Jeffrey A. Friedman, associate professor of government at Dartmouth College, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the rhetoric of presidential candidates and how voters are swayed by powerful stances.
Read moreCan a democracy survive minority rule?
Harvard government professor Steven Levitsky joins guest host John McCaa to discuss how minority rule undermines democracy and why the U.S. is vulnerable to partisan takeovers from both the left and the right.
Read moreHow the Supreme Court grabbed power from the president
Vox reporter Ian Millhiser discusses the “major questions doctrine,” which allows the court to veto actions by a federal agency for economic or political reasons, and how its use picked up when President Biden took office.
Read moreYou know your rights, what about your obligations?
Richard Haas, president of the nonpartisan Council on Foreign Relations, joins us to discuss why rights alone will not guide the country into a unified future, and why we must ask what democracy requires of us to make it work.
Read moreFixing what the Fair Housing Act didn’t
Affordable housing consultant Leah Rothstein discusses solutions to alleviate inequalities that remain in communities to this day.
Read moreOther countries are begging for immigrants. Why aren’t we?
Wall Street Journal reporter Tom Fairless discusses the ways South Korea, Australia, Japan and other countries are embracing immigration as a boon to their populations and work forces, and why the U.S. hasn’t followed suit.
Read moreWhat happens if we don’t raise the debt ceiling
Cornell law professor Robert Hockett joins us to discuss the repercussions of a debt default and the political and legal maneuvers available to avoid it.
Read moreThe backstory of Clarence and Ginni Thomas
Filmmaker Michael Kirk discusses the backstory of the justice and his wife, how they are reshaping U.S. politics and law, and his connection to billionaire Harlan Crow.
Read moreHow Ukrainians are holding up under Russian assault
Anne Applebaum, a staff writer at The Atlantic, talks with Krys Boyd about the many threats to democracy and what can be done about it.
Read moreLiberal democracy in Mexico is in danger. What does that mean for us?
David Frum, a staff writer at The Atlantic, joins us to discuss Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, his moves toward consolidating power, and the impacts his policies have on the United States.
Read moreWhat to say to your QAnon-believing relatives
Michael Shermer of Skeptic Magazine discusses why someone might be drawn into a conspiracy. Plus, a blog post from this episode about the dos and don’ts of talking to people who believe conspiracy theories.
Read moreThe connection between power and corruption
Brian Klaas is professor of global politics at University College London, and joins us to discuss the temptations and trappings of power, why we pick the leaders we do, and lessons we can learn from bad actors.
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