From the WHYY in Philadelphia, I'm Terry Gross with Fresh Air Weekend.

Today, how we got to this political era of partisan warfare and dishonesty fueled with

conspiracy theories.

We talk with Washington Post's political columnist Dana Milbank, author of the new book,

The Destructionist, the 25-year crack-up of the Republican Party.

He writes that his aim is to show how the Republicans have been hacking away at the foundations

of democracy and civil society for the past quarter century.

The book begins with Newt Gingrich, who Milbank says, high-enheared savage politics when

he was house speaker in the 90s.

Later, we'll talk with Robin Thede, creator and one of the stars of the HBO comedy series

of Black Lady's sketch show, which is now up for five Emmys.

And film critic Justin Chang will review Emily the Criminal, starring Orbri Plaza.

In his new book, The Destructionist, the 25-year crack-up of the Republican Party, my guest

Dana Milbank writes about how we got to where we are today.

Some members of Congress and some of this year's Republican primary winners are election

deniers that subscribe to conspiracy theories. One of Trump's major lies backed by conspiracy

theories is that the 2020 election was stolen. His attempts to declare himself the winner

led to the insurrection. In May of 2021, a poll by the Public Religion Research Institute

found that 23% of Republicans agree that, quote, the government, media and financial

worlds in the US are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who run a global

child-sex trafficking operation, unquote.

Milbank's book looks back over the past 25 years, tracing the roots of today's political

...