Civic Forum

The Trump administration has shown a willingness to engage, and even embrace, authoritarian leaders like Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Viktor Orbán, Kim Jong Un, and Nayib Bukele. At the same time, Trump has been dismissive and threatening toward our allies and partners in Canada and Europe. This week, Rory interviews Michael McFaul, Stanford professor and former U.S. Ambassador to Russia, about his new book, Autocrats vs. Democrats. The interview centers on a simple but pressing question: what side is the U.S. on anymore? The conversation covers Putinism and the Putin playbook, Trump’s ties to Russia, kleptocracy and corruption, the Trump–Xi summit, and the health of American democracy at this pivotal moment.

Last week Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited President Donald Trump at the White House, with US-China relations at a critical juncture. This week's Civic Forum episode features an interview with Brookings Fellow Ryan Hass, who worked in the White House under President Obama and helped organize the Obama-Xi summit more than ten years ago. Ryan provides his assessment of the optics of the Trump-Xi visit, and whether their "friendship" means much of anything. The interview discusses the new Chinese concept, "constructive strategic stability," and whether relations between China and the United States have entered into a new phase. It closes with a discussion of whether the U.S. and China can cooperate or coordinate on AI safety.

AI is fundamentally changing the classroom, and colleges and universities are struggling to police AI use and preserve academic integrity. In this week's Civic Forum interview, host Rory Truex is joined by Jill Dolan, former Dean of the College at Princeton, and Kate Stanton, director of Princeton's McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning. The interview explores: which universities are getting the AI issue right; whether standard assignments, like the final paper, are still viable; and how universities and professors are going to have to adapt to the post-AI society.

Civic Forum with Rory Truex: because democracy needs a pod. More at www.thecivicforum.com

Immigration is the defining policy issue of the Trump era — and Biden's former border director says both parties are getting it wrong. Andrea Flores ran border policy on the National Security Council and resigned over the administration's handling of the border. She joins Rory Truex to explain why mass deportation is really mass delegalization, why deterrence at the US-Mexico border keeps failing, what ICE enforcement and racial profiling mean for Latino communities and Latino voters, and what serious immigration reform requires: legalization and a path to citizenship, humane enforcement, asylum reform, and border policy that starts abroad.

Civic Forum with Rory Truex: because democracy needs a pod.. More at thecivicforum.com

Americans are down about democracy. Congress is a particularly loathed institution, with approval ratings around 10%. In this episode, Rory Truex talks to Princeton professor Frances Lee about her new book, A Case For Congress, and why congress may be performing its functions better than we think. They also discuss Trump's threat to American democracy and the most likely outcomes from the upcoming midterm elections.

Rory interviews Princeton professor and Hungary expert Kim Lane Scheppele and writer Peter Dosa about Hungary’s election that ousted Viktor Orbán and brought Prime Minister Péter Magyar and the Tisza party to power with a supermajority. The conversation focuses on lessons Americans can learn from Hungary and the challenges of dismantling an authoritarian regime after the election has been won.

Is the pro-democracy movement actually working? What are the gaps in current activism, and the most effective ways for normal citizens to get involved? Rory is joined by veteran activists Jess Craven and Micah Sifry to assess the state of the movement. The session focuses on notable wins and losses of to date, the issues with excessive anger and fear on social media, the noticeable youth gap in participation, and the future of the Democratic Party.

Across many democracies, workers comprise a majority of the labor force but only a small fraction of elected office-holders. Why does democracy consistently fail the working class? And what can be done to get more workers on the ballot? Rory interviews political scientists Noam Lupu and Nick Carnes about their new book on working class representation.

On Civic Forum, Rory Truex interviews writer and journalist Jasmine Sun about how Silicon Valley is “bracing for a permanent underclass,” the belief among many AI insiders that AI will increase inequality, reduce economic mobility, and cause short-term mass job disruption that concentrates power and wealth. The conversation features insights from Jasmine's time in San Francisco, DC and China. Topics discussed include AI automation, nihilism and coping among Gen Z, the rise of AI populism in DC, and the parallel debate emerging in China. The session closes with advice from Jasmine about how to create and write in a time when words are cheap.

Will AI empower dictatorships to exert Orwellian level control over their citizens? In this session of Civic Forum, Rory is joined by two leading experts on China's censorship, propaganda, and surveillance practices, Margaret Roberts from UCSD, and Stanford's Jennifer Pan. The conversation focuses on whether and AI is shifting the balance of power in favor of authoritarian governments, how China's own practices have changed, and how AI may empower normal citizens in repressive contexts.