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The Thought Show: Is Democracy Failing in America?

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Is democracy failing in America?

09/02/2017 GMT

Is Democracy Failing in America?

BBC World Service - The Thought Show, Is Democracy Failing in America?

Is democracy failing in America and why has North Carolina been compared with Cuba?

Is democracy failing in America, debunking YouTube rumours, and can the use of torture ever be justified?

In the wake of Donald Trump’s claim that three million people may have voted illegally in last year’s presidential elections, we scrutinise the American electoral system and the work of the Electoral Integrity Project that suggests North Carolina is on a par with Cuba. 

A disturbing rumour’s been trending online recently - of a paedophile ring on YouTube. BBC Trending investigates and debunks another internet myth.

In his first TV interview as US President, Donald Trump claimed that torture “absolutely” works and said the US should “fight fire with fire.” But what evidence is there that torture is an effective method of obtaining valuable intelligence? And, can the use of torture ever be justified? Becky Milligan hears from a former interrogator who worked at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, a former political prisoner who was tortured in the notorious Evin prison in Tehran, and a neuroscientist who has studied the effects of torture on the brain.


(Photo: Americans head to the polls in Charlotte, North Carolina. Credit: Davis Turner/Getty Images)

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