In this episode we’ll explore AI – from deepfakes to the growing importance of social media verification. Our guest Robyn Caplan is an Assistant Professor at Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy and is currently teaching a class on the transformation of media. Her latest research considers the blue-check verification process that is used on many social platforms.

Our host for this episode is Anna Gassman-Pines, Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs in the Sanford School of Public Policy.

Read show notes/transcript at our website.

States have increasingly come under pressure from President Trump to redraw district voting lines now even though they are traditionally redrawn every 10 years in response to the census. In response, Democratic strongholds like California are also taking steps to redraw maps out of cycle. Our guests today are both keeping a close eye on such “gerrymandering” efforts. Duke professor Jonathan Mattingly teaches a course on the topic and was involved in a gerrymandering challenge that went all the way to the US Supreme Court. Asher Hildebrand had a front row seat to the redistricting process as a longtime congressional staff member. He now teaches courses on American democracy and politics and directs the executive Masters of Public Affairs program at Duke. Our host for this episode is Phil Napoli, director of the DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy at Duke.

Read show notes/transcript at our website.

Today’s guest, John Hillen, says that only a third of native-born Americans can pass the citizenship test that American immigrants are required to pass. He is part of a new bipartisan commission trying to change that. The goal is to revitalize the teaching of American civics and history. Hillen served as US Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs in the Bush administration among many other roles. He is now teaching at Duke University in the Master of National Security Policy program. He is also affiliated with POLIS: Duke’s Center for Politics and The Duke Program in American Grand Strategy. He joins Manoj Mohanan, interim Dean of the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke, to discuss the commission’s work and American grand strategy more broadly.

Read show notes/transcript at our website.