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

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

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.

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

Ella Siegrist, Washington University in St. Louis

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Is it illegal for the president to spend ‘patriotic’ donations on a White House ballroom or anything else?

Ellen P. Aprill, University of California, Los Angeles

Two large protrusions made of concrete stand atop a large construction project with many workers milling about.

Two large protrusions made of concrete stand atop a large construction project with many workers milling about.

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The White House & Congress

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.

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

Austin Sarat, Amherst College

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

58 years of attacks on the media by powerful leaders trying to deflect criticism, from Nixon to Trump

Heather Hendershot, Northwestern University

Two happy men at a lectern, smiling at a crowd.

Two happy men at a lectern, smiling at a crowd.

Air Force One is more than transportation – it has defined how presidents run the country and meet the world

Peter Kastor, Washington University in St. Louis

A man in a dark suit climbs a stairway to a large plane.

A man in a dark suit climbs a stairway to a large plane.

Declassified intelligence is not the same as proof

Brian O'Neill, Georgia Institute of Technology

More than a dozen screens – labeled primary and secondary comms – show different views at and around the White House. A few show President Donald Trump behind a lectern.

More than a dozen screens – labeled primary and secondary comms – show different views at and around the White House. A few show President Donald Trump behind a lectern.

Featuring Trump on US coins and bills would put America in rare company

Jacques Hymans, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences; University of Southern California

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent holds up a document featuring a proposed $250 banknote with Donald Trump's portrait

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent holds up a document featuring a proposed $250 banknote with Donald Trump's portrait

Republicans control Congress, so why is Trump’s SAVE America Act stuck?

SoRelle Wyckoff Gaynor, University of Virginia

Stern men in suits stand behind a lectern, with one pointing to a sign chastising the U.S. Senate.

Stern men in suits stand behind a lectern, with one pointing to a sign chastising the U.S. Senate.

Race, Identity & Society

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.

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

Art Jipson, University of Dayton

How journalists and communities work together to confront low levels of trust

Danielle K. Brown, Michigan State University

A black and white illustration of two hands meeting to shake.

A black and white illustration of two hands meeting to shake.

Why working-class people account for around 1% of lawmakers in the US – and only 2% in the average democracy around the world

Noam Lupu, Vanderbilt University and Nicholas Carnes, Duke University

A smiling man clasps hands with another man holding a 'Troy Jackson' campaign sign at a political rally.

A smiling man clasps hands with another man holding a 'Troy Jackson' campaign sign at a political rally.

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

The false and the furious: We aren’t just bothered by different beliefs – we’re bothered when we think others are wrong

Andras Molnar, University of Michigan and George Loewenstein, Carnegie Mellon University

illustration of two silhouetted businessmen walking away from each other down separate paths of a fork in the road against a yellow background

illustration of two silhouetted businessmen walking away from each other down separate paths of a fork in the road against a yellow background

How American society shields perpetrators of child sexual abuse

Sarah K Lischer, Wake Forest University

Several photographs of a bearded man and documents are spread on a table.

Several photographs of a bearded man and documents are spread on a table.

The forgotten racial history of Alligator Alcatraz

Mark V. Barrow, Jr., Virginia Tech

black and white photo of several alligators clustered together on the grass

black and white photo of several alligators clustered together on the grass

White parents who tell their kids that race doesn’t matter are ignoring the long shadow of racism

James M. Thomas, University of Mississippi

Four members of a family sitting next to each other, looking grief-stricken.

Four members of a family sitting next to each other, looking grief-stricken.

Courts & the Constitution

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.

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

Quinn Yeargain, Michigan State University

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

Justice Jackson’s birthright citizenship opinion includes Black Americans in the story of the nation’s search for equality

Austin Sarat, Amherst College

A Black woman on a stage speaks in front of a podium.

A Black woman on a stage speaks in front of a podium.

Why Trump’s move to gut the Endangered Species Act likely won’t hold up in court

Patrick Parenteau, Vermont Law & Graduate School

Tiny chicks and an egg in a nest

Tiny chicks and an egg in a nest

America 250

A set of teeth set in what appears to be a yellow rocklike material

A set of teeth set in what appears to be a yellow rocklike material

Revolutionary War battlefields often romanticize combat, but this mass grave just outside Philadelphia shows the violence soldiers actually experienced

Jennifer Janofsky, Rowan University and Wade Catts, Rowan University

After 1776, the founders designed a government that accounts for ‘a degree of depravity in mankind’

Donovan Fifield, University of South Carolina

An American flag, with only 13 stars, arrayed in a circle.

An American flag, with only 13 stars, arrayed in a circle.

As lawmakers politicize the 250th anniversary, Americans are looking for unity over division

Tatishe Nteta, UMass Amherst and Adam Eichen, UMass Amherst

A man in a suit and red tie claps on stage with an American flag behind him.

A man in a suit and red tie claps on stage with an American flag behind him.

As the US turns 250, a forgotten founding influence helps explain its current unease

Robert A. Ballingall, University of Maine

Delegates at the signing of the U.S. Constitution

Delegates at the signing of the U.S. Constitution

I study the Declaration of Independence, and here’s why the colonists’ grievances are surprisingly relevant, 250 years later

Robert Parkinson, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Handwritten text of the Declaration of Independence on aged parchment

Handwritten text of the Declaration of Independence on aged parchment

For nearly 250 years, the US has had eyes on Latin America – but interventions then looked rather different

Lindsay Schakenbach Regele, Miami University

The silhouette of a statue at dusk.

The silhouette of a statue at dusk.

How public celebrations quietly remake what it means to be American

Catherine Simpson Bueker, Emmanuel College

Several members of a Laotian heritage group march in a parade, carrying American flags

Several members of a Laotian heritage group march in a parade, carrying American flags

How out-of-work fishermen saved the American Revolution

Christopher Magra, University of Tennessee

Black-and-white illustration of two ships engaged in battle at sea

Black-and-white illustration of two ships engaged in battle at sea

State & Local Government

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.

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

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.

How new SNAP restrictions could hit Greater Pittsburgh’s food access and economy

Amelia B. Finaret, Allegheny College

A blue sign above boxes of fruit reads "EBT accepted here."

A blue sign above boxes of fruit reads "EBT accepted here."

Florida’s proposed property tax amendment will require trade-offs – and some residents could end up with higher costs

Abigail Hall, University of Tampa

real estate tax bill

real estate tax bill

Philadelphia’s criminal justice fines and fees fall hardest on poorest neighborhoods

Jordan Hyatt, Drexel University; C. Clare Strange; Nathan Link, Rutgers University, and Brian Lawton, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

A blighted urban block with colorful rowhomes on a sunny day

A blighted urban block with colorful rowhomes on a sunny day

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