The.Ink

We just talked live with Randi Weingarten, the American Federation of Teachers president and longtime Democratic Party stalwart, about the threats facing public education, democracy, and the future of the American dream. She talked to us about:* Why education became a target for the right — including the two things teachers do that fascists fear* Why she resigned from the Democratic National Committee and why she believes the party needs to learn to grow its tent* How progressives can meet parents anxious about social progress and change where they are instead of turning them away* What she believes the gay rights movement did successfully that the trans rights movement has struggled to do in recent years* What education will look like in a future of addictive devices and rampant A.I.You won’t want to miss any of this one. Just click on the video player above to watch the entire conversation.And look out for Randi Weingarten’s new book, Why Fascists Fear Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy, available this fall.We are opening this video to all. But we’re also asking candidly that you support the work that goes into bringing you The Ink by becoming a paying subscriber.Your support is how we keep the lights on, pay our writers and editors a fair wage, and build the new media we all deserve. When you subscribe, you help us reach more people. Join us today, or if you are already a member, give a gift or group subscription. Get full access to The.Ink at the.ink/subscribe

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We just talked live with our regular Thursday guest, the political sage Anat Shenker-Osorio, and nearly 1,400 of you, about how to even begin talking about the human tragedies that are connected to the biggest political questions and why Democrats seem so unable to tell the stories that can make those connections. She talked to us about:* Why right after a tragedy like the flooding in Texas, when people feel it’s the most inappropriate time to raise the real questions, is exactly the time to act because it’s when the most interest in solving a problem exists: “If not now, when?” * How Zohran Mamdani has broken out of the Democratic trap of depending on polls and is showing the party how to be a leader — even if they can’t see it yet* Why protests are great, but they’re just the beginning: and why the strategy now is “resist, refuse, and ridicule”You won’t want to miss any of it. Just click on the video player above to watch the entire conversation.We are opening this video to all. But we’re also asking candidly that you support the work that goes into bringing you The Ink by becoming a paying subscriber.Your support is how we keep the lights on, pay our writers and editors a fair wage, and build the new media we all deserve. When you subscribe, you help us reach more people. Join us today, or if you are already a member, give a gift or group subscription. Get full access to The.Ink at the.ink/subscribe

We just talked with former ABC News anchor and now fellow Substacker Terry Moran, and more than 2,000 of you, about the catastrophic Texas floods, the families directly involved, and what their tragedies and legacies tell us about America now.We spoke about: * Making the necessary connections between human tragedies and underlying causes — the kind of narrative the press tends to avoid* Why talking about climate change after a flood isn’t politicization, but the exercise of care* How people who would do anything to protect the ones they love can live the kind of duality that lets them back the kinds of politics — like climate change denial — that endanger the people they love* How the new budget’s passage — by people who should know better — reflects the same problem: supported by business elites who are dooming their own great-grandchildren, who are far from guaranteed to be as rich as they are* What happened to the American ethic of solidarity that ensured people looked beyond their own families’ self-preservation to the national and global interest, and how can it be rebuilt?* Why the press isn’t built to tell people the deep story behind breaking news stories, how that limits public understanding of issues on the scale of climate change, and how independent media might develop the kind of storytelling that can really inform* How we can imagine a tragedy like the July 4 floods, with deep systemic and political roots, being ignored and simply preserving the status quo — and how we might also imagine a future where it motivates people to change* And what kind of great-grandparents are we being now, for our future great-grandchildren?You won’t want to miss this one, so just click on the video player above.Visit the link below to read Anand’s essay on the flooding:And visit the following link to read our interview with Leah Hunt-Hendrix about her book, Solidarity:We are opening this video to all. But we’re also asking candidly that you support the work that goes into bringing you The Ink by becoming a paying subscriber.Your support is how we keep the lights on, pay our writers and editors a fair wage, and build the new media we all deserve. When you subscribe, you help us reach more people.Join us today, or if you are already a member, give a gift or group subscription.And make sure to subscribe to Terry Moran’s newsletter, Real Patriotism.Join us for more Live conversation this week!Tomorrow, Thursday, July 10, at 12:30 p.m. Eastern, we’ll talk again with messaging guru Anat Shenker-Osorio.To join and watch, download the Substack app (click on the button below) and turn on notifications — you’ll get an alert once we’re live, and you can watch, chat, and even participate in the conversation during our Book Club meetings from your iOS or Android mobile device. If you’re using a computer, you can also watch (and ask questions in the text chat) on our homepage. Get full access to The.Ink at the.ink/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit the.inkDonald Trump’s actions represent an existential threat to the university as we know it.But why? What is it about the modern American university that is so upsetting to a famously insecure leader? Why has he fixated on this out of all possible targets?We just talked with Wesleyan University’s president, Michael Roth, an outspoken defender of student free speech and Trump critic, and 1,300 of you. He spoke of:* How universities are a culture-making, opinion-shaping power center, which Trump, like all authoritarians, fears* How they facilitate social progress by helping students pick up ideas and perspectives that sever them from the prejudices of their families and hometowns, and why that threatens the right’s larger political project* Why the kidnappings of Mahmoud Kahlil and Rümeysa Öztürk and others are so chilling, and part of an attempt to turn university leaders into collaborators* How the chilling effects of Trump’s cuts and abductions are already shifting the behavior of students and professors* Why the Trump regime’s anti-antisemitism exploits genuine anxieties as a cudgel against his enemies, and how it has made Jews in America not more but less safe* How academia came to hold too much influence over the political left and the Democratic Party in particular, and the need to go beyond the jargon and wonkiness and elitist inclusionspeak that keep many Americans at bay* And why, even though Roth is afraid, he’s committed to speaking up — because that is the only way to find out if you’re wrong, and the only way to stay freeYou won’t want to miss this one, so just click on the video player above.Our live shows are open to all. Afterward, to access the full video of this interview and the transcript, become a paying subscriber.Your support is how we keep the lights on, pay our staff a fair wage, and build the new media we all deserve. When you subscribe, you help us reach more people. Join us today, or if you are already a member, give a gift or group subscription.Join us for more Live conversations this week!Tomorrow, Wednesday, July 9, at 12:30 p.m. Eastern, we’ll meet with The Ink Book Club. Then on Thursday, July 10, at 12:30 p.m. Eastern, we’ll talk with messaging guru Anat Shenker-Osorio.To join and watch, download the Substack app (click on the button below) and turn on notifications — you’ll get an alert once we’re live, and you can watch, chat, and even participate in the conversation during our Book Club meetings from your iOS or Android mobile device. If you’re using a computer, you can also watch (and ask questions in the text chat) on our homepage.

We just talked live with our regular Monday guest, the scholar of authoritarianism Ruth Ben-Ghiat, and 2,400 of you, and she told us about:* How the new budget turns ICE — the masked, unidentified, plainclothes agents who’ve been taking people off the streets — into something new for America: a secret police force. * Why masked gangs of enforcers are a “force multiplier of fear,” letting authoritarians exercise power beyond their numbers and popular support.* How to reclaim patriotism from the far-right and own it — the far-right isn’t the ship, it’s a barnacle.* Rejecting the idea of a fortress America in favor of the older, better idea of a nation of immigrants, with all of its diverse flavors and tastes.* How Hungary’s fearless Pride marchers point the way forward for opposing authoritarianism.You won’t want to miss any of it. Just click on the video player above to watch the entire conversation.We are opening this video to all. But we’re also asking candidly that you support the work that goes into bringing you The Ink by becoming a paying subscriber.Your support is how we keep the lights on, pay our writers and editors a fair wage, and build the new media we all deserve. When you subscribe, you help us reach more people. Join us today, or if you are already a member, give a gift or group subscription.And if you haven’t already, please subscribe to Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s newsletter, Lucid.Join us for more Live conversations this week!Tomorrow, Tuesday, July 8, at 12:30 p.m. Eastern, we’ll be joined by former Department of Homeland Security official and Donald Trump critic Miles Taylor and Wesleyan University president Michael S. Roth. Then on Wednesday, July 9, at 12:30 p.m. Eastern, we’ll meet with The Ink Book Club. And on Thursday, July 10, at 12:30 p.m. Eastern, we’ll talk again with messaging guru Anat Shenker-Osorio.To join and watch, download the Substack app (click on the button below) and turn on notifications — you’ll get an alert once we’re live, and you can watch, chat, and even participate in the conversation during our Book Club meetings from your iOS or Android mobile device. If you’re using a computer, you can also watch (and ask questions in the text chat) on our homepage. Get full access to The.Ink at the.ink/subscribe

J. Michael Luttig, a former federal appellate judge and a prominent voice in the conservative legal movement, discusses the alarming state of the rule of law in the U.S. Joined by journalist Ryan Lizza, they delve into the impact of corporate power on democracy and reexamine foundational documents like the Declaration of Independence. Luttig reflects on conservatism’s evolution, his ties to Chief Justice John Roberts, and the implications of recent judicial decisions on constitutional authority. Their conversation offers a gripping look at democracy's precariousness today.

