On this episode of The Nation Podcast, John Nichols talks about 2025's unusually important off-year elections.
From left, New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer; Newark Mayor Ras Baraka; Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop; moderator NJ Spotlight News anchor Briana Vannozzi; moderator WNYC Morning Edition host Michael Hill; New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherrill; and former state Senate President Steve Sweeney attend the New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial primary debate Monday, May 12, 2025, in Newark, N.J.(Steve Hockstein / NJ Advance Media via AP, Pool)
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.
Across the country, Democratic leaders and voters are beginning to push back against Trump’s cruelty and chaos. Some are cautiously optimistic that a few key state races could serve as a crucial odd-year referendum—with major implications for voters, donors, and even Republican politicians who may reconsider their allegiances after significant MAGA defeats.
Joining us today is our own national affairs correspondent, John Nichols, who, in our July issue, turned his focus to two potential bellwethers: Virginia and New Jersey. He spoke with politicians, strategists, and activists to understand what’s at stake this fall, and who might be best positioned to deliver a winning message.
Our Sponsors:* Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.com
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Across the country, Democratic leaders and voters are beginning to push back against Trump’s cruelty and chaos. Some are cautiously optimistic that a few key state races could serve as a crucial odd-year referendum—with major implications for voters, donors, and even Republican politicians who may reconsider their allegiances after significant MAGA defeats.
Joining us today is our own national affairs correspondent, John Nichols, who, in our July issue, turned his focus to two potential bellwethers: Virginia and New Jersey, which has a crucial primary on Tuesday. He spoke with politicians, strategists, and activists to understand what’s at stake this fall, and who might be best positioned to deliver a winning message.
Subscribe to The Nation to support all of our podcasts: thenation.com/podcastsubscribe.
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.
In its heyday, the Bush Terminal industrial complex spanned several city blocks along Brooklyn’s waterfront and employed more than 35,000 people. Built by Irving Bush in the late nineteenth century, it was an "early intermodal shipping hub." Goods arrived by water and left by rail. Bananas, coffee, and cotton came in through doors on one side of the warehouses and were loaded onto trains on the other.
But after World War II, as trucks replaced rail and shipping patterns changed, the Terminal’s purpose faded and the vast complex slipped into disuse.
Today, Bush Terminal is again at the center of New York’s vision for urban reinvention— and a debate around development, displacement, and the future of work in the city.
Joining us on a deep dive into Bush Terminal is veteran architecture critic and writer Karrie Jacobs. Her essay, “On the Waterfront,” appears in our December issue of the Nation.
Our Sponsors:* Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.com
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
D.D. GuttenplanTwitterD.D. Guttenplan is a special correspondent for The Nation and the host of The Nation Podcast. He served as editor of the magazine from 2019 to 2025 and, prior to that, as an editor at large and London correspondent. His books include American Radical: The Life and Times of I.F. Stone, The Nation: A Biography, and The Next Republic: The Rise of a New Radical Majority.
John NicholsTwitterJohn Nichols is the executive editor of The Nation. He previously served as the magazine’s national affairs correspondent and Washington correspondent. Nichols has written, cowritten, or edited over a dozen books on topics ranging from histories of American socialism and the Democratic Party to analyses of US and global media systems. His latest, cowritten with Senator Bernie Sanders, is the New York Times bestseller It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism.