Primary Concerns

The horrific mass shooting at a gay club in Orlando this weekend left the nation grieving and in shock. Yet Donald Trump made it into a victory lap that was so outlandish, even Republicans who have endorsed him are recoiling in terror. MSNBC’s Benjy Sarlin joins the show to talk about what makes Trump fans tick, and how they explain his appalling response to domestic terrorism. Then, Harvard political scientist Theda Skocpol, a contributor to TNR's new cover project The Split, and Boston College political scientist Dave Hopkins debate how and when the Democratic Party will reunify.

Donald Trump's intimidation campaign against Judge Gonzalo Curiel sounds mighty familiar to Judge Vaughn Walker, our first guest. After presiding over same-sex marriage litigation in California, he was the subject of attacks claiming that he was too biased to judge the case because of his identity. Then, former Martin O’Malley deputy campaign manager Lis Smith discusses Hillary Clinton’s historic victory, her coming race against Trump, and the future of Bernie Sanders’s base.

Hillary Clinton is taking fire from all sides. On her left, Bernie Sanders is demanding a high price for unifying the party. On her right, Donald Trump is playing all the dirty tricks. Josh Marshall, editor of Talking Points Memo, discusses the challenge Trump's posing to marquee media. Then, TNR's Alex Shephard explains Sanders's next role, the type of demands he can make of Clinton, and last week’s brouhaha at the Nevada state convention.

Republican strategists John Feehery and Rory Cooper fundamentally disagree over Donald Trump: Feehery supports him, and Cooper definitely does not. They meet in the studio to talk (and occasionally shout) out their differences over the GOP’s presumptive nominee and their party's future. Feehery is the QGA public affairs president and former press secretary for Speaker Denny Hastert. Cooper is the former communications director for House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and a senior adviser to the Never Trump PAC.

Former Jeb Bush comms director and #NeverTrump operative Tim Miller explains what distinguishes Republicans who support Trump from those who never will. Then, New York Magazine's Jonathan Chait discusses his argument that Trump’s rise should be a cautionary tale for the left. Bernie Sanders had another big win in the West Virginia primary this week. Is the Sanders movement sowing the seeds of destruction for the Democratic coalition? Listen to find out.

After Tuesday's Indiana primary and the end of the Cruz and Kasich campaigns, the Trump-Clinton race is on. Can our democracy survive it? Andrew Sullivan of New York Magazine (and formerly TNR) worries it can't. He and Brian Beutler discuss his new essay about the frailty of our Republic, and the dangers of Trump complacency. Then, Texas Monthly's Erica Grieder examines whether or not Cruz will endorse Trump, and what his political future has in store.

Brian Beutler explores the week's East Coast primaries—PA, CT, MD, RI, and DE—with a focus on what it all means for Bernie Sanders. MSNBC’s Chris Hayes discusses Sanders's next move and the long-term future of progressive politics. Then, Buzzfeed’s Evan McMorris-Santoro talks about his time on the bus with Sanders, and recounts the exciting ebbs and flows of the campaign over the past year.

In this week's New York primaries, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump both left their opponents in the dust. The Atlantic’s Molly Ball helps us sift through the big question now/still facing the GOP: what the hell are the Republicans going to do? On the Democratic side, the primary is over, delegate numbers-wise. But does Sanders know it? Do his supporters? New Republic senior editor Jeet Heer shares his thoughts.

Howard Dean—former Vermont governor, 2004 Democratic presidential candidate, and DNC chairman— offers his insights into what life looks like after a populist insurgency. Then, New Republic senior editor Elspeth Reeve discusses Paul Ryan’s seemingly aborted bid for the GOP nomination, Hillary Clinton’s "CP time" blunder, and what could happen at the GOP convention. Warning: this episode also features the sweet tunes of the Baha Men, coming at you from the year 2000.

Nature abhors a vacuum, and so does the Trump campaign. The Huffington Post's Sam Stein joins to talk about the assault charges leveled at Trump's campaign manager, and the allegations that Ted Cruz cheated on his wife. Then, UC Davis historian Eric Rauchway explains the storied origins of the term "ratfucking" and whether or not Trump operatives are doing just that.

What will the Trump candidacy mean for the Black Lives Matter movement? The New Yorker’s Jelani Cobb examines the “reptilian reflex level of contempt" that we’re seeing from Trump supporters. Then, John Harwood of CNBC and The New York Times discusses his interview with House Speaker Paul Ryan, who’s trying to move his party away from its pattern of apocalyptic rhetoric.

A look at the aftermath of the week's primaries with Greg Sargent of the Washington Post's The Plum Line blog, and a special discussion of President Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, with Cardozo School of Law's Kate Shaw.

As Donald Trump’s winning streak continues, The Atlantic’s David Frum says the conservative movement is transforming before our eyes. The New Republic’s Jeet Heer also joins from Toronto to talk about what our fair neighbors to the north think of America's election saga.

New Republic editors Elspeth Reeve and Alex Shephard join Brian Beutler to talk through the Super Tuesday results, and whether or not Trump reminds them of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu (we blame the exhaustion for this one). Then, Josh Barro of The New York Times and Yair Rosenberg of Tablet Magazine discuss whether or not liberals have an obligation to help conservatives stop Trump.

Whether the GOP establishment likes it or not, Donald Trump keeps on winning. Conservative commentator and Trump supporter A.J. Delgado and The Week correspondent Michael Brendan Dougherty debate the merits and pitfalls for Republicans of supporting Trump in the general election.