Podcast / Start Making Sense / Aug 12, 2026

Election Protection: The ACLU’s $25M Project—Plus, Howard Zinn’s Life and Work

On this episode of Start Making Sense, Deirdre Schifeling of the ACLU explains their plans to protect voting in November, and Dave Zirin talks about A People’s History of the US.

The Nation Podcasts
The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

Election Protection: The ACLU’s $25M Project, plus Howard Zinn’s Life and Work
byThe Nation Magazine

The ACLU is organizing thousands of volunteers, preparing to respond to 25 different ways Trump could try to subvert or sabotage the midterms. Deirdre Schifeling explains—she’s the ACLU’s Chief Political and Advocacy Officer. More info at https://www.aclu.org/campaigns-initiatives/people-power.

Also: Howard Zinn’s book A People’s History of the US has sold four million copies—and now we have a biography of the author, written by Dave Zirin, The Nation’s longtime sports editor – his new book is The People’s Historian: The Outsized Life of Howard Zinn.

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Howard Zinn prior to a press conference at Cutler Majestic Theatre in Boston on January 9, 2008.

(Mark Garfinkel / MediaNews Group / Boston Herald via Getty Images)

The ACLU is organizing thousands of volunteers, preparing to respond to 25 different ways Trump could try to subvert or sabotage the midterms. Deirdre Schifeling explains—she’s the ACLU’s chief political and advocacy officer. More info here.

Also: Howard Zinn’s book A People’s History of the US has sold 4 million copies—and now we have a biography of the author, written by Dave Zirin, The Nation’s longtime sports editor—his new book is The People’s Historian: The Outsized Life of Howard Zinn.

Subscribe to The Nation to support all of our podcasts: thenation.com/subscribe.

The Nation Podcasts
The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

How Abdul El-Sayed Can Win Michigan, Plus an Election Protection Test Case / Start Making Sense
byThe Nation Magazine

The Michigan Democratic senate primary provided a test of the power of AIPAC and big money. John Nichols has our analysis.

Also: a rehearsal for the election protection groups: the California sherriff who seized 650,000 ballots from November’s referendum, claiming he needed to recount them. Zach Roth of Democracy Docket will explain how the Chad Bianco case provides a test of one key Republican strategy for holding on to the House after the midterms.

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Subscribe to The Nation to Support all of our podcasts

Jon Wiener

Jon Wiener is a contributing editor of The Nation and co-author (with Mike Davis) of Set the Night on Fire: L.A. in the Sixties.

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