Make It Make Sense with Grant Hermes

By Grant Hermes

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Category: Politics

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Episodes: 281

Description

Politics has never been more chaotic, and most podcasts just add to the noise. Make It Make Sense with Grant Hermes cuts through it.


Grant is an AP Award-winning journalist with over a decade of on-the-ground reporting on the biggest political stories, scandals, and elections in America. Twice a week, he takes the stories dominating the headlines and breaks them down in plain English — no jargon, no spin, no shouting.


If you care about what’s happening in this country but you’re exhausted by how it’s being covered, this is the show for you. Real reporting. Clear explanations. Actual context.


Make It Make Sense drops three times a week. Subscribe so you never miss it.


Episode Date
The DOJ Is Being Dismantled From the Inside, A Former Insider Explains What We're Losing
May 22, 2026
The DNC's 2024 Autopsy Is a Mess, Here's Everything Wrong With It
May 21, 2026
How Trump Just Shielded Himself from the IRS — And Made You Pay for It
May 19, 2026
Harvard Psychiatrist to Congress: Trump Is Too Dangerous to Have the Nuclear Codes
May 15, 2026
Your Money Is Worth Less Today Than It Was Last Month
May 12, 2026
The Democratic Party Is Lost. A Former Presidential Campaign Manager Explains Why
May 08, 2026
The Iran Peace Deal Is Just Obama's Deal (But Worse?)
May 07, 2026
Is the Iran War Actually Over? The White House Can't Get Its Story Straight
May 05, 2026
Forget Gerrymandering, The Supreme Court Legalized Gerrymaxxing w/ Dave Daley
May 01, 2026
The Supreme Court Just Killed the Voting Rights Act
Apr 30, 2026
The Shooting, The Ballroom, and The Fallout
Apr 28, 2026
They Can Take Your Citizenship Away — And the Trump Administration Is Trying
Apr 24, 2026
Trump Blinked Again and Gas Prices Won't Drop Until 2027
Apr 23, 2026
Trump Lied About Iran, The US Broke the Ceasefire & The FBI Director Is Allegedly Wasted
Apr 21, 2026
America Already Crossed the Line in Iran. What Happens Now? w/ Oona Hathaway
Apr 17, 2026
4 Scandals, 2 Resignations, 1 Week. Welcome Back, Congress
Apr 16, 2026
The Blockade Backfired and the Iran Crisis Is Worse Than Ever
Apr 14, 2026
We Made It Worse: How the US Handed Iran a Nuclear Argument w/ Eric Czuleger
Apr 10, 2026
Is This Even A Ceasefire?
Apr 09, 2026
Trump Threatens to Wipe Out Iran's Entire Civilization And The Nuclear Option on the Table?
Apr 07, 2026
The 1% Election: How Primaries Are Rigged Against Everyone ft. Chad Peace
Apr 03, 2026
Trump Said Nothing For 20 Minutes
Apr 02, 2026
The Shutdown Is Still Here, The War Has No Plan, And Lindsey Graham Is At Disney World
Mar 31, 2026
Congress Is Giving Away Your Power w/ Michael Thorning from Bipartisan Policy Center
Mar 27, 2026
Pam Bondi Wants To Save The Lawyers Judges Hate w/ Liz Dye from the Law and Chaos Podcast
Mar 13, 2026
Why Is The FBI Digging Through Arizona's Election Trash?
Mar 12, 2026
Trump Says The War In Iran Is "Complete," Is It?
Mar 10, 2026
How Big Spending Is Breaking Democracy w/ Tiffany Muller from End Citizens United
Mar 06, 2026
Kristi Noem Gets Fired, What's Next For Immigration?
Mar 05, 2026
The Whys And How The US And Israel Went To War With Iran
Mar 03, 2026
Should Democrats Make A Nuremberg Caucus? W/ Cory Doctorow
Feb 27, 2026
Trump Leaves ICE Out In The Cold During The State Of The Union
Feb 26, 2026
Could The State Of The Union Be Trump's Most Important Speech?
