Podcast Summary: Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams

Episode: The Republican War on Knowledge

Date: October 9, 2025
Host: Stacey Abrams
Guest: Adam Serwer (Senior writer at The Atlantic, Author of The Cruelty Is the Point)

Episode Overview

This episode explores the escalating "war on knowledge" being waged by the Republican Party, particularly under and since Donald Trump. Stacey Abrams and Adam Serwer discuss ongoing efforts to undermine factual information, educational institutions, science, history, and civil rights protections—laying out how these actions fit traditional steps toward authoritarianism. The conversation also centers on the real-life implications for democracy, societal progress, and individual Americans, and offers strategies for resistance.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Framing the Issue: Knowledge as Power (00:50–05:10)

• Stacey Abrams opens with the idea that knowledge is foundational for democracy and action.
  • “Knowledge relies on a common understanding of what is true… they have worked to subvert that common understanding.” (02:40, A)
• She outlines how current Republican tactics—removing climate data, censoring museum exhibits, halting scientific studies—represent an all-out assault on “truth” and knowledge-generating institutions.

2. The Escalating Attack on Science, Education, and History (05:13–14:15)

• Adam Serwer details recent examples, including:
  • Cuts or withdrawals of grants for medical, climate, and humanities research deemed “politically incorrect.”
  • Purging museums and textbooks of references to racism and slavery.
  • Undermining inspector general offices, thereby reducing oversight and enabling corruption.
  • Attacking academic freedom (e.g., through comparisons to Soviet Lysenkoism, where only party-approved views were permitted).
• Quote: “They simply do not believe that people should be allowed to pursue lines of inquiry or express views that they find objectionable. And that extends to scientists…” (09:12, B)

3. The Theft of History and Its Dangers (10:14–14:15)

• Serwer explains why erasing history and factual context is hazardous:
  • Obscuring the ongoing legacy of racism makes present-day inequality seem “natural” and unchangeable.
  • The framing serves what Serwer describes as “America fandom”—loving an idea of the nation that never truly existed.
• Quote: “This attack on history is really an attempt to make the inequalities of the present illegible.” (12:30, B)

4. Knowledge Manipulation as a Tool of Autocracy (14:15–21:49)

• Abrams connects these actions to her “10 Steps campaign” for recognizing creeping authoritarianism, particularly steps involving gutting government and attacking truth.
• Serwer paints a longer-term picture:
  • Authoritarian states retain democratic facades but hollow out actual accountability and information.
  • There is a strategy to control higher education and media, reshape what is taught and reported, and ensure long-term dominance—even amid population and demographic shifts.
• Quote: “This is a kind of theft from the public... It’s going to prevent people from learning the truth about their own history and forming their own conclusions.” (19:50, B)

5. Attacks on DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) Initiatives (21:49–29:31)

• Abrams and Serwer analyze how anti-DEI measures are central to authoritarian strategy:
  • Canceling NIH grants for projects on minority groups, banning AI models from being trained with DEI content, and targeting civil rights law.
  • DEI attacks are mischaracterized as opposition to “annoying workplace training,” when the real goal is dismantling enforcement of nondiscrimination.
  • The dismantling of DEI particularly harms Black federal workers and broader workplace diversity.
• Quote: “What they're really going after is enforcement of civil rights law, enforcement of non-discrimination law. What they're saying is you should be able to discriminate because some people are better than others.” (23:55, B)

6. Responding to the Attacks: Historical Context and Civic Action (29:31–34:16)

• Demographic changes do not guarantee political shifts ("great replacement" theory is a myth).
• "Read books about American history," Serwer recommends, to understand that American illiberalism and authoritarian tactics are not new.
• U.S. democracy has always required active defense; authoritarianism is often disguised as “defense of democracy.”
• Quote: “America has only been a true multiracial democracy since 1965… including this sort of attempted authoritarian takeover by a man whose rise… stemmed from his questioning of the citizenship of the first Black president.” (33:31, B)

7. The Practical Impact: Government Knowledge and Daily Life (34:16–40:09)

• Abrams and Serwer explore how attacks on statistical agencies (e.g., Bureau of Labor Statistics), censorship, and installing loyalists result in unreliable economic and public health information.
  • The government’s role in producing knowledge (such as labor statistics used for Social Security adjustments) is vital.
• Quote: “Firms cannot make sensible economic decisions in a climate where the government is putting out economic propaganda.” (36:54, B)
• The harm includes resurgence of diseases due to anti-vaxx misinformation, economic uncertainty, and a broader erosion of trust in all facts.

8. Cynicism, Manipulation, and the Erosion of Reality (40:09–43:56)

• The deeper goal: sowing cynicism so profound that the public cannot agree on basic facts—a situation where manipulation flourishes.
  • Serwer: “That kind of sort of blanket, all-purpose cynicism makes you susceptible to being manipulated, even though it's supposed to be a protection against that kind of manipulation…” (42:51, B)

9. Long-Term Outlook and Hopeful Resistance (43:56–46:38)

• The threat is not just Trump, but the broader institutionalization of these tactics in the Republican Party.
• Serwer warns eternal vigilance is required, but history shows authoritarian projects can and do end when enough people push back.
  • Quote: “Democratic self-determination is something that every generation has to preserve… If you get complacent...you can lose that freedom.” (45:00, B)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Stacey Abrams: “Knowledge relies on a common understanding of what is true... they come after knowledge because it’s precisely what authoritarians fear the most. An informed public...” (02:40, A)
• Adam Serwer: “The attack is so incredibly broad, it even extends to knowledge that the government has about itself…” (07:00, B)
• Serwer, on DEI: “They’re talking about the Civil Rights Act, they’re talking about the Voting Rights Act, they’re talking about equality for… people of color, for men and women, for people who have disabilities… Their view is simply that they should be allowed to discriminate because some people are better than others…” (28:55, B)
• Abrams (on resistance): “If our values are aligned and our intentions are aligned, we can get to agreement eventually.” (47:43, A)

Important Timestamps

• Knowledge as Power/Introduction: 00:50–05:10
• Escalating Attacks on Knowledge: 05:13–14:15
• The Theft of History: 10:14–14:15
• Autocracy and Knowledge Manipulation: 14:15–21:49
• The DEI Battleground: 21:49–29:31
• Historical Context for Resistance: 29:31–34:16
• Practical Implications for Americans: 34:16–40:09
• Cynicism/Manipulation: 40:09–43:56
• Hopeful Outlook/Role of Civic Action: 43:56–46:38

Actionable Takeaways & Toolkit (47:43 onward)

• Be Curious: Read The Cruelty Is the Point, explore Adam Serwer’s writing and American history for context.
• Solve Problems: Attend local school board meetings to defend education, support alternate learning spaces, seek reputable sources on history.
• Do Good: Support local food banks (visit feedingamerica.org) in light of increasing food insecurity due to government policies.

Concluding Thoughts

Serwer and Abrams emphasize that the attack on knowledge is both a symptom and a tool of rising authoritarianism. Defending “the truth” requires both institutional vigilance and everyday civic engagement. The episode encourages listeners to educate themselves, join local action, and resist the normalization of factless cynicism.