Velshi

President Tump's goals for the Fed are 'very dangerous,' warns Fmr. Fed Chair & Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen. The financial system is “like the plumbing in your house,” says Yellen. “You don’t think about it most of the time. It’s important that it works,” but you're very “aware of it when it’s broken.”

We look at the small and big and crucial ways Americans are fighting for democracy. Plus, there is a strategy behind Donald Trump's attacks on science, research, and institutions of higher learning. We talk about the consequences of these attacks and what the President might have to gain from the anti-intellectual environment he's creating. And President Trump's failed attempts at securing a ceasefire in Ukraine will have major consequences for that country and beyond.

A number of Democrats are distinguishing themselves as they fight back against Donald Trump's power grab. From Govs. JB Pritzker and Gavin Newsom, to Sen. Chris Murphy and more - these Democrats’ roles in battling Trumpism may also double as auditions to lead their party out of the wilderness; Chinese President Xi Jinping is hosting this year’s Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. The focus of the talks will be President Trump's trade war, that now seems to be driving some American allies closer to our foes; and President Trump has threatened more federal deployments into America's cities under the guise of fighting crime, but governors and mayors have a message for him: "An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us."

The tightening of Donald Trump's authoritarian grip on power is in evidence this week in a series of legally dubious firings of top officials. We'll talk about the state of these standoffs and the one guardrail that will be hardest for Trump to break past; Dr Jennifer Layden, one of the top officials that resigned in protest from the CDC this week, speaks out about how the recent chaos at the agency will endanger public health; and this week’s Velshi Banned Book Club meeting features “Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier.

With the Republican Party simply being a vessel for Trump and his authoritarian inclinations, it’s more important now than ever that the Democratic Party rise up and defend our democracy. But whether its national leadership is unwilling, or simply unable, to do so, they are largely not meeting this moment; the chaos unfolding at the CDC is a flashing red warning about the politicization of public health in America. But there is a critical lesson we can learn from recent history; and as the war in Gaza reaches day 694, Israel has now begun the initial stages of its operation to take control of Gaza City and more than 500,000 Palestinians are experiencing famine.

The tightening of Donald Trump's authoritarian grip on power is in evidence this week in a series of legally dubious firings of top officials. We'll talk about the state of these standoffs and the one guardrail that will be hardest for Trump to break past; Dr Jennifer Layden, one of the top officials that resigned in protest from the CDC this week, speaks out about how the recent chaos at the agency will endanger public health; we’ll look at President Trump's record on violent crime as he threatens to deploy National Guard troops to the streets of an unwilling Chicago.

Tea Party Republican turned Never-Trumper turned Democrat Joe Walsh on his plan to shape his new party into an opposition party capable of stopping Donald Trump’s authoritarian rise; former British Foreign Secretary David Miliband on finding the political will in the Western world to fight unfolding famines in Gaza and Sudan, and Jared Bernstein on what could happen if the Trump administration brings "alternative facts” to economic data collection.

What it’ll take for the Democratic Party to effectively challenge Donald Trump’s authoritarian rise, Lydia Polgreen on why Gaza has become the deadliest war for journalists in modern history, and the story of the ready-made indoctrination program the Trump administration is eyeing after defunding PBS.

A crucial survey of how far down the authoritarian slide Trump has already taken the country, the real takeaway from the Ghislaine Maxwell interview tapes, and lessons in standing up for your neighbors against ICE.

How the FBI’s search of John Bolton’s home fits into the context of a President who promised retribution; Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California discusses Democrats’ redistricting strategy in California; the myth of trickle down economics and how the American economy is working against working people

Democratic Representatives Pete Aguilar of California and Lloyd Doggett of Texas discuss Democrats redistricting plans in the face of the GOP’s extreme partisan gerrymandering efforts; how President Trump is not a peacemaker, despite his insistence he has ended at least 7 wars; Aiden Thomas’ “Cemetery Boys” is the subject of this week’s Velshi Banned Book Club

How the FBI’s search of John Bolton’s home fits into the context of a President who promised retribution; member of the House Oversight Committee Rep. Summer Lee discusses what we have learned, and what we didn’t, from the government’s release of the transcripts from Ghislane Maxwell’s interview with the DOJ; how Trump’s new review of the Smithsonian and comments about slavery are more than a whitewash of America’s original sin…it’s a hallmark of an authoritarian regime

Former President of Estonia weighs in on how Monday’s meeting between President Trump and President Zelenskyy has grown in size and stakes; Bishop William Barber describes exactly why Trump’s criminalization of the homeless is so heartless, and so dangerous; Michael M. Grynbaum dishes on the changing landscape of modern media in America.

Bill Browder and Vladimir Kara-Murza weigh in on the risks of negotiating with Russian president Vladimir Putin; a deep dive into how Donald Trump and his family are personally profiting from the presidency; RFK Jr. has canceled $500M in grants that go toward mRNA vaccines research, despite its importance in developing a vaccine for COVID-19.

Multiple European leaders now say they will take part in the important White House meeting between President Trump and President Zelenskyy; former Metro D.C. police officer Michael Fanone, who was attacked at the Capitol on January 6th, reacts to Trump’s attempt to take over local law enforcement in DC; Bishop William Barber describes exactly why Trump’s criminalization of the homeless is so heartless, and dangerous.

Just hours after the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirms he’s heading to White House for a meeting with Trump; how President Trump’s DC takeover has reignited the debate over DC statehood; and Velshi Banned Book club veteran, author Angie Thomas, discusses the importance of a rare legal win against the book banning epidemic in America.

President Trump’s take over of DC’s law enforcement is an experiment to see how far he can push American cities with federal intimidation; amid Trump’s trade war, newly released data shows wholesale inflation is on the rise, which means consumers could soon see higher prices in stores; some Democrats are resorting to fighting “fire with fire” as Republicans move ahead with their extreme gerrymandering plot ahead of next year’s midterm elections

Russian pro-democracy leader Garry Kasparov reacts to Trump and Putin’s summit in Alaska and news that Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy is now set to visit the White House on Monday; President Trump’s DC takeover has reignited the debate over Washington, DC statehood. Ali digs into the history of that debate and what it would mean if it came true; and renowned presidential historian Jon Meacham weighs in on the Trump Administration’s new war on the Smithsonian and its threat to remove any content that doesn’t align with the president’s vision of America.

Former Executive VP of the Trump Organization explains why it’s so dangerous to shrug off Trump’s recent peculiar behavior; State Rep. Rafael Anchia (D-TX) discusses the high stakes of the redistricting fight in Texas; and longtime activist and Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream co-founder, Ben Cohen, digs into why the U.S. government should invest more in its citizens and less in weapons and war.

The erosion of the Justice Department’s independence from the White House is on full display, after VP Vance met with DOJ brass to strategize about the Epstein files. Not only is this not normal, it’s dangerous for America; Trump’s latest round of Tariffs took effect on August 1, but how exactly will they affect everyday consumers? Defense Attorney Abbe Lowell weighs in on the DOJ’s probe of his newest client, New York Attorney General Letitia James.