Politics
Nations are increasingly ‘playing the field’ when it comes to US and China – a new book explains explains why ‘active nonalignment’ is on the march
Nations are increasingly ‘playing the field’ when it comes to US and China – a new book explains explains why ‘active nonalignment’ is on the march Active nonalignment is a foreign policy approach where countries prioritize their own interests and refuse to take sides in the great power rivalry between the US and China, updating […]
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Justice Department efforts to strip citizenship from naturalized Americans likely violate constitutional rights
Justice Department efforts to strip citizenship from naturalized Americans likely violate constitutional rights The Trump administration’s efforts to strip citizenship from naturalized Americans may violate constitutional rights, as they pursue denaturalization cases without providing adequate due process protections. The government can only take away citizenship in specific situations, such as if someone “illegally procured” citizenship […]
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Jimmy Swaggart’s rise and fall shaped the landscape of American televangelism
Jimmy Swaggart’s rise and fall shaped the landscape of American televangelism Jimmy Swaggart was a prominent American televangelist who rose to fame in the 1980s and left a lasting impact on the landscape of American televangelism. Swaggart’s ministry, which included music, television shows, and mail-order businesses, drew millions of viewers and listeners worldwide, making him […]
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IRS says churches may endorse political candidates despite a decades-old federal statute barring them from doing that
IRS says churches may endorse political candidates despite a decades-old federal statute barring them from doing that The IRS has announced that churches and other houses of worship can endorse political candidates without risking their tax-exempt status, contradicting a decades-old federal statute known as the Johnson Amendment. The Johnson Amendment, passed in 1954, prohibits charities […]
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Inequality has risen from 1970 to Trump − that has 3 hidden costs that undermine democracy
Inequality has risen from 1970 to Trump − that has 3 hidden costs that undermine democracy The US has never been richer, but the gains are so lopsided that the top 10% controls 69% of all wealth, while the bottom half controls just 3%, leading to widening income inequality. The Trump administration’s spending bill cuts […]
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How the Catholic Church helped change the conversation about capital punishment in the United States
How the Catholic Church helped change the conversation about capital punishment in the United States The Catholic Church has played a significant role in changing the conversation about capital punishment in the United States over the past few decades, particularly through the work of activists like Sister Helen Prejean. The church’s anti-death penalty teaching, which […]
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How citizenship chaos was averted, for now, by a class action injunction against Trump’s birthright citizenship order
How citizenship chaos was averted, for now, by a class action injunction against Trump’s birthright citizenship order A class action injunction has been issued against President Trump’s birthright citizenship order, preventing federal officials from enforcing it nationally for now. The preliminary injunction was granted by a New Hampshire federal district judge, U.S. District Judge Joseph […]
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A weakened Iran and Hezbollah gives Lebanon an opening to chart path away from the region’s conflicts − will it be enough?
A weakened Iran and Hezbollah gives Lebanon an opening to chart path away from the region’s conflicts − will it be enough? Lebanon has an opportunity to chart a new path away from regional conflicts due to Iran’s weakened state and Hezbollah’s losses against Israel, which could lead to Lebanon’s increased neutrality. The weakening of […]
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What MAGA means to Americans
What MAGA means to Americans A decade after Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, researchers analyzed Americans’ explanations of what “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) means to them, finding that public views mirror both Trump and Clinton’s perspectives. Republicans interpret MAGA as a call for the renewal of the US economy and military might, as well as […]
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Universities in every state care for congressional papers that document US political history − federal cuts put their work at risk
Universities in every state care for congressional papers that document US political history − federal cuts put their work at risk Universities across the US are preserving congressional papers that document US political history, but federal cuts threaten their work. The preservation and management of these archives require specialized expertise, including digital preservation and data […]
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The White House’s favorite source of pro-Trump news is … the White House’s YouTube channel
The White House’s favorite source of pro-Trump news is … the White House’s YouTube channel The White House’s favorite source of pro-Trump news is its own YouTube channel. The White House Wire, an aggregation of right-wing media content, doesn’t rely on popular sources like Truth Social or Fox News for its curated content. The platform […]
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The rule of law is key to capitalism − eroding it is bad news for American business
The rule of law is key to capitalism − eroding it is bad news for American business The rule of law is crucial for capitalism, but its erosion is threatening the US economy, investor confidence, and global stability. Chaotic deregulation and selective enforcement of laws have led to a decline in respect for the rule […]
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Philadelphia’s $2B affordable housing plan relies heavily on municipal bonds, which can come with hidden costs for taxpayers
Philadelphia’s $2B affordable housing plan relies heavily on municipal bonds, which can come with hidden costs for taxpayers The Philadelphia Mayor’s $2B affordable housing plan relies heavily on municipal bonds, which can come with hidden costs for taxpayers. The city plans to issue $800 million in bonds over the next three years to fund affordable […]
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One ‘big, beautiful’ reason why Republicans in Congress just can’t quit Donald Trump
One ‘big, beautiful’ reason why Republicans in Congress just can’t quit Donald Trump Despite widespread criticism, President Donald Trump’s sweeping domestic tax and spending package passed both the House and Senate with minimal opposition from Republicans. The bill’s passage can be attributed to the increasing power of the presidency over Congress, where lawmakers are more […]
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Military force may have delayed Iran’s nuclear ambitions – but history shows that diplomacy is the more effective nonproliferation strategy
Military force may have delayed Iran’s nuclear ambitions – but history shows that diplomacy is the more effective nonproliferation strategy Diplomacy has been a more consistently reliable strategy than military force for getting a targeted country to denuclearize, as evidenced by cases such as Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, and Libya. The use of diplomatic pressure, […]