Feb 24, 2026
Are We Going To War With Iran? w/ The Under Report's Eric Czuleger (again!)
Feb 21, 2026
The Trump Administration Is Getting Expensive...
Feb 20, 2026
10 Things Democrats Hate About DHS
Feb 17, 2026
America's Abandonment Issues w/ The Under Report's Eric Czuleger
Feb 13, 2026
Congress's Voting Bills Aren't About Protecting Your Vote
Feb 12, 2026
The [REDACTED] Epstein Episode
Feb 10, 2026
Can Trump Break America's Elections? w/ Michael McNulty From Issue One
Feb 06, 2026
How To Break ICE To Fix Immigration w/ fmr. ICE AD Scott Shuchart
Feb 06, 2026
The Epstein Files Are Worse Than We Thought
Feb 03, 2026
The Spies And Diplomats Working To Save America w/ The Steady State's Steve Cash
Jan 30, 2026
Is Funding ICE The Democrats' Last Stand?
Jan 29, 2026
DHS Kills A Man Then Flees Minnesota, What Now?
Jan 27, 2026
What's Happening To Civil Rights Under ICE? w/ David Gans
Jan 16, 2026
Why Trump's Fight With The Fed Matters To You
Jan 14, 2026
Venezuela, Latino Voters and Avoiding Nuclear War w/ Mike Madrid
Jan 09, 2026
ICE Kills A US Citizen In Minnesota, What Now?
Jan 08, 2026
Trump's Old World Order Plan For Venezuela
Jan 07, 2026
Did The US Bomb Venezuela Or Not?
Dec 30, 2025
The MIMS Christmas Story Special!
Dec 24, 2025
The Epstein Files Redactions Are "Breaking The Law"
Dec 23, 2025
Do The Epstein Files Take Down MAGA? w/ Anthropologist Alex Hinton
Dec 19, 2025
Trump's Right Hand Woman: On The Record, Off The Rails
Dec 16, 2025
"Children Will Die" Because Of Dept. of Ed's New Policy w/ Zero Abuse Project CEO, Jeff Dion
Dec 12, 2025
Congress Shrugs And Lets Insurance Costs Spike
Dec 11, 2025
Who In Trump's Cabinet Is Getting Fired?
Dec 09, 2025
Is This Millennials' Political Moment? w/ Amanda Litman from Run For Something
Dec 05, 2025
Pete Hegseth's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week
Dec 04, 2025
Did Pete Hegseth Commit A War Crime?
Dec 02, 2025
Why So Many Americans Are Afraid To Talk Politics w/ Junelle Cavero from My Code
Nov 21, 2025
Trump Signs Off On The Epstein Files And Chaos At The DOJ
Nov 20, 2025
Republicans Flip On The Files
Nov 18, 2025
An Out Of Control Week w/ Ryan Welton From Oklahoma Memo
Nov 14, 2025
Shady Shutdown Deals And New Epstein Emails
Nov 13, 2025
Did The Democrats Cave Or Play The Long Game?
Nov 11, 2025
What Is Going On With MAGA Fashion? w/ Lindsey Louise
Nov 07, 2025
What Can We REALLY Learn From This Week's Elections?
Nov 06, 2025
Trump's 60 Minutes Confessional
Nov 04, 2025
America's Revenge Politics w/ Paul Starr
Oct 31, 2025
How Bad Is The Government Shutdown Going To Get?
Oct 30, 2025
How Trump's Health And 3-Term Push Are Connected
Oct 28, 2025
The End Of The Voting Rights Act As We Know It w/ Dave Daley
Oct 24, 2025
Why Trump's White House Tear Down Is More Than A Renovation
Oct 23, 2025
How Big Of A Deal Was No Kings 2?
Oct 21, 2025
What's Going To Happen To Rural Hospitals Now? w/ Prof. Michael Shepherd
Oct 17, 2025
Is This Supreme Court Going To End Voting Rights?
Oct 16, 2025
Why Is The Government Still Shutdown?
