Politicology

Alua Arthur (Death Doula) joins host Ron Steslow to discuss the importance of embracing mortality, talking about death, and her new book, Briefly Perfectly Human: Making an Authentic Life and Getting Real About the End. 

Segments to look forward to:

(02:31) What is a death doula? 

(05:39) Alua’s journey and embracing mortality 

(07:28) The impact of avoiding conversations about death 

(10:33) Practical ways to approach contemplating death 

(26:00) Having conversations about death with your loved ones 

(28:10) Supporting loved ones facing end-of-life challenges 

(30:30) Reframing our language about death and disease 

(32:19) The desire for “more time” at the end of life 

(38:10) The importance of quality of life in end of life care

(40:00) Assisted Suiceide and personal autonomy 

(43:40) Meaningful rituals for death 

(47:14) Mourning people with troubled legacies 

(51:10) Being briefly, perfectly human

Read Briefly Perfectly Human: https://bit.ly/4a5UYJb

Check out Going With Grace: https://goingwithgrace.com/

Follow Ron on X (formerly Twitter):

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

Email your questions to [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at ‪(202) 455-4558‬ 

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The Epstein files were supposed to bring clarity—what happened, who knew, and who was protected. Instead, the slow drip of disclosures, redactions, and missing records has deepened a broader crisis: collapsing trust in institutions in the U.S. and beyond.

Guest Host Hagar Chemali and Mike Madrid (Author of The Latino Century) unpack what the files reveal (and what they still don’t), why the rollout feels like a coverup even to Trump’s base, and why the fallout is landing harder overseas than at home.

They also dig into the darker question underneath the headlines: whether Epstein’s operation functioned as an intelligence-gathering and kompromat machine, and what “accountability” can even mean if the real scandal isn’t just individual crimes, but institutional complicity.

To close, Madrid argues the Epstein revelations are one more signal that America is entering a “great transformation”—and that rebuilding trust may require a radical reimagining of governance itself.

Then, in Politicology+ they dive into how Charlie Kirk’s death created a power vacuum inside the MAGA media ecosystem that even Donald Trump can’t control.

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https://x.com/HagarChemali

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In part two of this series, Ron talks to Rebecca Roiphe (Joseph Solomon Distinguished Professor of Law at New York Law School) about critical legal studies, the attacks on our understanding of what the law is and how it should function from across the political spectrum.  They focus on how the chilling actions of the Trump Administration stem from a belief that law is merely an instrument of power, and why that belief is corrosive—to the everyday practice of law and to liberal democracy itself.

They discuss:

(08:00) Understanding liberalism vs progressivism

(09:08) Fairness in the legal system 

(16:43) The role of the Federalist Society and its shift at Harvard 

(21:19) The Trump Administration’s legal philosophy

(25:39) The independence of the Justice Department 

(28:33) The impact of executive orders targeting law firms 

(32:33) The future of legal representation 

Follow Ron and Rebecca on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

https://x.com/rroiphe

Email your questions to [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at ‪‪(703) 239-3068‬

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What if the “next big thing” out of Silicon Valley isn’t an app—it’s a political project engineered to bypass democracy?

In this episode, Guest Host Mike Madrid sits down with Gil Durán (journalist and author of “The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and The War on Democracy”) who’s been tracking an increasingly explicit ideology emerging from venture capital and tech power circles that treats democratic governance as a constraint to be engineered around.

Gil explains how what started as odd local political behavior in San Francisco and San Jose led him to a deeper story: a network of ideas, money, and influence reaching all the way to international politics. 

He argues the threat isn’t a classic “tanks in the streets” coup. It’s a quieter capture: narrative control, unlimited spending, regulatory rollback, and a worldview that positions billionaires as the rightful architects of a post-national, post-democratic future. 

Along the way, he breaks down the intellectual roots of the “network state” movement, why J.D. Vance matters in this story, and how tech-funded “moderation” in deep-blue places can function as a parallel political brand—Democratic in label, Republican in policy, and billionaire-aligned in practice.

Then, in Politicology+ they dig into what kind of leadership Democrats do actually need in the post-Trump era. 

Pre-order The Nerd Reich: https://bit.ly/4rhnD7K

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In this two-part episode, Ron talks to Rebecca Roiphe (Joseph Solomon Distinguished Professor of Law at New York Law School) about critical legal studies, the attacks on our understanding of what the law is and how it should function from across the political spectrum. 

They discuss:

(04:57) The challenges the rule of law is facing

(07:31) Understanding Critical Legal Studies

(10:16) Intersectionality and Its Impact

(12:00) Power Dynamics in Critical Legal Studies 

(20:54) The Adversarial System and Its Importance

(27:05) The Evolution of Critical Legal Thought

(32:45) The Role of Law in Democracy

Follow Ron and Rebecca on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

https://x.com/rroiphe

Email your questions to [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at ‪‪(703) 239-3068‬

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Americans largely agree on two immigration goals: securing the border and deporting people here illegally who have committed violent crimes. 

But inside the United States, enforcement has become a political flashpoint.

Guest Host Susan Del Percio is joined by Jeh Johnson (Former Secretary of Homeland Security) to discuss why border crossings can fall quickly based on deterrence and perception and why interior enforcement works very differently. 

