in US Politics
Trump’s second term is proving different from his first. This time it’s imperial
Trump has wielded his presidential power more forcefully than at any point during his first term. More
US Politics
Subterms
More stories
- in US Politics
Why the Trump administration’s demand for a list of Jews at Penn is so dangerous | Sigal Ben-Porath, Serena Mayeri and Amanda Shanor
If history teaches us anything, it is that making lists of Jews, no matter the ostensible purpose, is often a prelude to their and others’ persecutionThis month, a judge ordered the University of Pennsylvania to justify its refusal to collect and disclose the names and personal contact information of Jewish faculty, staff and students to the federal government. Late last year, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sued Penn to force compliance with this chilling demand, made in the name of fighting antisemitism. Jewish and non-Jewish community members at Penn and beyond have united to support the university’s resistance to compiling and releasing data about members of campus Jewish organizations, the Jewish studies department, and individuals who participated in confidential listening sessions and surveys about antisemitism.That such a diverse array of organizations, including Penn’s Hillel and Meor chapters, AAUP-Penn, the Association for Jewish Studies, the American Council on Education and Pen America, as well as local chapters of the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Federation and the American Jewish Committee, have all spoken against the EEOC’s lawsuit reflects how deeply disturbing it is to think of the government demanding such a list. The Trump administration claims to act in the name of Jewish safety and against antisemitism, but this common reaction from groups with often divergent views may reflect a growing concern that its actions belie those laudable aims. Continue reading… More
- in US Politics
Might is right: US ‘foreign policy’ held hostage to mad king Trump’s whims
Increasingly unpopular at home, a president obsessed by his legacy has turned his scattergun on the world stageOne year into the second Trump administration, an actual US foreign policy remains just a nice idea. Instead, the world has been forced to adapt to the world according to Donald Trump: one increasingly shaped by his erratic shifts and unpredictable decisions, his fury at perceived slights and his growing desire to stamp his legacy in the model of an imperial leader from centuries past.Think of it as the mad king’s court, where every day is a carnival. Continue reading… More
- in US Politics
How Trump has tried to undermine the powers of Congress: ‘Violation of norms’
In his second term, Trump has taken aim at and circumvented the legislative branch – from mass firings to tariffsFrigid January weather prompted Donald Trump’s second inauguration to be held in the rotunda of the US Capitol, an iconic room ringed by busts of former presidents that lies at the heart of Congress.Almost immediately after departing the Capitol, Trump took aim at the legislative branch, moving to siphon from lawmakers the powers to control spending, agencies and declaring war, and take them for himself, experts say. Continue reading… More
- in US Politics
‘Just not monetizable’: humanities programs face existential crisis at US universities
Fears over the future of humanities spread amid layoffs and restructurings at scores of public and private universitiesLast month, students at Montclair State University in New Jersey held a mock funeral outside the university’s college of humanities and social sciences building. Carrying bouquets of flowers, they stood by a tombstone inscribed with the names of the school’s 15 departments, including English, history and sociology.“We are gathered here today, in front of the humble home of CHSS, Dickson Hall, to mourn the death of the social sciences and humanities at the hands of the MSU administration,” Miranda Kawiecki, a junior at the college and one of the protest’s organizers, read from a written eulogy. “I coordinated this demonstration because I have dreams that cannot be monetized. I have a problem with our society that cannot be solved with an algorithm. I have words to write and say that cannot be generated artificially.” Continue reading… More
- in US Politics
Trump made 10 key pledges a year ago – here’s what happened since then
A review of Trump’s bold promises about immigration, the economy, the US’s standing in the world and much moreThere was no debate about record crowd sizes this time. With the temperature plunging to 27F (-3C) and a wind chill making it feel far colder, Donald Trump’s second inauguration was held in the rotunda at the US Capitol in Washington on 20 January 2025.The great and the good of the political elite were there, including former presidents Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama and outgoing president Joe Biden. So were tech oligarchs such as Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. At 12.10pm, they listened intently as Trump began a half-hour-long inaugural address. Continue reading… More
- in US Politics
Trump news at a glance: president reveals the snub behind his Greenland ambitions
Trump says failure to receive the Nobel peace prize means he no longer feels the need to think ‘purely of peace’ – key US politics stories from 19 JanuaryAn extraordinary text message exchange between Donald Trump and Norway’s prime minister has revealed the US president no longer felt “an obligation to think purely of peace” because he didn’t get the Nobel peace prize, as he again declined to rule out seizing Greenland by force.The disclosure of the exchange with prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre comes amid a concerted push by Trump to grab the territory, a largely self-governing part of Denmark. In recent weeks, he has said the US would take control of the Arctic island “one way or the other” and, over the weekend: “Now it is time, and it will be done!!!” Continue reading… More
- in US Politics
‘The struggle continues’: MLK Day celebrated amid tense political climate
Holiday marked with parades and services but tempered by anxieties over racial and social equality under TrumpMartin Luther King Jr Day was marked with parades and services across the US on Monday. But the celebration for the achievements of the slain 60s civil rights leader was tempered by contemporary anxieties over racial and social equality and Trump administration’s crackdown in Minneapolis.At a rally in Harlem, the Rev Al Sharpton referred to Renee Good, the 37-year-old mother of three who was killed by an immigration officer in Minneapolis earlier this month. Continue reading… More
