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

Man with dreadlocks raps into a microphone from a stage with an LED blue bunny head flashing in the background.

Man with dreadlocks raps into a microphone from a stage with an LED blue bunny head flashing in the background.

The real reason conservatives are furious about Bad Bunny’s forthcoming Super Bowl performance

Ediberto Román, Florida International University and Ernesto Sagás, Colorado State University

A man on a television monitor speaks.

A man on a television monitor speaks.

The limits of free speech protections in American broadcasting

Michael J. Socolow, University of Maine

Banning abortion is a hallmark of authoritarian regimes

Seda Saluk, University of Michigan

Four women in crimson robes walk in front of the Capitol holding signs that read, 'Shame.'

Four women in crimson robes walk in front of the Capitol holding signs that read, 'Shame.'

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.

James Comey’s indictment is a trademark tactic of authoritarians

Cassandra Burke Robertson, Case Western Reserve University

A man in a suit and tie speaks to reporters.

A man in a suit and tie speaks to reporters.

Read the latest Politics + Society articles

Immigration

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.

Deportation tactics from 4 US presidents have done little to reduce the undocumented immigrant population

Kevin Johnson, University of California, Davis

Two masked men in an elevator detain another man with his back to the camera.

Two masked men in an elevator detain another man with his back to the camera.

‘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

Several soldiers wearing helmets and holding batons and shields stand in a row.

Several soldiers wearing helmets and holding batons and shields stand in a row.

Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to fight crime blurs the legal distinction between the police and the military

Luke William Hunt, University of Alabama; Institute for Humane Studies

Trump’s push to fire Fed governor threatens central bank independence − and that isn’t good news for sound economic stewardship (or battling inflation)

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

A man and a woman sit and chat.

A man and a woman sit and chat.

3 reasons Republicans’ redistricting power grab might backfire

Charlie Hunt, Boise State University

People on a bus, some standing and some sitting.

People on a bus, some standing and some sitting.

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.

How the First Amendment protects Americans’ speech − and how it does not

Ray Brescia, Albany Law School

A man holds an American flag and protests outside a building with columns.

A man holds an American flag and protests outside a building with columns.

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.

Congress, not the president, decides on government spending − a constitutional law professor explains how the ‘power of the purse’ works

Zachary Price, University of California College of the Law, San Francisco

A dark brown change purse from which coins are spilling.

A dark brown change purse from which coins are spilling.

US Congress

An older man with dark hair and glasses inside a government building.

An older man with dark hair and glasses inside a government building.

In a closely divided Congress, aging lawmakers are a problem for Democrats

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.

Trump’s agenda will face hurdles in Congress, despite the Republican ‘trifecta’ of winning the House, Senate and White House

Charlie Hunt, Boise State University

A dark sky with a large white building that has a spire on it, behind a traffic light.

A dark sky with a large white building that has a spire on it, behind a traffic light.

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

Anti-DEI guidance from Trump administration misinterprets the law and guts educators’ free speech rights

Paul M. Collins Jr., UMass Amherst and Rebecca Hamlin, UMass Amherst

A man standing at a blank whiteboard, in a classroom.

A man standing at a blank whiteboard, in a classroom.

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

When socialists win Democratic primaries: Will Zohran Mamdani be haunted by the Upton Sinclair effect?

James N. Gregory, University of Washington

A man walking in a parade waves to spectators as hundreds of people walk behind him.

A man walking in a parade waves to spectators as hundreds of people walk behind him.

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

As Pennsylvania inches toward legalizing recreational cannabis, lawmakers propose selling it in state-owned dispensaries similar to state liquor stores

Daniel J. Mallinson, Penn State

Close-up of hand holding open black plastic container filled with cannabis buds

Close-up of hand holding open black plastic container filled with cannabis buds

Middle East

Israel’s bombing of Gaza caused untold environmental damage − recovery will take effort and time

Lesley Joseph, University of South Carolina

Destroyed buildings and rubble.

Destroyed buildings and rubble.

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

What is isolationism? The history and politics of an often-maligned foreign policy concept

Andrew Latham, Macalester College

A globe has a USA flag coming out of it.

A globe has a USA flag coming out of it.

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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