Max Boot with Larry Diamond

What Is the Endgame? U.S. Policy and the Future of Venezuela and Beyond

Recorded Wednesday, February 25, 2026

In this episode of America at a Crossroads, Max Boot and Larry Diamond examine the trajectory of U.S. foreign policy in Venezuela and its broader implications for democracy, authoritarianism, and global stability.

The conversation explores:
• The current state of Venezuela’s political and economic crisis
• The effectiveness of U.S. sanctions and diplomatic strategy
• Democratic backsliding worldwide
• The future of American leadership in supporting democratic movements
• Strategic lessons for U.S. policy beyond Latin America

Max Boot is a Russian-American author, historian, and foreign policy commentator. He is the Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow in National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and a contributor to The Washington Post. His most recent book, Reagan: His Life and Legend, was released in 2024.

Larry Diamond is a leading scholar of democracy studies and a senior fellow at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies.

Subscribe for future episodes of America at a Crossroads and join the conversation on the critical issues shaping democracy at home and abroad.

 Collapsing Norms: Can American Democracy Survive This Stress Test?

Recorded February 18, 2026

In this recorded conversation from America at a Crossroads, journalist Susan B. Glasser joins Madeleine Brand to examine the current state of American democracy and the pressures facing its institutions. Drawing on Glasser’s reporting and editorial leadership across major national publications, the discussion explores how political norms are evolving and what this moment means for the country’s future.

Part of the America at a Crossroads webinar series, a project of Jews United for Democracy and Justice. Subscribe for more conversations on politics, media, and democracy. 

 On February 11, 2026, Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative journalist Carol Leonnig joined veteran broadcaster Warren Olney for a timely conversation on her latest book:

Injustice: How Politics and Fear Vanquished America’s Justice Department 

Leonnig, a five-time Pulitzer Prize winner and longtime investigative reporter for The Washington Post, examines how political pressure, institutional fear, and shifting norms reshaped the U.S. Department of Justice. Drawing on deep reporting inside presidential administrations and federal law enforcement agencies, she explores what happens when independence erodes within one of the country’s most powerful institutions.

Warren Olney, longtime host of KCRW’s nationally syndicated program To the Point, brings decades of journalistic experience to this in-depth discussion about accountability, democracy, and the rule of law.

This conversation is part of the America at a Crossroads virtual series, designed to foster thoughtful dialogue on the most pressing issues facing the country today. 

 CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein joins journalist and author Patt Morrison for a timely conversation on the 2026 midterm elections. Together, they examine the political forces shaping the cycle ahead, the balance of power in Washington, and what the outcomes could mean for democracy, governance, and the country’s future.

📅 Wednesday, February 4, 2026

⏰ 5:00 PM Pacific

🎙️ America at a Crossroads

Subscribe for more in-depth discussions on politics, democracy, and civic life. 

Getting Beyond the Border: How Immigration Became a Political Crisis 

Immigration has become one of the most polarizing issues in American politics—but how did we get here?

In this episode of America at a Crossroads, Jonathan Blitzer, staff writer at The New Yorker, joins Pulitzer Prize–winning columnist Patt Morrison for a wide-ranging conversation about immigration, power, and political narrative in the United States. 

Blitzer draws on years of reporting and his award-winning book, Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here, to examine how immigration policy became untethered from reality—and why border politics now dominate national debate. Together, Blitzer and Morrison explore the human consequences behind the headlines and what meaningful reform would require.

This conversation is part of America at a Crossroads, a virtual series presented by the Community Conversations Series and founded by Jews United for Democracy & Justice. Recorded: January 21, 2026 ⸻ Subscribe for future conversations on democracy, justice, and the defining issues of our time. 

 Why does hunger persist in the wealthiest nation on earth? In this episode of America at a Crossroads, Abby J. Leibman (MAZON) and Bob Greenstein (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities) join veteran journalist Larry Mantle to examine the politics behind poverty, food insecurity, and inequality in America today. This conversation explores the policy choices shaping hunger, the human impact of economic division, and what’s at stake as the nation faces overlapping social and political crises. 