Oct 14, 2025
Why Do So Many Of Us Believe Conspiracy Theories? w/ Prof. Joe Uscinski
Oct 10, 2025
The Insurrection Act: How Close Are We To Civil War?
Oct 09, 2025
Can Trump Just Send Troop...Anywhere?
Oct 08, 2025
The Hostile Takeover Of America's Health w/ Dr. Scott Greer
Oct 03, 2025
Why is Trump Making The Shutdown As Painful As Possible?
Oct 02, 2025
The Department of (Culture) War
Sep 30, 2025
How Can We Fix America's Schools? w/ Jorge Elorza
Sep 26, 2025
Does Congress Actually WANT A Government Shutdown?
Sep 25, 2025
Trump's New Pressure Push
Sep 23, 2025
Talking Ourselves Back From The Brink with Prof. Karrin Anderson
Sep 19, 2025
The Plan To Make Free Speech Illegal
Sep 19, 2025
The Supreme Court's Shadow Docket Crisis w/ Liz Dye
Sep 12, 2025
The Assassination of Charlie Kirk
Sep 11, 2025
The Birthday Book Bombshell
Sep 09, 2025
CROSSOVER EPISODE: Grant Gets Interviewed On Let's Pod This
Sep 05, 2025
Epstein Survivors Demand Action, Will Congress Listen?
Sep 04, 2025
Trump's Proof Of Life Press Conference
Sep 02, 2025
A Shooting in Minneapolis And An Attack On Mental Health
Aug 28, 2025
Dictator Week At The White House
Aug 27, 2025
Ratf*cking America w/ Author David Daley
Aug 22, 2025
Why Is The DOJ Going After Children's Doctors?
Aug 21, 2025
Whose Side Is Trump On In The War In Ukraine?
Aug 19, 2025
Safe to Speak? Whistleblowing In Today's America w/ Whistleblower Aid's David Kligerman
Aug 15, 2025
Why Is Trump Meeting Putin In Alaska?
Aug 14, 2025
Trump Moves To Make DC A Police State Capital
Aug 12, 2025
Adopted and Afraid w/ Adoptee Rights Law Center's Greg Luce
Aug 08, 2025
The President Who Cried Hoax
Aug 07, 2025
A Texas Sized Stand-Off Over The 2026 Election
Aug 05, 2025
Why Are Politicians Such... Weirdos? w/ Democratic Strategist Mike Nellis
Aug 03, 2025
Stocks, Locks and Two Angry Men
Aug 01, 2025
Trump's Deal Making Smoke and Mirrors
Jul 29, 2025
Dismantling Justice w/ Justice Connection's Stacey Young
Jul 25, 2025
Trump and The Epstein Files: Is It A Lie or A Cover Up?
Jul 24, 2025
Do Democrats Even Want To Win Again?
Jul 22, 2025
Why Trump Can't Make The Epstein Files Go Away
Jul 18, 2025
The GOP's 9 Billion Dollar Take-Backsies
Jul 17, 2025
Will The Epstein Files Tear MAGA Apart?
Jul 15, 2025
Who Are The New Generation Of Leaders? with Amanda Litman
Jul 11, 2025
Trump's 90 Days Are Up... Where Are All The Deals?
Jul 10, 2025
Is Trump Building Detention Centers...Or Camps?
Jul 08, 2025
Why The Texas Floods Are Bad For All Of Us
Jul 07, 2025
Will Trump Have To Bail Out The Big Beautiful Bill?
Jul 03, 2025
The Senate Passes The Big Beautiful Bill...What Now?
Jul 02, 2025
BONUS: The Supreme Court's BIGGEST Ruling Yet?
Jun 27, 2025
How Trump Embraced Christian Nationalism and Bombed Iran (w/ Matt D. Taylor)
Jun 27, 2025
Trump Ends A War Abroad... To Start A Fake One At Home
Jun 26, 2025
A CeaseFire... For Now
Jun 24, 2025
The US Joins The War With Iran
Jun 23, 2025
Silencing The Voice Of America w/ VOA White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara
Jun 20, 2025
Are We At War With Iran?
