Journalist Carlos Berríos Polanco talks with James about how the United States acquired its inhabited overseas colonies, why the constitution doesn't fully apply there, and what it means as Trump says he wants to add new territories or states. 


How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States by Daniel Immerwahr


Colonial Crucible: Empire in the Making of the Modern American State edited by Alfred W. McCoy and Francisco A. Scarano


The Anarchy of Empire in the Making of U.S. Culture by Amy Kaplan


https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/182/244/ 


https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/182/1/ 


https://theconversation.com/why-russia-gave-up-alaska-americas-gateway-to-the-arctic-74675?xid=PS_smithsonian 


https://www.reuters.com/graphics/USA-CARIBBEAN/MILITARY-BUILDUP/egpbbnzyrpq/ 


https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/17/magazine/venezuela-empires-colony.html 


https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-us-state-trump-rodriguez-chavismo-silence-634203c885803b018ecd8ac012bb249d 


https://time.com/article/2026/06/02/trump-annex-canada-51st-state-rhetoric-carney-us-partnership-message/ 


https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/28/nyregion/new-light-on-old-fbi-fight-decades-of-surveillance-of-puerto-rican-groups.html 


https://www.marxists.org/history/etol/newspape/atc/1685.html


https://theconversation.com/us-territories-have-a-voice-in-congress-but-no-vote-heres-why-283547 


https://www.nminewsservice.com/cnmi-covenant-united-states-50th-anniversary-explainer-timeline/ 


https://apnews.com/article/american-samoa-voting-citizenship-alaska-trump-eda6c32ce0fcdca6edb22efac26e403d 


https://elecciones2024.ceepur.org/Escrutinio_General_123/index.html#es/default/PLEBISCITO_Resumen.xml 


https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/099257005212415735 


https://www.doi.gov/oia/compacts-of-free-association 


https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/30/puerto-rico-independence-movement 


https://time.com/7024574/puerto-rico-status-vote/ 


https://www.uog.edu/_resources/files/schools-and-colleges/college-of-liberal-arts-and-social-sciences/droessler_whose-pacific.pdf 
https://juntasupervision.pr.gov/abril-y-mayo-2025/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/21/trump-strait-of-hormuz-american-territory
 https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/20/politics/trump-iran-war-strait-of-hormuz
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:School_Begins_(Puck_Magazine_1-25-1899).jpg

 


Las carpetas: persecución política y derechos civiles en Puerto Rico by Ramón Bosque Pérez y Javier Colón Morera


Soldiers of the Nation: Military Service and Modern Puerto Rico, 1868-1952 by Harry Franqui-Rivera

