Podcast
Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order
Hosted by Rachel Maddow, MS NOW · EN
"Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order" is the story of one of the most shocking decisions in American history: the executive order to target and round up innocent citizens, Japanese Americans, at the outbreak of World War II. This six-episode narrative podcast will examine and shed new light on how that policy came to be, who was behind it, who attempted to stop it, and the heroism needed to end the policy for good. Brazen lies and stereotypes about a minority group being pushed by senior government officials. Desperate efforts to prevent the policy from going into place. A community terrorized on the streets by the U.S. military, grabbed from their homes and sent to faraway, hastily built detention camps. Government reports gathered up and set on fire to suppress the truth behind the policy. And a bombshell discovery in the unlikeliest of places that would ultimately expose it all. This is the story of the American government's decision to pursue and carry out an extreme and unconstitutional policy against its own citizens, and it's the story of what it finally took to stop it. Rachel Maddow's previous narrative podcasts -- "Bag Man," "Ultra," and "Ultra: Season 2" -- all reached #1 on the Apple podcast charts and have received an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Journalism Award, a Hillman Prize for Broadcast Journalism, and most recently, a 2025 national Edward R. Murrow Award. Her new series, "Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order," premieres December 1, 2025.
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
MS NOW Presents: Clock It with Symone and Eugene
Feb 500:02:27Tap to summarizeSymone Sanders Townsend and Eugene Daniels were once at odds as White House staffer and White House reporter. Now they’re friends and colleagues—each co-hosting their own shows at MS NOW. But their off-air conversations are where the real action is. Their new show, “MS NOW Presents: Clock It” is an invitation to their groupchat, the liveliest—and most informative—in news. Whether it’s ICE getting dispatched to the Super Bowl because Bad Bunny’s doing the halftime show, or Nicolás Maduro’s Nike Tech fit, or Michael B. Jordan’s sole Oscar nomination despite playing three roles in Sinners, there is no collision between culture and politics that this show won’t document and decipher. Symone and Eugene see exactly what’s going on—and they want you to clock it, too. New episodes drop every Thursday, starting February 12th. Search for “MS NOW Presents: Clock It” and hit “follow” so you don’t miss an episode. Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to get early-access to this show. Plus, receive bonus and ad-free content from this and other podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Transcribe →
Get Insider Access to MS NOW Podcasts
Jan 900:01:42Tap to summarizeListen to this special invitation from Rachel Maddow and sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to take advantage of a 3-month free trial!With MS NOW Premium, you can get our entire suite of podcasts – everything from “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” to “The Best People with Nicolle Wallace” – all ad-free. As a subscriber, you also get early access to select shows, plus exclusive bonus content – like a new episode of this show, “Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order,” out today. There’s a lot in store for 2026. So to celebrate the new year, we’re giving away 3 months free if you sign up by the end of January! It’s just $2.99/month or $29.99/year after that. Thanks for listening! Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to get early-access to this show. Plus, receive bonus and ad-free content from this and other podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Transcribe →Live community event: Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order
Dec 3001:27:29Summary readyRachel Maddow hosts a special conversation with guests from her "Burn Order" podcast, live from the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles to discuss the fight against the race-based incarceration of Japanese-Americans during World War II and how lessons from that episode in American history apply today. Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to get early-access to this show. Plus, receive bonus and ad-free content from this and other podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
SummaryEpisode 6: A Reckoning
Dec 1301:19:53Summary readyAn incarceree-turned researcher and a federal inmate-turned Harvard educated lawyer comb through the archives and begin to peel back all of the layers of the government's program to mass incarcerate Japanese Americans. With their startling findings in hand, they and the Japanese American community set out to force the U.S. government to directly confront its actions. Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to get early-access to this show. Plus, receive bonus and ad-free content from this and other podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
SummaryEpisode 5: Sheep and Goats
Dec 1300:48:39Summary readyAs the cases of the four Japanese Americans challenging the U.S. government's mass incarceration policy arrive at the Supreme Court, a crisis suddenly erupts inside the Justice Department and the War Department as the true motivations behind the policy are now at risk of being revealed. A fierce battle is waged inside the government over whether to disclose the information to the courts, or cover it up. Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to get early-access to this show. Plus, receive bonus and ad-free content from this and other podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
SummaryEpisode 4: "Like an Ordinary American"
Dec 800:48:04Summary readyA principled politician puts his career on the line to stand up against the authoritarian actions of an emboldened federal government. While Americans largely sit by and watch their fellow Americans rounded up and stripped of their rights, a small group of brave resisters sets out to challenge the aggressive actions of the U.S. government and bring an end to them for good. Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to get early-access to this show. Plus, receive bonus and ad-free content from this and other podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
SummaryEpisode 3: One Drop
Dec 800:53:51Summary readyThe U.S. military is deployed on the streets of America, tasked with carrying out the mass round-up of innocent immigrants and American citizens labeled by the government as the "enemy" within. Tens of thousands of American families are forced to live in hastily constructed prison camps — enduring inhumane conditions — while government officials scramble to figure out what to do with them all. Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to get early-access to this show. Plus, receive bonus and ad-free content from this and other podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
SummaryEpisode 2: The Jitters
Dec 100:48:46Summary readyIn the wake of the Pearl Harbor attack, the man in charge of defending the American west coast has a serious case of the jitters... and also a bright, young aide who is busy drawing up plans to target a racial group in America en masse. With the clock running out, lawyers inside the Justice Department mount a furious effort to stop the policy from going into effect. Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to get early-access to this show. Plus, receive bonus and ad-free content from this and other podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
SummaryEpisode 1: Safecracker
Dec 100:35:11Summary readyThe bombshell discovery of a report that U.S. government officials had ordered burned has the potential to expose the truth about one of the most radical policy decisions in all of American history. A policy that one young Naval intelligence officer desperately tried to warn his superiors was unwarranted and unnecessary. Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to get early-access to this show. Plus, receive bonus and ad-free content from this and other podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Summary
Introducing “Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order”
Nov 2000:02:05Tap to summarize"Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order" is the story of one of the most shocking decisions in American history: the executive order to target and round up innocent citizens, Japanese Americans, at the outbreak of World War II. This six-episode narrative podcast will examine and shed new light on how that policy came to be, who was behind it, who attempted to stop it, and the heroism needed to end the policy for good. Listen to the trailer here and follow the show. The first two episodes drop December 1st. Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to get early-access to this show. Plus, receive bonus and ad-free content from this and other podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Transcribe →