Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast

A good amount of institutions have capitulated and complied in recent months with many of the Trump administration’s actions that far overstep executive authority. At the same time, we’ve seen a few places where there has been opposition and resistance to tactics employed by the Trump 2.0 regime. Some of the most pushback has come from democratically elected attorneys general. Our guest this week points out that Trump “can’t override laws with sharpies” and that checks and balances still exist. Letitia James is the attorney general for the state of New York. She joins WITHpod to discuss why she says Trump is on a “revenge tour,” whether or not she feels the rule of law will prevail as we move forward from the first 100 days and more. And a BIG thank you to all of our WITHpod fans for voting for us to win a People’s Voice Webby Award in the category of Best Interview or Talk Show. We truly appreciate your support. ICYMI, WITHpod full episodes are now on YouTube. You can watch by visiting msnbc.com/withpod [msnbc.com/withpod].

The United States is pretty intertwined with Latin America. So why has it historically been seen as more of a European outpost as opposed to a nation in the Western hemisphere that is part of the broader Americas? Our guest this week points out that there are other ways to understand the history and identity of the U.S., aside from the narrative that is so often a part of contemporary discourse. Greg Grandin is the C. Vann Woodard Professor of History at Yale and the author of “America, América: A New History of the New World.” He joins WITHpod to discuss rethinking our conceptions of the “New World,” democratic backsliding in the U.S., why he says we should rethink hemispheric history and more.

We’re now a year and a half into the war in Gaza. Our guest this week has spent a lot of time thinking and writing about all that has unfolded. Peter Beinart is the author of numerous books including his latest, “Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning” and writes “The Beinart Notebook” on Substack. He’s also an MSNBC analyst and the editor-at-large of “Jewish Currents.” He joins WITHpod to discuss what the war in Gaza has revealed about American Judaism, why he says Jews must tell a new story, what his vision of the future is and more. And ICYMI, an exciting announcement: “Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast” is now on YouTube! Watch at msnbc.com/withpod. Plus, we're nominated for a Webby Award! Please vote for us and your other favorite MSNBC podcasts by April 17th: Why Is This Happening? With Chris Hayes in the Podcasts - Interview/Talk Show category:https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/shows/interviewtalk-show [https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/shows/interviewtalk-show] Into America: Uncounted Millions in the Podcasts - News & Politics category:https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/limited-series-specials/news-politics [https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/limited-series-specials/news-politics] Prosecuting Donald Trump in the Podcasts - Crime & Justice category:https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/shows/crime-justice [https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/shows/crime-justice]

Why has America's 20th century vision of innovation and opportunity transformed into a stagnant and stunted dystopian reality? Our guest this week claims that “the crisis that’s clicking into focus now has been building for decades” and it’s all because we haven’t been following building enough. Ezra Klein is host of The Ezra Klein Show podcast, a columnist for New York Times Opinion and the author of “Abundance,” which he co-wrote with Derek Thompson. He joins WITHpod to discuss how liberals have failed on progress, how they can shift gears in MAGA America, and how we might reimagine abundance for everyone. And an exciting announcement: “Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast” is now on YouTube! Watch at msnbc.com/withpod. Plus, we're nominated for a Webby Award! Please vote for us and your other favorite MSNBC podcasts by April 17th: Why Is This Happening? With Chris Hayes in the Podcasts - Interview/Talk Show category: https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/shows/interviewtalk-show [https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/shows/interviewtalk-show] Into America: Uncounted Millions in the Podcasts - News & Politics category: https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/limited-series-specials/news-politics [https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/limited-series-specials/news-politics] Prosecuting Donald Trump in the Podcasts - Crime & Justice category: https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/shows/crime-justice [https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/shows/crime-justice]

Tuberculosis is the deadliest infectious disease in the world. Why does something that’s curable still kill millions every year? And what does this illustrate about global health disparities? John Green is the author of “Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection [https://everythingistb.com/].” Green is also the co-creator of Vlog brothers, which he co-hosts with his brother Hank Green. He joins WITHpod to discuss why tuberculosis is seen as a disease of poverty, what the disease exposes about healthcare inequities, concerns about the Trump administration retracting foreign aid and more.