American Democracy: Where it Started and How it's Going

Former President Trump has threatened to retaliate against political opponents if he wins in November.On Today's Show:Emily Bazelon, staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, co-host of Slate's "Political Gabfest" podcast, Truman Capote fellow for creative writing and law at Yale Law School and author of Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration (Random House, 2019) shares reporting on how and whether he would be able to follow through.

A work stoppage at the United States' ports could affect the supply chain, and the broader economy.On Today's Show:Peter S. Goodman, reporter who covers the global economy for The New York Times and author of How the World Ran Out of Everything: Inside the Global Supply Chain  (Mariner Books, 2024) explains why the longshoremen are striking

Last night, CBS held the first and only Vice Presidential debate this election season.On Today's Show:Meredith Lee Hill, reporter for Politico covering Tim Walz, offers analysis of the debate between Tim Walz and JD Vance. Plus hear highlights, and callers opinions on what we heard. 

In supporting Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is reportedly vying for a possible position in his administration related to healthcare policy or food regulation. On Today's Show:Rachael Bedard, MD, geriatrician, palliative care doctor and a writer, talks about how a Trump win - and the likelihood for a plum position in the administration for RFK, Jr. - would harm public health.

Voters in Michigan will play a key role in deciding the results of the presidential election.On Today's Show:Zoe Clark, political director at Michigan Public and co-host of the podcast “It's Just Politics” talks about the issues that voters in Michigan care about, and what the polls show about the chances that Trump and Harris have of winning the state.

In a speech she delivered on Wednesday in Pittsburgh, Kamala Harris laid out her economic pitch to voters. On Today's Show:Heather Long, Washington Post opinion columnist, discusses the plan, and whether she thinks it will attract enough of the voters she needs to win.

NYC's Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on charges of bribery and fraud. On Today's Show:Brian reads excerpts from the federal indictment , and  Andrew Weissmann, professor of practice at NYU School of Law, lead prosecutor in Robert Mueller’s Special Counsel's Office and the co-author of The Trump Indictments: The Historic Charging Documents with Commentary (W. W. Norton & Company, 2024), reacts and shares his legal analysis.

With a little over a month until the 2024 presidential election season wraps up, we explore how undecided voters are thinking about their choice. On Today's Show:Ruth Igielnik, polling editor at the New York Times, discusses the trends and stories within polling of undecided voters as Kamala Harris and Donald Trump vie for their allegiances.

Some Trump-aligned Republicans in certain states are reportedly working to sow confusion over vote counting.On Today's Show:Ari Berman, voting rights correspondent for Mother Jones and author of Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People—and the Fight to Resist It (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2024), talks about how efforts to undermine confidence in the electoral system could affect the outcome of the presidential election. 

The book Whose America? Culture Wars in the Public Schools (University of Chicago Press, September 2022), traces the history of the so-called "culture wars" in public education.On Today's Show: Jonathan Zimmerman, professor of history of education at the University of Pennsylvania discusses religion in schools, the controversies of today over critical race theory, and immigration curricula in history classrooms, as part of WNYC's Centennial series, "100 Years Of 100 Things"