On May 26, BigTentUSA hosted a virtual conversation with North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton and North Carolina Supreme Court Justices Anita Earls and Allison Riggs on the political and legal battles shaping North Carolina’s future. The speakers discussed ongoing challenges facing election officials and voting rights advocates as court fights over redistricting, election […]
On Tuesday, June 2, truth, accountability, and the future of American democracy took center stage in BigTentUSA’s conversation with Andrew Weissmann–MS NOW legal analyst and veteran federal prosecutor. Moderated by Reed Galen of The Union, Weissmann discussed themes from his new book Liar’s Kingdom: How to Stop Trump’s Deceit and Save America, arguing that the […]
Democracy works best when everyone can participate—and that starts with making sure every eligible voter can cast a ballot. At this BigTentUSA TentTalk held on June 9, VoteRiders’ Sylvester Johnson III joined activist and organizer Jessica Craven for a practical conversation about one of the biggest barriers to voting: voter ID requirements. Johnson explained that […]
On Thursday, June 11, our Spotlight Speaker event centered on COURIER Newsroom’s ongoing reporting into Jeffrey Epstein’s network and the launch of an AI-powered database designed to make thousands of pages of public records more accessible to journalists, researchers, advocates, and the public. COURIER Journalist Camaron Stevenson and CEO of Thorian AI, Josh Levine, demonstrated […]
How much inequality can a democracy withstand before citizens push back? That was the central question explored in BigTentUSA’s conversation on June 17 with New Yorker staff writer and author Evan Osnos, moderated by Ed Luce, Financial Times US National Editor. Drawing from his latest reporting and book The Haves and the Have-Yachts, Osnos examined […]
Alaska is proving that politics doesn't have to be a zero-sum game. In a lively BigTentUSA conversation held on June 25, independent congressional candidate Bill Hill and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins shared how Alaska’s unique political culture is creating space for practical leadership, coalition-building, and solutions that put people ahead of party. They discussed […]
The Supreme Court is reshaping the balance of power in America—and understanding what comes next has never been more important. On Monday, June 29, in this timely BigTentUSA conversation, Michael Waldman, President and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice, joined Boston Globe journalist Kimberly Atkins Stohr to unpack the Court's most consequential rulings of […]
On Thursday, July 9, moderator and founder of News Not Noise, Jessica Yellin, and psychologist Mary Trump joined BigTentUSA live on Substack to examine how President Donald Trump's psychological, cognitive, and emotional decline could shape both his presidency and the country's future. Mary argued that decades of untreated psychiatric issues, combined with aging and mounting […]
On Wednesday, July 15, The Bulwark’s Will Sommer and Sarah Longwell, joined BigTentUSA to discuss Longwell’s new book, “How to Eat An Elephant.” Longwell, a former member of the Republican Party, and now a leading voice in the Anti-MAGA movement, discussed the importance of engaging with voters of any party to develop a reform plan […]
Alaska’s future is on the ballot—and this conversation made clear that the stakes extend far beyond the Last Frontier. On Monday, July 27, in a wide-ranging discussion moderated by independent journalist Rebecca Nagle, Senate candidate Mary Peltola and congressional candidate Bill Hill outlined a vision centered on putting Alaskans ahead of partisan politics. Both emphasized […]
Congress can’t solve America’s biggest challenges if it’s stuck—and this conversation explored why, and what it will take to move forward. On August 5, Dr. Maya Kornberg, Senior Research Fellow at The Brennan Center for Justice and author of STUCK: How Money, Media, and Violence Prevent Change in Congress, and Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14), examined […]
Democracy won’t be saved by outrage alone—it will be saved by people who turn anger into organized, sustained action. In this August 10 BigTentUSA Substack Live, The Lincoln Project's Rick Wilson and The Existentialist Republic's Christopher Armitage argued that the fight ahead requires moving from emotional reaction to practical, repeatable civic engagement. Wilson emphasized the […]
