Jenna Spinelle

In our last episode before summer break, Michael, Chris, Candis and Jenna reflect on what we've learned this year on the show and look ahead to what the summer will hold for American democracy.

This week, we explore the question of whether requiring every American to vote would change our fractured political landscape and strengthen our sense of civic duty.

Legislators and parent groups are asking school districts across the country are removing books from school library shelves — often before they've even read them. This week, we explore what's happening and what it means for free speech and public education in our democracy.

The Republican National Committee's decision to withdraw from the Commission on Presidential Debates prompted us to take a step back and consider the role of debates in a democracy.

Americans owe more than $1 trillion in student debt and some members of the Millennial and Gen Z wonder whether they'll ever pay off their loans. This week, we take a step back to see how we got here and how student debt relates to trust in democratic institutions.

Jon Meacham talks about the intersections of politics and democracy with historical touchstones.

Peter Pomerantsev returns to the show to discuss how misinformation and polarization are impacting Ukraine and the United States in similar ways.

Pulitzer prize-winning writer Jon Meacham joins us this week to discuss what unity looks like in polarizing times, who in history inspires him most, his role in the changing media landscape and more.

Lilliana Mason of the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University joins us this week to discuss her work on the radicalization of American politics and why political scientists have been slow to catch onto it.

Rep. Ro Khanna draws from Frederick Douglass and John Rawls to create a vision for democratic patriotism, and has ideas for how technology can help make that vision a reality.