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

A long line of people dressed in military uniforms.

A long line of people dressed in military uniforms.

Just follow orders or obey the law? What US troops told us about refusing illegal commands

Charli Carpenter, UMass Amherst and Geraldine Santoso, UMass Amherst

MAGA red hats are lined up on a cloth-covered table.

MAGA red hats are lined up on a cloth-covered table.

Why MAGA is so concerned with Epstein − and why the files are unlikely to dent loyalty to Trump

Alex Hinton, Rutgers University - Newark

What’s at risk for Arctic wildlife as Trump expands oil drilling access in the fragile National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska

Mariah Meek, Michigan State University

A group of Caribou on the tundra. One looks at the camera.

A group of Caribou on the tundra. One looks at the camera.

First Amendment in flux: When free speech protections came up against the Red Scare

Jodie Childers, University of Virginia

A black and white photo shows a man speaking while seated behind a table.

A black and white photo shows a man speaking while seated behind a table.

Making progress is more than making policy – what Mamdani can learn from de Blasio about the politics of urban progress

Nicole West Bassoff, University of Virginia

A man in front of a podium speaks to a crowd.

A man in front of a podium speaks to a crowd.

Read the latest Politics + Society articles

Zohran Mamdani’s transformative child care plan builds on a history of NYC social innovations Simon Black, Brock UniversityImmigration

Trump’s bid to end birthright citizenship heads to the Supreme Court

Jean Lantz Reisz, University of Southern California

A passport is on top of papers that say birth certificate and two American flags.

A passport is on top of papers that say birth certificate and two American flags.

The Trump administration’s anti-immigrant housing policy reflects a long history of xenophobia in public housing

Rahim Kurwa, University of Illinois Chicago

An aerial view of many houses lined in rows.

An aerial view of many houses lined in rows.

‘These people do it naturally’: President Trump’s views on immigrant farmworkers reflect a long history of how farming has been idealized and practiced in America

Doug Sackman, University of Puget Sound

Several farmworkers harvest celery as they stand near a tractor.

Several farmworkers harvest celery as they stand near a tractor.

How the conservative Federalist Society will affect the Supreme Court for decades to come

Paul M. Collins Jr., UMass Amherst and Tim Komatsu, UMass Amherst

Two men seated and dressed in black robes.

Two men seated and dressed in black robes.

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National politics

A man on stage, with an American flag behind him, speaks to crowd.

A man on stage, with an American flag behind him, speaks to crowd.

The military’s diversity rises out of recruitment targets, not any ‘woke’ goals

Jeremiah Favara, Gonzaga University

Blame the shutdown on citizens who prefer politicians to vanquish their opponents rather than to work for the common good

Robert B. Talisse, Vanderbilt University

Hands holding signs, divided into red and blue sides.

Hands holding signs, divided into red and blue sides.

The shutdown – and the House’s inaction – helps pave Congress’ path to irrelevance

Charlie Hunt, Boise State University

The US Capitol on a dark, gray day.

The US Capitol on a dark, gray day.

The Orwellian echoes in Trump’s push for ‘Americanism’ at the Smithsonian

Laura Beers, American University

A blackboard on which everything has been erased.

A blackboard on which everything has been erased.

John Fetterman is an unusual politician – but his rise from borough mayor to US senator reflects a recent trend

Richardson Dilworth, Drexel University

Large bald man wearing white hoodie walks past Grecian columns on ornate room

Large bald man wearing white hoodie walks past Grecian columns on ornate room

Democracy and rule of law

The Supreme Court is headed toward a radically new vision of unlimited presidential power

Graham G. Dodds, Concordia University

The Supreme Court building appears amid overcast skies.

The Supreme Court building appears amid overcast skies.

Federal judges are frustrated by defiance from the Trump administration and fuzziness from the Supreme Court

John E. Jones III, Dickinson College

An image of a parchment document with old-fashioned writing on it that begins with 'We the People.'

An image of a parchment document with old-fashioned writing on it that begins with 'We the People.'

A short history of the separation of powers: from Cicero’s Rome to Trump’s America

Vittorio Bufacchi, University College Cork

Bust of Cicero, left, and Donald Trump.

Bust of Cicero, left, and Donald Trump.

Why free speech rights got left out of the Constitution – and added in later via the First Amendment

Donald Nieman, Binghamton University, State University of New York

A group of people at a free speech protest, showing a copy of the First Amendment.

A group of people at a free speech protest, showing a copy of the First Amendment.

US Congress

The U.S. Capitol is seen in the reflection of a puddle.

The U.S. Capitol is seen in the reflection of a puddle.

Polarizing political events are leading Americans to increasingly call for a national divorce

Ryan D. Griffiths, Syracuse 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.

House speaker’s refusal to seat Arizona representative is supported by history and law

Jennifer Selin, Arizona State University

The sun begins to rise behind a federal building.

The sun begins to rise behind a federal building.

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

The disgraceful history of erasing Black cemeteries in the United States

Chip Colwell, University of Colorado Denver

A burial ground surrounded by service roads.

A burial ground surrounded by service roads.

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.

Anti-LGBTQ+ policies harm the health of not only LGBTQ+ people, but all Americans

Nathaniel M. Tran, University of Illinois Chicago

Large group of people gathered before the U.S. Supreme Court, some holding rainbow and trans flags; a line of police in tactical gear stand in the foreground

Large group of people gathered before the U.S. Supreme Court, some holding rainbow and trans flags; a line of police in tactical gear stand in the foreground

State politics

Why rural Maine may back Democrat Graham Platner’s populism in the Senate campaign − but not his party

Nicholas Jacobs, Colby College; Institute for Humane Studies

Two men and a dog on a leash in a driveway in front of a home.

Two men and a dog on a leash in a driveway in front of a home.

Coastal economies rely on NOAA, from Maine to Florida, Texas and Alaska – even if they don’t realize it

Christine Keiner, Rochester Institute of Technology

Fishing boats at the Fishermens Terminal, the Homeport to the North Pacific Fishing Fleet, in Seattle in 2022.

Fishing boats at the Fishermens Terminal, the Homeport to the North Pacific Fishing Fleet, in Seattle in 2022.

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

Zohran Mamdani’s transformative child care plan builds on a history of NYC social innovations

Simon Black, Brock University

Several people hold signs supporting universal child care.

Several people hold signs supporting universal child care.

Middle East

Trump’s ability to counter Netanyahu’s spoiler tactics in public may have been key to advancing a ceasefire in Gaza

Boaz Atzili, American University School of International Service

A man in a suit and red tie walks next to a man in a suit and blue tie.

A man in a suit and red tie walks next to a man in a suit and blue tie.

Syria’s mass graves: Accounting for the dead and disappeared is crucial for the nation to heal

Stefan Schmitt, Florida International University

Two people in hazmat suits carry a body bag.

Two people in hazmat suits carry a body bag.

Map wars in the Middle East: How cartographers charted and helped shape a regional conflict

Christine Leuenberger, Cornell University

An old map shows different sections in various colors.

An old map shows different sections in various colors.

Palestinians have long resisted resettlement – Trump’s plan to ‘clean out’ Gaza won’t change that

Maha Nassar, University of Arizona

Two men in suits stand at podiums talking to each other.

Two men in suits stand at podiums talking to each other.

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 only ‘winner’ here is Putin: Ukraine unites in response to Trump-Zelenskyy spat and resigns itself to new reality

Lena Surzhko Harned, Penn State

Seated men and women talk while surrounded by cameras and microphones.

Seated men and women talk while surrounded by cameras and microphones.

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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