The Rachel Maddow Show

For reasons that are hard to fathom, included among Biden era gun rules that Donald Trump has rolled back are restrictions on people who have been adjudicated mentally ill, making it easier for them to get access to guns and ammunition. Mirianna Mitchem, former associate assistant director at the ATF, talks with Rachel Maddow about the danger Trump is courting with his recklessness. Rachel Maddow looks back at how past national milestone anniversaries were celebrated and considers how history will view the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the nation's birth, marked primarily by narcissi

A special celebration of America’s 250th anniversary with Rachel Maddow, Jen Psaki, and Ali Velshi from MS NOW’s live community event in Philadelphia. In this hour, Rachel Maddow interviews civil rights legal stalwart Sherrilyn Ifill, and the panel takes questions from the live audience. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts. To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information abou

A special celebration of America’s 250th anniversary with Rachel Maddow, Jen Psaki, and Ali Velshi from MS NOW’s live community event in Philadelphia. In this hour Ali Velshi presents his acclaimed retracing of 250 years of American history. And Jen Psaki interviews Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts. To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for in

Rachel Maddow describes how the Supreme Court conservatives radically expanded presidential power with a single ruling, even in the face of Donald Trump's unbridled corruption and abuse of the power he already had. Senator Jon Ossoff joins to discuss how Donald Trump's self-dealing has become its own political issue on the campaign trail. If the Supreme Court needed an illustration of why not to expand Donald Trump's presidential power to fire agency employees and fill them with loyalists, the billionaires in Trump's orbit should have made it clear. Former FTC Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya talks

Rachel Maddow talks with Julia Angwin and Ami Fields-Meyer, authors of "On Courage: How to be a dissident in an age of fear," about "the central question of how to live right as an American citizen right now," and the variety of ways people can throw sand in the gears of authoritarianism to preserve democracy. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts. To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.c

Rachel Maddow points out that while it's never a good thing to have a bad president, having a bad president as incompetent as Donald Trump means he is also bad at pursuing his own corrupt goals. Maddow points out examples of Trump's failed political prosecutions, caving to pushback and sparking a wave of political backlash against himself. Rachel Maddow looks at fresh examples of the Trump administration backing down in the face of pushback in matters ranging from science to media as Trump's extreme unpopularity saps his power and more people understand that pressure works on Trump. Jon Swaine

MS NOW's Michele Norris interviews former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama about their time in the White House and opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts. To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

MS NOW's Michele Norris interviews former President Barack Obama about his time in office and the open of his new presidential center in Chicago.   Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts. To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rachel Maddow lists the goals Donald Trump set for the war he started with Iran, from regime change to obliterating Iran's nuclear capacity, none of which have been met as Trump announces an agreement that reportedly will at least re-open the Strait of Hormuz, though apparently with some fees attached. MS NOW's Ayman Mohyeldin joins to discuss. Rachel Maddow tells the story of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which would be the biggest U.S. border crossing in Candana and one of the most important routes for trade in the entire world, except that Donald Trump refuses to open it. And it so

Donald Trump was roundly booed in New York City outside of Madison Square Garden on his way to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. Trump was booed again once he was spotted inside the venue. Rachel Maddow shares footage of the booing and remarks on the way Trump has arranged to benefit financially from his other sports preoccupation, a UFC fight on the White House grounds. Rachel Maddow outlines Donald Trump's desperation tactics to delegitimize elections in California, trying to convince his followers that a grand conspiracy is responsible fo

Rachel Maddow and a panel of her MS NOW colleagues analyze primary election returns from New Jersey, South Dakota, Iowa, New Mexico, Montana and California, and react to breaking news of the Supreme Court granting an "emergency" request from Alabama to allow the elimination of a majority Black district, and CBS News firing Scott Pelley for speaking out against changes made to 60 Minutes by new management. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts. To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up fo

