Former FBI Agent and Yale Professor Asha Rangappa joins Marc Elias to examine how Trump-era policies reshaped federal law enforcement, national security, and democratic norms, from ICE and the FBI to the Insurrection Act and military authority. They explain how contempt for legal constraints makes America less safe, why individuals now bear the burden of resistance, and what this moment means for the future of the rule of law.

Chart: The Insurrection Act Explained

https://bsky.app/profile/asharangappa.bsky.social/post/3mchv6f6wf22q

The Freedom Academy with Asha Rangappa

https://asharangappa.substack.com/

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Chapters:

00:00 Intro

00:45 Is ICE Really Law Enforcement?

03:11 The FBI, the DOJ, and Independence

04:14 Who Controls the Minneapolis Investigation?

06:20 ICE Culture and Public Confrontation

12:49 How Trump Is Making America Less Safe

15:51 An Administration Contemptuous of Law

20:03 All Opposition Is Disloyal

24:10 The Insurrection Act Explained

29:20 Can Troops Enforce Civil Law?

32:29 Teaching Law in Democratic Decline

36:29 Why Postwar Law No Longer Constrains Power

39:17 When Individuals Stand Up to Power

43:53 The Risk of Speaking Out Against Trump

Sen. Jeff Merkley joins Marc Elias to warn that American democracy is being hollowed out from within, as Trump deploys authoritarian tactics to suppress dissent, weaponize the DOJ, and rig future elections. From troops in the streets to attacks on vote-by-mail, this conversation breaks down the most immediate threats—and what citizens must do to stop them.

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One year into Donald Trump’s second term, Marc Elias exposes the collapse of democratic guardrails as big law firms, legacy media, corporate elites, and government institutions capitulate, collaborate, or stay silent while voting rights, elections, and the rule of law come under sustained attack. He explains how voter data lawsuits, political prosecutions, media capture, and institutional failure threaten free and fair elections—and why democracy’s survival now depends on grassroots activism, independent media, nonprofit legal organizations, state and local leaders, and a growing pro-democracy opposition movement.

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Harvard Law professor and election law expert Nicholas Stephanopoulos joins Marc Elias to break down the existential threat facing American democracy as aggressive gerrymandering and Supreme Court challenges put the Voting Rights Act on the brink. They explain how we got here, what the Court’s next moves could mean for upcoming elections, and why this moment is a tipping point for free and fair elections—and how you can stay informed and defend democracy.

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Arizona Sec. of State Adrian Fontes joins Marc Elias to discuss how election denial took root after 2020, how conspiracy theories like Sharpiegate spread, and why Arizona elections remain a top target for anti-democratic forces. They break down how elections actually work, why accurate results take time, and how denialists are now trying to weaponize certification, voter data, and election administration itself.

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Marc Elias exposes how the Trump administration and Vice President J.D. Vance are exploiting a tragic ICE killing in Minnesota to spread lies, smear a victim, and justify an alarming crackdown on independent media and free speech. He breaks down why targeting journalists and lawful speech is a direct threat to the First Amendment—and a key step in normalizing authoritarian power.

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Journalist and political commentator Molly Jong-Fast joins Marc Elias to discuss Trump’s declining political power, the myth of a governing mandate, and the growing backlash heading into the 2026 midterm elections. They examine corporate and billionaire collaboration with Trumpism, the retreat of Big Law, escalating voter suppression and election subversion, DOJ efforts to access voter files, and the legal fight to protect voting rights and democracy. The discussion also dives into the collapse of U.S. media, disinformation, Section 230, the erosion of expertise, billionaire influence on social media, AI misinformation, and why journalism has been undermined by policy choices.

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Supreme Court expert and Amicus podcast host Dahlia Lithwick joins Marc Elias to unpack one of the most dangerous and least understood forces shaping American law today: the Supreme Court’s shadow docket. Lithwick explains how the Court increasingly uses late-night, unsigned emergency orders to upend lower-court rulings, reverse longstanding precedent, and reshape democracy—without transparency, reasoning, or accountability. Together, they explore how the shadow docket amplifies minority rule, expands executive power, undermines voting rights, and allows the Court to exercise enormous authority while evading public scrutiny.

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Voting rights attorney Marc Elias warns that the Trump Department of Justice is aggressively seeking access to Americans’ most sensitive voter data—including Social Security numbers, party affiliation, voting history, and signatures—by suing more than 20 states. Elias explains why this unprecedented data grab is central to a broader strategy of voter suppression, election subversion, and litigation designed to undermine free and fair elections in 2026 and beyond. Drawing on decades of experience and current court battles, he breaks down how voter files work, how they can be weaponized, and why DOJ control of this data could fundamentally reshape elections, from voter challenges to targeted suppression laws and post-election challenges.

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Former Acting Assistant Attorney General Mary McCord joins Marc Elias to deliver a sobering, inside-the-Justice-Department assessment of how political pressure is corroding DOJ norms, judicial trust, and prosecutorial ethics. Drawing on decades as a federal prosecutor and current work at Georgetown Law, McCord explains the collapse of the presumption of regularity, the rise of misrepresentations to courts, and the dangers of politicized prosecutions—from immigration cases to protest arrests and grand jury shopping. She also discusses the devastating impact on U.S. Attorney’s Offices, why juries are increasingly rejecting overreach, how law students are rethinking careers in government, and why lawyers must now speak publicly to defend the rule of law and constitutional democracy.

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