On the first day of his second term, President Trump issued an executive order purporting to strip U.S. citizenship from the children of undocumented immigrants. The order directly conflicts with the plain language of the 14th Amendment, which states that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” And it defies more than a century of case law.

The executive order was met with a wave of court rulings blocking its enforcement, and the Supreme Court has already heard arguments on the issue. What historical currents led to the ratification of the amendment’s Citizenship Clause? How did courts interpret its guarantees in the decades following? And how do today’s attacks on birthright citizenship relate to historical attempts to deny citizenship to people born and living in the United States?

Speakers:

• Kate Masur, Professor of History, Northwestern University
• Martha Jones, Professor of History, Johns Hopkins University
• Erika Lee, Bae Family Professor of History, Radcliffe Alumnae Professor, Harvard University
• Thomas Wolf, Director of Democracy Initiatives, Founder of Historians Council on the Constitution, Brennan Center
• Moderator: Kareem Crayton, Vice President for Washington, DC, Brennan Center

Recorded on June 11, 2025.

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In the first 100 days of his second term, President Trump issued more than 100 executive orders aimed at changing policy through executive authority alone.

But has this flurry of orders led to meaningful change? Despite Trump’s sweeping executive actions — ranging from imposing global tariffs and targeting major law firms to declaring an emergency at the southern border and attempting to end birthright citizenship — judges appointed from both parties are pushing back. Already, 46 challenges to executive orders are pending in court, with no clear victories for the administration in any of them.

Listen to a recording of a conversation with our experts as they discuss what these three months have made clear about this administration’s priorities, how the courts are responding, and what might lie ahead.

Speakers:

• Elizabeth Goitein, Senior Director of the Brennan Center’s Liberty and National Security Program

• Michael Waldman, President and CEO of the Brennan Center

• Max Boot, Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow for National Security Studies, Council on Foreign Relations

• Andrew Rudalevige, Thomas Brackett Reed Professor of Government at Bowdoin College

• And moderator Kareem Crayton, the Brennan Center’s Vice President for Washington DC

  
  

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Recorded on April 30, 2025.

Keep up with the Brennan Center’s work by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, The Briefing: https://brennancenter.org/briefing

On the day President Trump took office, he revoked the Biden administration’s executive order that imposed guardrails on the development and use of artificial intelligence technology. Since then, Vice President JD Vance and DOGE have pushed to integrate AI into critical government functions.

But government use of AI raises important questions about data privacy and democratic integrity. Will the adoption of AI truly benefit Americans? How can we trust this process given the unprecedented role of tech billionaires in the new administration? And what might come next?

Listen to the recording of a conversation with a leading technology journalist, former government AI leaders, and Brennan Center experts as they discuss the potential consequences and future of AI in the federal government.

Speakers:

• Vittoria Elliott, Platforms and Power Reporter, Wired
• Faiza Patel, Senior Director, Brennan Center Liberty and National Security Program
• Suresh Venkatasubramanian, Professor of Data Science and Computer Science, Brown University
• Moderator: Kareem Crayton, Vice President of Washington, DC, Brennan Center

If you enjoy this program, please give us a boost by liking, subscribing, and sharing with your friends. If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts, please give it a 5-star rating.

Recorded on April 2, 2025.
Keep up with the Brennan Center’s work by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, The Briefing: https://go.brennancenter.org/briefing