Aspiring tyrants have long used disaster and terror to consolidate power and limit freedom. Hitler used the Reichstag fire to suspend the basic rights of all German citizens; more recently, Putin used the bombing of buildings in Russian cities to attack Russia's Muslim people in Chechnya.
Is Donald Trump following in the footsteps of tyrants before him by creating an enemy that will scare us into submission?
Also this hour: Global health is a national security issue that depends on the world's ability to detect emerging threats. There is a good chance president Trump will need to confront an infectious disease during his term that will require a rapid and coordinated response. With many of the senior positions to handle a crisis unfilled and no clear prioritization for preparedness and response, is America prepared to handle a pandemic outbreak?
GUESTS:
- Timothy Snyder - Professor of History at Yale University and the author of On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century.
- Lena Sun- Reports on health for the Washington Post
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Colin McEnroe and Jonathan McNicol contributed to this show.