The Trump administration has shown a willingness to engage, and even embrace, authoritarian leaders like Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Viktor Orbán, Kim Jong Un, and Nayib Bukele. At the same time, Trump has been dismissive and threatening toward our allies and partners in Canada and Europe. This week, Rory interviews Michael McFaul, Stanford professor and former U.S. Ambassador to Russia, about his new book, Autocrats vs. Democrats. The interview centers on a simple but pressing question: what side is the U.S. on anymore? The conversation covers Putinism and the Putin playbook, Trump’s ties to Russia, kleptocracy and corruption, the Trump–Xi summit, and the health of American democracy at this pivotal moment.

Last week Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited President Donald Trump at the White House, with US-China relations at a critical juncture. This week's Civic Forum episode features an interview with Brookings Fellow Ryan Hass, who worked in the White House under President Obama and helped organize the Obama-Xi summit more than ten years ago. Ryan provides his assessment of the optics of the Trump-Xi visit, and whether their "friendship" means much of anything. The interview discusses the new Chinese concept, "constructive strategic stability," and whether relations between China and the United States have entered into a new phase. It closes with a discussion of whether the U.S. and China can cooperate or coordinate on AI safety.

AI is fundamentally changing the classroom, and colleges and universities are struggling to police AI use and preserve academic integrity. In this week's Civic Forum interview, host Rory Truex is joined by Jill Dolan, former Dean of the College at Princeton, and Kate Stanton, director of Princeton's McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning. The interview explores: which universities are getting the AI issue right; whether standard assignments, like the final paper, are still viable; and how universities and professors are going to have to adapt to the post-AI society.

Civic Forum with Rory Truex: because democracy needs a pod. More at www.thecivicforum.com