Politics and Government

With the recent arrival of generative AI programs that can write conversationally, produce vivid imagery, and perform myriad tasks for us, some technologists believe the superintelligent machines of science fiction are right around the corner. Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, is quoted. This story was originally published in National Geographic.

"Survivor accounts of the lasting effects of their prostitution at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein and his wealthy friends repeat the story of every trafficked girl and woman on Aurora Avenue in Seattle," writes Debra Boyer, affiliate faculty in the Department of Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies at the UW.

Sixty years after one of the 20th centurys worst atrocities, three scholars gathered at the UW to confront a question that is still connected to Indonesia: What does it mean to commemorate a genocide? Nazry Bahrawi, assistant professor of Asian languages & literature at the UW, is quoted.

Despite the Makah Tribes success in getting a waiver to carry out their exclusive treaty right for whaling, the permitting process that had dragged on for over 20 years has now been effectively delayedanother year and a half because of bogged-down federal bureaucracy. Joshua Reid, associate professor of history and of American Indian studies at the UW, is quoted.

Getting help for parents of children with autism and receiving an early diagnosis can be costly and slow. Annette Estes, director of the UW Autism Center and a research professor of speech and hearing sciences at the UW, is quoted.

A decade of cancel culture and the assassination of Charlie Kirk have reinvigorated the discussion about free speech - what exactly it is, and what it isn't. James Long, professor of political science at the UW, is interviewed.

Among a slew of noteworthy firsts, the 2025 election nationwide and in Seattle featured a turn to youth young voters backing youthful candidates. Mark Alan Smith, professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

Ten years ago the world met in France to agree to the landmark Paris Agreement a global commitment signed by almost 300 nations to ward off catastrophic climate change. Adrian Raftery, professor emeritus of statistics and of sociology, is quoted.

Dr. Duchin leads the Data and Democracy Research Initiative at the University of Chicago. In October, Duchin delivered the annual Blackwell Seminar, which honors one of her heroes, the mathematician and statistician David Blackwell. The UW is mentioned.

Sudans civil war has become a humanitarian catastrophe of staggering scale, marked by famine, ethnic cleansing and sexual violence. Christopher Tounsel, associate professor of history at the UW, is interviewed.

A decade ago, nearly every country in the world adopted the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit the rise in global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius by 2100. Adrian Raftery, professor emeritus of statistics and of sociology, is interviewed.

A new report from the University of Washingtons Center for Human Rights found that federal immigration enforcement has been mining license plate data from local law enforcement in Washington state. Angelina Godoy, professor of law, societies, and justice and of international studies, as well as director of the Center for Human Rights at the UW, is quoted.

A new report reveals federal immigration authorities have been accessing automated license plate reader systems operated by local police departments across Washington state, potentially violating a state law that prohibits collaboration with civil immigration enforcement. Angelina Godoy, professor of law, societies, and justice and of international studies, as well as director of the Center for Human Rights at the UW, is quoted.

COVID-era school closures caused the U.S. significant economic and educational loss while being less effective than other transmission interventions, according to new research. Adrian Raftery, professor emeritus of statistics and of sociology, is quoted.

University of Washington researchers analyzed data collected in the decade following the Paris Agreement, an international treaty signed in 2015 to limit warming by cutting emissions. The treaty has helped nations reduce the amount of carbon released per dollar, but emissions are still too high due to global economic growth.