Moderator-in-Chief for @OpenToDebateOrg Author In a Different Key: The Story of Autism, Pulitzer Prize Finalist. 3+ decades @ABC News Correspondent.
Washington DC
- Tweets 67
- Following 885
- Followers 877,699
- Likes 2,427
John Donvan retweeted
A major crypto bill just collapsed in the Senate, but can governments actually stop Bitcoin?
Eric Posner argues regulators will tolerate Bitcoin right up until it threatens the money central banks control, and then every country would move to kill it.
@gilliantett argues governments already have power over Bitcoin. Their crackdowns can drive its price down, and embracing blockchain technology doesn’t mean they have to embrace Bitcoin.
Moderated by @JohnDonvan, with @PatrickByrne & @TimDraper
Watch the full debate: bit.ly/3UXLNsF
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From @akmunroe, co-founder of @OpentoDebate, such a deeply thoughtful and thought-provoking elegy to the whole of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. Their careers intertwined, a creator and a curator, mutually propelled. Hence the insights in this piece. nytimes.com/2026/09/06/opini…
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If you haven't yet subscribed to the @OpentoDebateOrg #YouTube channel, you're missing out on the smartest debates on the internet, something we've figured out how to do by producing more 350 debates and counting! Go for it: piped.video/@OpentoDebate
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John Donvan retweeted
We’re going LIVE today at 4 PM ET with @TheFIREorg for a special conversation with @JeffreyRosen, legal scholar and CEO Emeritus of @ConstitutionCtr.
Join @JohnDonvan to explore liberty, democracy, the Founders’ vision, and why civic dialogue matters as America approaches its 250th anniversary.
Watch here: open.substack.com/live-strea…
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John Donvan retweeted
We’re going LIVE today on Substack at 5 PM ET
@ajkeen joins our Moderator-in-Chief, @JohnDonvan, and CEO Lia Matthow to discuss his decade-long connection with Open to Debate, the role of debate in democracy, and why engaging with different perspectives matters.
Link to watch: open.substack.com/live-strea…
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Recently, I had the great pleasure of speaking with @BrianLehrer of @WNYC, a broadcaster I’ve long respected. We talked about my years moderating for @OpentoDebateOrg, along with Brian’s own history with the organization.
More here: opentodebate.substack.com/p/…
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John Donvan retweeted
Join us as we revisit our debates on faith and religion during this season of reflection. Streaming now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube: Can Religion Cure the Loneliness Epidemic?
Featuring @ChrisMurphyCT, @ruthwhippman, @DanBarker53711, and Harold Koenig. Moderated by @JohnDonvan.
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This I believe ...
Real debate is disappearing. For 20 years, we’ve watched the space for genuine disagreement shrink— replaced by discourse that rewards emotional intensity over intellectual rigor.
At Open to Debate, we are fighting back. We bring people with opposing views together to listen with intention, engage with evidence, and model what civil discourse should look like. Our work has never been more essential.
This Giving Tuesday, stand with us and help defend real debate.
Make a gift today: bit.ly/48rY9wh
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John Donvan retweeted
Join us TODAY on @substack at 5 pm ET for INSIDE THE DEBATE, a live conversation with moderators @JohnDonvan, @nayeema, and @nickgillespie on the art of moderation and what civil discourse demands right now.
open.substack.com/live-strea…
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John Donvan retweeted
Should birthright citizenship remain an unshakable American right—or is it time to reconsider who’s entitled to it? This debate dives into the 14th Amendment, immigration, and what it really means to be born in the U.S.A.
Featuring debaters @krismayes @MarkSKrikorian @newman_chris and @thehoracecooper. Moderated by @JohnDonvan.
Produced in partnership between Open to Debate, @ArizonaState's Institute of Politics, and @arizonapbs, this debate is the inaugural event of the new PRO/CONversations series.
Watch now on YouTube: bit.ly/3Jf1C8Q
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One of my proudest professional experiences has been my participation as moderator of @OpentoDebateOrg since 2006. Thank you to all of you for your gifts of support, and to encourage you to keep going, to keep us going, take a listen to our CEO @clea_conner.