Democracy doesn’t defend itself—people do. At BigTentUSA’s August 12 workshop, BigTentUSA’s Voter Engagement Coordinator Samantha Cohen kicked off the conversation by sharing how BigTent’s 2026 letter-writing campaign is mobilizing members to reach voters directly. Cohen explained the difference between VoteRiders' voter ID outreach and Vote Forward’s turnout efforts, walked participants through requesting and mailing letters, […]
Local journalism is too important to lose—and it needs a new playbook. On August 18, Chicago Public Media CEO and Vox co-founder Melissa Bell and New York Times columnist and fellow Vox co-founder Ezra Klein explored what it will take to rebuild local news and restore trust in our communities. They discussed how the collapse […]
Young people don’t need to be told to care about democracy—they need meaningful opportunities to shape it. In this August 20 conversation, Laura Brill, founder and CEO of The Civics Center, and Ben Sheehan, executive producer and host of Civics Made Easy, discussed how student-led voter registration drives can close youth registration gaps and build […]
How did we get here—and what can we do about it? On Tuesday, September 1, in a wide-ranging conversation, Anthony Scaramucci, author of “All the Wrong Moves: How Three Catastrophic Decisions Led to the Rise of Trump,” and Reed Galen, President of The Union and co-founder of The Lincoln Project, examined the economic and political […]
Democracy starts with showing up—and it starts with being vote ready. With Election Day just weeks away, BigTentUSA welcomed Chyann Sapp organizer of National Voter Registration Day on September 10, for a timely conversation on turning voter registration into meaningful civic action. Chyann highlighted the importance of not only registering for the first time, but […]
Civics is not a spectator sport—it is the operating system of democracy. In a timely Big Tent USA conversation held on September 17, moderator John Avlon joined iCivics CEO Louise Dubé and Citizen University CEO Eric Liu to make the case for rebuilding civic learning as a source of democratic resilience. They defined civics as […]
Service doesn’t stop when the uniform comes off. At BigTentUSA’s September 30 conversation with women veterans running for Congress, Rebecca Bennett, Cait Conley, and Nancy Lacore joined moderator Janessa Goldbeck of VoteVets to make the case for leadership grounded in duty, accountability, and country over party. Drawing on their military careers, the candidates emphasized decisive […]
Democracy needs defenders. Step up. At BigTentUSA’s October 7 conversation, Rep. Jim Himes (D, CT-04) and Protect Democracy’s Ian Bassin joined moderator Dr. Kareem Crayton of The Brennan Center for Justice, to examine threats to the midterms and how Americans can respond. Bassin outlined three tactics to watch: deceive, disrupt, and deny. Their strongest antidotes: […]
In BigTentUSA’s October 13 livestream with Jessica Tarlov and moderator Rachel Janfaza, the duo unpacked how healthy disagreement can become a practical skill anyone can build. Drawing from her book, “I Disagree: Winning Arguments Without Losing Friends”, Tarlov urged viewers to lead with a “soft start,” use humor to lower defenses, and listen more than […]
At BigTentUSA’s October 19 TentTalk, Jackie Payne, Founder and Executive Director of Galvanize Action, joined to explore what moderate women want heading into the midterms. Drawing on research focused on moderate white women, Payne highlighted affordability, healthcare costs, and frustration with corruption as powerful concerns. These voters want honest leaders who respect the rule of […]
At BigTentUSA’s October 21 launch of the Words, Power & Politics series, historian Heather Cox Richardson and moderator Aaron Parnas connected today’s democratic threats to history’s struggles over power. They examined how propaganda distorts political language, oligarchic wealth undermines democratic government, and partisan loyalty weakens constitutional checks on presidential authority. Their message: Americans still have […]
Join BigTentUSA on Friday, October 23, at 12pm ET, for a special TentTalk with Nathaniel Stinnett, Founder and Executive Director of the Environmental Voter Project (EVP), a nonprofit dedicated to increasing voter participation among environmentalists. Nathaniel will introduce EVP's mission and explain how the organization uses data and behavioral science to encourage environmentalists to vote. […]
What’s the deal with data centers? What does it mean for communities caught in the middle? Join BigTentUSA on Monday, October 26 at 7pm ET for a powerful livestream conversation with Congressional candidate Justin Early (D, TX-31), author and founder of Third Act Bill McKibben, and Jess Piper, executive director of Blue Missouri, to discuss […]
