U.S. political leaders face a drumbeat of violent threats John Sides - December 21, 2023 In a new survey, experts are concerned about how this violence is eroding democracy.
How Republicans made a U-turn on impeachment Andrew Rudalevige - December 16, 2023 2023 isn’t 2019, it turns out.
Back to face-to-face: What you need to know about the Biden-Xi summit Jeremy Wallace - November 16, 2023 Talk between nuclear-armed superpowers is usually a good thing.
Everything you should know about the House speakership battle Sarah Binder, Ruth Bloch Rubin, Matt Glassman, and Molly Reynolds - October 10, 2023 Four political scientists have a ‘good chat’ about what happened – and what comes next.
Republicans dislike their congressional leaders. Democrats like theirs. Michael Tesler - October 5, 2023 The Republicans' drama in Congress accurately reflects their constituents' opinions.
Will foreign policy actually matter in the 2024 U.S. election? Elizabeth N. Saunders - September 21, 2023 It may not matter much to voters, but foreign policy is definitely on the ballot.
Leaders around the world made bold moves in 2022. They didn’t always succeed. Elizabeth N. Saunders - December 29, 2022 The TMC 2022 roundups: The international beat
Goodbye to the 117th Congress, bookended by remarkable events Sarah Binder - December 27, 2022 The 2022 roundups: Congress’s year in review.
For the first time, women will hold these four key congressional jobs Michele Swers / Managing Editor - November 30, 2022 Women will lead the House and Senate appropriations committees in a highly contentious time. Will they do their jobs any differently than men might?
What has changed between China and Taiwan? Scott L. Kastner - November 10, 2022 Even before the latest surge in tensions, the risk of conflict in the Taiwan Strait was on the rise
Elected officials are being threatened and attacked. We’re tracking that. Michael Loadenthal, Joel Day, and Aleena Khan - November 8, 2022 Our new ongoing longitudinal study is the first to systematically evaluate such incidents across the United States. Here’s what we’re finding.
Local officials face four kinds of threats. And they’re escalating. Alexandra Filindra - November 7, 2022 Officials from both parties are being threatened and even assaulted. That’s hurting democracy.
How can the U.S. help prevent more political violence? Sophia Pink, Robb Willer, and Joseph Mernyk - November 1, 2022 Our research found two strategies that may help restore general social disapproval of attacks such as the one against Nancy Pelosi’s husband
CHIPS+ could change the U.S. semiconductor supply chain, and more Sarah Bauerle Danzman - August 9, 2022 But do industrial incentives work?
Taiwanese people will be reassured by Pelosi’s visit, research says Yao-Yuan Yeh, Fang-Yu Chen, Charles K.S. Wu, and Austin Horng-En Wang - August 2, 2022 A high-level visit might boost confidence in U.S. security commitments
Will Biden’s age keep him from being reelected? Jennifer Wolak and Damon C. Roberts - July 20, 2022 Young people are the most critical of older politicians, our research finds
Why is the Jan. 6 committee holding televised hearings? Sarah Binder - June 13, 2022 The committee wants to get Americans off the sidelines and into the fight to hold Trump accountable for the unprecedented attack on the Capitol
What’s so funny about a Russian invasion? Chonlawit Sirikupt - April 6, 2022 Here’s how Kyiv is wielding humor in its information war against Moscow
How to decode the party politics that led to Rep. Gosar’s censure Michele Swers - November 22, 2021 Mostly Democrats voted to censure him for tweeting an animated video of an attack on Ocasio-Cortez. Republicans promise payback.
Three reasons Congress finally passed an infrastructure bill Sarah Binder - November 8, 2021 And what happened to Build Back Better, the social and climate infrastructure bill?
Big-name Democrats are campaigning in Virginia’s race for governor. Does that help candidates? Karina Mondragon, Christopher Stout, and Cara Nixon - October 24, 2021 They won’t change minds. But Obama, Abrams and Bottoms are likely to help get more Black voters to cast ballots.
Civil servants are the last defense against a lawless president. It’s no wonder Trump didn’t trust them. Walter M. Shaub, Jr. - October 10, 2021 U.S. democracy counts on public servants to be loyal to the Constitution, not politicians
As the Democrats skirmish over their omnibus bill, here’s what they can learn from Harry Truman Bernard Grofman - September 30, 2021 Passing mammoth bills is hard. One alternative: make Republicans take unpopular votes, and use it against them.
Congress is about to pass a stopgap spending bill. That’ll cost taxpayers. Stuart Kasdin - September 30, 2021 When federal agencies have to put off spending decisions until the last minute, they are forced to take shortcuts
If Democrats want to go big on social protection, taxing rich people won’t be enough Kimberly Morgan - September 14, 2021 The plans are ambitious. In Biden’s words, ‘Somebody has got to pay.’ But who?
