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

A man in suit and ties speaks on a stage.

A man in suit and ties speaks on a stage.

How anti-bribery laws apply to Trump’s promise of $5,000 payments if Republicans keep control of Congress

Austin Sarat, Amherst College

President Donald Trump walks across a tarmac, followed by several others, including Natalie Harp at right.

President Donald Trump walks across a tarmac, followed by several others, including Natalie Harp at right.

Security clearances don’t determine whom a president can trust – they reveal risks the president may not know

Brian O'Neill, Georgia Institute of Technology

The Pentagon is using polygraphs to hunt leakers, but the tests are more theater than fact

Brian O'Neill, Georgia Institute of Technology

A person's right hand rests on a table; three of their fingers are connected to a polygraph machine.

A person's right hand rests on a table; three of their fingers are connected to a polygraph machine.

Americans agree their democracy is in crisis – yet the solution is as simple as it is elusive

Kenneth Michael White, Kennesaw State University

A tattered U.S. flag hangs from a pole mounted to the side of a gray building.

A tattered U.S. flag hangs from a pole mounted to the side of a gray building.

What comes next for the 1 million people who have lost – or will soon lose – Temporary Protected Status

Jean Lantz Reisz, University of Southern California

People at a rally hold signs that say 'permanent status for immigrant families' and 'TPS holders make the US stronger.'

People at a rally hold signs that say 'permanent status for immigrant families' and 'TPS holders make the US stronger.'

What we remember when we remember 9/11

Jennifer Talarico, Lafayette College

A man in suit and tie speaks into the ear of a man in suit in tie sitting on a chair.

A man in suit and tie speaks into the ear of a man in suit in tie sitting on a chair.

Supreme Court to decide on whether Trump’s voting-by-mail rules can go into effect – but might not rule yet on whether they’re constitutional

John E. Jones III, Dickinson College

Metal vote-by-mail signage in a mailbox against a blurry nature background.

Metal vote-by-mail signage in a mailbox against a blurry nature background.

25 years after 9/11, what disasters reveal about Americans’ ability to reconnect

Tonya Cross Hansel, University of Texas at Arlington

A group of people hold signs that read 'You're Our Heroes,' 'United We Stand' and 'Thanks for Your Bravery.'

A group of people hold signs that read 'You're Our Heroes,' 'United We Stand' and 'Thanks for Your Bravery.'

What we forget when we remember 9/11

Stephanie A. (Sam) Martin, Boise State University

'No Day Shall Erase You From the Memory of Time' is inscribed on a blue tile wall at the 9/11 Memorial Museum.

'No Day Shall Erase You From the Memory of Time' is inscribed on a blue tile wall at the 9/11 Memorial Museum.

From the Freedom Caucus to the democratic socialists, small groups inside parties can wreak havoc with leaders’ agenda in Congress

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

Supporters for Democratic congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier celebrate during an election night watch party, June 23, 2026, in New York.

Supporters for Democratic congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier celebrate during an election night watch party, June 23, 2026, in New York.

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The White House & Congress

A map labeling Lake Ontario as 'Lake America' is displayed in the Oval Office as President Donald Trump presents an executive order.

A map labeling Lake Ontario as 'Lake America' is displayed in the Oval Office as President Donald Trump presents an executive order.

Lake Ontario to Lake America – who gets to decide what goes on maps?

Innisfree McKinnon, University of Wisconsin-Stout Polytechnic

USS Abraham Lincoln’s record deployment highlights shortfalls of US military readiness

Monica Duffy Toft, Tufts University

A warship is seen as a small aircraft lands on it.

A warship is seen as a small aircraft lands on it.

Darline Graham’s inherited Senate seat revives the ‘widow’s mandate’ with a sibling twist

Gibbs Knotts, Coastal Carolina University and Christopher A. Cooper, Western Carolina University

Why Democrats are amplifying corruption talk: A historical strategy for parties out of power

Robert Boatright, Clark University; Institute for Humane Studies

A miniature symbolic residence of the US President, the White House, on top of American coins and bills.

A miniature symbolic residence of the US President, the White House, on top of American coins and bills.

White House ballroom cleared for now, but question remains: Can president legally use donations to build it?

Ellen P. Aprill, University of California, Los Angeles

the white house stands next to a site under counstruction

the white house stands next to a site under counstruction

After Supreme Court setback, Trump again targets immigration by expanding definition of birthright citizenship

Austin Sarat, Amherst College

A man seated at a desk speaks as another many standing in the background looks at him.

A man seated at a desk speaks as another many standing in the background looks at him.

Don’t trust the name on the PAC

Brian Sheppard, Seton Hall University and Andrew Moshirnia, Monash University

A photo of a federal building with dollar bills superimposed over it.

A photo of a federal building with dollar bills superimposed over it.

Fauci’s COVID-origins hearing shows how conspiracy theories became political weapons

Art Jipson, University of Dayton

Fauci sits at a table behind a nameplate reading Anthony Fauci, M.D., a microphone and stacks of documents in front of him, as a dozen people stand and sit behind him in a wood-paneled room

Fauci sits at a table behind a nameplate reading Anthony Fauci, M.D., a microphone and stacks of documents in front of him, as a dozen people stand and sit behind him in a wood-paneled room

Race, Identity & Society

A man in suit and tie shakes hands with a man wearing a ball cap on stage.

A man in suit and tie shakes hands with a man wearing a ball cap on stage.

Labor votes: Discontent will accompany blue‑collar voters to the polls in the midterms

Robert Forrant, UMass Lowell

Indictments against a top extremism researcher and the SPLC force a reckoning on research ethics – an extremism scholar reflects on the field’s challenges

Arie Perliger, UMass Lowell

A crowd of people at a rally, fighting each other.

