Democracy Deciphered

When President Jimmy Carter created the Department of Education, he saw it as a path toward stronger public schools and greater opportunity. Decades later, the Trump administration’s push to dismantle it raises new questions about the federal role in education. Zahava Stadler and Jeremy Bauer-Wolf of New America join the show to explore how the agency came to be and what it might mean if it disappears.

How did government shutdowns become such a recurring feature of American politics? Why do they happen, and what can history teach us about the latest one? New America's Mark Schmitt shares his insight.

Data can expose injustice, but it can also be turned into a tool of control. How do we know when data collection is helpful and when it becomes surveillance? In this episode, Sydney Saubestre of New America discusses the risks and benefits of data, lessons from history, and their implications for democracy today.

Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are on the table. To understand what’s at stake, we need to look not just at today’s negotiations but also at the long and tangled history behind these two countries. New America’s Candace Rondeaux and Ben Dalton explain how we got here and what it means for the talks unfolding now.

How do ordinary citizens get legislative measures on the ballot? What threats are being made to the process? Maresa Strano of New America and Chris Melody Fields Figueredo from the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center share a breakdown. Learn more by reading New America's report Expanding Citizen-Led Policymaking in the Twenty-First Century.