The week's best articles from the Washington Monthly

• Against University Statements: Lara Schwartz, who teaches law and government at the American University School of Public Affairs, urges academic institutions to "do the hard work necessary to shift from statement battles to genuine dialogue." Click here for the full story.

• Mike Johnson Is Not an Upgrade from Kevin McCarthy: Politics Editor Bill Scher's analysis of the final act of the sorry House speaker drama, and why, if you squint, you can find glimmers of hope. Click here for the full story.

• Conspiracy Theories Have Helped Republicans—But They Can Doom Them, Too: Contributing Writer David Atkins argues that the "conspiratorial fantasies" of the GOP base may prompt some of them to abandon Donald Trump for an even crazier choice: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Click here for the full story.

• Other Elections You'll Want to Follow: Joshua A. Douglas, the University of Kentucky law professor, spotlights the many election reform referendums on state and local ballots designed to strengthen, and weaken, democracy. Click here for the full story.

• How America Bungled the Pandemic: Merrill Goozner, from the healthcare newsletter GoozNews, reviews the new book The Big Fail by Joe Nocera and Bethany McLean. Click here for the full story.

Also, check out this week's Washington Monthly newsletters discussing "why Republicans can't fix themselves" and why "we need more red flag laws.”

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