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State of the Union: Not Good—Plus, Jackie Robinson v. Paul Robeson

Trump’s State of the Union speech was predictable, but revealing of his state of mind. John Nichols has our analysis.

Jon Wiener

February 25, 2026

President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress.(Ricky Carioti / The Washington Post via Getty Images)

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State of the Union: Not Good; plus Jackie Robinson v. Paul Robeson / Start Making Sense
byThe Nation Magazine

Trump’s State of the Union speech was predictable, but nevertheless revealing of his state of mind. John Nichols has our analysis.

Also: In 1949 when Jackie Robinson appeared before HUAC, the House Un-American Activities Committee, to discredit Paul Robeson. Howard Bryant talks about why that happened, and what happened afterwards – to each of them. His new book is “Kings and Pawns.”

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Trump’s State of the Union speech was predictable, but nevertheless revealing of his state of mind. John Nichols has our analysis.

Also: In 1949, Jackie Robinson appeared before the House Un-American Activities Committee to discredit Paul Robeson. Howard Bryant talks about why that happened, and what happened afterward—to each of them. His new book is Kings and Pawns.

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 say ‘No” to Trump on Mail Voting, plus the Paramount-Warner Merger Fight / Start Making Sense
byThe Nation Magazine

Only two Justices backed Trump in the Court’s ruling blocking his efforts to enlist the postal service in restricting voting by mail in the midterms. David Cole explains why this is a huge victory, but far from the end of Trump’s effforts to undermine Democratic voting.

Also: The blue state attorneys general have succeeded in blocking the efforts of Trump’s allies at Paramount-Skydance from taking over Warners-Discovery, at least for now, but their lawsuit followed months of protests organized by, among others, Jane Fonda’s Committee for the First Amendment. Rashad Robinson has our analysis – his new book is From Presence to Power: How to take on the Fights that Matter – and Win.

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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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