Toggle Menu

Election Protection in the Midterms—Plus Slaves Escaping by Sea

Harold Meyerson explains Democrats’ preparations for Trump’s threats to voting, and Marcus Rediker talks about Black America in the 1850s.

Jon Wiener

February 18, 2026

President Donald Trump gestures to members of the media after exiting Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport on February 13, 2026.(Nathan Howard / Getty Images)

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 in the Midterms, plus Slaves Escaping by Sea / Start Making Sense
byThe Nation Magazine

Trump, facing the wave of popular opposition to pretty much everything he’s doing, is working to block Democrats from voting in the midterms, and “election protection” has become a key part of the preparations underway from blue state attorneys general and from voting rights groups like the Brennan Center and the ACLU. Harold Meyerson explains.

Also: A large proportion of slaves who escaped from slavery in the South escaped not on foot, but by boat. Marcus Rediker tells their story – his new book is Freedom Ship: The Uncharted History of Escaping Slavery by Sea.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this episode of Start Making Sense, Harold Meyerson explains Democrats’ preparations for Trump’s threats to voting, and Marcus Rediker talks about Black America in the 1850s.

Trump, facing the wave of popular opposition to pretty much everything he’s doing, is working to block Democrats from voting in the midterms, and “election protection” has become a key part of the preparations underway from blue-state attorneys general and from voting rights groups like the Brennan Center and the ACLU. Harold Meyerson explains.

Also: A large proportion of slaves who escaped from slavery in the South escaped not on foot but by boat. Marcus Rediker tells their story—his new book is Freedom Ship: The Uncharted History of Escaping Slavery by Sea.

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

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.

Minnesota Changed Everything—Plus, History on the Road | Start Making Sense
byThe Nation Magazine

Minnesota changed everything: how Minnesota’s resistance to ICE provides a model and inspiration for a national pro-democracy movement. Deepak Bhargava will explains; he’s president of the Freedom Together Foundation.

Also: July 4 will mark the 250th anniversary of the United States, which Trump is celebrating with a campaign to “eliminate” what he calls “divisive anti-American ideology” from American’s historic sites, national parks, and the National Zoo. Historian Beverly Gage has another idea – a road trip to visit some of those places where history happened. Her new book is This Land is Your Land: A Road Trip Through US History.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Subscribe to The Nation to Support all of our podcasts

Jon WienerTwitterJon 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.


Latest from the nation