MSNBC's Ali Velshi gives a special preview of the second season of the “Velshi Banned Book Club.” Book banning is happening more and more. Removing literature from library shelves, school syllabi, and summer reading lists isn’t just blatant censorship; it is the tip of the sword that threatens American democracy itself. In this preview, Ali reflects on why this issues is so personal for him and his family. Listen to the first two episodes now and follow the...

As a bonus for listeners, we’re sharing a special preview of the second season of the award-winning original series, “Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra.” In the chart-topping second season, Rachel Maddow returns to uncover the shocking history of the ultra-right’s reach into American politics. Listen to the entire first episode now, and follow the show to get the whole series: https://link.chtbl.com/rmpust_fdlw. You can also subscribe to MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts for early access to every...

In a new Black History Month series, MSNBC’s Trymaine Lee discovers a surprising story on reparations that could shift the way this key debate is understood across the country.

Ali Velshi gives a special preview of his new podcast, “Velshi Banned Book Club,” an act of resistance against the epidemic of book banning. In each episode, a different author of a banned book joins Ali—including Margaret Atwood, Nikole Hannah-Jones, Laurie Halse Anderson and more—to talk about why their work is being targeted and about the literature itself. “Velshi Banned Book Club” is a series rooted in literary and cultural analysis and in the notion of reading as resistance. Listen to...

As a bonus for listeners, we’re sharing a preview from Prosecuting Donald Trump, a new original podcast series from MSNBC.       Donald Trump became the first ex-president to be arraigned on criminal charges Tuesday. MSNBC legal analysts Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord tell us what happened inside that Manhattan courtroom, what stood out to them in the pages of the indictment and what it all tells us about how District Attorney Alvin Bragg plans to build his case.    Listen to the first...

This Black History Month, MSNBC’s “Into America” podcast celebrates the 50th anniversary of hip-hop with a special mini-series, “Street Disciples: Politics, Power and the Rise of Hip-Hop.” Hosted by Trymaine Lee, the series explores how our country’s political and economic forces shaped half a century of hip-hop, and how over time, hip-hop shaped America. Listen to a preview of the second episode featuring hip-hop legend Melle Mel, the man behind “The Message,” and follow the...

Steve Kornacki interviews former Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich on the Republican Party and American politics today.

The lessons of the 1994 Republican victory are not what they seemed in the moment. Steve Kornacki wraps up the series with a panel of experts.

After 15 years in the House, Newt Gingrich’s grand plan succeeds. The GOP sweeps the midterm elections, Democrats are in shock, and Newt becomes Speaker.

Bill Clinton becomes president in 1992 and scandal follows. The Republicans now stand unified against tax hikes, and Gingrich emerges as the heir apparent.

Newt Gingrich expands his power. He takes down a Democratic Speaker of the House and refuses to stand with the Republican president, George H.W. Bush.

Newt Gingrich recruits allies and challenges the House’s staid conventions. With a confrontational style and an assist from C-Span, Republicans begin to rally.

It takes Newt Gingrich three tries to win a seat in Congress. When he arrives in 1979, he declares war. His aim: to end the Permanent Democratic Majority.

To understand the partisanship and bitterness of American politics today, you have to consider what happened in 1994. Steve Kornacki, National Political Correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC, steps back from the Big Board to tell the origin story of the 1994 Republican “revolution,” the midterm election when the GOP took the House majority for the first time in four decades. It was set in motion by Georgia Congressman Newt Gingrich, who — over the course of 15 years — pushed Republicans in a...