Politics and Government

"The rate of child poverty doubled in 2022, despite a growing economy and an increasingly tight labor market. Why? Because of a policy choice made by Congress," writes Scott Lemieux, teaching professor of political science at the UW.

"While appeals to grievance have been used in presidential campaigns, never before in American history has a leading contender for a major party's nomination made their personal grievances related to criminal liability and payback the centerpiece of their presidential run," write the UW's political science professors James Long and Victor Menaldo.

Washington state has a unique connection to the period of time portrayed in the new Hollywood movie. Bruce Hevly, associate professor of history at the UW, is quoted.

Amazon reported a slight drop in greenhouse gas emissions, but its total footprint remains millions of metric tons larger than past years, according to the company's sustainability report. Aseem Prakash, professor of political science and director of the Center for Environmental Politics at the UW, is quoted.

Calls to overhaul the police go back decades. But violent episodes of police enforcement continue. So do violent outpourings on the street. Magda Boutros, assistant professor of sociology at the UW, is quoted.

"The United States has finished destroying the last of its stock of chemical weapons, marking the end of a 26-year period during which it frequently condemned other states for maintaining and using chemical weapons while continuing to keep a stockpile of such weapons for itself," writes Michael Blake, professor of philosophy and of public policy and governance at the UW.

"The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was accorded a lavish welcome by the Biden Administration during his recently concluded U.S. visit. He spoke to the U.S. Congress, making him the sixth individual ever to address the U.S. Congress more than once...Why this courtship? For the U.S., India is critical to counter China," write the UW's Nives Dol?ak, professor of marine and environmental affairs, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science.

"Early this month, Quebec forest fires caused severe air pollution on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard. Although subject to some debate, many blamed climate change for these fires," write the UW's Nives Dol?ak, professor of marine and environmental affairs, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science.

As a candidate, Joe Biden called himself a climate change pioneer. He promised a green energy revolution. More renewables, way less fossil fuels, and a carbon-neutral economy by 2050. So two years in, how's he doing? Outside/In host Nate Hegyi speaks with Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW, to figure out where Biden has pushed his climate agenda, where he hasn't, and whether he's an octopus or a bighorn sheep.

"Does international trade undermine national security? Russia has weaponized its energy dominance to threaten European security. Might China weaponize its control over the renewable energy supply chain to pursue political objectives, such as reunification with Taiwan?" write the UW's Nives Dolsak, professor of marine and environmental affairs, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science.

Altman, the CEO and co-founder of OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company behind viral chatbot ChatGPT and image generator Dall-E, is set to testify before Congress on Tuesday. His appearance is part of a Senate subcommittee hearing on the risks artificial intelligence poses for society, and what safeguards are needed for the technology. Margaret O'Mara, professor of history at the UW, is quoted.

As a candidate, Joe Biden ran on a climate-focused platform, promising a transition to a clean, carbon-neutral economy by 2050. But since taking office, the U.S. has doubled down on oil and gas production. Is President Biden being overly friendly to the fossil fuel industry? What gives? Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW, is interviewed.

Is AI going to kill us? Or take our jobs? Or is the whole thing overhyped? Depends on who you ask. Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, is quoted.

There's democracy at the federal level. Then there's the states, once called the laboratory of democracy. Jake Grumbach, associate professor of political science at the UW, decided to measure the health of democracy at the state level.

On May 5, 1945, a Japanese balloon bomb exploded over Oregon and killed six Americans -- the only mainland civilian causalities from enemy attack during WWII. Ross Coen, a PhD graduate in history and instructor at the UW, is interviewed.