Our CEO, @clea_conner, and the whole team at Open to Debate want to say thank you. At a time when misinformation is loud and trust in the media is at an all-time low, you’ve helped us meet the moment, growing a community committed to balanced arguments, thoughtful ideas, and open minds.
As a small nonprofit, we rely on your support to keep weekly conversations going. Please consider making a gift to support our work: opentodebate.org/donate
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John Donvan retweeted
Doors are now open at Shriver Hall at @JohnsHopkins. Debate starts soon!
If you’re not in Baltimore, join us for the livestream: bit.ly/jhulivestream
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The debates keep coming Join me in Baltimore at Shriver Hall next week as I moderate: Can the US Outpace China in Chip Controls?
We’ll have Will Hurd and Lindsay Gorman debate Paul Triolo and Susan Thornton @OpentoDebateOrg
Grab your seat now: lnkd.in/gKkwik9a
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Another excerpt from my conversation with @RobertRosenkranzBlog about the spark of an idea that led to the creation of @OpentoDebateOrg. Just last night, a landmark event for us: THREE debates in one go at @CFR_org in NYC. Phew! A marathon of what we do!
"We built a community here of people…who want to hear both sides.”
@OpenToDebate founder @RosenkranzBlog on his ideological vision and goals for the organization. @JohnDonvan moderates.
You can learn more about Open to Debate’s origin story in his new book, "The Stoic Capitalist.”
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Here's an excerpt from my interview with @Rosenkranzblog, aka "The Stoic Capitalist," about his book of the same name. Full interview is out now.
“The obstacle was financial insecurity. The way was self-reliance.”
@OpenToDebate’s founder @RosenkranzBlog shares how stoicism and ambition emerged from a childhood of financial insecurity in this new conversation with @JohnDonvan.
This idea, along with other core Stoic principles that helped shape his ultimate successes, is the heart of his new book, "The Stoic Capitalist."
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I so enjoyed interviewing my boss @RosenkranzBlog , about his new book. Learned things about him I never knew, and his appeal to stoicism is inspiring. Take a listen. And go for the book!
What can Stoicism teach us about success?
Investor & @OpentoDebateOrg founder @RosenkranzBlog joins @JohnDonvan to share how ancient wisdom shaped his life, career, and new book: The Stoic Capitalist.
Listen now: piped.video/QJOR0LFG9p0
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Hey if you're a fan, I'd appreciate your taking 30 seconds to vote for the programming we do @OpentoDebateOrg We're up for a Webby Award (along with players like Vox, Apple etc). When you're a non-profit like us these kinds of laurels make a huge difference. Thursday deadline!
We’re honored to be nominated for a Webby Award for our episode "Mock Trial: Should the Courts Restrict Access to the Abortion Pill?"
Vote now: vote.webbyawards.com/PublicV…
Featuring @ACLU's Julia Kaye and @LozierInstitute's @cateici, this special episode gets to the heart of one of America's most urgent legal questions.
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It's just good for the culture that people are still willing to debate, and face each other in an argument, and at the very least make a case in good faith. Also good to be acknowledged for it. Moderating #OpentoDebateOrg is some of the most important work of my career.
📣 @OpentoDebateOrg is in the running to joining the #Webbys Winners Circle. RT + VOTE for our Mock Trial Debate with @cateici and @ACLU’s Julia Kaye, moderated by @JohnDonvan: vote.webbyawards.com/PublicV…
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We're minutes away from debating #DOGE, live here on X.
Is Musk's DOGE dodging the law? Join us for an exclusive X livestream debate TODAY March 4 at 2:30 PM ET, featuring legal experts Laurence Tribe and Michael W. McConnell: nitter.siddz.com/i/broadcasts/1LyGBWpNE…
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My longtime colleague and filmmaking partner (and co-author) @caren_zucker Zucker has published an essay I want you to read. I also want your kids to read it. It comes out of tragedy. It aims to reduce harm.
ajc.com/opinion/opinion-we-m…
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