Politics and Government

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement appears to have resumed flights to Boeing Field in King County after four years of using the Yakima Air Terminal. Angelina Godoy, professor of law, societies and justice and of international studies and director of the Center for Human Rights at the UW, is quoted.

All the ways Saudi Arabia's cash powers tech startups and venture capital. Margaret O'Mara, professor of history at the UW, is quoted.

"The 2024 presidential election is still a year and a half away, but it can feel much closer: President Joe Biden has made his reelection bid official, presumed candidates are giving out-of-state speeches, pundits are already weighing in on nomination hopefuls, and social media is, as ever, a mess of people trying to persuade strangers to back their favorite. All for good reason: Even a little political persuasion in the next year could change the course of history," writes Colin Marshall, associate professor of philosophy at the UW.

"The sight of diplomats fleeing Sudan amid chaotic scenes reflects the gravity of the situation, but also the extent of international interest in the strife-torn nation. Days into fighting that has left at least 400 people dead, governments from across the Middle East, Europe, Asia and the Americas evacuated nationals - teachers, students and workers, as well as embassy staff - from the capital, Khartoum," writes Christopher Tounsel, associate professor of history at the UW.

"In recent years, some climate groups have resorted to disruptive action to focus public attention on climate policy lethargy. Activists have thrown tomato soups on paintings in prominent museums, blocked trains and major highways, picketed oil terminals, and glued themselves to the floor of BMW showrooms. So, why not escalate disruption by attacking fossil fuel infrastructure?" write the UW's Nives Dolsak, professor of marine and environmental affairs, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science.

A day after the Republican-dominated Tennessee House voted to expel two Black legislators for interrupting a floor session, Democrats next door in Georgia gathered on Zoom. While the two Tennessee Democrats are now back in their seats, lawmakers in other parts of the country worry the debacle over decorum may foreshadow what's to come in their own state legislatures. Jake Grumbach, associate professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

A Supreme Court ruling on Friday ensured the abortion pill mifepristone can still be purchased and used in the U.S., freezing a lower court ruling that would've effectively banned access to the pill. Scott Lemieux, assistant teaching professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

Duplexes, fourplexes or sixplexes will soon be legal in nearly every neighborhood in nearly every city in Washington, after the state Legislature passed ambitious legislation last week overriding cities' power to restrict land to single-family homes only. The UW's James Gregory, professor of history, is quoted.

In 1932, Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis applauded the role of experimentation within the states, calling them "laboratories of democracy" that could inspire reforms at the national level. Today, that dynamic is inverted, as some red states have become laboratories of authoritarianism, experimenting with the autocratic playbook in ways that could filter up to the federal government. Jake Grumbach, associate professor of political science at the UW, is mentioned.

Christopher Tounsel, associate professor of history at the UW, explains the reasons behind the violence and what it means for the chances of democracy being restored in Sudan.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is facing renewed scrutiny, but don't expect the lifetime appointee to face any real repercussions, experts said. Scott Lemieux, assistant teaching professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

"Republican leaders are now adopting increasingly autocratic measures, using the police powers of government to impose moralized regulations, turning private citizens into enforcement officers and expelling defiant elected Democrats just as county Republican parties, particularly in Western states, are electing militia members, Christian nationalists and QAnon believers to key posts," writes New York Times columnist Thomas B. Edsall. Jake Grumbach, associate professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

One of two Black Democratic legislators expelled by the Republican-controlled Tennessee House said, "what the nation is seeing is that we don't have a democracy in Tennessee." Chillingly, data offers some support for that contention. Jake Grumbach, associate professor of political science at the UW, is mentioned.

The indictment of former President Trump isn't just about an individual but about the office of the presidency, and what the country is willing to accept from its leaders, say University of Washington political scientists James Long and Victor Menaldo,

At the UW, Phillip Meng juggled a triple major, research, internships, journal editorship, business consulting, and more. Here's his recipe for making the most of the University.