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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
October 12, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
Transcript: Trump’s Two Choices in Iran
Trump’s Iran policy has almost no way of succeeding, says Columbia University political scientist Elizabeth Saunders.
Video is available for this article
October 12, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
Trump’s Two Choices in Iran
Trump’s Iran policy has almost no way of succeeding, says Columbia University political scientist Elizabeth Saunders.
Video is available for this article
September 29, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
Transcript: Can Democrats Be Both Principled and Pragmatic?
Political scientist Paul Frymer argues that Democrats should not wholly abandon civil rights causes in pursuit on winning in purple and red states.
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September 29, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
Can Democrats Be Both Principled and Pragmatic?
Political scientist Paul Frymer argues that Democrats should not disregard civil rights issues as they seek to win votes in red and purple states.
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September 25, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
Transcript: Why Blue States Are Better Places to Live
TNR’s Monica Potts explains how “abundance” liberals ignore the real story of Red State America.
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September 25, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
Why Blue States Are Better Places to Live
TNR’s Monica Potts says “abundance” liberals who praise red states for affordable housing are missing the broader story.
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September 22, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
Transcript: Are Dems Still A “Professional Class” Party?
Author Lily Geismer says that Democrats are caught between being a more populist party and one dominated a technocratic, lawyerly mindset.
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September 22, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
Does the “Professional Class” Still Dominate the Democratic Party?
Author Lily Geismer says the Democratic Party is caught between economic populism and a more technocratic, lawyerly mindset.
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September 18, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
Transcript: The Mistakes That The Democrats Keep Making
Author Ed Burmila says Democrats must get out of the pattern of winning elections based on anti-GOP sentiment but then governing in a milquetoast way that helps Republicans get back in power.
Video is available for this article
September 18, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
The Mistakes That Democrats Keep Making
Author Ed Burmila says Democrats must get out of the pattern of winning elections based on anti-GOP sentiment but then governing in a milquetoast way that helps Republicans get back in power.
Video is available for this article
September 17, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
How Purple-State Democrats Should Talk about Trans Issues
Journalist Evan Urquhart argues that swing-state Democratic candidates are going too far in distancing them from transgender rights.
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September 17, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
Transcript: How Purple-State Democrats Should Talk About Trans Issues
Journalist Evan Urquhart argues that swing-state Democratic candidates are going too far in distancing themselves from transgender rights.
Video is available for this article
September 14, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
Transcript: America’s Big Political Problem Isn’t Polarization
Academics and journalists do the far right favors when they describe American politics as polarized and desperately seek to seem neutral, says professor Shannon McGregor.
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September 14, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
America’s Big Political Problem Isn’t Polarization
Being fixated on polarization and neutrality are flawed ways of covering American politics today, says professor Shannon McGregor.
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September 11, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
How to Stop Trumpism From Rising in Germany and Europe
AfD and other far-right parties in Europe and North America won’t be defeated by centrist parties moving right on immigration, says author Thomas Zimmer.
Video is available for this article
September 11, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
Transcript: How to Stop Trumpism From Rising in Germany and Europe
Mainstream parties in Germany are making the same mistakes they did in the United States and other countries in fighting the far-right, says historian Thomas Zimmer.
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September 3, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
Transcript: Trump Hasn’t Killed DEI in America
Author Natasha Warikoo says that most Americans believe in achieving greater diversity and equity and that the Trump administration has not permanently defeated those causes.
Video is available for this article
September 2, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
Transcript: How Progressives Can Revive the Police Reform Movement
Author Alex Vitale says that while there was a backlash to the term “defund,’ many of the changes called for by the movement are happening across the country.
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September 2, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
How Progressives Can Revive the Police Reform Movement
Alex Vitale says that despite the public backlash to “defund,” many of the changes that the movement called for are happening.
Video is available for this article
August 27, 2026
Right Now With Perry Bacon
Transcript: The Mistake That Progressive Candidates Keep Making
Progressive candidates like Wisconsin’s Francesca Hong aren’t explaining to voters that they can win the general election, leaving them vulnerable to centrist opposition casting them as “unelectable.”
Video is available for this article

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