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Erwin Chemerinsky on the Trump Indictment, Plus Katha Pollitt on Barbie

On this episode of Start Making Sense, the prosecution strategy against Trump, and the reasons for the success of this year's biggest blockbuster.

Jon Wiener

August 10, 2023

A demonstrator stands outside the Barrett Prettyman Courthouse in Washington, D.C., on August 1, 2023, the day of former president Donald Trump’s indictment related to his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.(Stefani Reynolds / AFP via Getty Images)

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Erwin Chemerinsky on The Trump Indictment, plus Katha Pollitt on “Barbie” | Start Making Sense
byThe Nation Magazine

Should Trump have been charged with incitement of insurrection, or at least violence? What’s the line between free speech and incitement? If Trump sincerely believed he’d won the election, can he still be prosecuted for conspiracy? Erwin Chemerinsky explains – he’s dean of the law school at UC Berkeley.

Also: What’s bad about Barbie the doll, and what’s good about “Barbie” the movie—Katha Pollitt comments.

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Should Trump have been charged with incitement of insurrection, or at least violence? What’s the line between free speech and incitement? If Trump sincerely believed he’d won the election, can he still be prosecuted for conspiracy? On this episode of the Start Making Sense podcast, the dean of UC Berkeley’s school of law, Erwin Chemerinsky joins to discuss.

Also on this episode: What’s bad about Barbie the doll, and what’s good about Barbie the movie? Nation correspondent Katha Pollitt comments.

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.

How LA Defeated Trump, Plus Bob Dylan’s Xmas | Start Making Sense
byThe Nation Magazine

In June, Trump sent more than 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to occupy Los Angeles and terrorize the immigrant population. But by the end of July, almost all the Guard and the Marines were gone. Bill Gallegos explains how that happened and what other cities can learn from it. 

Also: Bob Dylan fans have been puzzled and troubled by his Christmas album ever since he released it in 2009. To help figure out what Dylan was doing, we turn to Sean Wilentz. He’s author of Bob Dylan in America, and he also teaches history at Princeton. (Originally recorded in January, 2005.)​ 

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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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