Congress is bumping up its top staffers’ salaries. But its real problem is the underpayment of junior staffers. Joshua McCrain - August 19, 2021 The House’s changes will be among the most significant reforms to staffing in decades. Will they be enough?
Republicans don’t trust their election officials, research finds — especially in states Biden won Kimberly Gross and Danny Hayes - July 25, 2021 State and local election officials are being threatened. Should we worry about the future of U.S. democracy?
Pelosi just rejected two Republicans for the Jan. 6 investigation. Here are three takeaways. Sarah Binder / Managing Editor - July 23, 2021 Yes, the speaker can do that.
The Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol hurt the Republican Party, new research finds Peter Thisted Dinesen, Gregory Eady, and Frederik Hjorth - July 16, 2021 We found a sharp and persistent drop in Twitter users identifying as Republicans.
Do we have an infrastructure deal? Sarah Binder - June 27, 2021 Four takeaways on what Democrats and Republicans are up to — and why it’s a big deal
4 reasons the GOP wouldn’t vote for a Jan. 6 commission Sarah Binder - May 27, 2021 It wasn’t the first filibuster of the year, and it won’t be the last
When Black women use motherhood’s power to advocate for Black lives Aidan Smith - May 6, 2021 There’s a history behind putting a mother’s love to political use after a Black person is killed
What might happen if Democrats succeed in expanding voting? California has some answers. Sara Sadhwani - March 16, 2021 In California, reforms like those in H.R. 1 led to a more involved electorate, higher turnout and more legislators of color being elected to office.
The Hyde Amendment blocks federal funding of abortion. Will House Democrats repeal it? Michele Swers and Kelly L. Rolfes-Haase / Managing Editor - February 22, 2021 Democrats and Republicans weren’t always divided on abortion funding. That has changed.
Republican women are becoming key party messengers. Here’s how it happened. Catherine Wineinger - February 15, 2021 Just ask Reps. Liz Cheney and Marjorie Taylor Greene, now standing for the GOP’s two opposing poles
Members of Congress want a commission to investigate the Capitol invasion. Here’s when these work. Jordan Tama / Managing Editor - January 19, 2021 Some commissions kick the can down the road. Some prompt real change.
The assault on the U.S. Capitol opens a new chapter in domestic terrorism Daniel Byman - January 14, 2021 The counterterrorism manual doesn’t cover an insurrection egged on by one party’s leaders.
There was no legal way to stop Trump from ordering a nuclear strike if he wanted to, expert says Elizabeth N. Saunders - January 8, 2021 New revelations about Gen. Mark A. Milley’s calls to his Chinese counterpart remind of us of that fact
What you need to know about the 25th Amendment, Section 4 Joel Goldstein - January 7, 2021 It isn’t like impeachment. And this provision has never been put to the test.
These were our 10 most popular posts of 2020 E.J. Graff - December 31, 2020 Readers were very interested in elections, successions, and a virus we hadn’t heard of just a year ago.
Why Congress finally passed a coronavirus relief bill Sarah Binder - December 22, 2020 The election scrambled the players and their priorities.
Trump radicalized the Republican Party. If it doesn’t change course, many supporters will flee. Ken Kollman and John Jackson - October 28, 2020 Our research finds when a party shifts ideology too far, large demographic blocs shift loyalties to the other party
There’s a growing gap in how Democrats and Republicans plan to vote. Thad Kousser, Seth J. Hill, Mindy Romero, Mackenzie Lockhart, and Jennifer Merolla - October 7, 2020 Mail-in ballots are more likely to be thrown out
Democrats are discussing changing the Supreme Court. What do Americans think? Eileen Braman - October 5, 2020 Here’s how they think about it.
What will the Senate do about Trump’s Supreme Court nominee? Sarah Binder / Managing Editor - September 22, 2020 Three things to know about what’s coming next.
If Trump appoints a third justice, the Supreme Court would be the most conservative it’s been since 1950 Michael A. Bailey - September 21, 2020 And it would be the furthest it’s been ideologically from the other two branches in a long time
Public outrage derailed Trump’s plans to slow the mail. That’s what keeps presidents in check. Douglas Kriner and Dino Christenson - August 24, 2020 Public opinion more effectively reins in the presidency than the other branches. But that may be changing.
How likely is it that your mail-in ballot won’t get counted? Charles Stewart III - August 24, 2020 It’s riskier than voting in person.
