We discuss the political response to Ginsburg’s death, and what it reveals about the fragility of U.S. institutions. How is American democracy being tested now?
Guests
Anne Applebaum, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian. Staff writer for The Atlantic. Senior fellow at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Author of “Twilight of Democracy.” (@anneapplebaum)
Stephen Henderson, host of “Detroit Today” on WDET since 2015. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who worked for the Detroit Free Press, the Baltimore Sun and the Chicago Tribune. (@SHDetroit)
From The Reading List
The Atlantic: “If You Care About the Court, Don’t Talk About It” — “I know that Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s empty Supreme Court seat has provoked an epic, long-awaited clash between Democrats and Republicans, that the very principle of judicial independence hangs dangerously in the balance.”
The Atlantic: “A Warning From Europe: The Worst Is Yet to Come” — “On December 31, 1999, we threw a party. It was the end of one millennium and the start of a new one; people very much wanted to celebrate, preferably somewhere exotic. Our party fulfilled that criterion.”
Politico: “McConnell locks down key Republican votes for Supreme Court fight” — “Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is locking down key votes from Republican senators in his bid to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death.”
CNN: “McConnell vows Trump’s nominee to replace Ginsburg will get Senate vote, setting up historic fight” — “Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell vowed on Friday that whomever President Donald Trump nominates to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will get a vote on the Senate floor, signaling a historic fight in Congress over one of the most polarizing issues in American politics.”
The Bulwark: “Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the Coming Political Crisis” — “Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died at age 87, while in harness as an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court.”
NBC News: “Democrats warn GOP: Don’t fill a Supreme Court vacancy in 2020 or we’ll retaliate” — “Democrats are warning Republicans not to fill a possible Supreme Court vacancy this year after denying President Barack Obama the chance in 2016, saying it would embolden a push on the left to add seats to the court whenever they regain power.”
The Atlantic: “How to Beat Populists When the Facts Don’t Matter” — “A few weeks ago, I went to a political rally in a farmyard. The Polish presidential candidate Rafał Trzaskowski was speaking; in the background, a golden wheat field shimmered in the late-afternoon sun.”
The Atlantic: “In Trump’s Virtual World, Real Catastrophes Do Not Compute” — “Oregon is on fire. Throughout the state, tens of thousands of people have been forced to take refuge. They are sleeping in their cars, in a convention center, on the floors of packed prisons. Several towns have been destroyed. Cities have been evacuated.”
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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