Elon vs. Sam; Plus fighting “competitive authoritarianism”

A New Yorker journalist has been reporting on the AI dispute between Elon Musk and Sam Altman, as well as developments around the new PM of Hungary. On Today's Show:Andrew Marantz, staff writer at The New Yorker and author of Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation (Viking Press, 2019), talks about his recent reporting. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

President Trump has claimed that the US will sign a nuclear deal with Iran, but there are major obstacles standing in the way. On Today's Show:Nate Swanson, former director for Iran at the National Security Council between 2022 and 2025 and current director of the Iran strategy project for the Atlantic Council, offers analysis. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Between the impact of AI on the job market, and geopolitics on the energy market, the current economic situation is a lot to make sense of. On Today's Show:Kai Ryssdal, host and senior editor of Marketplace, talks about the latest economic news, including recent data on inflation, jobs and productivity, the effects of President Trump's tariffs and more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As the November midterms start ramping up, a look at some recent polling, and some redistricting battles that could impact the outcomes.  On Today's Show:Mara Liasson, NPR national political correspondent, talks about the latest national political news, including what's happening in foreign policy as President Trump travels to China and a deal to end the Iran war is still not happening. Plus, she discusses the redistricting wars and what a recent NPR/PBS/Marist poll found about the president's approval ratings. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As academic terms like "critical race theory" have been reshaped by their use in political spheres, a conversation with someone who helped originate those ideas. On Today's Show: Civil rights scholar Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, co-founder and executive director of the African American Policy Forum, founder and executive director of the Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies at Columbia Law School, distinguished professor and Promise Institute chair for human rights at UCLA Law School and Isidor and Seville Sulzbacher professor at Columbia Law School, and the author of Backtalker: An American Memoir (Simon & Schuster), talks about key moments in her life that helped her develop groundbreaking legal concepts. Crenshaw is popularly known for her development of “intersectionality,” “Critical Race Theory” and as the host of the podcast Intersectionality Matters! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today, SCOTUS released a decision in a gerrymandering case in Virginia, blocking Democrats from an election map with 4 more likely blue districts.  On Today's Show:Janai Nelson, president-director counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, talks about the implications of the Supreme Court's decision in Callais v. Louisiana, which they say gutted the Voting Rights Act. Plus, her reaction to the news that the Virginia Supreme Court overturned the voter-approved redistricting ballot measure that would have been a boon to Democrats. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Yesterday, the Supreme Court temporarily reinstated a Food and Drug Administration rule allowing the abortion pill mifepristone to be prescribed via telemedicine.  On Today's Show: Melissa Murray, NYU law professor, co-host of the podcast Strict Scrutiny, MSNOW commentator and the author of The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader (Simon & Schuster, 2026), explains the Constitution and how all the problems inherent in the founding are contained in it, not solved by it. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Supreme Court's recent voting rights decision could fundementally change not only the nation's electoral landscape, but how the maps themselves are drawn. On Today's Show:Nick Corasaniti, New York Times reporter covering national politics, with a focus on voting and elections, talks about the possibility of "endless redistricting wars," and how this may affect this year's midterm elections and beyond. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Supreme Court heard arguments on two cases where the Trump administration is attempting to end TPS, or Temporary Protected Status, for thousands of Haitians and Syrians living in the US.  On Today's Show: Ciarán Donnelly, senior vice president for International Programs at International Rescue Committee, and Daniel Berlin, policy director of Protection Pathways at the International Rescue Committee, offer their take on why the program should stay legal, as well as talk about the humanitarian crisis they say is ongoing in Haiti. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Supreme Court was busy today, hearing oral arguments over an immigration case, and issuing opinions on a number of other issues. 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 (Random House, 2019), offers legal analysis of today's arguments before the Supreme Court over Temporary Protected Status for certain refugees, and reacts to the Louisiana redistricting decision. NOTE: Today's discussion took place Wednesday morning, before SCOTUS's oral arguments began. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.