Make It Make Sense with Grant Hermes
The political world is fast paced, chaotic and often it's just too much to keep up with. That's where Grant Hermes comes in. Grant has been a journalist over a decade on the ground covering the biggest US political stories, scandals and elections. Twice a week, he'll break down the biggest political news you need to know. It's never been more important to stay informed and sometimes all it takes is a little help to Make It Make Sense.
Episodes
193 episodes
Talking Ourselves Back From The Brink with Prof. Karrin Anderson
There are clearer and clearer signs that the Trump Administration is pulling the US into what scholars call "competative authoritarianism." Grant it joined by Colorado State Professor of political communication Karrin Anderson to ta...
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49:37
The Plan To Make Free Speech Illegal
Vocal leaders on the right, members of the Trump Administration and even the President himself are calling for the government to target not just violent political opponents, but people who share their views without acting on them. G...
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20:19
The Supreme Court's Shadow Docket Crisis w/ Liz Dye
With the next Supreme Court term just around the corner, it's time to talk about the Court's "shadow docket" of emergency rulings that have been happening over the summer. Grant is joined again by Liz Dye from Law and Chaos and Lega...
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50:35
The Assassination of Charlie Kirk
The right-wing commentator, youth leader, and political power broker Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during an event in Utah on Wednesday. It's an event that is going to rock the political world and by extension, the country.In the hour...
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19:10
The Birthday Book Bombshell
House Oversight Democrats release THAT birthday book with Trump's message to Jeffrey Epstein, and it sends the White House scrambling to try and tamp down the story that Trump hasn't been able to shake. Grant breaks down what's in t...
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15:09
CROSSOVER EPISODE: Grant Gets Interviewed On Let's Pod This
Today's episode is something different. Grant is the one being interviewed on the Let's Pod This podcast, discussing how Make It Make Sense is created, his news-reading process, and which stories he thinks are overhyped or underreporte...
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51:48
Epstein Survivors Demand Action, Will Congress Listen?
Dozens of survivors of Jeffrey Epstein, their families, lawyers, and a bipartisan trio of lawmakers came to the Capitol to demand that leaders sign off on just voting to release the Epstein Files. While that's been happening, House Republicans ...
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19:22
Trump's Proof Of Life Press Conference
After nearly a week of not being on video, rumors swirled over Labor Day weekend that Donald Trump might have had some kind of emergency. On Tuesday, the president held an Oval Office press conference about moving Space Command, but really, the...
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21:06
A Shooting in Minneapolis And An Attack On Mental Health
After another deadly mass shooting in a school in the US, Americans are looking for answers among the horror. The White House and Conservatives are using the shooter's gender identity as a trans person to further try and criminalize...
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22:40
Dictator Week At The White House
Donald Trump floats the idea of being a dictator as he threatens to send National Guard troops into Chicago and other cities. He also uses the DOJ to go after a high-level former advisor while giving himself a title he doesn't have under the Co...
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21:47
Ratf*cking America w/ Author David Daley
Extreme gerrymandering is ruining American democracy and right now, the country is in the middle of a redistricting arms race. Essentially, it's politicians choosing voters instead of voters choosing politicians. Grant talks to auth...
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45:32
Why Is The DOJ Going After Children's Doctors?
The DOJ sent out dozens of subpoenas to hospitals and doctors demanding private information about their patients. social security numbers. Diagnoses. Prescriptions. Addresses. Even info about their parents and when treatment started. <...
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18:42
Whose Side Is Trump On In The War In Ukraine?
Grant breaks down what happened at the Alaska Summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, how it looks like Trump got bowled over by the Russian president, and didn't stand his ground on a ceasefire. Then, Grant talks about host...
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17:24
Safe to Speak? Whistleblowing In Today's America w/ Whistleblower Aid's David Kligerman
As the second Trump administration has been firing ethics officials and accountability officers, the whistleblower has become more important than ever. But who protects the people who take the risk to tell the truth?Grant tal...
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44:44
Why Is Trump Meeting Putin In Alaska?
Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday to start another round of peace talks to end the war in Ukraine. It's the first time Putin will meet with a US president on US soil in a decade.&n...
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19:31
Trump Moves To Make DC A Police State Capital
Donald Trump has federalized the DC Metro police and called in hundreds of DC National Guard troops to fight crime and homelessness in the nation's capital. The problem? There isn't a crime wave in DC, and arresting homeless people ...
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24:57
Adopted and Afraid w/ Adoptee Rights Law Center's Greg Luce
As the Trump administration continues to more aggressively target immigrants to boost arrests and deportations, there has been a growing fear among a group of Americans that they could be targeted or used as a test group for attacks on citizens...
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38:32
The President Who Cried Hoax
It's been a week of big news in two things Trump has called hoaxes: Russian election meddling and the Epstein files. First, Grant breaks down what's going on with the new DOJ investigation into "Russiagate," the "hoax" that multiple...
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24:27
A Texas Sized Stand-Off Over The 2026 Election
A fight over the landscape of the 2026 midterms has been playing out in Texas, and this week it crossed state lines. Grant breaks down what's happening with the new election maps in Texas, why more than 50 TX Democrats aren't living...
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19:25
Why Are Politicians Such... Weirdos? w/ Democratic Strategist Mike Nellis
Democratic strategist Mike Nellis joins Grant to talk about the future of the Democratic party, specifically with his old boss Kamala Harris who announced she wasn't going to run for Governor of California, leaving a presidential run in 2028 on...
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1:06:58
Stocks, Locks and Two Angry Men
A little watched Senate committee boiled over this week as Senators are trying to pass a bill that would ban members of Congress and future Presidents and Vice Presidents from trading stock. The fight was just the tip of an iceberg sized proble...
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19:31
Trump's Deal Making Smoke and Mirrors
Donald Trump has promised huge things on trade and tariffs, setting the deadline (again) for this Friday, Aug. 1. But so far, those deals haven't come through. The White House has officially inked three (3) deals of 90 they promised...
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17:20
Dismantling Justice w/ Justice Connection's Stacey Young
After a week of a lot of news comign from the Department of Justice surrounding how it's handled the Epstein Files, this week's interview is a look back at a conversation Grant had with Stacey Young. Young, a former DOJ attorney, is...
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42:25