Jun 19, 2025
No Kings, No Crowds, And Our New Cycle Of Violence
Jun 17, 2025
Troops in LA, A Senator In Handcuffs And A Nation On Edge w/ Mike Madrid
Jun 13, 2025
Marines In LA: Can Trump Do That?
Jun 10, 2025
Is L.A. Trump's Test Balloon For Dictatorship?
Jun 09, 2025
Disease and Death: Elon Musk's Real DOGE Legacy W/ Fmr. USAID Dep. Admin. Jim Kunder (Replay interview)
Jun 06, 2025
A MAGA Meltdown
Jun 05, 2025
The Other Offshoring: Why Jobs Went South, Not Abroad w/ Prof. Gary Winslett
May 30, 2025
The Kids Aren't Alright
May 29, 2025
Democrats FINALLY Get Their 2024 Report Card
May 27, 2025
Prescription For Failure: Why Trump’s Drug Plan Is Bad w/ Yale Economist Jason Abaluck
May 23, 2025
A Big Beautiful Breakdown
May 22, 2025
Un-Protected Status
May 20, 2025
Joe Biden Has Cancer
May 19, 2025
Devastation at the DOJ w/ Stacey Young from The Justice Connection
May 16, 2025
Don't Trust Your Lying Eyes
May 16, 2025
Drugs and Deals
May 13, 2025
What Is Habeas Corpus?
May 12, 2025
Oh, Canada
May 07, 2025
Make Corruption Great Again (W/ Public Citizen's Rick Claypool)
May 02, 2025
100 Days Down
Apr 30, 2025
A Democratic Decision (W/ Abdul El-Sayed)
Apr 25, 2025
"NO SCALPS"
Apr 23, 2025
Who Rules The Law Anyway? (W/ Andrew Torrez)
Apr 18, 2025
Are Americans Really That Special?
Apr 16, 2025
Your Life Will Never Be The Same
Apr 11, 2025
Tariff On, Tariff Off
Apr 09, 2025
The Great American Retreat (W/ Dr. Scott Greer)
Apr 04, 2025
Cory Booker's Moral Moment For America
Apr 02, 2025
It's Bigger Than Signal w/ Fmr. National Archives Lawyer Jason R Baron
Mar 28, 2025
No One Likes A Group Chat
Mar 26, 2025
Order In The Courts?
Mar 22, 2025
What Is Going On With The Ukrainian Peace Deal?
Mar 19, 2025
Are Democrats in Disarray? (plus: Dept of Ed talk w/ Prof. Kevin Welner)
Mar 14, 2025
Does Elon Musk Want A Shutdown?
Mar 12, 2025
The Ensh*tification of America? (w/ Cory Doctorow)
Mar 07, 2025
Trump's Just Bear With Me Address
Mar 05, 2025
MIMS MINI: Gambling with WW3
Mar 01, 2025
Town Hall Hell (w/ Rep. Debbie Dingell)
Feb 28, 2025
Republicans A Have Budget and Elon Musk Crashes The Cabinet
Feb 26, 2025
Long Live The King? (w/ Prof. Lucan Way)
Feb 21, 2025
Why Are Federal Employees Being Fired Like This?
Feb 19, 2025
Are We In A Constitutional Crisis? (with Dr. Erica Groshen)
Feb 14, 2025
Elon Musk's First Presidential Press Conference
Feb 13, 2025
Elon Musk Rages and Raids
Feb 07, 2025
Trump's In His Empire Era
Feb 05, 2025
Confirmation Nation (with Dr. Scott Greer from the University of Michigan)
Jan 31, 2025
Trump's Purges Begin
Jan 29, 2025
Trump 2.0 One Week In (with Liz Dye and Andrew Torrez from Law and Chaos)
Jan 24, 2025
The Sights And Sounds of Trump's Inauguration (with Deepti Doshi from New Public)
Jan 22, 2025
Jack Smith's Last Word/Hegseth In The Hotseat
Jan 15, 2025
Elon Musk Plays President
Dec 20, 2024
AOC, Pelosi and the Future of the Democrats
Dec 18, 2024
Trump On Defense
Dec 13, 2024
Trump Meets The Press
Dec 11, 2024
MIMS MINI: Trump's Border Bonanza
Dec 10, 2024
MAKE MORE SENSE: Talking Immigration with Presente's Matt Nelson
Dec 06, 2024
Pardons, Pete and Patel
Dec 04, 2024
Trump's Justice Department Shuffle (with Jonathan Bernstein)
Nov 22, 2024
All The King's Men (And Women)
Nov 15, 2024
Trump Takes America (with Matthew D. Taylor)
Nov 08, 2024
MIMS MINI 72: When Will We Know?
