Believing the unbelievable: How the science of the “Big Lie” and propaganda works to the GOP’s advantage
Donald Trump is still insisting he won the 2020 election, despite having lost by about 7 million votes and being wiped out in the Electoral College. Science, it turns out, is on his side. Not the science of elections: the science of propaganda. New findings from...
Embracing Demagogues: Why the vital signs of a healthy democracy are in decline around the world
Voters in Sweden recently gave a leading role to a far-right party with neo-Nazi roots. Italy also put a party in power that has fascist origins. And of course, in the United States, one party has increasingly embraced election denialism and attempted to undermine the...
Techniques of Denial: Understanding the various distractions that politicians use to manage scandals
By Jared Del Rosso, Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminology, University of Denver The U.S. House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021 insurrection intends to hold another public hearing, likely the last before it releases its official report....
Attempted Coup: Final public hearing from January 6 panel shares irrefutable proof of Trump’s criminality
October 14 began with news that New York attorney general Letitia James was seeking a preliminary injunction to stop former president Trump from continuing with the fraudulent practices she filed a $250 million lawsuit in September to end. Apparently, the day James...
Classified Intel: Trump’s document scandal follows a history of weaponizing sensitive info for his benefit
Ever since the FBI came out of Mar-a-Lago in August with box after box of documents, some of them highly sensitive and classified, questions have wafted over the criminal investigation: Why did former President Donald Trump sneak off with the stash to begin with? Why...
The banality of evil: Christian Nationalism and its ignored contribution to the January 6 attack
By Joyce Dalsheim, Professor, Department of Global Studies, University of North Carolina – Charlotte; and Gregory Starrett, Professor of Anthropology, University of North Carolina – Charlotte When they entered the Senate chamber on January 6, 2021, a group of...
Negotiating with a tyrant: Trump shows his loyalty to Putin with deceptive offer of brokering a peace deal
Disgraced ex-president Donald Trump floated his offer to broker peace for Russia’s unprovoked full-scale invasion on September 28, and the insincere prank against Ukraine’s sovereignty was met with glee from his former benefactor, the Russia’s...
A rule, not a law: The Justice Department’s dilemma for when to prosecute politicians on criminal charges
By Henry L. Chambers Jr., Professor of Law, University of Richmond As the 2022 midterm campaigns approach Election Day on November 8, 2022, a federal probe into former President Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents is testing an unwritten policy of the U.S....
A holiday for heroes: Ukrainian people honored on Defenders Day for courage against Russia’s invasion
A combination of Memorial Day and Veterans Day in the United States, “Defender of Ukraine Day,” also known as Defenders Day, is a public holiday celebrated by Ukrainians on October 14. It was officially established by President Petro Poroshenko in 2014....
Congress accuses Saudi Arabia of helping underwrite Putin’s war in Ukraine with oil profits from supply cut
The Democratic chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee pledged on October 10 to block all future U.S. weapons sales to Saudi Arabia as backlash over OPEC’s decision to cut oil production and push up gas prices continues to grow on Capitol Hill. Senator...
Clash over crops: Lawmakers unwilling to make climate change a priority in order to help farmers
As lawmakers begin envisioning the next farm bill, some U.S. House Republicans are wary of making climate change a priority for farmers and ranchers. The pushback from Republicans at a September 20 hearing came as the Biden administration has tried to make significant...
Bad Lunches: Wisconsin school districts seek to improve deteriorating quality of student meals
When Sadie Perez entered Indian Trail High School and Academy on a November morning, school work was not on her mind. Instead, the then-junior was focused on an upcoming speech to the Kenosha School Board. She planned to bring a pressing concern to their next meeting,...
