Episode description

The Washington Roundtable discusses how people in D.C. and across the country are preparing themselves for Donald Trump’s second Presidency, and what tools citizens have to protect their rights and push back on abuses of power. The American Civil Liberties Union has called attention to the strategies of litigation, legislation, and mobilization—strategies that are proven to work. David Cole, a former legal director of the A.C.L.U. and a professor of law and public policy at Georgetown University, joins Susan B. Glasser, Jane Mayer, and Evan Osnos to discuss the checks and balances that exist as guardrails in government and civil society, and how those may be utilized in the coming four years.

This week’s reading:

• “What Could Stop Him?,” by David Cole (The New York Review of Books)
• “The Explosion of Matt Gaetz and Other Early Lessons in Trump 2.0,” by Susan B. Glasser
• “Donald Trump’s Administration Hopefuls Descend on Mar-a-Lago,” by Antonia Hitchens
• “The Pain Creating a New Coalition for Trump,” by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
• “The Technology the Trump Administration Could Use to Hack Your Phone,” by Ronan Farrow
• “Donald Trump’s U.F.C. Victory Party,” by Sam Eagan
• “Understanding Latino Support for Donald Trump,” by Geraldo Cadava 

To discover more podcasts from The New Yorker, visit newyorker.com/podcasts. To send in feedback on this episode, write to themail@newyorker.com with “The Political Scene” in the subject line.