August 21, 2025. 12 PM EST
How Can We Improve Representation? Lessons from Run For Something with Amanda Litman
This week Rory will speak with Amanda Litman, the co-founder and president of Run for Something, which recruits and supports young, diverse progressives running for down-ballot office. Amanda will speak about barriers to effective representation in our democracy and ways they can be removed. She will also speak on the themes of authenticity and leadership outlined in her new book, When We Are in Charge.
September 4, 2025. 12 PM EST
Tracking Democratic Erosion in the United States with John Carey, Gretchen Helmke, and Brendan Nyhan
This week's discussion will feature John Carey, Gretchen Helmke, and Brendan Nyhan, professors of political science and directors of the Bright Line Watch initiative, which assesses the state of American democracy over time. Their remarks will focus on the state of democratic erosion and key findings from the Bright Line Watch project.
September 11, 2025. 12 PM EST
Do Americans Support Authoritarian Government? with Kevin Arceneaux
In this week's session, Rory will speak with Kevin Arceneaux of Sciences Po. Vin is a political psychologist and one of the leading scholars of how Americans think about democracy. His remarks will focus on how American voters view nondemocratic behavior and whether they are prone to political violence.
September 18, 2025. 12 PM EST
Season Finale: The State of American Democracy
In the last session of the summer, Rory will be joined by Adam Przeworski, Susan Stokes, Steven Levitsky, and Daniel Ziblatt, some of the field's leading scholars of democracy, authoritarianism and democratic backsliding. They will discuss patterns in democratic collapse throughout the world and take stock of the state of American democracy under Donald Trump. The conversation will also focus on how American democracy can be rejuvenated and rebuilt.