Rachel Maddow and a panel of her MS NOW colleagues analyze primary election returns in New Jersey, South Dakota, Iowa, New Mexico, Montana and California. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts. To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Amid a politically punishing backlash against Donald Trump's flagrant $1.776 billion money grab for his criminal allies, a judge is considering whether to investigation if the "IRS settlement" on which the slush fund is based began as a legitimate court case or was a fraud on the court from the beginning. Former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance talks with Rachel Maddow about the legal guidelines the judge is considering. Rachel Maddow looks at how federal prosecutors in Chicago crossed important lines of propriety in their desperation to secure indictments in politically charged cases and now fa

Former federal prosecutor Barbara McQuade talks with Rachel Maddow about her acclaimed new book, "The Fix: Saving America from the Corruption of a Mob-Style Government," in which she draws upon her experience prosecuting fraud and organized crime to understand how to defeat Donald Trump's style of intimidation and inflicting pain on others to dominate them and get what he wants.  Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts. To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple

A special broadcast of Rachel Maddow's recent live event at the 92nd Street Y: A conversation with Steven J. Ross, author of "The Secret War Against Hate." Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts. To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rachel Maddow looks at Donald Trump's attempt to have $1.8 billion taxpayer dollars handed to him to distribute to his friends and allies, and debunks the notion that this money-grab has anything to do with suing the IRS. Rep. Jamie Raskin, who calls Trump's scheme "nothing but a racket," joins to discuss Trump's increasingly open, shameless corruption. Rachel Maddow looks at a collection of reports that show stock purchases made by Donald Trump that were followed by federal actions or specific statements by Donald Trump that affected the price of those stocks. With the major foreign affairs o

As Donald Trump has tried to use the Department of Justice as his personal tool for petty revenge and political intimidation, the department's track record has been abysmal and its frequent mistakes, mortifying. Rachel Maddow takes a look at the degradation Trump has brought to a once-distinguished facet of American government. While the hantavirus is not an emergency in the U.S., the situation has highlighted the importance of a competent government public health apparatus and the fact that the U.S. is not as well provided for as it once was in that area. Rachel Maddow looks at the disarray a

AI – and coverage of it – is everywhere. But what is artificial intelligence, really, beyond the buzzword? Each week, in a special new miniseries - ‘The AI End Game’ - Chris Hayes is joined by preeminent experts on AI and its effects to help make sense of this revolutionary time in history. The series will feature in-depth conversations with experts, including: The Atlantic journalist Derek Thompson; professor at Wharton and New York Times bestselling author Ethan Mollick, professor of psychology at UC Berkeley and member of the Berkeley AI Research Group Alison Gopnik; former co-lead of the E

Rachel Maddow makes the case that from the first day of his second term, Donald Trump has been engaged in "a concerted and intense targeting of Black Americans," from firings to executive orders and including his Supreme Court gutting the Voting Rights Act, which will likely largely eliminate Black congressional representation in the American South.  Rachel Maddow looks at new polling that shows Donald Trump is abysmally unpopular with Americans, and shares an example of how the slashing of government employees, touted as "efficiency" at the time, is being reveals to be nothing more than break

Julia Ainsley, senior Homeland Security correspondent for NBC News and author of the newly released, "Undue Process: The Inside Story of Trump’s Mass Deportation Program" talks with Rachel Maddow about her original reporting into how the Trump administration's series of ad libs on implementing Trump's immigration policy led to a cascade of failures that turned Trump's biggest political boon into a disaster that turned the country against him. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts. To listen to all of your favori

The Trump administration "would prefer to do things that are easy," Rachel Maddow points out. And so, by making the implementation of a nationwide immigrant prison system not at all easy, and, in fact, quite hard, Americans pushing back against Trump's plan are winning, and Trump's prisons are not opening.  Michael Wriston, co-founder of Project Salt Box, and Miles Taylor, former DHS chief of staff, talk with Rachel Maddow about their new project, GTFOICE.org, which is designed to help Americans mobilize against the construction of immigrant prisons in their local area. Rachel Maddow points ou

Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Donald Trump's secretary of labor, is resigning in a cloud of scandal, extending a string of high-level departures from the administration. Rachel Maddow surveys the landscape of Trump's Cabinet. Senator Jon Ossoff talks with Rachel Maddow about how upset the voters he talks to are about the Trump administration's open corruption. Depraved political commentator, conspiracy theorist and online huckster Alex Jones is finally having to pay for his unforgiveable smear of Sandy Hook families with the satire site The Onion obtaining the intellectual property rights to Jones' Inf

Rachel Maddow highlights some striking parallels between Donald Trump and the authoritarian regime his administration is modeled on, Victor Orbán in Hungary. Maddow notes that the basis for an authoritarian's power is the sense that their continued rule is inevitable, so seeing Orbán tossed from power so handily by the voters of Hungary sends a clear and upsetting message to Trump, and an encouraging message to Trump's opponents. David Pressman, former U.S. ambassador to Hungary, joins to discuss how Hungary will "unwind" the legacy of corruption and authoritarianism left behind by Victor Orbá

Rachel Maddow looks at how Donald Trump's overall cluelessness and incompetence is made worse by Pete Hegseth's active destabilizing of the U.S. military and poor decision-making in wartime. Rachel Maddow talks with Senator Mark Warner, top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, about reporting in the Washington Post that people close to Donald Trump are being pitched an idea to use fake intelligence about foreign election interference to allow Trump to declare an emergency and take over the voting system ahead of this year's midterm elections. Patrick Dattilio, founder of Hagerstown R

Rachel Maddow points out several instances of Donald Trump's Department of Homeland Security paying tens of millions of dollars more than the assessed value of warehouses the administration wants to turn into massive prison camps for immigrants. While Donald Trump's scattershot strategy against Iran appears to produce a lot of positive outcomes for Russia, the American public is not so fortunate. But Trump's worthless word and the biuld-up of U.S. troops in the Middle East make a negotiated end to the situation in Iran seem increasingly unlikely. Rachel Maddow discusses with former deputy nati

Rachel Maddow looks at the news stories we would have trouble believing if we weren't living through them in real time, including Denmark, a U.S. ally, making preparations to defend itself and Greenland against the U.S., Donald Trump staggering around war crime-level threats against Iran, a MAGA sheriff seizing hundreds of thousands of ballots, and ICE agents being sent to airports with no real job to do. Rachel Maddow looks at how the "No Kings" protests have grown progressively as outrage over Donald Trump's policies and conduct has grown, and now with the third "No Kings" day set for Saturd

As Donald Trump flings the world into an energy crisis with his war in Iran, his administration is apparently trying to resurrect the ghosts of past environmental catastrophes with deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and an oil pipeline off the coast of California. Rachel Maddow looks at how Donald Trump's fast talk and gaslighting can't change the reality of the mess he has made in the Strait of Hormuz as allies resist his bullying and rivals and opportunists take advantage of him to enrich themselves. Donald Trump's avoidance of accountability or even having to give any real answers on

In a rambling press conference full of bizarre answers to questions about the war he started against Iran, Donald Trump admitted that he is doing it "for the other parts of the world." Rachel Maddow looks at how Russia is benefitting tremendously from Trump's attack on Iran, even as it helps Iran target American interests, and how Trump has set off a global energy crisis of historic proportions. ** Shortly after this episode began, Rachel shared new video of the dignified transfer of the remains of Sgt. Benjamin Pennington. The video provided to the media is without an audio track, so we've re

Rachel Maddow and her MS NOW colleagues track the primary election returns in Texas and North Carolina, with Ali Velshi offering special statistical insights from the big board as one of the most closely watched elections, the Democratic Senate primary between Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico mired in legal complications after polling place confusion in Dallas.  The panel and special guests offer analysis of what the early voting patterns suggest about Donald Trump's political strength, the tone of public opinion in the United States and what it all could mean for the midterm elections late

"They're not sending their best." Rachel Maddow reviews how the collection of unqualified culture warriors Donald Trump has put in charge of key facets of the United States national security apparatus is much worse than merely incompetent now that Trump has started a war with Iran and stoked a new level of threat against Americans and American interests. MS NOW's Carol Leonnig reports on new firings at the FBI that included members of an elite counterintelligence squad specializing in neutralizing threats from Iran. The firings came just before Trump started a war with Iran, setting up a whole

