Autocracy

Ruth Ben Ghiat explains how Pinochet's Chile is a warning for us today.

The GOP's autocrats are normalizing fear, silence, and violence in American politics, eroding democracy and threatening the political class.

When the world needs American leadership the most, the GOP House is in shambles (serious, Gym Jordan for Speaker?), our military undermined by Republicans, and our foreign service is threadbare, and ego-driven conspiracy theorists like RFK, Jr. are mounting 3rd party bids. Fortunately, President Biden is the most experienced president in foreign policy in decades. Is it enough to fight the damage Trump and his autocratic movement are trying to inflict on global stability? Reed, Rick, Stuart, and Joe

It's another major test of a functioning democracy: A hugely consequential change to Ohio's Constitution will succeed or fail next week. David Pepper joins Joe and Alex to run down what's happening in the special election.

Host Sarah Ashton-Cirillo is joined by foreign policy expert Jessica Berlin. Berlin provides fascinating perspective on the various calculations and miscalculations by not only Russia, but the US and its NATO partners. She explains that our 30 years of “perceived stability” allowed us to forget the language of violence used by dictators use to gain and hold power.

The Right keeps moving the bar (or the Overton Window) on what defines going too far - a classic fascist tactic. Can any challenger take Trump out and does it even matter? Rick, Reed, Stuart, and Joe on this and more on the latest Strategy Session.

What happens on campus reflects and often anticipates democratic decline.

Biden's visit to Kyiv and his bold rallying of NATO and European allies this week was a high point in post-Cold War American foreign policy. He understood the stakes, the risks, the rhetoric, and the optics of the moment.

From an abandoned building near the front line, journalist-turned-war-medic Sarah Ashton Cirillo writes of another group of heroes in Ukraine's fight for freedom: Members of the free press.

Time and again, we’ve witnessed McCarthy enable and appease Trump. McCarthy understands, even if Republicans want to pretend otherwise, that Trump remains the ultimate powerbroker in the GOP.

Warning from Trygve Olson: Trump thinks and acts like an autocrat and still has the power structure to become one.

Candidates accepting election losses – and the willingness of their supporters to consent to be governed - determines the fate of the Great American Experiment of Democracy.

Democracy had a good day on November 8. It will need many more to beat back the authoritarian-loving GOP.

Russia attacked America's democratic process in 2016. In 2022, they invaded Ukraine. Ukraine is winning. Is America?

Your great questions helped our strategists cover a lot of ground on the issues important to us all, and to democracy: Trump v DeSantis, DeSantis' hate campaign against LGBTQ community, roll back of our rights, SCOTUS, No Labels, Bidenomics, and much more!