In the first week of 2026, Terry Moran sits down with his wife Johanna for a candid, wide-ranging conversation about what the year ahead may bring.

They talk through the shock of Venezuela, the erosion of congressional power, the rise of strongman politics, and the quiet resilience of everyday American life. From midterm elections and executive overreach to parenting, community, and why politics hasn’t completely poisoned neighborly relationships, this episode blends hard analysis with lived experience.

A thoughtful, personal way to start a turbulent year — and a reminder that most Americans are still normal.

⏱ CHAPTERS

00:00 – Starting 2026 and why it already feels overwhelming

01:00 – Venezuela and executive power without Congress

04:18 – Elections, intimidation, and what to watch this year

07:16 – Strongman government and the collapse of institutions

10:30 – What Trump’s unpredictability means globally

14:52 – No plan for Venezuela and why that matters

19:44 – Greenland, NATO, and trust with allies

23:08 – Power, humiliation, and Trump’s worldview

25:22 – Politics vs real life in American neighborhoods

28:24 – Community support after Terry’s firing

31:18 – Why most Americans are still normal

33:00 – Hopes, predictions, and what to root for in 2026

#2026 #USPolitics #Venezuela #Democracy #WorldAffairs

Historian Douglas Brinkley joins Terry Moran to make sense of one of the most chaotic years in modern American history.

In this wide-ranging year-in-review conversation, Brinkley places Trump’s second term in historical context — from the collapse of the Cold War consensus and NATO anxiety to the return of economic nationalism, political violence, and a reshaping of global power. They explore why Trump resonates with disaffected voters, how billionaire populism works, the legacy of the long 1960s, and why this moment echoes earlier eras of upheaval.

The discussion also covers assassinations, immigration, climate, executive power, the Supreme Court, and why historians are already calling Trump a world-historical figure.

⏱ CHAPTERS

00:00 – Making sense of a chaotic year

01:25 – Trump as an end-of-era figure

03:15 – The dismantling of the Cold War order

05:05 – NATO, Europe, and American abdication

07:45 – Economic nationalism and the Ross Perot legacy

09:25 – Why Trump connected with left-behind voters

11:40 – Trump’s desire for historical immortality

13:35 – Parallels to Nixon, Jackson, and earlier presidents

17:30 – Political violence and assassinations in 2025

21:00 – The Pope vs. Trump: competing moral visions

24:20 – Immigration and the erosion of rights

26:55 – The long shadow of the 1960s

29:25 – Executive orders and authoritarian drift

33:00 – Is Trump slipping or doubling down?

38:15 – What historians are watching in 2026

#DouglasBrinkley #DonaldTrump #USHistory #WorldPolitics #Democracy

Former Chicago mayor and White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel joins Terry Moran for a sweeping, provocative conversation about banning social media for kids under 16, the psychological damage algorithms are inflicting on adolescents, and the deeper threats social platforms pose to American democracy.

Emanuel outlines why he believes parents are losing a generational battle against addictive systems designed to overwhelm judgment — and why government must step in. He and Moran explore bipartisan support for restrictions, the First Amendment challenges, how algorithms undermine solidarity, and why tech companies profit from division.

The conversation expands to national service, political courage, the collapse of institutional leadership, and the forces pulling the country apart.

One of the most urgent and wide-ranging interviews in the series.

⏱ CHAPTERS

00:00 – Rahm Emanuel joins Terry Moran

terry-rahm

01:01 – Why Rahm wants to ban social media for kids under 16

01:15 – Evidence of harm: depression, anxiety, isolation

02:35 – Parents vs. algorithms

03:49 – Can government force platforms to cooperate?

04:38 – What enforcement could look like

05:54 – Bipartisan appetite for regulation

07:24 – Will kids just get around the rules?

07:59 – Adults or algorithms — the binary choice

08:37 – Why algorithms and democracy are incompatible

09:47 – Free speech and the First Amendment question

11:19 – Are we losing a generation?

12:53 – The one issue that could unite Democrats and Republicans

14:02 – Social media’s “solidarity” argument for marginalized kids

16:13 – Why Rahm believes parental power must be restored

18:46 – Why not regulate the algorithm instead of banning the apps?

19:40 – Are we hurting kids’ tech literacy?

20:08 – Tech fluency vs. algorithmic addiction

21:57 – Corporate America’s silence and complicity

24:51 – Why elites have failed

26:46 – Trump’s intimidation strategy and institutional collapse

28:29 – Why politicians abandon their independence

30:22 – The media’s failure to stand up

31:41 – Section 230, the Fairness Doctrine, and a bigger reform package

33:53 – Democracy vs. the platforms

36:51 – Universal national service and rebuilding common experience

41:13 – Diversity as strength vs. vulnerability

43:12 – The next political language: community and renewal

47:16 – Loss of control and the economics of resentment

48:17 – 2026 midterms and Democratic momentum

51:46 – Why MAGA voters feel betrayed

52:46 – Trump as a transformational president

53:37 – Final reflections and stories from parenthood

#RahmEmanuel #SocialMedia #MentalHealth #Algorithms #USPolitics