Nov 04, 2024
MIMS MINI 71: Everybody's A Joker
Nov 03, 2024
MIMS MINI 70: Liar, Liar
Nov 02, 2024
Who’s STILL Undecided/Climate Change and Our Votes with Mary Anna Mancuso
Nov 01, 2024
MIMS MINI 69: The Election Scaries
Oct 31, 2024
MIMS MINI 68: Harris Closes
Oct 30, 2024
MIMS MINI 67: We Need To Talk About Elon
Oct 29, 2024
MIMS MINI 66: Another Campaign Hack
Oct 28, 2024
MIMS MINI 65: Trump Plays The Garden
Oct 27, 2024
MIMS MINI 64: Harris, Abortion and Beyonce's America
Oct 26, 2024
We'll See You In Court with Liz Dye
Oct 25, 2024
MIMS MINI 63: Harris Says THE Thing
Oct 24, 2024
MIMS MINI 62: Trump Wishes For Hitler's Generals
Oct 23, 2024
MIMS MINI 61: Cracks In The Wall
Oct 22, 2024
MIMS MINI 60: You Want Fries With That?
Oct 21, 2024
MIMS MINI 59: Exhaustion and Discipline
Oct 20, 2024
MIMS MINI 58: Record Breaking Early Voting
Oct 19, 2024
Is Trump Really A Fascist? A Breakdown
Oct 18, 2024
MIMS MINI 57: Harris Breaks Up With Biden
Oct 17, 2024
MIMS MINI 56: Harris Takes To The Airwaves
Oct 16, 2024
MIMS MINI 55: Trump's PA Musical
Oct 15, 2024
Make More Sense: Latino Voters with Mike Madrid
Oct 14, 2024
MIMS MINI 54: The Presidential Physical Fitness Test
Oct 13, 2024
MIMS MIN 53: WTF Is JD Vance Talking About?
Oct 12, 2024
The Most Expensive Election Ever with Brian Boyle
Oct 11, 2024
MIMS MINI 52: No we can't control the weather...
Oct 10, 2024
MIMS MINI 51: Trump Trouble
Oct 09, 2024
MIMS MINI 50: A Hurricane Of Helene Lies
Oct 08, 2024
MIMS MINI 49: Kamala Calls A Media Blitz
Oct 07, 2024
MIMS MIN 48: As I Was Saying...
Oct 06, 2024
MIMS MINI 47: 30 Day Check In
Oct 05, 2024
The Plot(s) Against The 2024 Election with Tina Barton
Oct 04, 2024
MIMS MINI 46: Jack Smith Unsealed
Oct 03, 2024
MIMS MINI 45: Vance Code Switches As Walz Wobbles
Oct 02, 2024
MIMS MINI 44: Vance And Walz Prep For A Folksy Face-off
Oct 01, 2024
MIMS MIN 43: A Strike And An October Surprise
Sep 30, 2024
MIMS MINI 42: Congress Failed FEMA, Then Helene Hit
Sep 29, 2024
MIMS MINI 41: Harris’ Flips The Script On The Border
Sep 28, 2024
Trump and Harris in the Borderlands with Mike Madrid
Sep 27, 2024
MIMS MINI 40: Harris Reframes on the Economy
Sep 26, 2024
MIMS MINI 39: Biden U.N.wavering
Sep 25, 2024
MIMS MINI 38: Trump’s Best Numbers In Weeks
Sep 24, 2024
MIMS MINI 37: Congress Makes A Deal?
