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Politics-The Conversation
How Democrats are making a mistake in rural America – by not showing up
Democrats have been losing rural voters across the US since the 1960s, and that collapse has fueled Donald Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ movement...
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Politicians often warn of American decline – and voters often buy it
Donald Trump often speaks of an America in decline. Kamala Harris counters with a rival emotional appeal centered around excitement and joy.
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How Russia employs ‘hard soft power’ to influence overseas media and sow dissent and fear among foreign populations
A new study found that pliant local media in Ukraine and Georgia was manipulated by Moscow to present anti-Western narratives.
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Neutral news sources could exploit today’s polarized mediascape to boost revenue − here’s why they may choose not to
US news outlets perceived as politically centrist could inch rightward or leftward to attract a larger, more partisan readership − but only at the cos...
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Is it time to retire the ‘Arab-Israeli conflict’? Hostilities now extend beyond those boundaries
America and Iran are now just as much a part of the decadeslong conflict as Arab states. Is it time to start referring to the ‘MENA-ISRAME’ conflict?
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US oil and gas production surged to record highs under both Trump and Biden-Harris, despite very different energy goals
Trump aggressively supported fossil fuels. The Biden-Harris administration focused on replacing them with clean energy. Yet, data show the US oil and ...
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Trump campaign violated rules in Arlington National Cemetery visit, cemetery legal expert explains
Cemeteries can set their own rules, and Arlington’s are the most restrictive in the nation, meant to protect what it calls ‘our nation’s most sacred s...
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Crossing state lines to get an abortion is a new legal minefield, with courts to decide if there’s a right to travel
Iowa and Idaho have passed abortion trafficking laws that stop people from helping minors get abortions. These laws open the door for questions about ...
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Kamala Harris’ purported Irish ancestry highlights complicated backstory of identity and enslavement
Presidential candidate’s potential ties to an Irish slave owner complicate narratives around colonial legacies and the proper place of Black Irish ide...
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Kamala Harris’ purported ancestry highlights complicated backstory of Irish identity and enslavement
Presidential candidate’s potential ties to an Irish slave owner complicate narratives around colonial legacies and the proper place of Black Irish ide...
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Harris campaign tries to beat Trump at his own game − ridicule
Democrats are taking a new tone aimed at a particular weakness of Donald Trump: He hates being laughed at.
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As a high school teacher and as governor, Tim Walz has tapped the power of geographic information systems, or GIS, to solve complex problems
Gov. Tim Walz used geographic information systems as a schoolteacher. How will that experience come into play if he and Kamala Harris win the White Ho...
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No, local election officials can’t block certification of results – there are plenty of legal safeguards
Concerns are mounting that some election officials might subvert the results of the 2024 presidential election by refusing to certify results. An elec...
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Trump’s die-hard support may be explained by one of his most misunderstood character traits – ‘charisma’
Throughout modern history, charismatic leaders have shown their extraordinary ability to elicit devotion to themselves and their causes.
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7 years after genocide, plight of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh is exacerbated by camp violence
Hundreds of thousands of minority Muslims fled Myanmar in 2017 amid a government crackdown. Seven years on, they remain in refugee camps.
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Putin’s visit to Mongolia defies ICC warrant and tests neutral nation’s ‘third neighbor’ diplomacy
Mongolia has worked hard to craft friendly relations across the globe. But geography means that Russia and China still retain a strong influence.
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Trump and Harris, with starkly different records on labor issues, are both courting union voters
Union voters are particularly significant in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Nevada, three swing states where the share of voters who belong to unions is a...
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Apps, 911 services and mobile phones don’t offset deadly consequences of more restrictive border policies
Last year, at least 686 migrants died trying to cross into the US from Mexico. Many had the option to call 911 but were too afraid of detection and de...
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Gus Walz’s unbridled emotion on the DNC stage opens the door to more understanding of neurodiversity
The best way to learn about neurodivergence is by listening to neurodivergent people themselves.
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The specter of China has edged into US election rhetoric − for Republicans much more than Democrats
Of the four presidential and vice presidential candidates, only Tim Walz failed to mention China in his convention speech − and he is the only one wit...
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Conservative opponents of DEI may not be as colorblind as they claim
New research suggests anti-Black racism plays a key role in conservative anti-DEI sentiment.
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Signs, props and light-up wristbands − the 2024 political conventions find a home in the Smithsonian collections
The Whigs started holding political conventions in the 1830s − and historians from the Smithsonian who visited the GOP and Democratic conventions this...
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How the 14th Amendment prevents state legislatures from subverting popular presidential elections
A little-noticed provision of the US Constitution would strip any state of almost all its electoral votes if legislators sought to overrule the will o...
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Democratic men are stepping up for a woman president by stepping back, at last
The masculinity on display at the Democratic convention was groundbreaking as men − from Joe Biden to Pete Buttigieg to Tim Walz to Doug Emhoff − aime...
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Policy, shmolicy: Election Day weather and football victories could decide the election
For all the energy, creativity and money presidential candidates pour into their campaigns, it turns out that the ‘subtle power of irrelevant events’ ...
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Black voters, Latino voters and other voters of color show solidarity at the ballot box
Evidence suggests that despite their many differences, communities of color tend to vote for candidates who support policies that help remedy racial i...