 #Politics #News #America #Democracy #PublicPolicy #Economy #Inequality  #Poverty #Hunger  #SocialJustice  #CurrentEvents 

How is the Supreme Court really operating today—and what does it mean for American democracy?

In this episode of America at a Crossroads, legal scholar Leah Litman, professor of law at the University of Michigan and co-host of Strict Scrutiny, joins journalist Madeleine Brand for a timely conversation about the modern Supreme Court and the forces shaping its decisions.

Drawing from her New York Times bestselling book Lawless, Litman argues that the Court is increasingly driven by conservative grievance, fringe legal theories, and ideological outcomes rather than consistent legal principles. The discussion explores how this shift affects voting rights, reproductive freedom, executive power, and public trust in the judiciary.

Topics include:

• How the Supreme Court’s decision-making has changed in recent years
• The role of conservative legal movements and grievance politics
• What “lawlessness” looks like inside a powerful institution
• Consequences for democracy, civil rights, and the rule of law
• What comes next — and what citizens should be paying attention to

This program is part of America at a Crossroads, a virtual community conversation series examining the challenges facing American democracy.

Guest & Host

Leah Litman is a professor of law at the University of Michigan, co-host of the Strict Scrutiny podcast, and author of Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes.

Madeleine Brand is the host of the award-winning daily news and culture program Press Play and co-host of The Legal Eagle Files podcast.

About the Series

America at a Crossroads brings leading voices in law, politics, journalism, and civic life together for in-depth conversations about the future of American democracy.

#SupremeCourt #AmericanDemocracy #LeahLitman #Constitution #RuleOfLaw #AmericaAtACrossroads

Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul joins leading democracy scholar Larry Diamond for a critical discussion on the intensifying global struggle between authoritarianism and democracy. Drawing on decades of experience in diplomacy, national security, and democracy studies, they examine how autocratic regimes are reshaping the international order—and what democratic societies must do to respond.

Michael McFaul served for five years in the Obama administration, first as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Russian and Eurasian Affairs at the National Security Council, and later as U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation (2012–2014). He is a Professor of Political Science at Stanford University and Director and Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies.

Larry Diamond is a leading scholar of democracy studies and Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. His work has shaped global understanding of democratic development, backsliding, and resilience.

This event is part of the America at a Crossroads virtual series, founded by Jews United for Democracy & Justice, bringing leading voices together to examine the most urgent challenges facing democracy at home and abroad.

🔗 Learn more and register for upcoming events: jewsunitedfordemocracy.org/events/

#MichaelMcFaul #LarryDiamond #Democracy #Authoritarianism #GlobalPolitics #AmericaAtACrossroads #CommunityConversations #ForeignPolicy #InternationalRelations #DemocraticValues #CurrentEvents

What happens when the guardrails of the Constitution start to shake? In this America at a Crossroads program, renowned constitutional scholar Erwin Chemerinsky joins veteran journalist Warren Olney to examine “The Constitution in Crisis: What’s at Stake for American Democracy.”

They break down threats to the rule of law, the future of the Supreme Court, voting rights, presidential power, and how ordinary citizens can respond when core democratic norms are under pressure.

Erwin Chemerinsky is the Dean of Berkeley Law and one of the nation’s leading experts on constitutional law and civil liberties. Warren Olney is the award-winning former host and executive producer of KCRW’s nationally syndicated program To the Point.

Recorded on Wednesday, December 10, 2025 at 5:00 pm Pacific, this conversation is part of the Community Conversations series founded by Jews United for Democracy & Justice.

👉 Learn more and sign up for upcoming programs at americaatacrossroads.org.

#Podcast #AmericaAtACrossroads #ConstitutionInCrisis #AmericanDemocracy
 #RuleOfLaw #SupremeCourt #VotingRights #PresidentialPower
 #CivilLiberties #ConstitutionalLaw #ErwinChemerinsky #WarrenOlney
 #DemocracyMatters #CivicEngagement