Rachel Maddow joins MS NOW's ongoing live breaking coverage of the United States' attack on Iran. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts. To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Listen to MS NOW’s Special Coverage of President Trump’s 2026 State of the Union Address. During his speech, Trump touted the ending of DEI policies nationwide, railed against the Supreme Court’s tariff ruling, and attacked the Somali community of Minnesota. Hear Rachel Maddow, Nicolle Wallace, Chris Hayes, and more react to Trump’s remarks, along with the Democratic response from Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger. Visit ms.now for more coverage. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts. To listen to all of your

Rachel Maddow considering the tradition associated with the State of the Union address in which one member of the president's Cabinet does not attend the event in case something happens that prevents everyone in attendance at the speech who would ordinarily be part of the presidential succession from being able to serve. But in Donald Trump's case, his Cabinet is so full of scandal and disgrace, designating a survivor seems impossible. Rep. Pat Ryan discusses rallying local resistance against Donald Trump's planned network of ICE prisons. Rachel Maddow reports on an important sign of light for

Rachel Maddow shares highlights from a judge's remarks in rejecting Donald Trump's power to dismantle a national monument i Philadelphia to hide the fact that George Washington owned slaves. The judge compared Trump's censorious "anti-woke" edict to the mission of the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell's 1984. Independent journalist Georgia Fort talks with Rachel Maddow about ICE harassment of media and activists. Rachel Maddow reviews the latest batch of terrible poll numbers for Donald Trump, including on issues that are meant to be his political strength, and points out that his familiar tr

“MS NOW Presents: Clock It” is an invitation to the liveliest and most informed groupchat in your feed. Symone Sanders Townsend and Eugene Daniels are long-time political powerhouses. And they understand more than most how culture influences politics, and the role politics plays in culture. On “Clock It,” they’re helping you put your finger on the pulse of the hottest political gossip and their off-air conversations too colorful for TV. In the first episode of their new show, “Clock It,” they’re joined by actors Tony Goldwyn and Myles Frost for a conversation about making thought-provoking art

Donald Trump is, of course, mentioned thousands of times in the Epstein files, as one would expect given his close relationship with notorious pedophile and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, but Trump's association with many of the names in those files did not end with Epstein's arrest, or even death. Rachel Maddow highlights some of the mentions that are oddly still enjoying impunity. The fight against Donald Trumps anti-immigrant agenda is being engaged with ferocity by ordinary citizens from all walks of life, including local who don't want their town to play host to one of Donald Trump's new

Symone Sanders Townsend and Eugene Daniels were once at odds as White House staffer and White House reporter. Now they’re friends and colleagues—each co-hosting their own shows at MS NOW. But their off-air conversations are where the real action is. Their new show, “MS NOW Presents: Clock It” is an invitation to their groupchat, the liveliest—and most informative—in news. Whether it’s ICE getting dispatched to the Super Bowl because Bad Bunny’s doing the halftime show, or Nicolás Maduro’s Nike Tech fit, or Michael B. Jordan’s sole Oscar nomination despite playing three roles in Sinners, there

Rachel Maddow looks at the latest headlines showing Donald Trump backpedaling in the face of protests and plummeting poll numbers, taking a shocking loss in a special election, losing court cases, and watching resignations in protest deplete his Justice Department. The pushback against Donald Trump is happening everywhere he turns and grows ever more effective the more Trump wobbles and weakens. Rachel Maddow looks at how communities around the country are finding ways to prevent Donald Trump from establishing immigration prison camps where they live. From pressuring real estate firms, to spea

Donald Trump's anti-immigrant mission was already damaging his standing with the portion of Americans who didn't already dislike him, but the escalating violence and brutality and shocking on-camera killings have seen his opposition balloon from Americans protesting to a large swath of his own party, business leaders, clergy and Congress. Rachel Maddow outlines how the forces of democracy are imposing themselves on Trump. Rachel Maddow points out the consistent, unrelenting, stalwart, peaceful opposition of the people of Minnesota to Donald Trump's brutal anti-immigrant tactics, flexing every