Then, they break down how quota-driven, “numbers-first” tactics incentivize sloppy operations and high-profile street encounters that alienate local governments, undermine cooperation with law enforcement, and ultimately make it harder to remove the “worst of the worst,” eroding public trust and public safety in the process.

Then, in Politicology+ they dig into why the Trump Administration wants states’ unredacted voter rolls.

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Send your questions and ideas to [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(703) 239-3068‬

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https://x.com/DelPercioS

Related Reading: 

Axios - Trump's mass deportations are in big trouble

NYT - ICE Expands Power of Agents to Arrest People Without Warrants - The New York Times

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Are there tendencies within Christian tradition that put some versions of the faith in tension with core principles of democracy?

What is “Authoritarian Reactionary Christianity?”

How can a pluralistic society guard against the rise of political figures—including Donald Trump—aiming to weaponize this phenomenon?

In this two-part conversation, we dive into these provocative questions with the Rev. Prof. David Gushee (Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University) and discuss his book Defending Democracy From Its Christian Enemies.

Segments to look forward to in part 2:

(02:12) Christianity in the reactionary politics of France and Germany in the 20th century  

(07:54) The allure of authoritarian leaders who promise to fix cultural issues 

(13:06) The idealization of a past Christian nation and the ubiquitous use of anti-LGBT rhetoric in policial mobilization

(18:20) The difficulty of appealing to authoritarian-leaning Christians and the influence of leaders in those communities

(32:30 ) “Covenantal democracy” rooted in the Baptist tradition

(35:18) The importance of civic literacy and political ethics education among Christians to inoculate against authoritarian tendencies

(40:00) The importance of long-term cultural and interpersonal work to build stronger democratic norms.

For more of David’s work visit his website: https://www.davidpgushee.com/

Follow Ron  on X (formerly Twitter):

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

Email your questions and thoughts to [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at ‪(202) 455-4558‬.

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Guest Host Lucy Caldwell and Dmitri Mehlhorn (Founder, The Atoll Society) have a conversation about political risk, institutional blind spots, and what scenario-based thinking reveals that conventional analysis often misses.

They discuss the Atoll Society’s simulation salons, which use scenario-based exercises to test assumptions about power, institutions, and the rule of law. Rather than predict outcomes, the goal is to surface blind spots: where existing frameworks for understanding democracy, law, and political behavior may no longer fully apply.

The conversation turns to the violence in Minnesota, the uneven application of state power, and the idea that political systems often change less through dramatic breaks than through accumulation—small decisions that reshape incentives and expectations over time. 

They examine why political leaders and institutions tend to emphasize reassurance, even in periods of uncertainty, and how that instinct can limit honest discussions about risk. Along the way, they consider how history, founding-era debates, and comparative examples can help anchor difficult conversations without resorting to speculation.

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Are there tendencies within Christian tradition that put some versions of the faith in tension with core principles of democracy?

What is “Authoritarian Reactionary Christianity?”

How can a pluralistic society guard against the rise of political figures—including Donald Trump—aiming to weaponize this phenomenon?

In this two-part conversation, Ron Steslow and Rev. Prof. David Gushee (Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University) discuss these provocative questions and more as they dive into David’s book, Defending Democracy From Its Christian Enemies.

In part 1:

(04:40) Ron shares a personal note with David about the impact he’s had on Ron’s journey  

(07:24) David discussed a few of the transformative moments in his career 

(13:08) The historical and current challenges Christianity poses to democratic values 

(16:30) Why some Christians are skeptical of democracy and the nuanced reasons behind it

(22:02 ) Authoritarian Reactionary Christianity and why it’s a better term for what we’re seeing  than Christian Nationalism 

(28:38) How certain Christian groups prioritize their beliefs over democratic norms and values 

(34:02) The cycle of secular revolutions followed by religious counter-revolutions 

For more of David’s work visit his website: https://www.davidpgushee.com/

Follow Ron  on X (formerly Twitter):

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

Email your questions and thoughts to [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at ‪(202) 455-4558‬.

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As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, Guest Host Mike Madrid and Susan Del Percio (MS NOW political analyst and crisis communications expert) grapple with a central question: when Americans say “this isn’t who we are,” are we describing an aspiration—or denying a reality?

They confront the collision between ideals and reality, examining government overreach, due process, and what it means when executive power stretches beyond long-standing constitutional limits.

The conversation moves through voter exhaustion, institutional breakdown, and why secrecy inside government is often the clearest warning sign that something has gone wrong.

They look deeper than just the crisis of “democracy” in the abstract, and discuss how Americans are losing freedom itself, the right to privacy, bodily autonomy, and protection from arbitrary state power.

The episode ends with an unsettling possibility: if the American experiment depends on restraint and shared belief, what happens when those beliefs fracture—and no institution is strong enough to hold the line?

Then, in Politicology+ they dig into why housing affordability has become the central economic and political problem heading into the midterms.

POLITICOLOGY+

Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus.

CONTRIBUTE TO POLITICOLOGY

politicology.com/donate

SPONSORS & PROMO CODES https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8

Send your questions and ideas to [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(703) 239-3068‬

Follow this week’s panel on X (formerly Twitter):

https://x.com/madrid_mike

https://x.com/DelPercioS

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