Welcome back to another must-listen episode of It's Complicated, where our hosts Asha Rangappa and Renato Mariotti grapple with this unsettling question: How bad is it going to get for our democracy in the new year?

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Asha Rangappa, a national security law professor at Yale and former FBI special agent, alongside Renato Mariotti, a legal analyst and former federal prosecutor, guide us through the challenges and changes poised to redefine the political landscape in 2025. 

We’ll discuss the rising autocratic tendencies that are rearing their heads worldwide in countries like Hungary and Poland. And our hosts point out that this shift may not mirror the oppression seen in Russia but could manifest as subtler institutional changes under a guise of normalcy.

In this episode, Renato and Asha share their concerns with the ability of the judiciary to stand against tyranny and explore how misinformation in the media will only further complicate things. As traditional media struggles to maintain its role as an independent guardrail, our hosts ponder the influence of new platforms like Substack in filling the gap left by mainstream outlets.

We’ll also look to answer some very difficult questions, like does the Department of Justice and the FBI have the moral courage needed to resist unethical directives? Can the military maintain its independence from political influence? As new appointments and policies threaten to politicize all of our institutions, the stakes have never been higher for making sure they do.

As we embark on 2025, we encourage our listeners to stay vigilant, informed, and engaged, as we collectively navigate the changing tides of democracy. And we’ll see you back here next time, on It's Complicated.

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