Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams The Republican War on Knowledge
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Oct 9, 2025 Stacey Abrams chats with Adam Serwer, a senior writer at The Atlantic and author of The Cruelty Is the Point, to explore the ongoing attack on knowledge in America. They discuss how the Republican Party manipulates facts, distorts historical narratives, and undermines scientific inquiry. Adam highlights the serious implications of these actions for democracy and civil rights, emphasizing the importance of historical literacy and public vigilance. They also provide actionable steps for individuals to combat misinformation and protect knowledge in their communities.
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Attack On Shared Truth
- Knowledge depends on a shared understanding of truth and the Republican campaign seeks to replace that with ideology.
- Adam Serwer warns this assault targets scientific, historical, and cultural institutions to prevent dissent.
Politicizing Research Funding
- The administration withdraws or kills research grants that produce politically inconvenient findings across sciences and humanities.
- Serwer compares the effect to politicizing science so research is funded only if it aligns with ideology.
History Erasure Enables Injustice
- Erasing or sanitizing history makes structural inequality appear natural and undeserving of remedy.
- Serwer argues this mythic version of America removes the moral basis for confronting racial and gender injustice.
