Authoritarianism Is Here. With Mother Jones' David Corn.
The Bill Press Pod
BP Pods
4.7 • 601 Ratings
🗓️ 12 August 2025
⏱️ 36 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode of the Bill Press Pod, Bill talks with David Corn, the Washington Bureau Chief for Mother Jones and author of the 'Our Land' newsletter. They discuss a variety of topics, starting with the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing and the lessons learned from it. David shares his recent visit to Hiroshima and the city's dedication to peace. The conversation shifts to current nuclear threats and the unsettling complacency around them. David compares this to climate change, highlighting people's reluctance to engage with frightening issues. They also delve into the rise of authoritarianism in the US, particularly under Donald Trump's administration, citing examples like ICE raids, control of government information, and the erosion of democratic norms. The episode concludes with a discussion on the potential for Democrats to regain political power. You can subscribe to David's excellent newsletter, Our Land, at DavidCorn.com.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, friends and neighbors, good to see you, and welcome back to the Bill Press Pod. |
| 0:12.4 | We know, like every other dictator, one of Donald Trump's first goals in destroying democracy |
| 0:17.7 | is to eliminate freedom of the press, constantly threatening, attacking, |
| 0:22.7 | and suing any media outlet that dare say anything critical about him. |
| 0:28.1 | Unfortunately, some media owners have made it easy for him, sucking up to Trump, paying him |
| 0:34.0 | off, and silencing any critical comments in their pages. |
| 0:38.0 | You know who I mean? |
| 0:39.2 | Owners of the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and meta, among others. |
| 0:44.0 | But here's one publication, Mother Jones, that has refused to bow down. |
| 0:49.4 | Founded in 1976, this nonprofit Progressive Magazine continues to publish what it proudly calls smart, |
| 0:58.0 | fearless journalism. And among its leading journalists, nobody is smarter or more fearless |
| 1:04.7 | than the Washington Bureau Chief of Mother Jones, David Korn. In his magazine, on television, and in his own newsletter, |
| 1:13.3 | Corn brings decades of experience to his tough and insightful reporting on the dangers of Trumpism. |
| 1:21.1 | So today, it's a pleasure to welcome David Korn back to the Bill Press Pod. |
| 1:26.2 | David Korn, it's so good to reconnect with you. Welcome back to the Bill Press Pod. David Korn, it's so good to reconnect with you. |
| 1:29.0 | Welcome back to the Bill Press Pod. |
| 1:31.1 | It's great to be on the press pod. |
| 1:33.4 | There you go. Thank you. |
| 1:35.3 | David, look, you and I both suffer from having to write about and talk about four more years of Donald Trump having already done it once. |
| 1:46.2 | You, like I, like sometimes to get away from Donald Trump. So before we start on Donald Trump, I have to ask you about |
| 1:51.4 | your newsletter, Our Land. And last week, it was an anniversary that I think didn't get as much |
| 1:58.5 | attention as it should. August 6th, the anniversary of the |
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