Politics + Society – The Conversation – US Presidential election, Congress and political issues

A large white building with a dome, fading behind clouds.

A large white building with a dome, fading behind clouds.

Trump sidelined Congress’ authority over war on Iran – and lawmakers allowed it, extending a 75-year trend

Sarah Burns, Rochester Institute of Technology; Institute for Humane Studies and Robert Haswell, Carleton University

A bible next to an American flag, each being pushed apart by a hand.

A bible next to an American flag, each being pushed apart by a hand.

Why Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon prayer services challenge traditional notions of separation of church and state – but might be blessed by the Roberts Supreme Court

John E. Jones III, Dickinson College

Iran’s military forces combine state-of-the-art drones and hackers with out-of-date conventional weapons

Paul J. Springer, Air University

People stand under an unmanned aerial vehicle.

People stand under an unmanned aerial vehicle.

Why the future of marijuana legalization remains hazy despite high public support

William Garriott, Drake University

A view of cannabis plants.

A view of cannabis plants.

How Trump’s repeated efforts to fire Federal Reserve Chair Powell harm the economy – and make battling inflation harder

Ana Carolina Garriga, University of Essex and Cristina Bodea, Michigan State University

Two white men wearing hard hats examine a piece of paper in their hands at a construction site

Two white men wearing hard hats examine a piece of paper in their hands at a construction site

Read the latest Politics + Society articles

A justice department opinion arguing the Presidential Records Act is unconstitutional could revert the nation to a time when presidents freely burned their papers

Austin Sarat, Amherst College

A stack of papers on fire.

A stack of papers on fire.

4 ways the war in Iran has weakened the United States in the great power game

Jeffrey Taliaferro, Tufts University

A zoom lens captures a man at a lectern during a press conference.

A zoom lens captures a man at a lectern during a press conference.

US ceasefire with Iran: What’s next? A former diplomat explains 3 possible scenarios

Donald Heflin, Tufts University

People in a city square hold flags.

People in a city square hold flags.

As a philosopher, I’m convinced that Trump isn’t lying − he’s doing something worse

Robert B. Talisse, Vanderbilt University

A group of people making thumbs-down hands sign.

A group of people making thumbs-down hands sign.

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National politics

A man holds a campaign sign in front of a display of various campaign posters and the U.S. flag.

A man holds a campaign sign in front of a display of various campaign posters and the U.S. flag.

The ever-evolving Latino vote is rapidly shifting away from Trump and Republicans

Matt A. Barreto, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and Gary M. Segura, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs

I went to CPAC and found Trump supporters unhappy about Iran, Epstein files and the economy, even while the fans at the MAGA conference celebrate his immigration policies

Alex Hinton, Rutgers University - Newark

People wearing the letters that spell 'TRUMP' standing in front of a huge image of President Donald Trump.

People wearing the letters that spell 'TRUMP' standing in front of a huge image of President Donald Trump.

Workplace relief is coming for employees with symptoms of menstruation, perimenopause and menopause in Philly

Ann Juliano, Villanova University

Woman sits at table with eyes closed and fingers on temples

Woman sits at table with eyes closed and fingers on temples

Federal election observers once played a key role in securing voting rights for all − but times have changed

Allison Mashell Mitchell, University of Notre Dame

Several Black women hold posters in front of a building.

Several Black women hold posters in front of a building.

What a US attorney general actually does – a law professor spells it out

Jennifer Selin, Arizona State University

A woman in a building stares into the distance.

A woman in a building stares into the distance.

Democracy and rule of law

Presidential words can turn the unthinkable into the thinkable − for better or for worse

Stephanie A. (Sam) Martin, Boise State University

A person screaming with bullets flying out of their mouth.

A person screaming with bullets flying out of their mouth.

When a president is unfit for office, here’s what the Constitution says can happen

Kirsten Matoy Carlson, Wayne State University

A man mimics being shot in the head.

A man mimics being shot in the head.

Pam Bondi’s extreme political loyalty to Trump wasn’t enough to save her job

Austin Sarat, Amherst College

A man dressed in suit and tie stands on a stage next to a woman dressed in a beige suit.

A man dressed in suit and tie stands on a stage next to a woman dressed in a beige suit.

The nation is missing millions of voters due to lack of rights for former felons

Kevin B. Smith, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

A man wearing a striped Jockey shirt sits and signs a paper at the end of a reflective conference table.

A man wearing a striped Jockey shirt sits and signs a paper at the end of a reflective conference table.

US Congress

A photo of the US Capitol dome and an Iranian flag superimposed on it.

A photo of the US Capitol dome and an Iranian flag superimposed on it.

Congress still has ways to throttle back Trump’s war with Iran – and to ask questions

SoRelle Wyckoff Gaynor, University of Virginia and Charlie Hunt, Boise State University

‘Big’ legislative package shifts more of SNAP’s costs to states, saving federal dollars but causing fewer Americans to get help paying for food

Tracy Roof, University of Richmond

People shop for groceries.

People shop for groceries.

Job of homeland security secretary is to adapt almost continuously to pressures from the department, the public and the world at large

Frank J. Cilluffo, Auburn University

An overhead view of a crowd of people passing through lines and lanes at an airport.

