Pop Culture Roundup: This Week This Week: Nate Parker's "The Birth of a Nation," Ava DuVernay's "13th," "Hamilton," Shakespeare, the Statue of Liberty, and more!

Why Trump’s tape could destroy the GOP by Heather Cox Richardson The release of the tape may force regular Republican voters to face the reality that the movement conservatives’ demonization of minorities, organized workers, and women who demanded equality was never really about protecting hardworking American families.

Republicans are paying the price for their addiction to their own media by Max Boot This election year is memorable for many reasons but among the most important is showing Republicans the cost of their infatuation with “alternative” news sources.

Know-Nothing Bigot Who Won Big by Gil Troy He trashed immigrants, targeted one religious group, and brought political discourse to a new low.

Does Trump’s Rise Mean Liberalism’s End? by Yuval Noah Harari The story that has ruled our world in the past few decades is what we might call the Liberal Story. It was a simple and attractive tale, but it is now collapsing.

From the “old right” to the alt-right: How the conservative ideology of FDR’s day fueled the rise of Trump by Paul Rosenberg Yes, Donald Trump is a conservative — in some ways, he represents a return to the anti-New Deal right of the 1940s.

Proposed Mexican-American Heritage Textbook Is A Continuation Of The Problem With U.S. History Classes by Doyin Oyeniyi When U.S. history is already whitewashed, a book about Mexican-Americans that relies on stereotypes only does more harm.

Should Democrats Try To Win Over Trump’s Supporters, or Just Move On? by Rick Perlstein A profoundly important debate is dividing the left.

Donald Trump, the Great Embarrassment by Jill Lepore The history of American politics is littered with carnage, but little compares to what’s currently roiling the Republican Party.

How the Heated, Divisive Election of 1800 Was the First Real Test of American Democracy by Sidney Blumenthal A banner from the Smithsonian collections lays out the stakes of Jefferson vs. Adams.

What A Film About Holocaust Denial Can Teach Us About Electing The Next President by Antonia Blumberg Truth can be terrifying. And the strategic denial of truth can be equally so.