it is worth noting here that in 1860 and 1861, ultimately 11 states, including notably georgia opted to leave the union in order to maintain their practice of slavery. they were then defeated on the battlefield and rightly so. fast forward, the entire civil war, and 200 american years, we moved on from that dangerous craziness. yet, lo and behold here is another georgian who in the name of hate, bigotry, and extremism wants to break up our great nation. joining me now is barbara walter, author of how civil wars start, and how to stop them. and catherine stewart, author of the power worshippers inside the dangerous rise of religious nationalism. thank you both for joining me tonight. catherine, let me start with you. no rational person thinks marjorie taylor greene thinks national divorce is about to come about anytime soon, at least. but they still must be a reason why she is talking about it, what do you believe the political incentives here? who is she targeting with her message?
those at the capitol and how conspiracy theorist alex jones amplified trump s big lie, relentlessly promoting trump s wild protest, and shaping the planning for january 6th behind the scenes now, this is on president biden s radar. in a private meeting, hoistorian encouraging biden to forcefully confront extremism and prevent it from seeping into the mainstream joining me now, katherine stewart, the new york times contributor and author of the power worshippers also with me, malcolm nance, former counterterrorism and intelligence officer for the united states special operations both of you, thank you so much for joining us tonight katherine, i m going to start with you let s start with today s news we just mentioned in the intro, the coleader to kidnap the michigan governor and to blow up a bridge as a part of that plot, just got sentenced to several years from
Katherine Stewart is an investigative reporter and author whose work focuses on issues around religious liberty, politics, policy, and education. Her work appears in the New York Times op ed, on NBC, in the New Republic, and in the New York Review of Books. In her latest book, "The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism" Stewart lays out how the Religious Right in the United States has portrayed itself as a social movement focusing on cultural issues, but is actually a well-organized political movement that has evolved into a Christian nationalist movement that seeks to gain political power and to impose its vision on all of society.
richard benjamin, author of searching for a white topeka, and improbable journey to the heart of white america. also with us, catherine stewart, nor times contributor and author of the power worshippers inside the dangers rise of religious naturalism. it s great to have you both with us. i ll start with you. stewart rhodes the first person to be found guilty of seditious conspiracy in decades. just that charge a significant. talk to us about the importance of this conviction. great to be here. it s very important, because that s the most serious charge. with the most serious penalty consequences for any of the january six insurrectionists who have been acquitted and so hopefully sends a signal to the legal system in the republican party just the degree and depth to the evidence that has been collected and the consequences will be had for the