Rachel Maddow looks at the stammering and squirming by Republican members of Congress who are on record opposing the pardoning of January 6th rioters who were convicted of acts of violence against police, and who are now struggling to answer for Donald Trump doing exactly that.

Rachel Maddow explains why Donald Trump's family favors, grift, conflicts of interest, and uninhibited mix of money and politics are more than just inappropriate or in violation of some esoteric ethics code, but actually have real-world consequences for how government functions (or doesn't). 

Rachel Maddow marvels at the fact that even with a second chance at it, Donald Trump cannot manage to oversee a presidential transition that isn't chaotic and in poor order, including failing to get the proper paperwork done on his own Cabinet nominees.

Rachel Maddow remarks on Donald Trump's embrace of the January 6 rioters and the insurrectionist militias that have declared themselves for him, pointing out on this peaceful January 6th the new implicit threat of violence if Donald Trump and Republicans in league with him are not assured electoral victories.

Donald Trump's transition ahead of his second term in office was already a series of humiliations and failures as his inability to pick qualified members of his administration was laid bare, but the spending bill debacle showed that in addition to that incompetence, Trump is vulnerable to being taken advantage of, as Elon Musk did with apparent ease.

What does the United States look like when the presidency is purchased by billionaires? How do they reap the benefits of their investment and how does it end up hurting everyone else? And perhaps more importantly, as we see the new Trump era oligarchy taking shape, what can Americans do to slow that slide? Rachel Maddow talks with Timothy Snyder and the ACLU's Anthony Romero.

How much will Americans get to know about the people Donald Trump is choosing to run the U.S. government? In the absence of any real vetting the way it's supposed to go, Rachel Maddow presents a Rachel Maddow Show Public Servant Announcement to hopefully help fill that gap with a closer look at Trump's choice for homeland security secretary, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, whose state’s Covid record might seem disqualifying and whose personal stories have caused her political damage.

How much will the American people get to know about the people Donald Trump is choosing to run the U.S. government? In the absence of any real vetting the way it's supposed to go, Rachel Maddow presents a Rachel Maddow Show Public Servant Announcement to hopefully help fill that gap with a closer look at Trump's choice for U.S. ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, from his dubious business dealings to his dearth of relevant experience.

While Donald Trump fills his administration with relatives and people he has seen on TV, reality stubbornly refuses to conform to the narratives Trump spun on the campaign trail.

Rachel Maddow looks at the shocking level of nepotism in the early staffing of Donald Trump's second administration, leaving him without grounds to criticize President Biden's pardon of his son, Hunter, to spare him further political prosecution by Trump's supporters.