For many of you, this year's Independence Day might have felt a little different, a bit out of sorts, almost like peering through the proverbial looking glass, as if we're honoring something that once was. And in a way, we are. This year, the holiday arrived at at a precarious moment for our democracy. As Donald Trump continues to take a wrecking ball to the very institutions built to protect our democracy. Commenting on this state of affairs, a friend of the show, Dean Oadala, shared this observation yeste ...

[Music] thank you today I'm going to tell you that what most people think about democracy is wrong the prevailing folk theory of democracy goes something like this in a democracy the people are always right the majority determines what's right and wrong and politicians should always just carry out the will of the people and I think we've all been brought up with this very simplistic notion about how our democracy is supposed to work um and the problem it's not true we're about to discuss whether democracies ...

As we prepare to celebrate our country's 249th birthday, we are getting new insight into what Americans think about where the country stands. A new NPR PBS News mayor's poll found 34 of Americans feel that democracy is under serious threat and see politically motivated violence as a major problem. So, who better to talk about this moment in time than presidential historian John Meechum.He wrote a new introduction to Random Houses's volume of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. So, John, um ...

But it carries costs for the rule of law https://t.co/stpZg50i0c ...

It's stunning that 70% of your colleagues like we walking with we just out the door, right? How did that manifest itself uh what you just described this this this lack of interest in enforcing the civil rights laws of of the country uh the lack of interest in standing in between the pillars of the rule of law that touches on every aspect of our lives. How did they do that? What did they say? It is basically like you would bring a case or a matter and they go no we're not doing that or they just tell you dir ...

this is a win and putting a limit on these nationwide injunctions. What I've seen does look like a victory for the Trump administration. It is just the idea of this uh power of the executive branch that really is an issue here.This is the ballgame for President Trump's agenda because we know more than any modern president, he loves to govern through executive action. The big news coming in there. Now, President Trump has faced many court losses and setbacks among judges, district court judges, appeals court ...

Big news from the Supreme Court on birthright citizenship. It's a ton of legal discussion. But here's what you need to know. Two things. First, you should know it's not a decision on the merits of birthright citizenship under the 14th amendment, but it is a real restriction on the power of lower courts. And second, and relatedly, Justice Katanji Brown Jackson had strong words calling it quote anathema to the rule of law. Why? because in her reasoning, this decision effectively divides America into two zones ...

Democrats in Congress are slamming the Supreme Court's ruling in the birthright citizenship case. Our next guest, Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin, wrote on X, "Eager to sue Trump's wounded ego, the Supreme Court ended nationwide injunctions. Trump is crowing, but this is this just means we'll take our smashing wins in four district courts and turn them into wins in 94 district courts. People born here are citizens, period." Ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, Congressman Jamie Rascin joins ...

The last word with Lawrence O'Donnell starts right now. Jen, I am in the middle of uh Judge Charles Briar's opinion uh that is a total victory for Gavin Newsome as we heard uh the governor uh telling us uh during your hour and of course you've reported that the Trump administration is already appealing this. Uh but as you read it, as you get through it, it it's very hard to find any space for appeal uh in this decision. And of course, we will also be covering the breaking news uh from Israel tonight about t ...

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