Legislating the culture wars

Next week, the U.S. will co-host the second Summit for Democracy with the governments of Costa Rica, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, and the Republic of Zambia. It’s sorely needed. Especially in America, where one of the loudest voices on the most-watched cable news network is a bullhorn for Vladimir Putin, a former president is promising “death and destruction” if he is indicted for his crimes, and a likely Republican presidential nominee has unusual ideas about what freedom is. Americans are losing faith in their own system of government, egged on by political leaders and pundits who view this sad trend as an opportunity to expand their own power. They exploit ideological differences, anti-government sentiments, conspiracy theories, and misinformation to try to convince us that the real problem is liberal democracy itself. And it’s having its intended effect. Fortunately, the vast majority of Americans still value democratic values and international cooperation. But as long as domestic bad actors use their platforms to whitewash or lend support to foreign aggression and authoritarianism, democracy worldwide will remain in jeopardy. —Melissa Amour, Managing Editor

• Biden, Trudeau united against authoritarian regimes after China-Russia summit —Reuters

• Iranian-suspected drone strike in Syria kills one U.S. worker; U.S. retaliates —NPR

• TikTok's future uncertain after contentious Congressional hearing —The Washington Post

• Santos, Brazilian prosecutors agree to deal in fraud case —The Hill

• School shooter’s parents should stand trial for involuntary manslaughter, appellate court says —CNN

Who’s the boss?

Republicans have long claimed to believe in the primacy of the family over the long arm of the government in managing the upbringing of children. But in a twist of political fate, they’re increasingly using legislation to codify that notion. The problem, according to some critics, is that now they’re overstepping in a way they once accused the left of doing. For every reasonable law, there’s an overreaction that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense and restricts the freedom of others. U.S. House Republicans, once stated believers in local rule, have just passed the Parents Bill of Rights, which would impose new federal rules on school districts. —NBC News

• Arizona. State lawmakers in Arizona are considering a bill that would create a list of books not allowed in public schools. SB1700 would direct the Arizona Department of Education to maintain a list of banned books, including those that are “lewd or sexual, promote gender fluidity or gender pronouns, or groom children into normalizing pedophilia.” The Republican-backed bill passed the Senate on Monday with a 16-12 party-line vote and was sent to the House. —KTAR

• Florida. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is moving to forbid classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in all grades, expanding the controversial law known as “Don’t Say Gay.” The initial law that DeSantis championed last year bans such lessons in kindergarten through the third grade. The proposal, which would not require legislative approval, is scheduled for a vote next month before the state Board of Education, which is led by a DeSantis appointee. —Associated Press

• Nebraska. Perhaps most sensitive of all, the Nebraska Legislature voted yesterday to advance a bill that would outlaw gender-affirming therapies such as hormone treatments, puberty blockers, and gender reassignment surgery for those 18 and younger. Some lawmakers who opposed the bill broke down in tears and pleaded with their Republican colleagues to reconsider their support, and Omaha Sens. Megan Hunt and Machaela Cavanaugh promised to filibuster every bill that comes before lawmakers for the rest of the 90-day session. —Associated Press

MORE: Private school principal resigns after complaints about ‘pornographic’ Michelangelo statue —NBC News

Schmidt: As always, Trump is wrong on Russia

“A former president of the United States and the leading candidate for the 2024 presidential race of one of our two major political parties is telling us and the world that he sides with Putin over Americans. … It is our own fault if we don’t wake up and recognize this before it is too late. We need to reject the numbness, stop turning against one another, and turn together and repudiate Trump. Our fellow Americans are not the enemy here. Instead, let us, in a bipartisan way, champion democracy. Speak the truth and fight for our democratic values.” —Lynn Schmidt in The Fulcrum

Lynn Schmidt is a syndicated columnist and editorial board member at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

MORE: ‘New Russian hero’ Ron DeSantis gets ironic tribute in new ad —Florida Politics

Did he fool us all again?

