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

A large white, columned building shadowed by red and blue and the US Capitol building.

A large white, columned building shadowed by red and blue and the US Capitol building.

Racial gerrymandering may be here to stay

Claire B. Wofford, College of Charleston and Jordan Ragusa, College of Charleston

People seated in a room watch a man speak on TV.

People seated in a room watch a man speak on TV.

Why a growing number of Trump supporters are experiencing voter’s remorse

Tatishe Nteta, UMass Amherst; Adam Eichen, UMass Amherst, and Jesse Rhodes, UMass Amherst

Why a landmark Supreme Court ruling has failed to keep racial bias out of jury selection

Austin Sarat, Amherst College

The U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington

The U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington

Ted Turner didn’t just revolutionize television − he changed the way we see our world

Michael J. Socolow, University of Maine

A man in a black and white photo stands at a lectern outdoors.

A man in a black and white photo stands at a lectern outdoors.

Online hate groups sustain their messages by repeating powerful stories or routinely adding new allegations

Yu-Ru Lin, University of Pittsburgh

cartoon image of a mouth on the screen of a laptop with five multicolor speech balloons around the screen

cartoon image of a mouth on the screen of a laptop with five multicolor speech balloons around the screen

Read the latest Politics + Society articles

The American Revolution’s triumphant story of democracy and freedom overlooks loyalists who paid a steep price for allegiance to Britain

Kimberly Nath, San Juan College

Black and white illustration of large crowd in colonial dress gathered outside of stately building

Black and white illustration of large crowd in colonial dress gathered outside of stately building

Why Trump’s call to pull 5,000 US troops from Germany will hurt America

Michael A. Allen, Boise State University; Carla Martinez Machain, University at Buffalo, and Michael E. Flynn, Kansas State University

The propeller of a plane is seen in front of the flags of Germany and the U.S.

The propeller of a plane is seen in front of the flags of Germany and the U.S.

Can the nearly $1 trillion-a-year US military really be depleting key weapons in Iran?

Michael A. Allen, Boise State University

A ship fires a missile.

A ship fires a missile.

US violent crime is at its lowest in more than a century – but the funding that helped reduce it is disappearing

Andrea Hagan, Loyola University New Orleans

Yellow tape surrounds a crime scene.

Yellow tape surrounds a crime scene.

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National politics

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

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.

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.

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

Supreme Court’s ‘shadow docket’ brings hasty decisions with long-lasting implications, outside of its usual careful deliberation

Wayne Unger, Quinnipiac University

A large, stately building with pillars against a dark sky.

A large, stately building with pillars against a dark sky.

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.

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.

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

ICE’s heavy-handed immigration enforcement was tried once before – by Arizona’s notorious sheriff Joe Arpaio in the early 2000s

Jonathan van Harmelen, Oberlin College and Conservatory

A man in a suit points to several prison inmates standing outdoors.

A man in a suit points to several prison inmates standing outdoors.

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

‘Affordable’ Pittsburgh doesn’t have enough affordable housing – here’s why

Selena E. Ortiz, Penn State

A tight row of brick homes under a blue sky.

A tight row of brick homes under a blue sky.

What to do if someone you know in Philadelphia or elsewhere is detained by ICE

Jennifer J. Lee, Temple University

Armed man with jacket that says 'Police Federal Agent' pats down person in sweatshirt and jeans as other people stand watching

Armed man with jacket that says 'Police Federal Agent' pats down person in sweatshirt and jeans as other people stand watching

How Pennsylvania’s new paid leave bill leaves the sandwich generation behind

Kate Perepezko, Miami University

A little girl looking out a window while standing next to a man in a wheelchair and an adult woman.

A little girl looking out a window while standing next to a man in a wheelchair and an adult woman.

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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