[image: image.png] opening thoughts: from a newsletter that asks the question: Can democracies hold?? Ian Bremmer’s description of the US is beyond depressing but not surprising: “The democracy experiment in America right now is particularly interesting. it’s the most broken and unrepresentative political system among advanced industrial democracies. specifically, it’s the most structurally kleptocratic, with policy captured by monied special interests. and large numbers of americans (and some 42% of young men, in a recent survey) now believe non-legal means are required to fix the system. president trump is both a principal symptom and a beneficiary of this reality, having achieved the biggest political comeback in american history after being twice impeached, tried and found guilty of felony convictions, and nearly assassinated. trump now believes he has a revolutionary mandate to upend the political system at home. the checks and balances on a top-down, executive-led (and more closed) political system are being eroded daily in the united states. we’ve seen this with the politicization of core “power ministries” in washington (loyalist non-professionals appointed to key positions in the justice department, fbi, and defense department, for example); government putting its thumb on the scale against independent legal representation, media, and ngos; efforts to remove inspectors-general, auditors, and other more independent functions of the bureaucracy; and many other developments, all in the service of removing constraints on executive authority…” –part one: Felipe De La Hoz is a contributing editor for *The New Republic.* Along with co-writer Gaby Del Valle, he runs BORDER/LINES <borderlines.substack.com/>, a weekly newsletter breaking down the rapid pace of change in federal immigration policy.
The Worst Thing About Mahmoud Khalil’s Detention Is That It’s Legal <newrepublic.com/article/192566/mahmoud-khalil-detention-immigration-court>
The Columbia student’s arrest may look unjust on its face, but this is our immigration enforcement mechanisms working exactly as designed. <newrepublic.com/article/192566/mahmoud-khalil-detention-immigration-court>
part two: L. Alison Phillips Professor of Psychology, Iowa State University <theconversation.com/institutions/iowa-state-university-1322> a social and health psychologist, trained in the social and individual processes involved in attitude and belief formation, communication and decision-making, and behavior change. Julia Standefer a social psychologist, interested in social cognition and political polarization. Specifically, I research perceptions of attitudes, persuasion, political identity, and motivated reasoning. *The psychology behind anti-translegislation: How cognitive biases shape thoughts and policy * Listen online at www.wnhnfm.org/live Listen anytime to the podcast at www.podomatic.com/podcasts/staff74238 <www.podomatic.com/podcasts/staff74238> Attitude with Arnie Arnesen, Ian Bremmer, democracies,Felipe de la Hoz, New Republic, detention, Mahmoud Khalil,immigration,transgender rights, Julia Standefer, Professor Alison Phillips, Iowa State U, bias *KEEPING THE POT STIRRED SO SCUM DOESN’T RISE TO THE TOP* – Anonymous