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Right Now With Perry Bacon

Right Now With Perry Bacon is a twice-weekly show about national politics with a focus on the radicalism of the Trump administration and tactics to combat it. The program, hosted by New Republic staff writer Perry Bacon on Substack, features in-depth discussions with experts and politicians. It goes beyond the daily headlines to explain why things are happening and put them in a broader context.

All Episodes
May 22, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
Why Trump Is Afraid of Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, and The View
Political scientist Meredith Conroy says that late-night shows are still politically relevant even as their audiences shrink.
Video is available for this article
May 22, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
Transcript: Why Trump Is Afraid of Colbert, Kimmel, and The View
Political scientist Meredith Conroy says that late-night comedy shows have long played an important role in American politics.
Video is available for this article
May 20, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
Transcript: Georgia May Elect America’s First Black Woman Governor
Journalist Tia Mitchell explains why Keisha Lance Bottoms could make history this November in Georgia.
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May 20, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
This Georgian Might Become America’s First Black Woman Governor
Journalist Tia Mitchell says that Keisha Lance Bottoms was surprisingly strong in the Democratic primary for governor, but she still may not win in November.
Video is available for this article
May 14, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
Transcript: How Democrats Can Fix the Government in 2029
Political scientists Lee Drutman and Mark Copelovitch say that the next time Democrats have a trifecta in Washington they must push proportional representation and other major reforms to America’s political system.
Video is available for this article
May 14, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
How Democrats Can Fix the Government in 2029
Political scientists Lee Drutman and Mark Copelovitch say that the next time Democrats have a trifecta in Washington they must push proportional representation and other major reforms to America’s political system.
Video is available for this article
May 12, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
Transcript: Trump and the Supreme Court Are Crushing Black Power
Political scientists Hakeem Jefferson and Jake Grumbach say that we are witnessing a massive rollback of Black political power through Supreme Court decisions.
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May 10, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
These Democrats Have a Real Chance of Being President
The 2028 Democratic primary is more wide open than any in recent memory, according to two experts on presidential nominations.
Video is available for this article
May 10, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
Transcript: These Democrats Have a Real Chance of Being President
Political scientist Seth Masket and scholar Mark Schmitt say the Democratic 2028 presidential primary is more wide open than any recent contest, with more than a dozen people who could run strong campaigns.
Video is available for this article
May 8, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
Trump and the Supreme Court Are Crushing Black Political Power
Political scientists Jake Grumbach and Hakeem Jefferson explain why the Republicans’ elimination of majority-Black districts in the South is such an erosion of democracy.
Video is available for this article
May 7, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
Inside California’s Wild, Unpredictable Governor’s Race
Journalist David Dayen says California’s progressive wing and the party establishment both have struggled to coalesce around a gubernatorial candidate.
Video is available for this article
May 7, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
Transcript: Inside the Wild, Unpredictable California Governor’s Race
California-based journalist David Dayen says neither the state’s progressives nor its Democratic establishment can coalesce around a single candidate.
Video is available for this article
May 5, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
The Supreme Court Is Lying About Racism in America
Author Kimberlé Crenshaw says that the Supreme Court keeps issuing rules for a post-racial America that the justices know doesn’t exist.
Video is available for this article
May 5, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
Transcript: The Supreme Court Is Lying About Racism in America
Author Kimberlé Crenshaw says that the conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Court know America is not post-racial but insist on pretending that it is.
Video is available for this article
May 1, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
Transcript: Why Graham Platner Trounced Janet Mills in Maine
Maine reporter Alex Seitz-Wald says Janet Mills ran such a bad campaign that Graham Platner was almost destined to win.
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April 30, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
How Graham Platner Trounced Janet Mills in the Maine Senate Primary
Maine reporter Alex-Seitz Wald says Governor Janet Mills ran a terrible campaign that ensured Graham Platner’s likely Democratic primary victory in Maine.
April 22, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
Transcript: Trump’s Choices in Iran Are “Humiliation or Escalation”
Columbia University professor Elizabeth Saunders says any deal with Iran that Trump reaches now will fall short of America’s initial goals for the war.
Video is available for this article
April 22, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
Transcript: How the Media Failed the Palestinians
Author Adam Johnson’s new book argues that the media downplayed the brutality of the Israeli military offensive in 2023-24 and President Biden’s role in it.
Video is available for this article
April 22, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
How the Media Failed the Palestinians
Author Adam Johnson’s new book shows how the media’s coverage after October 7, 2023 downplayed the brutality of Israel’s months of bombing in Gaza.
Video is available for this article
April 21, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
Trump’s Choices in Iran Are “Humiliation or Escalation”
Columbia University professor Elizabeth Saunders says any deal with Iran that Trump reaches now will fall short of America’s initial goals for the war.
Video is available for this article

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Politics & Ideas
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