What the Midterms Mean for Politics, Our Democracy, and Disagreeing Well

The USC Open Dialogue Project invites you to join USC President Beong-Soo Kim in conversation with New York Times opinion writers Frank Bruni and Bret Stephens for a timely post-midterm discussion. They will begin with what the election reveals about the country and the policy choices ahead. President Kim will also lead a broader conversation about the health of American democracy: whether persuasion across differences remains possible, what role universities should play in fostering open inquiry, and whether the media can recover public trust without retreating from truth. Drawing on the spirit of their New York Times dialogue, The Conversation, Bruni and Stephens will model candid, civil, and intellectually serious engagement across genuine differences of viewpoint-and consider what citizens and institutions owe one another in a divided country. The conversation will be followed by questions from the audience. Hosted by the USC Open Dialogue project in collaboration with the USC Price School of Public Policy.