American Identity & Values - The discussion centers on whether American identity should be based on heritage or values [2] - The core question is whether to redefine American identity based on heritage [2] - The founding fathers rejected the idea of "blood and soil" nationalism, emphasizing equality and values [4] - The Declaration of Independence's principle of equality is a political thesis, not just a slogan [4] Inclusion & Exclusion - Defining American identity solely by agreeing with the Declaration of Independence is both overinclusive and underinclusive [3] - A heritage-based definition of American identity could exclude Mexican-Americans who fought in the US Civil War [2] - A values-based definition could include billions of foreign citizens who agree with the principles of the Declaration of Independence [3] Political Commentary - JD Vance's views are characterized as racist and xenophobic policies [1] - JD Vance's perspective is seen as the opposite of identifying America with the principles of the Declaration of Independence [3] - The speaker asserts that individuals like Alicia and Michael are just as American as JD Vance [5]

RT Bloomberg Opinion (@opinion)No, the US government can't just take away your citizenship@Harvard_Law professor @NoahRFeldman explains why 📽️ https://t.co/BzLcUBmtBl ...

Trump's Justice Department has made stripping citizenship from some naturalized citizens a priority. The legal reality is that once you’ve obtained citizenship, you have a constitutional right to keep it, @NoahRFeldman says (via @opinion) https://t.co/Sb2MuBd9zz ...

Creeping autocracy doesn't just roll onto Main Street with tanks. Though under President Donald Trump, one might argue we're closer to that sort of thing than we'd like to admit. More often, autocracy starts with a list, a government list, then more lists, then bigger lists, and the names on those lists begin to face the full force of the state with blatant disregard for the rule of law and for basic constitutional rights.If you followed our coverage, you know the warning. Autocrats don't go after the avera ...

Political Climate & National Sentiment - A new poll indicates that 34% of Americans believe democracy is under serious threat and view politically motivated violence as a major problem [1] - There is a rising distrust in democracy, with concerns about the rule of law and the Constitution [3] - The nation faces a test of citizenship, questioning the willingness to call issues fairly [4] - Polling suggests that one in five Americans are open to replacing Donald Trump with the king of England [5] Historical & Philosophical Perspectives - The United States is founded on an ideal, not ethnicity [5] - Democracy is hard because it requires participation and responsibility from everyone [6] - Democracy is meant to protect against the rule of the strong [7] - The American experiment requires continuous effort to live up to the declaration that all are created equal [8] Future Outlook - The country may be moving away from its founding ideals [9] - There is optimism that the nation can change course if enough people decide to do the right thing [9]

Government Policy & Legal Landscape - The Justice Department is aggressively pursuing the denaturalization of some naturalized US citizens who commit certain crimes [1] - The department is granting US attorneys wider discretion in pursuing denaturalization cases [1] - This tactic is aimed at US citizens who were not born in the country, representing nearly 25 million immigrants according to 2023 figures [2] - Historically, approximately 11 people per year have been denaturalized [3] - There are concerns about the lack of clear standards for who should be denaturalized, raising the risk of targeting individuals based on vague criteria [4][5] - The vagueness over who now qualifies to lose their citizenship is a real issue [5] Potential Risks & Implications - US attorney's offices may be evaluated on the speed and elacrity with which they pursue these denaturalizations [3] - There's a risk that naturalized citizens who commit minor offenses, might become targets [5]

A new report, meanwhile, reveals the Justice Department is aggressively moving to strip some Americans of their citizenship. NPR reports department leadership is directing its attorneys to pursue denaturalization in cases involving naturalized citizens who commit certain crimes and giving US attorneys wider discretion on when to carry out that move. It's according to a June 11th memo published online.And NPR points out the tactic is aimed at US citizens who were not born in the country. According to 2023 fi ...