A crowd of people at a rally, fighting each other.

Immigration enforcement is supplying a long-standing economic market for prisoners

Ella Siegrist, Washington University in St. Louis

A small red birdhouse hangs on a chain-link fence topped with razor wire outside a stone building.

A small red birdhouse hangs on a chain-link fence topped with razor wire outside a stone building.

Tiny house villages are increasingly responding to the homeless crisis in America’s fast-growing cities

Yetimoni Kpeebi, University of North Carolina – Charlotte and Brandon Marc Finn, University of Michigan

A person dressed in black walks amid small houses painted yellow.

A person dressed in black walks amid small houses painted yellow.

The United States’ human rights practices are taking a nosedive

K. Chad Clay, University of Georgia

Officers in camouflage gear and helmets detain a man, his hands held behind his back, as rows of uniformed personnel line the road behind them.

Officers in camouflage gear and helmets detain a man, his hands held behind his back, as rows of uniformed personnel line the road behind them.

The long afterlife of QAnon conspiracy theories haunting American politics

Matthew N. Hannah, University of Wisconsin-Madison

A woman with colored nails and red, white and blue hair touches a patch on her shirt.

A woman with colored nails and red, white and blue hair touches a patch on her shirt.

White supremacists spin a Justice Department indictment against a hate-monitoring group to legitimize extremism and expand recruitment

Art Jipson, University of Dayton

Two men dressed in suit and ties stand on a stage, one in front of a podium.

Two men dressed in suit and ties stand on a stage, one in front of a podium.

What Luigi Mangione’s celebrity says about Gen Z

Evan Clarkson, Utah Valley University

A person wearing a black t-shirt that features a heart graphic with an Italian flag and a portrait of Luigi Mangione

A person wearing a black t-shirt that features a heart graphic with an Italian flag and a portrait of Luigi Mangione

Courts & the Constitution

Three voting booths and an American flag.

Three voting booths and an American flag.

What to do if your vote is challenged: Practical advice for midterm elections

Karen Figueroa-Clewett, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Narrow mail-in voting ruling by Supreme Court adds uncertainty to midterm elections without addressing constitutionality of Trump’s executive order

John J. Martin, Quinnipiac University

People hold their voting ballots, while staring up at a giant mailbox.

People hold their voting ballots, while staring up at a giant mailbox.

How state constitutions became the battleground for American rights and liberties – on both the left and right

Quinn Yeargain, Michigan State University

Red and blue characters on a map outline of the U.S. with the U.S. flag.

Red and blue characters on a map outline of the U.S. with the U.S. flag.

Mail-in voting: Trump administration appeals to Supreme Court to revive executive order setting limits, rejected by lower courts

John E. Jones III, Dickinson College

A group of people sitting at tables looking at pieces of paper.

A group of people sitting at tables looking at pieces of paper.

Texas prosecutors are calling a teenage shooting spree ‘terrorism’ – the case could reshape American criminal law

Art Jipson, University of Dayton

Flags representing the U.S. and Texas fly outside the State Capitol in Austin, Texas

Flags representing the U.S. and Texas fly outside the State Capitol in Austin, Texas

Is withholding federal counterterrorism funds from states – as FEMA has threatened – legal?

Austin Sarat, Amherst College

A close up of a federal building.

A close up of a federal building.

When can a power company take your land for data center infrastructure?

Aaron Walayat, University of Dayton

Transmission towers and power lines above a hillside neighborhood

Transmission towers and power lines above a hillside neighborhood

Mail ballot mirages aren’t fraud, but mail ballot fraud isn’t a complete myth

Andrew E. Busch, University of Tennessee

A gloved hand inspects a ballot

A gloved hand inspects a ballot

State & Local Government

Pennsylvania is suing TikTok over ‘addictive’ features – but that’s messier than it sounds

Jonathan Caulkins, Carnegie Mellon University

How students at Colorado State helped teach their community to stop talking past each other and manage complex problems

Martin Carcasson, Colorado State University

Seen from above, a group of six people sit around a table with different color speech bubbles in the middle.

Seen from above, a group of six people sit around a table with different color speech bubbles in the middle.

Trust is a behavior, not a credential – and that explains the Rodgers-Fauci divide

John C. Besley, Michigan State University

Aaron Rodgers, wearing his Steelers jersey, stands on a field.

Aaron Rodgers, wearing his Steelers jersey, stands on a field.

Colorado is facing a housing shortage - building more duplexes and townhomes could be part of the solution

Stefan Chavez-Norgaard, University of Denver and Susan D. Daggett, University of Denver

A car appears blurry as it speeds by a housing complex made up of attached, tan units.

A car appears blurry as it speeds by a housing complex made up of attached, tan units.

Syringe litter did not increase after a needle exchange ban was overturned in Pueblo, Colorado, but health services suffered

Pranav Padmanabhan, University of Colorado Anschutz; Katherine LeMasters, University of Colorado Boulder, and Paul Christine, University of Colorado Anschutz

Used needles with orange caps lie in the dirt.

Used needles with orange caps lie in the dirt.

Michigan’s local election officials are confident in voting integrity ahead of November’s midterm election

Stephanie Leiser, University of Michigan

Female voter fills out ballot

Female voter fills out ballot

Michigan progressive Abdul El-Sayed won a combative Democratic nomination for US Senate – he’ll face new attacks this fall

Michael Traugott, University of Michigan

Man speaks to a crowd

Man speaks to a crowd

A Colorado jail hasn’t allowed in-person visits in nearly 20 years – here’s what research says about visitation’s effects

Jillian Turanovic, University of Colorado Boulder and Melinda Tasca, University of Texas at El Paso

Two hands clasp another hand, with bars separating the two individuals.

Two hands clasp another hand, with bars separating the two individuals.

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