In this episode we cover the 1st 2020 Presidential Debate. We make the case that the "debate" is evidence of how much in crisis our democracy is. Trump was uninterested in engaging in any form of substantive deliberation around any of the pressing issues of our time. Instead, he used the opportunity to peddle disinformation.

We also cover a recent ruling from a Trump appointed judge on a lawsuit against Fox News' Tucker Carlson. The judge ruled that Tucker Carlson's show engages in "exaggeration," "non-literal commentary" and that Tucker Carlson is not "stating actual facts." The judge concludes that any reasonable viewer of Carlson's show would view his comments with healthy skepticism. As true as Carlson's peddling of "non-literal commentary" may be, it is, unfortunately, not true that many of Carlson's viewers take in his statements with skepticism. What effects does this ruling have?

Political rhetoric in 2020 is tough indeed.