We just talked live with Matthew Duss, the foreign policy scholar and former Bernie Sanders advisor. He gave a powerful whirlwind explanation of the recent U.S. war with Iran (remember it?), and we discussed everything from the 14 million deaths the U.S.A.I.D. cuts will reportedly cause, to the effects of the war in Gaza on trust in Democrats, to the new budget bill’s supercharging of ICE, to whether foreign allies will stand with the American people against anti-democratic American leaders.Most importantly, perhaps, Duss talked about the possibilities for a left-right, progressive-MAGA, keffiyeh-and-cowboy hats coalition against war and for peace.We are opening this video to all. But we’re also asking candidly that you support the work that goes into bringing you The Ink by becoming a paying subscriber.Your support is how we keep the lights on, pay our writers and editors a fair wage, and build the new media we all deserve. When you subscribe, you help us reach more people. Join us today, or if you are already a member, give a gift or group subscription. Get full access to The.Ink at the.ink/subscribe

We just talked live to our regular Monday guest, the scholar of authoritarianism Ruth Ben-Ghiat, and 2,600 of you. We dug into Trump’s war on reality itself, as evidenced in his lies about the success of his bombings of Iran’s nuclear sites, and the gaslighting of calling Trump’s cruel budget “beautiful.”Ruth explained how Trump has been able to achieve many of the goals of dictators even as the United States remains a largely free society. The ends may be the same, but Trump is adapting the means to what is legally possible in the United States.We also talked about how Zohran Mamdani’s victory as an unabashed progressive in New York City may point the way toward beating Trumpism — if the Democratic Party can be pressured to learn any lessons.We are opening this video to all. But we’re also asking candidly that you support the work that goes into bringing you The Ink by becoming a paying subscriber.Your support is how we keep the lights on, pay our writers and editors a fair wage, and build the new media we all deserve. When you subscribe, you help us reach more people. Join us today, or if you are already a member, give a gift or group subscription.And if you haven’t already, don’t forget to subscribe to Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s newsletter, Lucid.Join us for more Live conversation this week!Tomorrow, Tuesday, July 1, at 12:30 p.m. Eastern, we’ll be talking to foreign policy expert Matt Duss.To join and watch, download the Substack app (click on the button below) and turn on notifications — you’ll get an alert once we’re live, and you can watch, chat, and even participate in the conversation during our Book Club meetings from your iOS or Android mobile device. If you’re using a computer, you can also watch (and ask questions in the text chat) on our homepage. Get full access to The.Ink at the.ink/subscribe

Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the New York City mayoral primary has electrified people across the country and stirred hope in the dark. So today we talked to three experts — messaging guru Anat Shenker-Osorio, strategist and writer Waleed Shahid, and New York City Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander — to understand what happened in the race and what it bodes for the future of the Democratic Party.Shenker-Osorio talked to us about how Mamdani’s campaign was a textbook example of two of her political mantras — Sell the brownie, not the recipe, and Animate the base to persuade the middle.Lander took us inside how he and Mamdani were able to do what Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders ultimately weren’t in 2020 — collaborate as progressives to advance shared goals. He told us about how their partnership helped bridge the gap between Muslim and Jewish voters, and how it demonstrated that, even in this very dark timeline, politics can be a team sport instead of a contest of self-interest.And Shahid talked about Mamdani’s win as a triumph of substance, not vibes. Mamdani’s real talk about Palestinians and the war in Gaza, about democratic socialist policy ideas, and about himself were all important in telling a story that could connect Democrats across ideology. He also talked about the very real work that remains to be done if progressive candidates are to do better with Black voters.We are opening this video to all. But we’re also asking candidly that you support the work that goes into bringing you The Ink by becoming a paying subscriber.Your support is how we keep the lights on, pay our writers and editors a fair wage, and build the new media we all deserve. When you subscribe, you help us reach more people. Join us today, or if you are already a member, give a gift or group subscription.Join us for more Live conversations next week!On Monday, June 30, at 12:30 p.m. Eastern, we’ll be joined by scholar of authoritarianism Ruth Ben-Ghiat. On Tuesday, July 1, also at 12:30 p.m. Eastern, we’ll be talking to foreign policy expert and former Bernie Sanders advisor Matt Duss. Then on Wednesday, July 2, at 12:30 p.m. Eastern, we’ll meet with the Book Club to start talking about Karim Dimechkie’s The Uproar.To join and watch, download the Substack app (click on the button below) and turn on notifications — you’ll get an alert once we’re live, and you can watch, chat, and even participate in the conversation during our Book Club meetings from your iOS or Android mobile device. If you’re using a computer, you can also watch (and ask questions in the text chat) on our homepage. Get full access to The.Ink at the.ink/subscribe