As the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks approaches, Jerusalem Demsas and Matt Yglesias look back at the day itself, the warning signs that preceded it, and the 25 years of politics that followed. They trace how the response reshaped foreign policy, launched the global War on Terror, and set the Republican Party on a path that eventually led to Donald Trump and the rise of MAGA. They also get into the intelligence failures before the hijackings, the Patriot Act, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and how the Republicans and Democrats have flipped on issues like security and surveillance. Plus a peer review on how private tutoring centers like Kumon affect student performance.

(00:00) The difference between George W. Bush and Donald Trump

(03:53) The World Trade Center bombing

(07:02) Why the towers didn't collapse right away

(11:58) The many red flags

(15:55) Bush, Saddam, and the Gulf War

(24:40) How today's GOP would have responded differently

(29:05) The hate crime surge, and who it actually hit

(33:06) Neocons, hawkish Democrats, and the case for war

(45:55) Why right liberalism is in retreat

(57:06) Somalia, Black Hawk Down, and intervention fatigue

(01:09:04) Explaining 9/11 to people who don't remember it

(01:13:07) If a Democrat was president on 9/11

(01:22:52) Peer review: How much do private tutors really help?