As misinformation fuels mistrust, the challenge ahead is restoring shared civic ground. In Part 2 of their conversation, Elisa is joined by Barbara McQuade, Professor at the University of Michigan Law School and former U.S. Attorney, to examine the legal, cultural, and educational solutions that could help strengthen democratic stability. Drawing from Attack from Within, they explore the role of bots on social media, the importance of civic education in schools, the risks of executive overreach, and how lawyers can help lead a less partisan, more principled future.

Barbara McQuade is a Professor from Practice at Michigan Law

References:

McQuade, Barbara. Attack from Within: How Disinformation Is Sabotaging America. Seven Stories Press, 2024.

#SistersinLaw Podcast

NSLT, Ep. 337, Power and Profit: How Lobbying Shaped Washington with Brody Mullins (Part 1)

Buckley v. Valeo

Citizens United v. FEC

Haidt, Jonathan. The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. Penguin Press, 2024.

Koh, Harold Hongju. The National Security Constitution in the Twenty-First Century. Yale University Press, 2024.

Changes in how we share and receive information are reshaping democratic stability. In Part 1 of this two-part episode, Elisa sits down with Barbara McQuade, Professor at the University of Michigan Law School and former U.S. Attorney, to examine how disinformation, digital echo chambers, and the decline of civic infrastructure are reshaping public trust. Drawing from her book, Attack from Within, Barbara explores the long-term effects of polarization, the influence of algorithms, and the role lawyers and lawmakers can play in defending democratic values.

Barbara McQuade is a Professor from Practice at Michigan Law

References:

McQuade, Barbara. Attack from Within: How Disinformation Is Sabotaging America. Seven Stories Press, 2024.

#SistersinLaw Podcast

NSLT, Ep. 229, "Broken News and the Media Rage Machine with Chris Stirewalt"

Minow, Martha. Saving the News: Why the Constitution Calls for Government Action to Preserve Freedom of Speech. Oxford University Press, 2021.

Putnam, Robert D. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. Touchstone Books by Simon & Schuster, 2001.

FISA Section 230

S.2972 - A bill to repeal section 230 of the Communications Act of 1934

A growing number of teenage boys in the U.S. are being targeted by large-scale financial sextortion schemes. This week, Elisa sits down with cybercrime expert Paul Raffile to uncover the scale and tactics behind this global blackmail operation, how social media platforms are enabling it, and what it means for the future of America’s workforce. From loneliness to digital manipulation, they explore how the vulnerabilities of young men today could shape national security readiness tomorrow.

Paul Raffile is a cyber intelligence analyst focused on global cyber threats and transnational organized crime.

References:

Financial Sextortion Backgrounder Raffile, Paul, et al. A Digital Pandemic: Uncovering the Role of ‘Yahoo Boys’ in the Surge of Social Media-Enabled Financial Sextortion Targeting Minors. Network Contagion Research Institute, Jan. 2024.

Haidt, Jonathan. The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. Penguin Press, 2024.

Reeves, Richard V. Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do about It. Brookings Institution Press, 2022.

New Sextortion Data, NCMEC

The Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act

The Take it Down Act

FISA Section 230