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How rude! The disappearance of civility

Does it sometimes feel as if our politics has us all backed into ideological corners? Does it seem as if insults and name-calling have taken the place of civil dialogue – that incivility has gone viral? It may not just be manners that seem threatened these days; it may be our very notion of democracy. Martha Teichner talks with New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg, constitutional lawyer Alan Dershowitz and professor Keith Bybee about the courseness of public discourse; and with Ohio Representatives Steve Stivers and Joyce Beatty, about their cross-aisle efforts to increase civility and respect inside and outside of Congress.

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The truth behind conspiracy theories

Human beings are skeptical of coincidence, and think in terms of cause-and-effect, which is why many people are attracted to conspiracy theories to explain seemingly inexplicable events, like the assassination of a U.S. President. Susan Spencer talks with spy novelist Gayle Lynds and psychologist Rob Brotherton about humans' propensity to seek out clandestine, nefarious plots, and with professor Joseph Uscinski, who has studied hundreds of bizarre theories, and who thinks a little dose of conspiracy-thinking actually may be good for democracy.

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