Day: January 19, 2026

The Caligula Moment of the Madman in the Oval Office Waging War Against Half of Our Country and Our Allies Abroad

We begin with Trump waging war against half of America as he targets cities and states controlled by Democrats while also waging war against our closest allies by attacking NATO, handing over Ukraine to his buddy Putin and emboldening tyrants and kleptocrats around the world. Joining us to discuss the Caligula moment of the megalomaniacal madman in the Oval Office is Sasha Abramsky, who writes regularly for The Nation. He is the author of several books, including Breadline USA, American Furies, The American Way of Poverty, and Chaos Comes Calling: The Battle Against the Far-Right Takeover of Small-Town America. His latest book, out this week, is American Carnage: How Trump, Musk and DOGE Butchered the US Government and we discuss his latest article in his weekly column Authoritarian Watch at The Nation, “The Week of Colonial Fever Dreams From a Sundowning Fascist.”

The Latest Report From Oxfam “Resisting the Rule of The Rich: Defending Freedom Against Billionaire Power”

Then we discuss the latest report from Oxfam ahead of the annual billionaire bash at Davos and speak with Rebecca Riddell, the senior policy lead for economic and racial justice at Oxfam America. An international human rights lawyer with a background in addressing extreme inequality and excess corporate power and promoting economic and social rights, she served as a Senior Advisor to the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, carrying out investigations and advising governments on policies relating to tax, social spending, and other areas. She is a contributor to a new report at Oxfam, “Resisting the Rule of the Rich: Defending Freedom Against Billionaire Power.”

Corruption Inside DHS and ICE Awash With $170 Billion to Wage War Against Their Fellow Americans

Then finally we investigate corruption inside DHS and ICE after the Republicans gave the thugs waging war against their fellow Americans $170 Billion and speak with Justin Elliott, a reporter with ProPublica where he covers business and economics as well as money and influence in politics. He has produced stories for The New York Times and National Public Radio and he won a 2015 Investigative Reporters and Editors award. We discuss his article at ProPublica, “Firm Tied to Kristi Noem Secretly Got Money From $220 Million DHS Ad Contracts.”