Politics
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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Using TikTok could be making you more politically polarized, new study finds
Using TikTok could be making you more politically polarized, new study finds A new study found that people on TikTok tend to follow accounts that align with their own political beliefs, creating echo chambers among users. The study analyzed a massive dataset of over 16 million TikTok videos and found that right-leaning communities are more […]
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Trump administration aims to slash funds that preserve the nation’s rich architectural and cultural history
Trump administration aims to slash funds that preserve the nation’s rich architectural and cultural history The Trump administration has proposed slashing funding for the Historic Preservation Fund by $158 million to just $11 million, which would significantly impact historic preservation efforts across the US. The fund, which is currently funded by private lease royalties from […]
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Self-censorship and the ‘spiral of silence’: Why Americans are less likely to publicly voice their opinions on political issues
Self-censorship and the ‘spiral of silence’: Why Americans are less likely to publicly voice their opinions on political issues Americans are less likely to publicly voice their opinions on political issues due to self-censorship and polarization, which has led to a decline in trust among citizens. The polarization between Republicans and Democrats has resulted in […]
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Scandinavia has its own dark history of assimilating Indigenous people, and churches played a role – but are apologizing
Scandinavia has its own dark history of assimilating Indigenous people, and churches played a role – but are apologizing The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland has apologized to the Sámi people for its role in assimilating Indigenous culture and language, acknowledging past activities that stigmatized Sámi language and culture. The church’s historical actions included condemning […]
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Presidents of both parties have launched military action without Congress declaring war − Trump’s bombing of Iran is just the latest
Presidents of both parties have launched military action without Congress declaring war − Trump’s bombing of Iran is just the latest President Donald Trump’s decision to bomb Iranian nuclear sites without consulting Congress has sparked debate over whether he violated Article 1 of the US Constitution, which gives Congress the power to declare war. The […]
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Israel-Iran war recalls the 2003 US invasion of Iraq – a war my undergraduate students see as a relic of the past
Israel-Iran war recalls the 2003 US invasion of Iraq – a war my undergraduate students see as a relic of the past The Israel-Iran war has sparked concerns that it may be reminiscent of the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, a war that many young people today see as a relic of the past. The […]
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Israel bombed an Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981 − it pushed program underground and spurred Saddam Hussein’s desire for nukes
Israel bombed an Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981 − it pushed program underground and spurred Saddam Hussein’s desire for nukes Israel bombed an Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981, which pushed Saddam Hussein’s nuclear ambitions underground and spurred his desire for nukes. The attack on the Osirak reactor was initially seen as a success by many, […]
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How Zohran Mamdani’s win in the New York City mayoral primary could ripple across the country
How Zohran Mamdani’s win in the New York City mayoral primary could ripple across the country Zohran Mamdani’s win in the New York City mayoral primary has sparked national attention and raised questions about the future of the Democratic Party. Mamdani’s victory, which came as a surprise to many, suggests that progressive politics are gaining […]
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Grover Norquist’s lasting influence on the GOP and US economic policy
Grover Norquist’s lasting influence on the GOP and US economic policy Grover Norquist’s influence on the GOP and US economic policy has been lasting, with his anti-tax stance shaping Republican dogma since the 1980s. Norquist’s organization, Americans for Tax Reform, effectively institutionalized a permanent tax revolt in Congress through its “Taxpayer Protection Pledge,” which became […]
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Ceasefires like the one between Iran and Israel often fail – but an agreement with specific conditions is more likely to hold
Ceasefires like the one between Iran and Israel often fail – but an agreement with specific conditions is more likely to hold Despite President Trump’s announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, both countries launched airstrikes against each other within hours, raising concerns that the deal may not hold. Ceasefire deals often fail due […]
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US and Iran have a long, complicated history, spanning decades before US strikes on nuclear sites
US and Iran have a long, complicated history, spanning decades before US strikes on nuclear sites **1953: The Beginning of Hostility** The US overthrew democratically-elected Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh in 1953, leading to decades of tension and hostility between the two countries. **1979: Embassy Takeover and Sanctions** Iranian students stormed the US Embassy in Tehran […]
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What is CREC? The Christian nationalist group has a vision for America − and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s support
What is CREC? The Christian nationalist group has a vision for America − and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s support The Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC) is a Christian nationalist group with a vision for America, supported by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The CREC has a highly patriarchal and conservative interpretation of Scripture, which includes […]
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Violent extremists like the Minnesota shooter are not lone wolves
Violent extremists like the Minnesota shooter are not lone wolves Violent extremists like Vance Boelter are not lone wolves, but rather part of a larger network of far-right extremists who believe in white replacement and other hate-based ideologies. The myth of the lone wolf shooter misdirects people from the actual causes of extremist violence and […]
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