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Twitter’s decision Friday to join Facebook in permanently suspending President Trump’s account underscored the fundamental role of social media in one of the most tumultuous periods in American history. If it feels strange and unusual, that’s because there’s no historical precedent, neither in media nor the presidency. Margaret O’Mara, professor of history at the UW, is interviewed on the GeekWire podcast.

Democratic control of the White House and Senate will put pressure on the Supreme Court’s oldest justice, Stephen G. Breyer, to step aside so that President-elect Joe Biden can choose his successor. Scott Lemieux, assistant teaching professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

Democratic control of the White House and Senate will put pressure on the Supreme Court’s oldest justice, Stephen G. Breyer, to step aside so that President-elect Joe Biden can choose his successor. Scott Lemieux, assistant teaching professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

A politically charged mob, egged on by the sitting president, overran the U.S. Capitol and brought democracy to a halt. Members of our state's congressional delegation shares their experiences. Margaret O'Mara, professor of history at the UW, is interviewed.

James Long, associate professor of political science at the UW, says that President Trump has been riling up his supporters ever since he entered the political arena, so it's reasonable to be anxious about the two weeks until President-elect Biden's inauguration.

Calls to invoke a never-before-used section of the Constitution’s 25th Amendment prior to President Donald Trump’s concession Thursday evening would have been a difficult task, local experts said. Margaret O’Mara, professor of history at the UW, is quoted.

Last year, when it became clear that 2020 would be like no other, a group of University of Washington professors launched a program for freshmen called “2020: The Course.” The article links to a video of Ed Taylor, vice provost and dean for Undergraduate Academic Affairs; Karam Dana, associate professor of interdisciplinary arts and sciences at UW Bothell; Hilary Godwin, dean of the UW School of Public Health; Sharon S. Laing, assistant professor of nursing and health care leadership at UW Tacoma; Kate Starbird, associate professor of human centered design and engineering at the UW; and Joe Janes, associate professor at the UW Information School.

Hanson Hosein, co-director of the UW’s Communication Leadership program, says that the President Trump’s use of social media to incite unrest is forcing social media companies to accept their role as media companies, accountable for the content that passes through their platforms.

Teachers across the state waded into lessons about the attack on the U.S. Capitol and other conversations about racism and politics, seeing these events as opportunities for critical thinking and their classes as important spaces to tackle misinformation and hate speech. Jake Grumbach, assistant professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

Our primate ancestors might have become “protomusical” to advertise their ability to perform death-defying leaps from tree to tree. David Schruth, a postdoctoral researcher in anthropology at the UW, is referenced.