Trump’s latest executive actions have 3 big problems Andrew Rudalevige - August 12, 2020 In 2016, Trump said executive orders signaled lazy leadership. Whoops.
Here’s what Pelosi could do if Republicans tried to manipulate the presidential election’s outcome Daniel Carpenter - August 4, 2020 If the game is constitutional hardball, Democrats could try this play
If you think real men don’t wear masks, you’re more likely to get coronavirus Tyler Reny - July 15, 2020 New research finds that the most sexist individuals are up to 25 percentage points more likely to report getting the virus
House Democrats are sending dead-on-arrival bills to the Senate. There’s a good reason. Jeremy Gelman / Managing Editor - July 3, 2020 They’re not just scoring political points; they’re setting up their agenda for a Democratic win in November.
Obama is right. The Floyd protests will change public policy. Daniel Q. Gillion - June 9, 2020 Protests from the 1960s civil rights movement to the 1991 Los Angeles riots changed policies, my research finds
Pelosi called Trump ‘morbidly obese.’ Voters don’t like overweight candidates. Gabriele Magni and Andrew Reynolds - June 5, 2020 Our new study looks at how weight matters in politics.
Under Trump, Democrats and Republicans have never been more divided — on nearly everything Larry Bartels - May 20, 2020 And they are holding tightly to their party identities
Part 2: What happens if a U.S. presidential candidate withdraws or dies before the election or inauguration? Joshua Tucker - May 14, 2020 Here’s the second part of the answer to that gloomy question.
Congress and Trump have produced four emergency pandemic bills. Don’t expect a fifth anytime soon. Sarah Binder / Managing Editor - April 26, 2020 Here are four takeaways from Congress’s latest effort to respond to the coronavirus.
Why Trump has received a much smaller approval bump than other world leaders during the pandemic Shane Markowitz - April 7, 2020 The country’s highly polarized two-party system discourages ‘rallying around the flag’
Congress moved quickly on the massive emergency spending bill. Here are four takeaways. Sarah Binder - March 26, 2020 No one wants the blame for failing to act in a crisis.
The House moved quickly on a covid-19 response bill. These 4 takeaways explain what’s likely to happen next. Sarah Binder - March 14, 2020 Here’s why the legislative road ahead will be rockier.
Putin would recognize Trump’s ‘reality TV’ techniques in the State of the Union address Hannah Chapman - February 11, 2020 That kind of showmanship really does boost public opinion ratings
Has Trump’s approval rating really shot up to 49 percent? Probably not. Jacob Long - February 6, 2020 More Republicans — and fewer Democrats — are responding to pollsters. That could skew the results.
Trump didn’t shake hands. Pelosi ripped up his speech. Do Americans care about civility? Sarah E. Croco and Jacob Silverman - February 5, 2020 Yes, they’re offended — when the other party is rude
Has Trump abused his presidential powers, as the House charges? Foreign policy scholars think so. Susan Peterson, Michael J. Tierney, Emily B. Jackson, Eric Parajon, and Ryan Powers - January 24, 2020 Perhaps senators should take note.
What to expect when you’re expecting a Senate impeachment trial Steven Smith - January 10, 2020 Yes, there are some rules. The Senate can change them.
Don’t expect Congress to rein in Trump’s use of military force in the Middle East Douglas Kriner - January 6, 2020 Presidents usually want Congress to approve their military decisions. Lawmakers usually want to stay out of it.
These were our 10 most popular posts of 2019 E.J. Graff - December 31, 2019 You were very interested in evidence that could be used in the fierce partisan battles in the U.S.
Congress’s 2019 looks startling in the rear-view mirror. Here are 4 key takeaways. Sarah Binder - December 29, 2019 Expect the Nancy and Mitch show to keep delivering surprises.
We’re on the road to impeachment. Here’s what you need to know about what’s ahead. Sarah Binder - December 12, 2019 Watch for party fractures that could make things more interesting.
Tones on Tail, ‘Go!’: The Week In One Song Christopher Federico - December 6, 2019 Another go-ahead in the impeachment process.
Mahavishnu Orchestra, ‘Resolution’: The Week in One Song Christopher Federico - November 1, 2019 An impeachment resolution passes.
When a World Series crowd booed Trump, some cringed – and some celebrated. That’s not just partisanship. Emily Sydnor - October 31, 2019 Some people run toward conflict. Some run away.
Pelosi will get more out of today’s impeachment inquiry vote than Republicans. Here’s why. Sarah Binder - October 30, 2019 She’s undercutting the GOP’s complaints about process — and daring them to defend the president on substantive grounds.
