Crash Course: It's a massive election year around the world too — and democracy may be losing

Nearly half the world is holding elections this year — but a new report suggests democracy is in big trouble Your daily update from [Salon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRn_jxNP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvZDd5eDJqbnJtdy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXlka255YXhobTImbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZhBNtxtmYZsUFVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). ~/AASU4wA~/RgRn_jxNP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvenB3N2RnaG8wbS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXlka255YXhobTJXA3NwY0IKZhBNtxtmYZsUFVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo~/AASU4wA~/RgRn_jxNP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsveGkwencwOTByMy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXlka255YXhobTJXA3NwY0IKZhBNtxtmYZsUFVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo~/AASU4wA~/RgRn_jxNP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvYjQ1djdyYmFwNC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXlka255YXhobTJXA3NwY0IKZhBNtxtmYZsUFVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo~/AASU4wA~/RgRn_jxNP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvZ2RtYnJxdmQwMS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXlka255YXhobTJXA3NwY0IKZhBNtxtmYZsUFVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo~/AASU4wA~/RgRn_jxNP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvMWFpNjdybXd4dS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXlka255YXhobTJXA3NwY0IKZhBNtxtmYZsUFVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo It's a massive election year around the world too — and democracy may be losing While the U.S. persists in depicting itself as the global avatar of democracy, its support for Israel’s war in Gaza puts it at odds with the vast majority of the world, and undermines support for the war effort in Ukraine as well as the case for democracy more broadly. While our collective ability to make sense of autocratization and democratization continues to advance, the questions keep piling up even faster. As you may have noticed, we live in a time of chaotic flux. [Read more](~/AASU4wA~/RgRn_jxNP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvaDJ4N2c1ZnB5ci8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXlka255YXhobTImbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZhBNtxtmYZsUFVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). ~/AASU4wA~/RgRn_jxNP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsva2t0a2ZkN2QyZS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXlka255YXhobTJXA3NwY0IKZhBNtxtmYZsUFVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo~/AASU4wA~/RgRn_jxNP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvYWptdXNjMzFsZS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXlka255YXhobTJXA3NwY0IKZhBNtxtmYZsUFVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo~/AASU4wA~/RgRn_jxNP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvb3Awd2pidTA5bi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXlka255YXhobTJXA3NwY0IKZhBNtxtmYZsUFVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo~/AASU4wA~/RgRn_jxNP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvNzZhaXlieWxqNC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXlka255YXhobTJXA3NwY0IKZhBNtxtmYZsUFVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo "Key player": Legal scholar says Hope Hicks' hush-money testimony could be "devastating" for Trump Last year, Hicks met for several hours with prosecutors in the Manhattan district attorney's office, according to [NBC News](~/AASU4wA~/RgRn_jxNP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvYjNkaTVkMmE3Mi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXlka255YXhobTJXA3NwY0IKZhBNtxtmYZsUFVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). They allege the former president falsified business records around a hush-money payment the former president's then-lawyer Michael Cohen made to adult film start Stormy Daniels near the end of his 2016 presidential campaign. Hicks served as Trump's campaign press secretary at that time, and because of her position as one of Trump's most trusted aides, her testimony at the criminal trial, which begins jury selection Monday, could be "devastating" for him, Bennett Gershman, a Pace University law professor and former New York prosecutor, told Salon. [Read more](~/AASU4wA~/RgRn_jxNP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvNm1qczJmY3p2aC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXlka255YXhobTImbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZhBNtxtmYZsUFVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). 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Up Next ... - Biden cuts trip short to return to White House after [Iran launches drone attack against Israel](~/AASU4wA~/RgRn_jxNP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvOGI2amYxZ3R1dS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXlka255YXhobTImbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZhBNtxtmYZsUFVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - [Michael Cohen calls Trump a "petulant man child"](~/AASU4wA~/RgRn_jxNP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvNG95ZW43M3Flay8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXlka255YXhobTImbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZhBNtxtmYZsUFVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) in response to Truth Social attack - [Reese Witherspoon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRn_jxNP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvcnViMWkxdjl1aS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXlka255YXhobTImbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZhBNtxtmYZsUFVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) wonders if streaming platforms are making it harder to become a star - [How to balance sweet and savory](~/AASU4wA~/RgRn_jxNP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvdmZpc3VjYWE4Zy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXlka255YXhobTImbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZhBNtxtmYZsUFVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) like a "Top Chef" - All the reasons why ["Game of Thrones" villain Joffrey Baratheon deserved his "Purple Wedding"](~/AASU4wA~/RgRn_jxNP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvNDE2OThtOWMydi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXlka255YXhobTImbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZhBNtxtmYZsUFVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - Why [America’s plutocrats](~/AASU4wA~/RgRn_jxNP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvbWQ1cjZzeXRhNS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXlka255YXhobTImbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZhBNtxtmYZsUFVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) are lining up to pay Trump's legal bills - After Florida and Arizona abortion bans, [some abortion funds are being pushed to the brink](~/AASU4wA~/RgRn_jxNP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvcmN1aWNtMXZ3ei8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXlka255YXhobTImbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZhBNtxtmYZsUFVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) Before you go ... The rise and fall of O.J. Simpson, as seen on TV From Melanie McFarland: As Simpson's renown grew, he insulated himself more and more deeply in whiteness, as "Made in America" put forth. [The Kardashians are stars and billionaires](~/AASU4wA~/RgRn_jxNP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvc2tobjF3anpwai8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXlka255YXhobTImbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZhBNtxtmYZsUFVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) today, in part because their father, the late Robert Kardashian, was Simpson’s best friend and served on his legal team, one of the many white celebrities who rallied around Simpson following his 1994 arrest. [Read more](~/AASU4wA~/RgRn_jxNP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvMGE0Z3RyeDRtYy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXlka255YXhobTImbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZhBNtxtmYZsUFVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). 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