According to a Washington Post analysis, from 2021 to 2023, states passed 70 laws restricting education about race, sex and gender. In the four years before that, states passed zero such restrictions. That change accompanies a wave of criticism of U.S. universities brought forward by politicians like Vice Presidential Nominee JD Vance.

This, hour, we look into what is behind these attacks on education. Yale philosophy professor Jason Stanley's latest book is called Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future. He argues that restrictions on education parallel the methods of fascist leaders and discusses why some politicians who graduate from selective universities later criticize them.

GUEST:

• Jason Stanley: The Jacob Urowsky Professor of Philosophy at Yale University. His newest book is Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future.

Special thanks to our intern Frankie Devevo.