An overhead view of a crowd of people passing through lines and lanes at an airport.

How Jesse Jackson set the stage for Bernie Sanders and today’s progressives

Bert Johnson, Middlebury College

Bernie Sanders and Jesse Jackson stand face to face, Jackson placing his hand on Sanders' right arm.

Bernie Sanders and Jesse Jackson stand face to face, Jackson placing his hand on Sanders' right arm.

Many wealthy members of Congress are descendants of rich slaveholders − study demonstrates the enduring legacy of slavery

Neil K R Sehgal, University of Pennsylvania and Ashwini Sehgal, Case Western Reserve University

A statue of Jefferson Davis on display on Capitol Hill.

A statue of Jefferson Davis on display on Capitol Hill.

Race and equity

75 years after she led a student strike that helped end school segregation, Barbara Rose Johns now stands in the US Capitol where Robert E. Lee once did

Jonathan Entin, Case Western Reserve University

A statue of a teen girl holding up a book is unveiled in front of a lot of people.

A statue of a teen girl holding up a book is unveiled in front of a lot of people.

Philadelphia continues long history of Black-led protest meetings aimed at fighting racial inequity and prejudice

Linn Washington, Jr., Temple University

Over a hundred people, many raising their fists in the air, sit in rows of chairs in a large room

Over a hundred people, many raising their fists in the air, sit in rows of chairs in a large room

60 years of progress in expanding rights is being rolled back by Trump − a pattern that’s all too familiar in US history

Philip Klinkner, Hamilton College and Rogers M. Smith, University of Pennsylvania

A melting American flag, with a woman standing near it.

A melting American flag, with a woman standing near it.

US refugee policy for white South Africans is part of a century-long effort to keep some English-speaking nations white

John Broich, Case Western Reserve University

Dozens of people, some holding U.S. flags, listen to a man speak.

Dozens of people, some holding U.S. flags, listen to a man speak.

State politics

Supreme Court ruling on Colorado conversion therapy case is not a clear win for conservatives

Kevin Cope, University of Virginia

People stand in line on sunny day outside the U.S. Supreme Court building.

People stand in line on sunny day outside the U.S. Supreme Court building.

Kansas revoked transgender people’s IDs overnight – researchers anticipate cascading health and social consequences

Jae A. Puckett, Michigan State University; L. Zachary DuBois, University of Oregon, and Noelle Martin, Michigan State University

Silhouette of person dressed as Statue of Liberty holding a transgender flag up against a blue sky, the Supreme Court looming in distance

Silhouette of person dressed as Statue of Liberty holding a transgender flag up against a blue sky, the Supreme Court looming in distance

Philadelphia’s 40-year history of protecting undocumented immigrants began with churches hiding refugees from El Salvador

Menika Dirkson, Morgan State University

Two people stand in doorway of church underneath an arch with stained-glass window

Two people stand in doorway of church underneath an arch with stained-glass window

What Detroit can learn from participatory budgeting processes in NYC, Boston and Brazil

Celina Su, CUNY Graduate Center

A bright-eyed Black woman wearing a light-colored suit sits at a conference table with a laptop in front of her. Aides flank her.

A bright-eyed Black woman wearing a light-colored suit sits at a conference table with a laptop in front of her. Aides flank her.

Middle East

Overconfidence is how wars are lost − lessons from Vietnam, Afghanistan and Ukraine for the war in Iran were ignored

Monica Duffy Toft, Tufts University

Plumes of black smoke rising from fires at oil tanks.

Plumes of black smoke rising from fires at oil tanks.

War on Iran during nuclear negotiations undermines the US’s ability to talk peace around the world − and the effects won’t end when Trump leaves office

Debak Das, University of Denver

A man sitting and reading a newspaper named Tehran Times.

A man sitting and reading a newspaper named Tehran Times.

Is it ‘Ih-ran’ or ‘E-ron’? Inside the politics of pronunciation

Valerie M. Fridland, University of Nevada, Reno

A green megaphone with military gun and bullet rendering.

A green megaphone with military gun and bullet rendering.

Operational secrecy kept the US from making evacuation plans – and that means Americans in the Mideast could wait days

Donald Heflin, Tufts University

An electronic billboard with a list of cancelled flights to the Middle East.

An electronic billboard with a list of cancelled flights to the Middle East.

Around the world

Trump’s anti-Venezuela actions lack strategy, justifiable targets and legal authorization

Jeffrey Fields, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

A burning boat in the middle of the water.

A burning boat in the middle of the water.

The ‘drug threat’ that justified the US ouster of Maduro won’t be fixed by his arrest

Eduardo Gamarra, Florida International University

Cutting line of cocaine with tazor blade.

Cutting line of cocaine with tazor blade.

As the Kremlin eyes a thaw with the White House, Russia’s pro-war hawks aren’t too happy

Adam Lenton, Wake Forest University

A man in a black suit shakes hands with a man in a winter coat.

A man in a black suit shakes hands with a man in a winter coat.

Is a united European voice possible in the age of Trump, Putin and far-right politics? Germany’s new leader intends to find out

Julia Khrebtan-Hörhager, Colorado State University

A man in a blue suit talks into a microphone.

A man in a blue suit talks into a microphone.

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