Sep 23, 2024
MIMS MINI 36 - Harris Trolls Trump
Sep 22, 2024
MIMS MINI 35: Changing The Count
Sep 21, 2024
The Company Candidates Keep with Brian Hughes
Sep 20, 2024
MIMS MINI 34: Johnson Runs The Play and Congress Runs Out The Clock
Sep 19, 2024
MIMS MINI 33: Harris On Her Own
Sep 18, 2024
MIMS MINI 32: Tone Deaf and Toning Down
Sep 17, 2024
MIMS MINI 31: Another Assassination Attempt
Sep 16, 2024
MIMS MINI 30: Misinformation Conversation
Sep 15, 2024
They're Eating The Cats And Dogs with Ryan Enos
Sep 13, 2024
MIMS MINI 29: Shutdown Showdown... Again
Sep 12, 2024
MIMS MINI 28: Harris Prevails, Trump Flails
Sep 11, 2024
MIMS MINI 27: Debate Day
Sep 10, 2024
MAKE MORE SENSE: Extended Interview with NANR's Andy Moore
Sep 08, 2024
MAKE MORE SENSE: Extended interview with Fair Vote's Deb Otis
Sep 07, 2024
HOT TO GO For Gen Z with Jessica Siles
Sep 06, 2024
MAKE MORE SENSE: Extended interview with New Politics' Gabe Ramos
Sep 05, 2024
MIMS MINI 26: The Tax Plan Cometh
Sep 04, 2024
MIMS MINI 25: Israel On The Edge
Sep 03, 2024
MIMS MINI: Are You...Union Curious?
Sep 02, 2024
MIMS MINI: Hallowed Ground
Sep 01, 2024
MIMS MINI 22: Trump's Abortion Turnaround
Aug 31, 2024
The Harris/Walz Interview: The Past Is Never Dead, It's Not Even Past with Andy Moore
Aug 30, 2024
MIMS MINI 21: Harris In The Hot Seat
Aug 29, 2024
MIMS MINI 20: Jack Smith's Last Chance
Aug 28, 2024
MIMS MINI 19 - Mind On The Money And Money On The Mind
Aug 27, 2024
MIMS MINI: Debating The Debate
Aug 26, 2024
MIMS MINI: Trump On The Trail
Aug 25, 2024
MIMS MINI 16: And Then There Were Two
Aug 24, 2024
Harris Makes History with Julia Azari
Aug 23, 2024
MIMS MINI: The DNC Gets Walz-pilled
Aug 22, 2024
MIMS MINI: Harris' Secret Weapon
Aug 21, 2024
MIMS MINI: Biden Takes A Bow
Aug 20, 2024
MIMS MINI: Why are Conventions?
Aug 19, 2024
MIMS MINI: What To Expect When You're Conventioning
Aug 18, 2024
MIMS MINI: Harris Lays Out Her Plan
Aug 17, 2024
Campaigning Everywhere and Nowhere with Chris Cillizza
Aug 16, 2024
MIMS MINI: Swing State Seesaw
Aug 15, 2024
MIMS MINI: Death, Taxes and the Economy
Aug 14, 2024
MIMS MINI: Trump x Musk
Aug 14, 2024
MIMS MINI: Biden's First Interview
Aug 12, 2024
MIMS MINI: The Trump Campaign Gets Hacked
Aug 11, 2024
MIMS MINI: Service Talks with Gabe Ramos
Aug 10, 2024
The Race Resets with Matthew Bartlett
Aug 09, 2024
MIMS MINI: Setting The Service Record Straight
Aug 08, 2024
MIMS MINI: Poll Position
Aug 07, 2024
MIMS MINI: From The Window To The Walz
Aug 07, 2024
Vice Presidential Hot Dish with Jeff Timmer
Aug 02, 2024
Biden Bows Out, Now What? with Kenneth Mayer
Jul 26, 2024
Welcome to Make It Make Sense
Jul 10, 2024