to attack his perceived enemies and successfully rouse his supporters.

Recently, President Trump commuted the sentence of former Long Island congressman George Santos.On Today's Show:Grace Ashford, New York Times reporter covering New York State politics and government, talks about why Trump wanted Santos's early release after serving less than three months of his long sentence for crimes related to theft and fraud.

House Speaker Mike Johnson called this weekend's "No Kings" protests "hate America" rallies. On Today's Show:Listeners call in to share what they were rallying for and against, and respond to Johnson's characterization of the marches.

The Supreme Court has, over the past few years, opted to grant the federal government and the executive branch more and more leeway. On Today's Show:Emily Bazelon, staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, co-host of Slate's "Political Gabfest" podcast, Truman Capote fellow for creative writing and law at Yale Law School and author of Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution  and End Mass Incarceration (Random House, 2019) previews the cases the Supreme Court will take up in its new term, including a redistricting case they are hearing arguments on this week, and offers analysis of just how much presidential power the court will afford to President Trump in upcoming decisions.

President Trump has been using different executive agency programs to target certain cities. On Today's Show:U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D NJ) weighs in on the Trump announcement that the Gateway tunnel project is "terminated."