In a recent pulse-check on the health of our democracy by Bright Line Watch, hundreds of scholars warned that the U.S. is heading swiftly toward authoritarianism. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a professor of history at New York University who specializes in the subject, explains how we got here.

Plus, setbacks for Trump in court, pregnant people in states with abortion bans are almost twice as likely to die during pregnancy or soon after giving birth, and the hidden costs of being polite to a chatbot.

Today’s episode was hosted by Shumita Basu.