Happy Monday! Sam and Emma host Alissa Quart, executive director of the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, to discuss her recent book Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream. Then, they’re joined by Aaron Kleinman, director of research for the States Project at Future Now, to...

Sam and Emma host Lily Geismer, professor of history at Claremont McKenna College, to discuss her recent book Left Behind: The Democrats’ Failed Attempt to Solve Inequality. on the shift from New Deal democratic ideology, to the neoliberal tactic of entrusting social development in private enterp...

Emma hosts Dr. Nikki Usher, professor of journalism in the College of Media at the University of Illinois, to discuss her recent book, News for the Rich, White, and Blue: How Place and Power Distort American Journalism, on the troubles of both the supply and demand sides of mainstream US media. D...

On today’s show: Sam hosts Michael Sandel (@JusticeHarvard), Professor of Political Philosophy at Harvard University, to discuss his new book The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good?, on the shortcomings of the “meritocratic” system and what we can do to fix it. The myth of the Ame...

John Patrick Leary (@JohnPatLeary), Associate Professor of English at Wayne State University, joins us to discuss his book, Keywords: The New Language of Capitalism.

Chris Hayes of UP with Chris Hayes on iron law of meritocracy, cult of smart, the race for the inner ring and more.  In the better half, pretzel moves by DOJ,Romney’s plea to Scott, Bob Turner’s misfire and NSA doc dump not good for Bush.  Your calls and IMs.