Would a ‘not guilty’ impeachment verdict help Trump? Martin Wattenberg - October 24, 2019 It didn’t help Bill Clinton
Ozzy Osbourne, ‘Crazy Train’: The Week In One Song Christopher Federico - October 18, 2019 Another crazy week.
The impeachment inquiry is making Nancy Pelosi more popular Michael Tesler - October 17, 2019 What Donald Trump opposes tends to get more support.
Is the impeachment inquiry really ‘unconstitutional’? Andrew Rudalevige - October 10, 2019 There’s a long history of White House lawyers saying what the boss wants to hear.
Four things Donald Trump can learn from Bill Clinton’s experience with impeachment — but probably won’t Andrew Rudalevige - October 2, 2019 How can a White House endure a major investigation and still govern?
President Trump tapped Gen. Mark Milley as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Here are 3 things to know. Jim Golby - September 30, 2019 Statements by the JCS chairman can have a significant impact on public opinion.
Pelosi finally called for an impeachment inquiry. Here’s what’s happening behind the scenes. Sarah Binder - September 26, 2019 Four insights into why now — and what’s next
What to expect when you are expecting a Trump ‘transcript’ James Goldgeier - September 25, 2019 The record of Trump’s call with Ukraine’s president won’t tell the whole story. Not even close.
Congress is back in town. Here’s why lawmakers will struggle to get much done. Craig Volden and Alan E. Wiseman - September 11, 2019 As party leaders have taken power away from committee chairs, fewer members of Congress have the clout — or incentive — to find solutions.
What is China’s propaganda machine saying about the Hong Kong protests? Kecheng Fang - August 18, 2019 Beijing blames foreign forces for inciting ‘riots.’ Here’s why that makes sense in China.
What does Israel’s response to two U.S. congresswomen mean for the future? Brent E. Sasley - August 16, 2019 The U.S.-Israel relationship has been rocky for years.
Ben Carson defended Trump’s racist tweets. Here’s how that affects his reputation. Naomi Tolbert, Gregory John Leslie, and Christopher T. Stout - August 4, 2019 Whites will like him more and blacks will like him less, survey findings suggest.
Nancy Pelosi said ‘the Squad’ was just ‘four people.’ But here’s why they might succeed. Jeffrey S. Lantis - July 24, 2019 Generational turnover and new technologies pose new challenges
Many whites view people of color as less American Michael Tesler / Managing Editor - July 15, 2019 Here’s the data.
How did Congress pass humanitarian aid for migrant children so quickly? Here are 3 takeaways. Sarah Binder - June 29, 2019 Congress knows a must-pass bill when it sees one.
Turnout at last weekend’s impeachment marches was modest. Why? Tommy Leung, Nathan Perkins, Jeremy Pressman, and Erica Chenoweth - June 23, 2019 We found three likely reasons.
No, a downed drone does not give Trump the authority to start a war. He still needs congressional authorization. Andrew Rudalevige - June 22, 2019 Two articles of the Constitution and two statutes offer guidance.
Democrats want to make D.C a state. Here’s what it would take. Jeffrey W. Ladewig - June 18, 2019 And here’s what it would do to the other states’ seats in Congress.
Here’s why Pelosi won’t allow the House to pursue impeachment — at least not yet Sarah Binder - June 14, 2019 But the speaker is giving investigating committees more freedom — and that matters.
What’s behind the desire for ‘skilled’ immigrants? Racial prejudice. Neil Malhotra and Benjamin Newman - May 21, 2019 New research shows that the preference for “skills” conceals bias against Latinos.
How the House Freedom Caucus found an unlikely ally: Donald Trump Matthew Green - April 14, 2019 A minority within a minority needs a friend in the White House.
Congress has NATO’s back, despite Trump’s unilateralism Joshua Kertzer, Joshua Busby, Jordan Tama, Jonathan Monten, and Craig Kafura - April 3, 2019 Surveys show deep bipartisan support for the alliance.
Trump supporters and opponents are increasingly divided on whether constitutional principles are under threat Susan C. Stokes, Mitchell Sanders, John Carey, Gretchen Helmke, and Brendan Nyhan - March 11, 2019 There’s little that would unite the country to defend democracy.
Trump declared a controversial state of emergency. That can erode democracy. Bryan Rooney and Anna Lührmann - March 10, 2019 Countries with states of emergency are 60 percent more likely to see democracy erode.
These are the roadblocks to the Democrats’ big voting rights bill Thomas Keck - March 6, 2019 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) speaks during an event advocating
How Donald Trump helped turn teenage girls into political activists David Campbell and Christina Wolbrecht - February 28, 2019 It could get them involved in politics for a lifetime.