Speaker Mike Johnson's Balancing Act Between the Right and the Far Right

What does it mean that global forces like China and Russia and the domestic MAGA movement are working to discredit democracy?On Today's Show:Anne Applebaum, staff writer atThe Atlantic, historian and author of the forthcomingAutocracy Inc. (Penguin, 2024), talks about herAtlanticcover story, “Democracy Is Losing the Propaganda War," about the rise of autocracy around the world.

Congress has taken on the "complicated" task of legislating antisemitism. Annie Karni, congressional correspondent at The New York Times, talks about the latest national political news of the week, including legislation that recently passed the House on antisemitism, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's latest attempt to oust Speaker Mike Johnson and more. 

The Department of Justice plans to change the way the federal government classifies cannabis, which will loosen restrictions on weed. Natalie Fertig, federal cannabis policy reporter for Politico, reports on the change, including how it will affect people, businesses and research in states where cannabis is legal (and not). 

Aaron David​​​​ Miller, senior fellow in the American Statecraft Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, former State Department advisor on the Middle East, and the author of several books, including The Much Too Promised Land: America’s Elusive Search for Arab-Israeli Peace (Bantam, 2008), talks about the current state of ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas and the best pathways to peace in the region.  Plus, he reacts to President Biden's live remarks on the campus protests.

With pro-Palestinian protests going on in her district, U.S. Representative Mikie Sherrill (D, NJ-11) reacts to the news overnight of police arresting campus protesters, and discusses her priorities related to reproductive rights and the National Defense Reauthorization Act.

How would a moderator handle a potential debate matchup between President Biden and former President Trump in order to make the most of the event for voters?On Today's Show:Susan Page, USA Today Washington bureau chief shares the latest national political news, including the White House Correspondents Dinner and Pres. Biden's agreement to a debate against former President Trump.

Nicholas Kristof, opinion columnist for The New York Times and author of several books, including the forthcoming memoir Chasing Hope (Penguin Random House, 2024), shares his critique of how he says President Biden has mishandled the United States' role in Israel's war in Gaza, what he sees as Biden's reasoning, the political implications and what the United States could do moving forward to end the war. 

Melissa Murray, NYU law professor, co-host of the "Strict Scrutiny" podcast and the co-author (with Andrew Weissmann) of The Trump Indictments: The Historic Charging Documents with Commentary (W. W. Norton & Company, 2024), previews the oral arguments the Supreme Court will hear on former President Trump's immunity case. 

One key part of the juror questionnaire in former President Donald Trump's "hush money" trial asked about the prospective jurors' media diets, which showed some interesting responses.On Today's Show:Erica Orden, Politico reporter, recaps what has happened so far at the juror selection and the consequent start of the trial, where David Pecker, the former publisher for the National Enquirer, testified about that publication's "catch and kill" strategy to suppress negative stories about people like Donald Trump.

Jane McAlevey, labor organizer, columnist for The Nation and the author of several books, including (with Abby Lawlor)Rules to Win By: Power and Participation in Union Negotiations (Oxford University Press, 2023), reflects on her life's work in organizing and recent wins for labor, and what she sees as crucial for workers to do if they want to continue the positive streak for unions.