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Mexican flags flown during immigration protests bother white people a lot more than other Americans
Mexican flags flown during immigration protests bother white people a lot more than other Americans A recent survey experiment found that Americans are more bothered by protesters waving the Mexican flag than the U.S. flag during immigration protests, but this difference disappears when looking at subgroups. White respondents were significantly more likely to be bothered […]
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Keeping brain-dead pregnant women on life support raises ethical issues that go beyond abortion politics
Keeping brain-dead pregnant women on life support raises ethical issues that go beyond abortion politics Adriana Smith’s case has sparked a reproductive rights firestorm, highlighting the ethical complexities of keeping brain-dead pregnant women on life support and the role of Georgia’s LIFE Act in such decisions. The practice of postmortem pregnancy, where a fetus is […]
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Invasive carp threaten the Great Lakes − and reveal a surprising twist in national politics
Invasive carp threaten the Great Lakes − and reveal a surprising twist in national politics Invasive Asian carp are spreading up the Mississippi River system and could have dire ecological consequences if they enter the Great Lakes, prompting President Donald Trump to issue a presidential memorandum supporting the construction of a physical barrier to keep […]
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Employers are failing to insure the working class – Medicaid cuts would leave them even more vulnerable
Employers are failing to insure the working class – Medicaid cuts would leave them even more vulnerable Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, 7.8 million Americans across the US would lose their Medicaid coverage, including 248,000 to 414,000 residents in Michigan. The proposed work requirements for Medicaid would lead to widespread coverage losses among […]
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Despite claims they’d move overseas after the election, most Americans are staying put
Despite claims they’d move overseas after the election, most Americans are staying put Americans are not leaving the country in large numbers despite claims they would after the 2024 presidential election. Only a small percentage of Americans, estimated to be between 1% and 2%, are actively making viable plans to leave the country, which translates […]
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Could the United States split up?
Could the United States split up? Benjamin Cohen, a political economist, explores the possibility of the United States splitting up in his new book “Dream States: A Lurking Nightmare for the World Order” (2025). Cohen argues that secession movements are becoming increasingly common around the world and that the US is not immune to this […]
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Conservatives notch 2 victories in their fight to deny Planned Parenthood federal funding through Medicaid
Conservatives notch 2 victories in their fight to deny Planned Parenthood federal funding through Medicaid Conservatives have won two significant victories in their decades-long campaign to deny Planned Parenthood federal funding through Medicaid: a U.S. Supreme Court ruling and a provision in President Donald Trump’s tax-and-spending package. The Supreme Court ruling, Medina v. Planned Parenthood […]
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Congress passes budget to expand mass deportations, cut social services, and stall clean energy
Congress passes budget to expand mass deportations, cut social services, and stall clean energy The US Congress has passed a budget bill that includes provisions to expand mass deportations, cut social services, and stall clean energy production. The bill allocates $45 billion for immigration detention facilities and around $30 billion for ICE personnel and operations […]
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Capitalism and democracy are weakening – reviving the idea of ‘calling’ can help to repair them
Capitalism and democracy are weakening – reviving the idea of ‘calling’ can help to repair them Capitalism and democracy are weakening due to declining social trust, corruption, and inequality, but reviving the concept of “calling” can help repair them. The idea of calling has deep roots in history, dating back to theologian Martin Luther’s assertion […]
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Bill Moyers’ journalism strengthened democracy by connecting Americans to ideas and each other, in a long and extraordinary career
Bill Moyers’ journalism strengthened democracy by connecting Americans to ideas and each other, in a long and extraordinary career Bill Moyers was a renowned television journalist who strengthened democracy by connecting Americans to ideas and each other through his work, earning him a reputation as one of the few broadcast journalists to approach the stature […]
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Iran emerged weakened and vulnerable after war with Israel − and that could mean trouble for country’s ethnic minorities
Iran emerged weakened and vulnerable after war with Israel − and that could mean trouble for country’s ethnic minorities Iran’s recent war with Israel has left the country weakened and vulnerable, potentially threatening its ethnic minorities. The Islamic Republic’s military power has been significantly diminished, with its soft power also eroding due to a loss […]
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What the Supreme Court ruling against ‘universal injunctions’ means for court challenges to presidential actions
What the Supreme Court ruling against ‘universal injunctions’ means for court challenges to presidential actions The Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling in Trump v. CASA Inc. limits federal judges’ ability to issue “universal injunctions” that block government policies nationwide, instead allowing them to only block policies from being enforced against specific plaintiffs. This decision means that […]
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What is reconciliation − the legislative shortcut Republicans are using to push through their ‘big, beautiful bill’?
What is reconciliation − the legislative shortcut Republicans are using to push through their ‘big, beautiful bill’? The reconciliation process, created by the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, allows the party in power to pass sweeping changes to taxes and spending with a simple majority vote. The current budget debate centers around Senate Republicans’ “One […]
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What if universal rental assistance were implemented to deal with the housing crisis?
What if universal rental assistance were implemented to deal with the housing crisis? Universal rental assistance could be an effective solution to address the housing crisis in the US, as many experts agree that rents are too high and affordable housing options are scarce. The current subsidies in place, such as Housing Choice Vouchers, are […]
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What happens next in US-Iran relations will be informed by the two countries’ shared history
What happens next in US-Iran relations will be informed by the two countries’ shared history The US-Iran relationship has been marked by nearly half a century of hostility, starting from Iran’s takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and the taking of 52 diplomatic hostages. The 1979 hostage crisis had a lasting impact […]
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