Journalist Carlos Berr&iacute;os Polanco talks with James about how the United States acquired its inhabited overseas colonies, why the constitution doesn't fully apply there, and what it means as Trump says he wants to add new territories or states.&nbsp;
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">
How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States by Daniel Immerwahr
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
Colonial Crucible: Empire in the Making of the Modern American State edited by Alfred W. McCoy and Francisco A. Scarano
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
The Anarchy of Empire in the Making of U.S. Culture by Amy Kaplan
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/182/244/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/182/244/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787533363207000&amp;usg=AOvVaw002JYBUi6Agd-cHzrde9OQ">https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/182/244/</a>&nbsp;
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/182/1/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/182/1/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787533363207000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0dBeoQRtUVdCh_EGQolKt8">https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/182/1/</a>&nbsp;
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-russia-gave-up-alaska-americas-gateway-to-the-arctic-74675?xid=PS_smithsonian" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://theconversation.com/why-russia-gave-up-alaska-americas-gateway-to-the-arctic-74675?xid%3DPS_smithsonian&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787533363207000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3GtCAs19zWh3KpldYOnctG">https://theconversation.com/why-russia-gave-up-alaska-americas-gateway-to-the-arctic-74675?xid=PS_smithsonian</a>&nbsp;
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<a href="https://www.reuters.com/graphics/USA-CARIBBEAN/MILITARY-BUILDUP/egpbbnzyrpq/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.reuters.com/graphics/USA-CARIBBEAN/MILITARY-BUILDUP/egpbbnzyrpq/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787533363207000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1ZWJBzp8y0hPu_hmLe539c">https://www.reuters.com/graphics/USA-CARIBBEAN/MILITARY-BUILDUP/egpbbnzyrpq/</a>&nbsp;
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/17/magazine/venezuela-empires-colony.html" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/17/magazine/venezuela-empires-colony.html&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787533363207000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2wUTUUBSVJ2BjY4HRZJbPa">https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/17/magazine/venezuela-empires-colony.html</a>&nbsp;
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-us-state-trump-rodriguez-chavismo-silence-634203c885803b018ecd8ac012bb249d" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-us-state-trump-rodriguez-chavismo-silence-634203c885803b018ecd8ac012bb249d&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787533363207000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1GKr-Q7G0xppeehvIPlGAj">https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-us-state-trump-rodriguez-chavismo-silence-634203c885803b018ecd8ac012bb249d</a>&nbsp;
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<a href="https://time.com/article/2026/06/02/trump-annex-canada-51st-state-rhetoric-carney-us-partnership-message/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://time.com/article/2026/06/02/trump-annex-canada-51st-state-rhetoric-carney-us-partnership-message/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787533363207000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0alE_PiHV_JpmJ5th3ha1_">https://time.com/article/2026/06/02/trump-annex-canada-51st-state-rhetoric-carney-us-partnership-message/</a>&nbsp;
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/28/nyregion/new-light-on-old-fbi-fight-decades-of-surveillance-of-puerto-rican-groups.html" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/28/nyregion/new-light-on-old-fbi-fight-decades-of-surveillance-of-puerto-rican-groups.html&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787533363207000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0q2UXMbFQ620-Uvz6J521Y">https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/28/nyregion/new-light-on-old-fbi-fight-decades-of-surveillance-of-puerto-rican-groups.html</a>&nbsp;
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<a href="https://www.marxists.org/history/etol/newspape/atc/1685.html" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.marxists.org/history/etol/newspape/atc/1685.html&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787533363207000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2oUJj-NUVk-Yjb0w3YaAgN">https://www.marxists.org/history/etol/newspape/atc/1685.htm</a>l
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<a href="https://theconversation.com/us-territories-have-a-voice-in-congress-but-no-vote-heres-why-283547" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://theconversation.com/us-territories-have-a-voice-in-congress-but-no-vote-heres-why-283547&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787533363207000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2RHFjUDEkdfs_sqpOv-S8m">https://theconversation.com/us-territories-have-a-voice-in-congress-but-no-vote-heres-why-283547</a>&nbsp;
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<a href="https://www.nminewsservice.com/cnmi-covenant-united-states-50th-anniversary-explainer-timeline/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nminewsservice.com/cnmi-covenant-united-states-50th-anniversary-explainer-timeline/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787533363207000&amp;usg=AOvVaw09lahcejHyzQL7wq9WdsA7">https://www.nminewsservice.com/cnmi-covenant-united-states-50th-anniversary-explainer-timeline/</a>&nbsp;
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/american-samoa-voting-citizenship-alaska-trump-eda6c32ce0fcdca6edb22efac26e403d" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://apnews.com/article/american-samoa-voting-citizenship-alaska-trump-eda6c32ce0fcdca6edb22efac26e403d&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787533363207000&amp;usg=AOvVaw12YTiCN8shX_gSArvFVKs1">https://apnews.com/article/american-samoa-voting-citizenship-alaska-trump-eda6c32ce0fcdca6edb22efac26e403d</a>&nbsp;
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<a href="https://elecciones2024.ceepur.org/Escrutinio_General_123/index.html#es/default/PLEBISCITO_Resumen.xml" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://elecciones2024.ceepur.org/Escrutinio_General_123/index.html%23es/default/PLEBISCITO_Resumen.xml&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787533363207000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1vzy8Rb8aPjVdiu1FlIGi9">https://elecciones2024.ceepur.org/Escrutinio_General_123/index.html#es/default/PLEBISCITO_Resumen.xml</a>&nbsp;
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<a href="https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/099257005212415735" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/099257005212415735&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787533363207000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3CwEBGTV5Rv2tshcEEBqyI">https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/099257005212415735</a>&nbsp;
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<a href="https://www.doi.gov/oia/compacts-of-free-association" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.doi.gov/oia/compacts-of-free-association&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787533363207000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3fmFZrLBCJVmiT3VHmTLtE">https://www.doi.gov/oia/compacts-of-free-association</a>&nbsp;
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/30/puerto-rico-independence-movement" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/30/puerto-rico-independence-movement&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787533363207000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1SO6DM_hZBHaQmkyMeOBwl">https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/30/puerto-rico-independence-movement</a>&nbsp;
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<a href="https://time.com/7024574/puerto-rico-status-vote/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://time.com/7024574/puerto-rico-status-vote/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787533363207000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3CsOJvXtZt5mTGgUGEmWF-">https://time.com/7024574/puerto-rico-status-vote/</a>&nbsp;
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<a href="https://www.uog.edu/_resources/files/schools-and-colleges/college-of-liberal-arts-and-social-sciences/droessler_whose-pacific.pdf">https://www.uog.edu/_resources/files/schools-and-colleges/college-of-liberal-arts-and-social-sciences/droessler_whose-pacific.pdf</a>&nbsp;
</li>
<li><a href="https://juntasupervision.pr.gov/abril-y-mayo-2025/">https://juntasupervision.pr.gov/abril-y-mayo-2025/</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/21/trump-strait-of-hormuz-american-territory">https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/21/trump-strait-of-hormuz-american-territory</a></li>
<li>&nbsp;<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/20/politics/trump-iran-war-strait-of-hormuz">https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/20/politics/trump-iran-war-strait-of-hormuz</a></li>
<li><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:School_Begins_(Puck_Magazine_1-25-1899).jpg">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:School_Begins_(Puck_Magazine_1-25-1899).jpg</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">
Las carpetas: persecuci&oacute;n pol&iacute;tica y derechos civiles en Puerto Rico by Ram&oacute;n Bosque P&eacute;rez y Javier Col&oacute;n Morera
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
Soldiers of the Nation: Military Service and Modern Puerto Rico, 1868-1952 by Harry Franqui-Rivera
</li>
</ul>

It Could Happen Here started as an exploration of the possibility of a new civil war. Now a daily show, it's evolved into a chronicle of collapse as it happens, and an exploration of how we might build a better future. Every day Robert Evans, Garrison Davis, Mia Wong, and James Stout take you on a jaunty walk through the burning ruins of the old world and towards a better one that lays just on the horizon.

It Could Happen Here started as an exploration of the possibility of a new civil war. Now a daily show, it's evolved into a chronicle of collapse as it happens, and an exploration of how we might build a better future. Every day Robert Evans, Garrison Davis, Mia Wong, and James Stout take you on a jaunty walk through the burning ruins of the old world and towards a better one that lays just on the horizon.

It Could Happen Here

How the United States Built its Colonial Empire, Pt. 2

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/5408525f-c3d0-4423-b88b-b4b1000760c0/transcript