Politics
What happens when leaders have loyalists in charge of men with guns: Lessons for the US from Nicaragua, Syria and other authoritarian countries
What happens when leaders have loyalists in charge of men with guns: Lessons for the US from Nicaragua, Syria and other authoritarian countries Syrian army special forces in 2005, wearing pictures of their president, Bashar Assad, his father, Hafez, and brother, Basil, on their uniform, stand guard at a Lebanese military air base. Patrick Baz/AFP […]
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Trump’s DOGE campaign accelerates 50-year trend of government privatization
Trump’s DOGE campaign accelerates 50-year trend of government privatization Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has aggressively moved to shrink the federal government. His administration has frozen federal grants, issued executive orders aligned with the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, and, most prominently, created what he calls the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. DOGE […]
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The sun is setting on government transparency in Florida – and secrecy creep is affecting the rest of the US, too
The sun is setting on government transparency in Florida – and secrecy creep is affecting the rest of the US, too Exemptions to Florida’s open records law now exceed high rises in Miami. DEA / V. GIANNELLA /via Getty Images Florida, the “Sunshine State,” once known as a beacon of government transparency, is growing ever […]
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The psychology behind anti-trans legislation: How cognitive biases shape thoughts and policy
The psychology behind anti-trans legislation: How cognitive biases shape thoughts and policy Protesters fill the Iowa state Capitol to denounce a bill that will strip the state civil rights code of protections based on gender identity. AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall A state law signed Feb. 28, 2025, removes gender identity as a protected status from the […]
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The parallels between Kash Patel and William J. Burns, a scandal-mongering 1920s FBI director — an FBI historian explains
The parallels between Kash Patel and William J. Burns, a scandal-mongering 1920s FBI director — an FBI historian explains FBI Director Kash Patel speaks at his confirmation hearing on Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images After winning the 2024 election, President Donald Trump said on Nov. 30 that his new FBI director would […]
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The dark parallels between 1920s America and today’s political climate
The dark parallels between 1920s America and today’s political climate In the 1920s, some Americans' concern for a U.S. in decline led to a rise in various discriminatory policies and movements that hurt vulnerable minorities. iStock/Getty Images Plus As promised, the second Trump administration has quickly rolled out a slew of policies and executive orders […]
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Saudi Arabia’s role as Ukraine war mediator advances Gulf nation’s diplomatic rehabilitation − and boosts its chances of a seat at the table should Iran-US talks resume
Saudi Arabia’s role as Ukraine war mediator advances Gulf nation’s diplomatic rehabilitation − and boosts its chances of a seat at the table should Iran-US talks resume Saudi Arabia is 2,000 miles from Ukraine and even more politically distant, so at first glance it might seem like it has nothing to do with the ongoing war […]
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Is the US heading for a government shutdown? 5 essential reads to occupy the mind while we wait to find out
Is the US heading for a government shutdown? 5 essential reads to occupy the mind while we wait to find out Hello, shutdown, my old friend … Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images Brinkmanship, a political scramble to keep the lights on in Washington and finger-pointing over who is to the blame – we’ve […]
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How Trump’s foreign aid and diplomatic cuts will make it harder for the US to wield soft power to maintain its friendships and win new ones
How Trump’s foreign aid and diplomatic cuts will make it harder for the US to wield soft power to maintain its friendships and win new ones Soft power is lower-risk and lower-cost than hard power strategies. A Mokhtari/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images The Trump administration has proposed shuttering USAID and cutting some of the State […]
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How the color of St. Patrick’s Day went from blue to green
How the color of St. Patrick’s Day went from blue to green Since 1962, the Chicago River has been dyed green for St. Patrick's Day. Scott Olson/Getty Images St. Patrick’s Day usually conjures images of partying, Catholicism, Irish nationalism and, perhaps most famously, the color green: green clothes, green shamrocks, green beer and green rivers. […]
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How Jesse Jackson embodied Southern politics − and changed American elections
How Jesse Jackson embodied Southern politics − and changed American elections Holding hands with other prominent Black leaders, the Rev. Jesse Jackson crossed the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, Alabama, on March 9, 2025, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday.” Like several survivors of that violent day in 1965, when police brutally attacked […]
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George Washington, a real estate investor and successful entrepreneur, knew the difference between running a business and running the government
George Washington, a real estate investor and successful entrepreneur, knew the difference between running a business and running the government President George Washington delivers his first inaugural address in April 1789 in New York City. Painting by T.H. Matteson, engraving by H.S. Sadd, via Library of Congress During his three presidential campaigns, Donald Trump promised […]
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Can the Trump administration legally deport Palestinian rights advocate Mahmoud Khalil? 3 things to know about green card holders’ rights
Can the Trump administration legally deport Palestinian rights advocate Mahmoud Khalil? 3 things to know about green card holders’ rights Mahmoud Khalil, center, a permanent resident facing deportation, speaks at a press conference organized by Palestinian rights protesters at Columbia University in New York City on June 1, 2024. Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images Secretary […]
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Arrest of ex-president Duterte will shake up dynastic politics in the Philippines – and hand initiative to rival Marcos family
Arrest of ex-president Duterte will shake up dynastic politics in the Philippines – and hand initiative to rival Marcos family A supporter holds a portrait of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte at a campaign rally in Hong Kong Southorn Stadium on March 9, 2025. Anthony Kwan/Getty Images The ex-president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, could […]
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Are Ukrainians ready for ceasefire and concessions? Here’s what the polls say
Are Ukrainians ready for ceasefire and concessions? Here’s what the polls say After three years of conflict, a majority of Ukrainians report being war-weary. Tetiana Dzhafarova/AFP via Getty Images. A U.S.-Ukraine accord on a ceasefire proposal has put the notion of a negotiated end to the three-year war on the agenda, and in the hands […]
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Alien and Sedition Acts were reviled in their time, and John Adams was not sorry to see them go
Alien and Sedition Acts were reviled in their time, and John Adams was not sorry to see them go When John Adams became the second president of the United States in 1797, he inherited from George Washington a new experiment in government and a bit of a mess. The country’s two political parties – the […]
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