Well, kind of. Donald Trump’s prediction of an arrest on Tuesday (or any time this week) didn’t come to pass—nor, so far, have the massive protests he has called for in response. But that doesn’t mean Trump is out of trouble. Though the Manhattan case concerning hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels remains in limbo, the federal investigation led by prosecutor Jack Smith has received some good news. Judge Beryl Howell rejected the Trump team’s claims of executive privilege for several administration officials, ordering them to testify before a grand jury as part of the criminal investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election. So we can expect to hear from former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, former National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien, and former Department of Homeland Security official Ken Cuccinelli. Stay tuned. —CNN

MORE ON TRUMP:

• Ex-Trump lawyer appears before grand jury as U.S. probes swirl —Reuters

• Manhattan DA rejects GOP demand for info on Trump case —Associated Press

• White powder discovered in Manhattan DA’s office in envelope marked ‘Alvin’ as tension rises over possible Trump charges —New York Daily News

• Trump to hold a campaign rally in Waco, Texas while facing potential criminal charges —USA Today

• Deepfake images of Trump arrest show how disruptive AI can be —The Washington Post

Rogin: Xi and Putin’s fake democracies

“Putin and Xi want to have it both ways; they want to run their systems as dictators while claiming the mantle of democracy in the 21st century. The fact they are pretending shows that they know their actual model is neither popular nor just. Leaders in open societies must ensure that democracy isn’t defined by those who oppose it.” —Josh Rogin in The Washington Post

Josh Rogin is a foreign policy and national security columnist for The Washington Post, a political analyst for CNN, and the author of “Chaos Under Heaven: Trump, Xi, and the Battle for the 21st Century.”

MORE: Rafael Behr: Western democracy is weaker in this new cold war than it was in the first one —The Guardian

SD gov just says Noem to election reform

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is decidedly not on board the election reform train. On Wednesday, she signed 12 election-related bills—among them were bans on absentee ballot drop boxes and ranked-choice voting. “South Dakota’s election laws are built with integrity. We have one of the best election systems in the nation,” Noem said. “With these laws, we will further strengthen our fantastic system and provide accountability for the future.” RCV has gained traction across the country in recent months, as did mail-in voting in 2020. In both cases, some Republicans expressed concerns that the election reforms would threaten election integrity and fairness. However, the use of both has proven largely secure and advantageous in states and municipalities in which they have been practiced. —Keloland.com

MORE: Maine lawmaker introduces bill to get rid of ranked-choice voting —WGME

Finn: What does the data show? RCV works

“[S]tates with Top 2, Top 4 ranked-choice voting (RCV), or statewide RCV were three times less likely to have an election denier win in the 2022 general election compared to states without these reforms in use. Even more encouraging, we found widespread support for these reforms, as nearly 6 in 10 voters nationwide said they would support a reform similar to Top 4 in Alaska in their state. The alarm must not silence in the wake of high-profile election deniers losing this past election cycle, because as the data shows, this is likely just the beginning. The democracy community must band together to disrupt the potential positive side effects of election denial in the campaign process and support reforms that enable moderation and competition.” —Mindy Finn in The Fulcrum

Mindy Finn is the founder and CEO of Citizen Data, a democracy-centric data analytics company. She previously founded Stand Up Republic and served in roles with Sen. Mitt Romney, former President George W. Bush, and Twitter, Inc.

MORE: Could election denialism in a feuding Arizona county upend U.S. democracy? —The Guardian

I read with interest the story about open, nonpartisan primaries, and I like the idea. I would like to see nonpartisan government at all levels. —John C., Florida

When did we lose sight of the fact that the former president had an affair with a porn star? The focus has been on the payment to silence her, which is apparently consistent with the “family values“ of the Republican leadership. Not only is it acceptable to make the payoff, but it’s also okay if it’s obscured with an illegal payment scheme. Apparently, character doesn’t matter. But we knew that. —Jim S., Texas

The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Renew America Foundation.