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Here Comes the Sun—Plus, Our Fragile Freedoms

On this episode of Start Making Sense, Bill McKibben explains why solar power makes him optimistic, and Eric Foner talks about Trump and history.

Jon Wiener

September 3, 2025

Bill McKibben addressing a rally outside Governor Kathy Hochul’s office in Manhattan on September 24, 2024. (Erik McGregor / LightRocket via Getty Images)

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Here Comes the Sun, plus Our Fragile Freedoms | Start Making Sense
byThe Nation Magazine

At a time when almost everything seems to be going wrong, Bill McKibben sees one thing that is suddenly going right – a really big thing: solar power, and wind, which now provide cheaper electricity than fossil fuels. Bill’s new book has the wonderful title “Here Comes the Sun” – he says solar is “A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for civilization.”

Also: historian Eric Foner provides some historical perspective on what seems like the unique threat Trump poses to our freedoms. His new book, a collection of almost 60 essays, is titled “Our Fragile Freedoms.”

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At a time when almost everything seems to be going wrong, Bill McKibben sees one thing that is suddenly going right—a really big thing: solar power, and wind, which now provide cheaper electricity than fossil fuels.  Bill’s new book has the wonderful title Here Comes the Sun—he says solar is “a last chance for the climate and a fresh chance for civilization.”

Also: Historian Eric Foner provides some historical perspective on what seems like the unique threat Trump poses to our freedoms.  His new book, a collection of almost 60 essays, is titled Our Fragile Freedoms.

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.

Trump’s Attacks on Voting, and on Iran / Start Making Sense
byThe Nation Magazine

After Senate Democrats block the SAVE act, Trump is likely to declare a national security emergency – claiming China could interfere in the midterms – as a basis for restricting voting. David Cole comments; he’s former legal director of the ACLU.

Also: Congress must challenge Trump’s war on Iran and assert its constitutional duty to take up War Powers resolutions and assert its primacy over matters of war and peace. John Nichols explains.  

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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.


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