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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.

The Supremes and the Ballroom, plus the Dems and the Senate / Start Making Sense
byThe Nation Magazine

The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that Trump could proceed with construction of his ballroom—they explicitly did not rule on the merits of the case, but on the issue of standing for the plaintiff. Robert Weismann has our analysis – he’s co-president of Public Citizen.

Also: The Democrats are now favored to win not only the House but also the Senate in November – they need to flip four seats, and their candidates are ahead in five. 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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