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Why people stay after local economies collapse − a story of home among the ghosts of shuttered steel mills
When southeast Chicago’s steel industry collapsed, the loss reverberated through neighborhoods built around the mills. Former mill workers explain why...
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In a new era of campus upheaval, the 1970 Kent State shootings show the danger of deploying troops to crush legal protests
The author of a new book about the 1970 shootings at Kent State University explains why using armed troops to respond to protests is a risky strategy....
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An unseen problem with the Electoral College – it tells bad guys where to target their efforts
The Electoral College system puts most of the attention on just a few states – and paints a target on those states’ voting systems.
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How US military planning has shifted away from fighting terrorism to readying for tensions and conflict with China and Russia
The Pentagon is preparing for what it calls ‘great power competition’ among the US, Russia and China.
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From Kursk to Kursk: Putin’s attempt to project an image as Russia’s ‘protector’ has been punctured throughout his 25 years in power
From terrorist attacks to submarine disasters, Russia’s longtime leader has shown to be vulnerable in the face of crises.
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All politicians change their minds – and have been flip-flopping on positions for hundreds of years
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are far from the first politicians to change their mind about topics, from the innocuous to important policy shifts.
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In domestic violence cases, police are more likely to make arrests when pets are abused, too
Victims of intimate partner violence regularly cite fear for the safety of their pet as a primary reason they do not leave an abusive situation.
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South Sudan’s long-delayed election will be a landmark moment − but economic decline and political strife put vote at risk
The world’s youngest nation set a date for its first post-independence elections as intense anticipation reflects both an urgent need for stability an...
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‘Coconut farmers for Harris,’ influencers and vertical signs – Smithsonian curators’ encounters at the Democratic National Convention
The items people wear, buy and wave at the convention are key pieces of American history.
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No, the world isn’t heading toward a new Cold War – it’s closer to the grinding world order collapse of the 1930s
Over the past 15 years, the world has seen a financial crisis, the rise of populist politics and a fracturing of the world economic order. Sounds all ...
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US is unlikely to stop giving military aid to Israel − because it benefits from it
The US has given military aid to Israel since the 1960s, backed by both domestic and regional strategic interests, including containing Iran.
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Treating Nord Stream blasts as a whodunit misses the point – and plays into Russia’s plan to distract and divide
Since saboteurs blew up the Russia-Germany gas pipelines in September 2022, theories have swirled about who was responsible. German prosecutors recent...
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How debt and taxes conspired to rob Nairobi’s slum-dwelling youth of the promise of a better life
A 2010 constitution offered Kenyans economic and social rights that have faded in the face of mounting national debt.
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Can a political party get any attention when its rival holds a national convention? Yes, but it’s not easy
The best an opposing party can hope for during convention week is some sort of misfire. But those are rare in this era of scripted conventions designe...
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Rural voters don’t necessarily love Walz, despite the camo hat and small-town upbringing
It takes more than camo hats, hot dish and a rural-friendly image to get the votes of America’s rural residents.
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America’s Iran policy is a failure − piecemeal deterrence and sanctions can go only so far
Escalating conflict between Israel and Iran is partly the result of an unsuccessful, decade-long plan to ‘contain and deter’ the Iranian regime.
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Do Charli XCX’s and Kid Rock’s endorsements make a difference? 19% of young people admit they might
While celebrities are unlikely to decisively shift whom many people choose to vote for, their endorsement of a political candidate can still help shap...
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Does Democratic VP candidate Walz swear too damn much?
It wouldn’t be out of character if Kamala Harris’ running mate sprinkles ‘damn’ throughout his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention...
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75 years ago, the KKK and anti-communists teamed up to violently stop a folk concert in NY
Racist mobs attacked a 1949 concert in Peekskill, NY, helping raise anti-communist fervor after World War II and illustrating how hatred could gain le...
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Readers prefer to click on a clear, simple headline − like this one
Typical news readers prefer news headlines with simple language over more complex wording.
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Why don’t more politicians retire? A medical anthropologist explains how the US could benefit from a mandatory retirement age
Many Americans seem to prefer to keep working well past retirement age, but it’s not clear whether the choice is motivated by the need to keep earning...
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US voters say they’re ready for a woman president − but sexist attitudes still go along with opposition to Harris
Sexism played a key role in Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s defeat − and Donald Trump’s victory − in 2016. Has America become more a...
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Most young voters support Kamala Harris − but that doesn’t guarantee they will show up at the polls
Voter turnout among young people is historically low in the United States. And there is indication that a relatively small percentage of young voters ...
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US military presence in Syria carries substantial risks, but so does complete withdrawal
The US maintains close to 1,000 troops in Syria and supports Kurdish groups in the northeast and some opposition groups in the southeast.
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Raising the retirement age won’t defuse China’s demographic time bomb – but mass immigration might
By 2100, China’s population will likely be half its current size. It will also be a lot older, with fewer working-age men and women.
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Chicagoans watch films of the violent 1968 convention protests to get ready for the Democratic convention
As the Democratic National Convention returns to Chicago, there’s an appetite in that city to revisit films from the bloody and violent time the conve...
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