Coming up on Connections: Tuesday, February 23

First hour: How do conspiracy theories take shape?

Second hour: Discussing federal plans to support children and families

Americans who believe in the QAnon conspiracies are expecting Donald Trump to be reinaugurated on March 4th, following the collapse of the conspiracy that Trump had arrested Joe Biden prior to January 20th. Why do these beliefs persist? And how do you interact with loved ones who go down this path? A team of researchers has been working on a framework for understanding Q and conspiracy beliefs in general. They’ve identified some common aspects that tend to foment this type of thinking. Our guests:

• Joanne Miller, professor of political science and international relations at the University of Delaware
• Christina Farhart, professor of political science at Carleton College

Then in our second hour, the two leading plans in Washington to support children and families come from President Biden and… Mitt Romney? It’s true – the Republican Senator has released his own plan to boost financial support for children, leading some in his own party to call it “welfare expansion.” So how would these plans work? Who is eligible? How long would support last? Our guests explain:

• Pete Nabozny, director of policy for The Children’s Agenda
• Jessica Fleming, single mother of two
• Deondra Dukes, leader in the Rochester/Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative community cohort

*** This article has been archived for your research. The original version from WXXI News can be found here ***