Make It Make Sense with Grant Hermes
The political world is fast paced, chaotic and often it's just too much to keep up with. That's where Grant Hermes comes in. Grant has been a journalist over a decade on the ground covering the biggest US political stories, scandals and elections. Twice a week, he'll break down the biggest political news you need to know. It's never been more important to stay informed and sometimes all it takes is a little help to Make It Make Sense.
Episodes
159 episodes
BONUS: The Supreme Court's BIGGEST Ruling Yet?
A quick bonus episode about the Supreme Court ruling in Trump v. CASA that might remake the way federal laws are applied and enforced across the country, making for a messy and chaotic legal system.
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12:24
How Trump Embraced Christian Nationalism and Bombed Iran (w/ Matt D. Taylor)
In the conversation about the US bombing Iran, there has been a lot of talk about the mission, the policy behind it, and how well it worked. But one of the main driving reasons Trump chose to approve the mission hasn't been talked ...
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46:22
Trump Ends A War Abroad... To Start A Fake One At Home
For days, President Donald Trump and his administration have been celebrating the bombing campaign against three Iranian nuclear sites, which effectively ended the conflict between Iran and Israel. Trump has repeatedly said the strikes "obliter...
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21:38
A CeaseFire... For Now
Israel and Iran agree to a ceasefire after Trump announces it on social media. But the peace is uneasy as both sides exchange final missile strikes and accuse the other of breaking the truce. At the same time, Trump doesn't say wher...
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19:13
The US Joins The War With Iran
After telling the American people and the world he was going to give it two more weeks before attacking, President Donald Trump bombed three major nuclear sites in Iran over the weekend. The decision seemed to come out of the blue and shocked t...
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23:00
Silencing The Voice Of America w/ VOA White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara
During the second Trump administration, news organizations have been under threat and under attack. ABC and CBS have faced settlements. NBC and CNN have been threatened with having their licenses to broadcast pulled. PBS and NPR are being defun...
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38:03
Are We At War With Iran?
Over the last week, Israel and Iran have been bombing one another as global tensions rise over nuclear weapons and facilities being targeted by both sides. President Trump has also been unpredictable about whether the US is actively...
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16:34
No Kings, No Crowds, And Our New Cycle Of Violence
After a weekend of history-making protests and a lackluster military/birthday parade, the occasions were really marked by a new set of political violence. An assassination and three more attempted assassinations of Democrats in Minn...
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18:34
Troops in LA, A Senator In Handcuffs And A Nation On Edge w/ Mike Madrid
During a Department of Homeland Secuirty press conference on Thursday, California Senator Alex Padilla (D) attempted to interrupt to ask a question. DHS accused him of not identifying himself (He did) and lunging at Secretary Kristi Noem (video...
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40:17
Marines In LA: Can Trump Do That?
The Trump administration has mobilized 700 Marines from Twenty-nine Pines military base in California to join 2100 National Guard troops in LA to do what? We're not sure. The orders are vague and only say "protect" federal buildings and agents ...
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17:30
Is L.A. Trump's Test Balloon For Dictatorship?
As protests, violent clashes, and some property destruction break out in Los Angeles over federal raids of workplaces, schools, and courthouses, the White House seems bent on pressing the boundaries on whether Trump can send in US troops. ...
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18:04
Disease and Death: Elon Musk's Real DOGE Legacy W/ Fmr. USAID Dep. Admin. Jim Kunder (Replay interview)
As Elon Musk exits the White House and has a very public falling out with Donald Trump, the consequences of his time there won't be fully realized for a while. But, there is one place to start where, when history ...
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37:43
A MAGA Meltdown
Back from a short hiatus! Grant talks all about how we're seeing the White House, which has been moving as fast as it can to break things, start to come apart by picking fights with prominent groups, its own agencies, and its inside...
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22:06
The Other Offshoring: Why Jobs Went South, Not Abroad w/ Prof. Gary Winslett
The idea that manufacturing jobs were shipped overseas or across borders to other countries is a frequent explanation from both Republicans and Democrats about why the American middle class has been hollowed out. But it's a convenie...
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49:24
The Kids Aren't Alright
The Trump administration ramps up its attacks on higher education, specifically Harvard and foreign students. But what does it mean to lose the tens of thousands of foreign students who attend American universities every year?
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19:08
Democrats FINALLY Get Their 2024 Report Card
The 2024 election report card, or autopsy, depending on how you want to talk about it, for Democrats is out, and it is a failing grade almost across the board. Democrats lost with practically every kind of voter from almost every wa...
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14:29
Prescription For Failure: Why Trump’s Drug Plan Is Bad w/ Yale Economist Jason Abaluck
Two weeks after Donald Trump announced he was going to lower drug prices from anywhere from 30% to 90%, there still haven't been any deals made. But more than that, what he wants to do, something called Most Favored Nation status, i...
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43:53
A Big Beautiful Breakdown
House Republicans pass Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill," and there are some serious consequences hurtling toward Americans. Hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, while giving multi-millionaires huge ta...
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20:04
Un-Protected Status
The US Supreme Court hands the Trump Administration a big win by allowing it to end Temporary Protected status for 350,000 Venezuelans in the US. It's a crucial part of more than a dozen immigrant communities across the country, imp...
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15:01
Joe Biden Has Cancer
Former President Joe Biden announces he has advanced and aggressive prostate cancer. It's a devastating diagnosis, though one doctors say is treatable, despite his age. The diagnosis is raising new questions about Biden's health dur...
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16:12
Devastation at the DOJ w/ Stacey Young from The Justice Connection
Since the beginning of the second Trump administration, the Department of Justice has been equal parts reviled and remade by the White House. Much, if not most, of that damage has been done to the FBI and the department's civil rights initiativ...
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42:28
Don't Trust Your Lying Eyes
Donald Trump takes his first state visit in his second term. Just like his first, the trip is to the Middle East. During the trip, the president is supposed to be making deals (a weird thing for a president to be doing in the first ...
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17:07
Drugs and Deals
The White House makes an agreement with China on trade and tariffs that is essentially having its bluff called on the cornerstone of Trump's economic agenda. In return, the US doesn't get all that much except higher prices and a promise to keep...
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16:37