Ruth Ben-Ghiat and Jen Rubin on the tactics of authoritarian regimes

As the Trump-Musk regime attacks academic institutions, law firms, and “DEI” (whatever that means), Jen Rubin interviews Ruth Ben-Ghiat to help unravel the mechanisms of authoritarian regimes.

Ruth Ben-Ghiat is a Professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University. She writes about fascism, authoritarianism, propaganda, and democracy protection. She is the recipient of Guggenheim and other fellowships, an advisor to Protect Democracy, and an MSNBC opinion columnist. She appears frequently on CNN, MSNBC, PBS, and other networks. She has been a consultant on historical feature and documentary films and advises governments and corporations (including the U.S. House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol) on autocrats and authoritarian parties and the threats to democracy they pose. Please be sure to support Ruth on her own page, Lucid.