The Context

The Trump administration is trying to restrict who gets to be an American: who can be in the country, who has citizenship, who has the right to vote, and who can access government services. American identity has always been complicated and contested, but this administration is narrowing the scope in dangerous new ways. John C. Yang joins host Alex Lovit to describe how these policies harm all Americans, and especially the Asian American community, which has been uniquely targeted historically and today. And he outlines what his organization is doing to fight back against this administration’s exclusionary policies. John C. Yang is the president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, which advocates for the civil and human rights of Asian Americans and has filed a number of lawsuits against the Trump administration. https://www.advancingjustice-aajc.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Recent advances in artificial intelligence have drawn a lot of media attention. But little of this has focused on how this new technology may affect democracy. Spencer Overton joins host Alex Lovit to discuss how AI may push the United States away from becoming an inclusive, multiracial democracy—or toward it. Spencer Overton is the Patricia Roberts Harris Research Professor of Law and the director of the Multiracial Democracy Project at George Washington University Law School. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4754903 https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5196382 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How did right wing voices take over podcasting? Media analyst Angelo Carusone joins host Alex Lovit to discuss how the online media ecosystem came to be dominated by anti-inclusive and authoritarian narratives and what that means for democracy. Angelo Carusone is the president of Media Matters, a nonprofit media watchdog organization. https://www.mediamatters.org/ https://www.mediamatters.org/google/right-dominates-online-media-ecosystem-seeping-sports-comedy-and-other-supposedly https://www.mediamatters.org/tiktok/study-interacting-these-popular-right-leaning-comedy-podcasters-can-turn-your-tiktok-feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Nonviolent movements are more effective at combatting authoritarianism than violent resistance, according to research from today’s guest. Maria Stephan joins host Alex Lovit to discuss the implications of her research for the United States in this moment of political upheaval and growing authoritarianism. Maria Stephan is the co-lead and chief organizer of the Horizons Project. She’s written several books, including co-authoring the award-winning Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict. https://horizonsproject.us/ https://freedomtrainers.net/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week, we bring you an episode of the Disrupting Peace podcast, from the World Peace Foundation. In this episode, host Bridget Conley talks with two guests about how Gen Z Americans are—and aren’t—engaging in democracy and what people of all ages can do to encourage the next generation of peaceful leaders. Find more episodes and subscribe here: https://disrupting-peace.captivate.fm/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Deva Woodly joins host Alex Lovit to discuss the importance of social movements for American democracy and the role they can play at this precarious moment in American political history. We need these networks of trust and coordinated action to push the country away from authoritarianism and toward a democracy that works for everyone. Deva Woodly is a scholar of social movements. She is a professor of political science at Brown University and a research fellow at the Charles F. Kettering Foundation. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Want to know what you can do to fight authoritarianism? Organizer Daniel Hunter joins host Alex Lovit to give practical advice for people seeking to reclaim democracy in the United States. Daniel Hunter has studied authoritarianism and resistance around the world. He is an educator with Freedom Trainers and the director of Choose Democracy. https://choosedemocracy.us/what-can-i-do/ https://freedomtrainers.net/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the United States, today’s Republican Party is what political scientists call “personalist.” Power is concentrated with one individual, and other party elites don’t have much ability—or willingness—to oppose that leader. In other countries around the world, when personalist parties have won control of national government, the result has been democratic backsliding and growing authoritarianism. Understanding why this is a problem for the future of democracy can also help us understand what to do about it. Erica Frantz studies authoritarian politics, with a focus on democratization, democratic backsliding, conflict, and development. She is an associate professor of political science at Michigan State University and a research fellow at the Charles F. Kettering Foundation. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Steven Levitsky, a leading expert on authoritarian regimes, joins host Alex Lovit to talk about the US’s current slide into authoritarianism and what we can do about it. Democracies tolerate dissent. In a democracy, citizens and institutions can criticize, protest, or file legal claims against the government, without fear of reprisal. That is no longer true of the US today, which means that the US is no longer a full democracy. Steven Levitsky is the David Rockefeller Professor of Latin American Studies and professor of government and director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard University. Along with many acclaimed academic works, he is the coauthor (with Daniel Ziblatt) of two bestselling books about threats to democracy: 2018’s How Democracies Die and 2023’s Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point. He is also a senior fellow at the Charles F. Kettering Foundation. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We can’t have a full democracy without financial justice. Host Alex Lovit speaks with Arlo Washington, a banker creating access to loans, credit, and financial literacy training for his underbanked community in Little Rock, Arkansas. Arlo Washington is a barber, entrepreneur, and the founder and president of People Trust Community Federal Credit Union, a Community Development Financial Institution in Little Rock, Arkansas. People Trust is the first Black-owned financial institution established in Arkansas. Washington is also the subject of the 2024 Oscar-nominated short documentary, The Barber of Little Rock. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-documentary/barber-of-little-rock-arlo-washington-wealth-gap https://www.peopletrustloans.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.