In this episode, Shadi and Damir analyze the Rittenhouse verdict and question how the media's framing shaped people's initial reactions. The conversation turns to the state of American democracy. Damir questions whether he has been too glib about the recent moves made by the Republican Party. Is our democracy approaching an inflection point?

Part 2 of our conversation is available for subscribers. In the episode, we dive into Damir's last Friday Essay "The Coming Storm". Was Damir too pessimistic about the state of the post Cold War order? The U.S. should rethink its foreign policy priorities, but what should those new priorities be?

Required Reading:

"Newspaper Corrections Run Amok With Trivia" by Michael Kinsley (The Washington Post)

"The Rittenhouse Verdict Is Only Shocking If You Followed the Last Year of Terrible Reporting"  by Matt Taibbi (TK News by Matt Taibbi)

"The Rittenhouse Trial Could Never Have Been What Americans Wanted" by David A. Graham (The Atlantic)

"The Rittenhouse Trial and the Value of Silence" by Shadi Hamid (Wisdom of Crowds)