News Focus Channel: Politics Channel Featured Story TOP

What U.S. legislators do when they can't pass laws

Ohio State University — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 08:30:18 EST

The 118th Congress passed fewer than 30 new laws in 2023, the least in decades. But that doesn't necessarily mean U.S. representatives weren't finding other ways to get things done. A recent book uses newly uncovered data to explore how lawmakers work through federal agencies to accomplish their goals - without the necessity of passing laws.

What's the Risk of a Mass Shooting at Your School?

Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 10:30:00 EST

In a new study published by the journal Risk Analysis, scientists at Iowa State University calculate the annual probability of a mass shooting in every state and at public places such as shopping malls and schools. Their new method for quantifying the risk of a mass shooting in specific places could help security officials make informed decisions when planning for emergency events.

Democrat-led states tended to have stronger response to COVID-19, which improved health outcomes, study shows

Binghamton University, State University of New York — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 00:05:00 EST

States with Democratic leaders tended to have responded more strongly to COVID-19 and have seen a lower rate of the spread of the virus, according to new research led by faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York.

New GW Poll Shows Most Americans Approve of Biden, Confident in Future of US

George Washington University — Wed, 15 Sep 2021 09:50:04 EST

A small majority of Americans approve of the job performance of President Joe Biden, according to a new survey by the Society of Presidential Pollsters at the George Washington University. A larger number of respondents also express confidence in the future of the country.

How to Double Voter Turnout and Increase Representation during Local Elections

University of California San Diego — Tue, 24 Aug 2021 08:05:47 EST

Low and uneven turnout is a serious problem for local democracy. However, simply moving off-cycle, local elections to be held on the same day as statewide and national contests doubles voter turnout and leads to an electorate that is considerably more representative in terms of race, age, class and partisanship, according to new University of California San Diego research.

U.S. Presidents' Narcissism Linked to International Conflict

Ohio State University — Mon, 28 Jun 2021 11:05:57 EST

The most narcissistic U.S. presidents since 1897 preferred to instigate conflicts with other great power countries without seeking support from allies, a new study suggests.

Voters' Emotional Reactions A Barrier for Trump

George Washington University — Mon, 02 Nov 2020 11:10:13 EST

How President Trump makes voters feel may be a barrier to his path to victory according to new polling research from the George Washington University.

COVID-19 Opens a Partisan Gap on Voting by Mail

University of California San Diego — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 15:35:58 EST

Study by UC's New Electorate Project documents a growing divide on preferences for absentee ballots. Before the pandemic, there wasn't any difference in the rates at which Democratic and Republican voters actually cast their ballots by mail or in-person. That may change now.

Mask mandates delayed by nearly a month in Republican-led states, UW study finds

University of Washington — Fri, 04 Sep 2020 17:35:42 EST

Political science researchers at the University of Washington examined the factors associated with statewide mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic. When controlling for other factors, states with Republican governors delayed imposing broad indoor mask requirements by nearly a month.

Political 'Oil Spill': Polarization Is Growing Stronger -- and Getting Stickier

Penn State Institute for Computational and Data Sciences — Wed, 10 Jun 2020 11:00:38 EST

Experts have documented that political polarization is intensifying in the United States. However, a Penn State sociologist now suggests that this separation isn't just more intense, but it is also growing broader, coagulating into an ideological slick of opinions.

Banning Covert Foreign Election Interference

Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) — Tue, 09 Jun 2020 13:45:38 EST

The United States is one of the countries that is most susceptible to foreign election interference. To safeguard the U.S. elections in November, Robert K. Knake argues that the United States and other democracies should agree to not interfere in foreign elections.

Study Shows Without the US, International Climate Change Agreement Could be Reached - But It Would Require Major Additional Contributions from Large Developing Countries

Stony Brook University — Wed, 25 Sep 2019 14:05:35 EST

With the United States withdrawing from the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, questions arise about the future global success of mitigating the effects of climate change. A new study addresses these questions in a recently published paper in the Journal of Theoretical Politics.

Shocks to Social Capital: 30 Days After Terror Attack, Institutional Trust Falls to Pre-Incident Levels, Study Finds

University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) — Tue, 10 Sep 2019 19:05:50 EST

A new study from researchers at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, found that the 2015 Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack led to a significant increase in social capital immediately following the incident. However, the boost in social capital reverts to pre-attack levels within 30 days.

Opposition to Muslim Ban Continues, Thanks to American Values

University of Delaware — Fri, 28 Jun 2019 13:30:04 EST

A new study found movements that promote American inclusiveness can have a lasting impact on policies that target racial, ethnic or religious minority groups, such as Trump's "Muslim ban." The study suggests policy attitudes related to stigmatized groups are more malleable than previously assumed.

Economists to present model showing success of unconventional monetary policies to Fed officials

University of Notre Dame — Mon, 03 Jun 2019 14:05:14 EST

Notre Dame associate professors Cynthia Wu and Eric Sims will present the findings in their paper on assessing the agency's tools for dealing with economic decline to Fed Chairman Jerome Powell and other high-level economists at a Fed conference in Chicago June 4-5.

Law professor Craig Nard says there's been an intellectual property land grab as companies look to stake their claim in the marijuana industry

Case Western Reserve University — Wed, 01 May 2019 14:05:17 EST

Youth Voter Turnout Analysis Shows Across-the-Board Increases in 2018 Midterms

Tufts University — Tue, 02 Apr 2019 16:25:08 EST

Youth voter turnout (ages 18-29) increased in the 2018 midterm election in all 34 states for which data are available, according to two new analyses from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE).

How Children & Teens Die in America: Study Reveals the Widespread & Persistent Role of Firearms

Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan — Wed, 19 Dec 2018 17:00:00 EST

America lost 20,360 children and teens in 2016 -- 60 percent of them to preventable injuries, a new study shows. But while death rates from the top cause - motor vehicle crashes - have declined steadily since 1999, rates from the second-leading cause - firearms - have gone up. It's the first time all causes of child and adolescent death have been tallied by both mechanism and intent.

White Americans See Many Immigrants as 'Illegal' Until Proven Otherwise, Survey Finds

Washington University in St. Louis — Thu, 11 Oct 2018 15:45:29 EST

Fueled by political rhetoric evoking dangerous criminal immigrants, many white Americans assume low-status immigrants from Mexico, El Salvador, Syria, Somalia and other countries President Donald Trump labeled "shithole" nations have no legal right to be in the United States, new research in the journal American Sociological Review suggests.

Affordable Care Act Puts Single Mothers to Work

University of Georgia — Thu, 16 Aug 2018 11:05:06 EST

Single mothers work more when the government provides better health insurance, according to economic policy research.