Politics and Government

Margaret O’Mara, professor of history at the UW, says too much screen time in the COVID-19 era may have led to the proliferation of conspiracy theories, especially among “QAnon yoga moms.” [This clip teases a later story in which O’Mara is not interviewed]

“Watching the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump, an epochal event in U.S. history, I could not take my eyes from the rostrum. Though attentive to the words being spoken, with their pointed meaning and sharp emotion, I could not unseize my view from the polished stone wall that framed every speaker. It was — and is — as arresting as anything said during this extraordinary, profoundly disturbing trial,” writes Scott Montgomery, lecturer of international studies at the UW.

The Cowlitz County Youth Services Center in Longview, WA — one of the last detention centers in the country that holds undocumented immigrant youth — has moved to terminate its contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Angelina Godoy, professor of law, societies and justice at the UW and director of the UW Center for Human Rights, is mentioned.

The Republican Party’s most-Trump and pro-Trumpism contingent and the forces in the party pushing its growing radical and antidemocratic tendencies are often not national Republicans, but those at the local and state levels. Jake Grumbach, assistant professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

Of the two sides in the conflict over India's new farm laws, Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs at the UW, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW, write, “Neither camp offers any solution to the most crucial challenge: ensuring that the Green Revolution belt farmers grow less rice, which is economically and ecologically problematic.”

There’s a sense of disbelief that a president could foment a riot at the Capitol to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power, and yet his party remains reluctant to hold him to account. Christopher Parker, professor of political science at the UW, isn’t the least bit surprised.

“Has a bloc of voters emerged that is not only alien to the American system of governance but toxic to it?” writes columnist Thomas B. Edsall. A study by Christopher Parker, professor of political science at the UW, and Rachel Blum of the University of Oklahoma is quoted.

Quintard Taylor, professor emeritus of history and the founder of Blackpast.org, discusses the life and legacy of Horace Clayton and his wife, Susie Revels.

James Long, associate professor of political science at the UW, says he thinks it's likely that the Senate will acquit former President Trump, but it depends on the evidence presented over the course of the trial.

James Long, associate professor of political science at the UW, talks about why the impeachment trial is unprecedented.

James Long, associate professor of political science at the UW, is interviewed about what to expect from the impeachment trial.

Adrian Raftery, professor of statistics, and Peiran Liu, doctoral student in statistics, have co-authored a new study that found that the planet has a less than 5% chance of staying within the goal of 2 degrees Celcius warming this century.

Cowlitz County Superior Court’s judges are ending the last contract in the U.S. to house unaccompanied immigrant youth in a facility for more than 72 hours. The judges’ decision, announced Feb. 5, ends the county’s controversial contract with Immigration Customs and Enforcement to hold juveniles at the local youth facility. A report by the UW's Center for Human Rights is referenced.

Some of Island County’s best-known climate activists are young, including members of the South Whidbey–based United Student Leaders. But in this retirement destination, where a quarter of the residents are over 65, there are plenty of elders who share the teenagers’ planetary worries. Richard Gammon, professor emeritus of chemistry at the UW, is quoted.

“So what to do about the collateral damage that sometimes occurs when social media amplifies lies and fringe ideas through its use of algorithms? Thus far, the solutions that lawmakers and pundits have advanced are heavy-handed and often centered on the outright ban of innovative technology. They run the risk of making mis/disinformation and conspiracy theories worse,” write the UW’s James Long, associate professor of political science, and Victor Menaldo, professor of political science.