Rachel Maddow and her MS NOW colleagues share their reaction and analysis of former special counsel Jack Smith's testimony about the criminal investigations of Donald Trump before the House Judiciary Committee. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts. To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rachel Maddow and her MS NOW colleagues share their reaction and analysis of former special counsel Jack Smith's testimony about the criminal investigations of Donald Trump before the House Judiciary Committee. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts. To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rachel Maddow shares recent examples of prominent members of the clergy speaking out against Donald Trump's abuse anti-immigrant tactics and his belligerent foreign policy, and talks with Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, about defending immigrant members of his community and Donald Trump's dismantling of the moral role the U.S. plays in the world. Rachel Maddow reports on a growing number of towns and communities that are speaking out and standing up to Department of Homeland Security plans to open ICE detention and processing facilities to take in immigrants being arrested in fed

While Donald Trump has made clear how he intends to wield his power and retain his power, the most pressing question for Americans is how his opponents intend to stop him. Jon Ralston, founder and CEO of the Nevada Independent, and author of the newly published "The Game Changer: How Harry Reid remade the rules and showed Democrats how to fight," talks with Rachel Maddow about how the Democrats' best political tactician and savviest fighter in living memory would have handled stopping Trump and retaking power before it's too late.  Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" fe

Rachel Maddow rounds up a litany of recent court losses Donald Trump has suffered, as even some Republicans in Congress are agreeing to block or otherwise mitigate the damage Trump's policies are inflicting on their constituents, all while Americans rally in protest of abuses and outright crimes committed by Trump's ICE agents. Rachel Maddow reviews recent examples of ICE agents overstepping their legal authority and making a chaotic mess of the job they're meant to be doing, all of which paints them not as actual professional immigration enforcement, but as Trump's untrained secret police for

Listen to this special invitation from Rachel Maddow and sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to take advantage of a 3-month free trial! With MS NOW Premium, you can get our entire suite of podcasts – everything from “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” to “The Best People with Nicolle Wallace” – all ad-free. As a subscriber, you also get early access to select shows, plus exclusive bonus content – like a new episode of “Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order,” out Friday. Sign up right here, then search “Burn Order” to listen to that Premium episode. There’s a lot in store for 2026. So

Rachel Maddow runs through the litany of excuses and justifications the Trump administration has presented to explain the military invasion of Venezuela, and points out that none of what has been floated holds up under scrutiny. Every principle the Trump administration claims to be defending comes with examples of the administration not caring at all about that principle. Even the popular idea that it was all for oil doesn't really make sense upon closer examination. But there is one reason that is consistent with Trump's behavior through the first year of his second term in office. Pete Hegse

Rachel Maddow hosts a special conversation with guests from her "Burn Order" podcast, live from the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles to discuss the fight against the race-based incarceration of Japanese-Americans during World War II and how lessons from that episode in American history apply today. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts. To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for informa

Rachel Maddow shares a look at how outrage over government corruption in Bulgaria prompted massive protests and eventually the resignation of the prime minister and his government. And in the United States, for all of Donald Trump's unpopular policies being protested across the country, the self-dealing and corruption that has become his administration's hallmark may ultimately be what leads to Trump's downfall.  Julie K. Brown, investigative reporter for the Miami Herald who first exposed the scandal of how the Jeffrey Epstein case was handed, talks with Rachel Maddow about feedback she is re

Rachel Maddow reviews how poorly Donald Trump's policies are being received by the American public as Trump continues to appoint laughably unqualified sycophants to top agency roles, and leadership failures mount. As a result, not only are Trump's poll numbers tanking, but even Republican politicians are recognizing that it's not in their interest to tie their fates to Trump's sinking ship. As Donald Trump fills the leadership roles of the U.S. public health system with quacks and kooks, sane states are taking it upon themselves to employ actual experts with real public health administration e

Rachel Maddow hosts a prime time special event with historian Timothy Snyder about the rise of authoritarianism and how we can meet the moment. (Recorded on November 21, 2025 at the Harris Theater in Chicago’s Millennium Park) Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts. To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.