Politics and Government

  • House GOP members fight for Biden-era energy spending, including in WA

    Believe it or not, Republicans love renewable energy. How its packaged matters, though. Just dont mention climate change. Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.
    03/27/2025 | The Seattle Times
  • Elon Musk, and how techno-fascism has come to America

    The historic parallels that help explain Elon Musks rampage on the federal government. Erin McElroy, assistant professor of geography at the UW, is quoted.
    02/26/2025 | The New Yorker
  • DEI rollbacks highlight the uneasy relationship between corporations and Black consumers

    DEI policies have been in the crosshairs since President Donald Trump arrived back in the White House. Many corporations have been proactively choosing to downsize their DEI programs or eliminate them completely. But one company is facing a unique level of backlash: Target.Timeka Tounsel, associate professor of Black studies in communication at the UW, is interviewed.
    02/20/2025 | KUOW
  • WA scientists plan to publish report on nature that Trump canceled

    After President Donald Trump canceled a report on the state of nature in the United States, the scientists working on it many from the Seattle area say theyll continue their work and build on it. Phil Levin, professor of practice in environmental and forest sciences at the UW; Dr. Howard Frumkin, professor emeritus of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW; Devon Pena, professor of anthropology at the UW and Josh Lawler, professor of environmental and forest sciences at the UW, are quoted.
    02/18/2025 | The Seattle Times
  • Proposed NIH funding cuts leave WA research institutions fearing fiscal chaos

    Dozens of universities and scientific institutions across Washington state are facing hundreds of millions of dollars in immediate cuts to NIH-funded programs supporting cancer research, pediatric medicine and drug development. The move could disrupt clinical trials and trigger layoffs and sparked a 22-state federal lawsuit involving Washington. Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology at the UW; Marion Pepper, professor of immunology at the UW School of Medicine; and UW spokesperson Victor Balta are quoted. The UW's Washington National Primate Research Center is referenced.
    02/11/2025 | The Seattle Times
  • Analysis: A boycott campaign fuels tension between Black shoppers and Black-owned brands evoking the long struggle for consumer citizenship

    "In my research on marketing campaigns aimed at Black women, Ive examined how the struggle for consumer citizenship complicated the dynamic between Black entrepreneurs and consumers. On the one hand, businesses have long leveraged Black ownership as a unique selling proposition in and of itself, urging shoppers to view Black brand loyalty as a path to collective racial progress," writes Timeka Tounsel, assistant professor of Black studies in communication at the UW.
    02/10/2025 | The Conversation
  • Opinion: What China's DeepSeek breakthrough means for the future of AI

    "At first glance, reducing model-training expenses in this way might seem to undermine the trillion-dollar 'AI arms race' involving data centers, semiconductors and cloud infrastructure. But as history shows, cheaper technology often fuels greater usage," writes Victor Menaldo, professor of political science at the UW.
    02/06/2025 | Los Angeles Times
  • Opinion: Silicon Valley's rise from apathy to lords of political universe

    "When the high and mighty of Silicon Valley assumed their privileged perch at the swearing-in of President Trump, it was an ostentatious show of wealth and power unlike any before," writes columnist Mark Barabak. Margaret O'Mara, professor of history at the UW, is quoted.
    02/04/2025 | Los Angeles Times
  • Bad Bunny fears Puerto Rico will become the new Hawaii he's not alone

    Bad Bunny's new album, "Debir Tirar Mas Fotos," dropped earlier this month. It features traditional folk music from Puerto Rico, where the artist is from. The lyrics touch on the gentrification of Puerto Rico and draw a stark parallel with Hawaii. Ileana Rodriguez-Silva, associate professor of history at the UW, is quoted.
    01/27/2025 | Business Insider
  • UWs Dr. Megan Ming Francis 2024 election autopsy: What did we win? What did we lose?

    Long before the 2024 presidential election took place, scholars at the UW knew that post-election processing would be necessary, regardless of the outcome. So, on Jan. 15, the UWs Office of Public Lectures held Autopsy of an Election: What We Lost, What We Won, and How to Fight for the Future, a talk led by Megan Ming Francis, an associate professor of political science at the UW.
    01/23/2025 | Northwest Asian Weekly
  • Analysis: How constitutional guardrails have always contained presidential ambitions

    "As Donald Trumps second inauguration fast approaches, concerns he threatens American democracy are rising yet again. Some warnings have cited Trumps authoritarian rhetoric, willingness to undermine or malign institutions meant to constrain any president, and a combative style that strives to stretch executive power as far as possible," writes Victor Menaldo, professor of political science at the UW.
    01/17/2025 | The Conversation
  • Opinion: Study documents steep, painful decline of Olympia press corps

    "A new report further documents the evisceration of Washingtons capitol press corps as the states news industry shrank in recent years," writes Brier Dudley, an editor at The Seattle Times. A report from the UW is referenced and Matthew Powers, associate professor of communications at the UW, is quoted.
    01/09/2025 | The Seattle Times
  • Advocating for Better Health Care

    As director of government relations for the Catholic Health Association, Paulo G. Pontemayor (BA, 2005) is dedicated to increasing equity and access to health care in the United States.

    January 2025 Perspectives
  • Bezos, Zuckerberg and Altman donate to Trump's inauguration fund

    Silicon Valley executives, some who have long had contentious relationships with President-elect Donald Trump, are pledging money and support to Trump's incoming administration. Margaret O'Mara, professor of history at the UW, is quoted.
    NPR
  • Opinion: Climate advocates finally won in WA how? By not talking about climate

    For the past decade or so, Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW, has been teaching a course on climate politics in the UWs political science department. During that time, there have been three climate change initiatives on the ballot here. Hes had a front row seat for how policymakers, activists and campaigners have sought to frame and spin one of the toughest issues in politics.
    The Seattle Times