Is the United States headed toward autocracy?

That's a question prompted by a steady stream of executive orders seeking to consolidate power in the White House and upend long held policies and norms.

New York Times Opinion writer M. Gessen lived through much of Russia's slide into autocracy, and wrote a book about it.

They argue that one of the ways Vladimir Putin consolidated power... was by making a series of arguments that seemed outrageous at the time — like the idea that the LGBT population was a threat to Russian sovereignty.

President Donald Trump's second term has been marked by a string of policy proposals that would have been unthinkable in any other administration.

Even if they don't go anywhere, they're reshaping the boundaries of our democracy.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Email us at [email protected].

To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy