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Duped by Putin for months on end, Trump must now hold the line on Russia (Foreign Policy Brief #212)

Trump’s egregious pre-election claim that he could “end the war in a day” between Russia and Ukraine has instead resulted in Russia’s huge surge of attacks on Ukraine and an increasing number of civilian deaths. While Trump often tries to deflect his responsibility for handling this war onto past U.S. presidents, he is now in fact the commander in chief and must take action to support an ally in Ukraine, help prevent further carnage, and demonstrate American democratic mettle vis-a-vis a ruthless dictator in Putin.   

Peace Prizes and Bombs: The Theater of Trump’s Nobel Pursuit (Foreign Policy Brief #211)

In the summer of 2025, President Donald Trump became the centerpiece of a surreal global spectacle: a campaign to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lauded Trump for supposedly brokering stability in conflict zones, and Cambodia’s deputy prime minister praised him for his role in a temporary ceasefire with Thailand. The White House eagerly embraced this narrative, touting Trump as a global peacemaker and repeatedly pointing to “six major conflicts” that he allegedly helped resolve.

South Sudan: Oil and Matches (Foreign Policy Brief #210)

South Sudan is the youngest country in the world in terms of its autonomous foundation. Once part of Sudan, it achieved semi-autonomy in 2005 after years of brutal civil war as part of its now northern neighbor. Eventually, under referendum, the people of South Sudan voted for absolute autonomy in 2011, legally breaking away from Sudan.

Trump FTC Deletes Click to Cancel Rule (Technology Policy Brief #154)

Few people are likely to miss the click-to-cancel rule.  Consumers won’t, since they never had a chance to enjoy it, and businesses won’t because they hated it.  The rule, which would have required all sorts of online businesses to make it easy for consumers to cancel unwanted subscriptions and memberships, was blocked by a federal appeals court just days before it was set to go into effect, a ruling that is unlikely to be appealed.  Trump opposes consumer protections and is reshaping the FTC to carry forward his pro-business agenda.

The Cost of Neglect: Trump Has Left America Unprepared for Disaster (The Federal Response) (Social Justice Policy Brief #177)

As Texas reels from the July 2025 flood catastrophe, the conversation has shifted beyond the state’s borders. While Texas lawmakers have been quick to blame local officials, the reality is that federal emergency preparedness programs have also been gutted, leaving communities across the United States dangerously exposed. During Donald Trump’s second term, federal disaster mitigation funds, FEMA pre-disaster grants, and infrastructure resiliency initiatives have been slashed in the name of budget cuts and “government efficiency.”

The Cost of Neglect: The Price of Unpreparedness (The State Response)

The catastrophic July 2025 Central Texas floods left more than 135 people dead, including 27 children and staff members at Camp Mystic, a tragedy that has rocked the state and sparked a political firestorm. In the days following the disaster, Texas lawmakers publicly turned their ire toward Kerr County officials, accusing them of slow evacuations and communication failures. But behind the headlines and finger-pointing lies a harsher reality: Texas has systematically underfunded emergency preparedness, and local governments have been left scrambling with inadequate resources to face a crisis of this magnitude.

Third Party Possibilities

The United States is currently in the throes of a political transformation, one being driven mostly by President Donald Trump and his allies in the Republican Party. However, there is a part of this transformation that revolves instead around the opposition Democratic Party.

Quantity Over Justice: The Coming ICE Expansion (Immigration Policy Brief #190)

If you have been following the news surrounding Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” one of the provisions you would see is the $170 billion for immigration enforcement & border security. Of this $170 billion, approximately $75 billion represents an increase in funding to ICE, making it the highest-funded law enforcement branch of the federal government. The funding for ICE is intended to build more detention centers, aid in retention through bonuses, & expand the total number of personnel.

Duped by Putin for months on end, Trump must now hold the line on Russia (Foreign Policy Brief #212)

Trump’s egregious pre-election claim that he could “end the war in a day” between Russia and Ukraine has instead resulted in Russia’s huge surge of attacks on Ukraine and an increasing number of civilian deaths. While Trump often tries to deflect his responsibility for handling this war onto past U.S. presidents, he is now in fact the commander in chief and must take action to support an ally in Ukraine, help prevent further carnage, and demonstrate American democratic mettle vis-a-vis a ruthless dictator in Putin.   

South Sudan: Oil and Matches (Foreign Policy Brief #210)

South Sudan is the youngest country in the world in terms of its autonomous foundation. Once part of Sudan, it achieved semi-autonomy in 2005 after years of brutal civil war as part of its now northern neighbor. Eventually, under referendum, the people of South Sudan voted for absolute autonomy in 2011, legally breaking away from Sudan.

Trump FTC Deletes Click to Cancel Rule (Technology Policy Brief #154)

Technology Policy Brief #154 | Mindy Spatt | August 6, 2025 Summary Few people are likely to miss...

The Cost of Neglect: Trump Has Left America Unprepared for Disaster (The Federal Response) (Social Justice Policy Brief #177)

Social Justice Policy Brief #177 | Valerie Henderson | August 1, 2025 As Texas reels from the July...
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Keeping Democracy Alive

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Keeping Democracy Alive

By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Rodney A. Maggay
Jul 12 2025

Why The Birthright Citizenship Rule Is Still Valid Today And What Comes Next (Civil Rights Brief #245)

On the first day of his second presidential term, President Donald J. Trump issued Executive Order No. 14160. This executive order is popularly known as the birthright...
By c25b20b4bf935be4bec0b8fb91937323ea51988682699fb8738acdcaeb2b01a4?s=96&d=mm&r=g david
Jun 10 2025

The Role of the Judiciary Against The Other Branches of Government – A Historical Background (Civil Rights Policy Brief #244)

Just this week a number of reports have surfaced that detailed President Trump’s frustration with the Supreme Court and both the federal and state level judiciary...
By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Rodney Maggay
Jun 05 2025

The Distinction Between Law and Policy And The Role of The Courts

he beginning of President Trump’s second term saw a slew of executive orders on a number of policies and also saw numerous responses to those orders. More than...
By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Rodney Maggay
May 12 2025

The Department of Justice Voting Section’s Shift In Priorities

A number of news outlets have recently reported that the United States Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Civil Rights Division Voting Section has changed their...
By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Nicholas Gordon
Apr 30 2025

Resistance is Not Futile: Upholding Civil Rights and Constitutional Norms to withstand Trump’s Autocratic Aims

In his first 100 days in office, President Trump has pursued a sinister goal of autocracy by relentlessly attacking any and all forms of opposition and repressing civil...
By c25b20b4bf935be4bec0b8fb91937323ea51988682699fb8738acdcaeb2b01a4?s=96&d=mm&r=g david
Apr 23 2025

The Administration Efforts to Avoid a Judicial Ruling

On April 9, 2025 the House of Representatives voted on the No Rogue Rulings Act bill. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA). H.R. 1526 would prohibit a...
By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Rodney Maggay
Apr 01 2025

A Court’s Options To Enforce Compliance With Court Orders

Under Rule 3.3 of the American Bar Association’s Model Rules of Professional Conduct, titled “Candor Toward the Tribunal,” a lawyer has a number of...
By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Rodney Maggay
Mar 12 2025

The Pettiness of President Trump Targeting Law Firms For Revenge

On February 25, 2025 President Donald Trump signed an executive order suspending the security clearances of lawyers and staff at the Washington, D.C. law office of the...
By 304b85304860ad8c372309473fc2261337d3cc4f4b3e773dfbd236a31c2fd149?s=96&d=mm&r=g adminusres
Feb 09 2025

A Comparison of Biden and Trump’s January 20th Pardons

Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 of the United States Constitution provides: The President…shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for Offenses against the...
By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Rod Maggay
Feb 03 2025

Jack Smith’s Honorable but Frustrating Journey to Prosecute Trump ; January 2025

Jack Smith made sure to state when he resigned that Mr. Trump engaged in an ‘unprecedented criminal effort’ to overturn his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden....
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Elections & Politics

By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Nate Iglehart
Aug 12 2025

Third Party Possibilities

The United States is currently in the throes of a political transformation, one being driven mostly by President Donald Trump and his allies in the Republican Party....
By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Nate Iglehart
Aug 05 2025

The New Wave of Progressive Politicians is Growing (Elections & Politics Brief #189)

It has been just over six months since Donald Trump ascended to the presidency, and he and his GOP allies have wasted no time or effort in pushing the United States as...
By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Naja Barnes
Aug 04 2025

The Democratic Push for the Release of the Epstein Files (Elections & Politics Brief #190)

There has been deep curiosity, unsettling truths, and controversies surrounding Jeffrey Epstein and the Epstein files. The public has been pushing for and putting...
By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Nate Iglehart
Jul 16 2025

Zohran Mamdani’s Campaign Has Been A Wake-Up Call. Who Is Following His Lead? (Elections & Politics Brief #188)

The Democratic primary for the New York mayoral race was seen as a “perfect storm”, “clearly a rebuke”, and a surprise to many onlookers. In it, self-proclaimed...
By c25b20b4bf935be4bec0b8fb91937323ea51988682699fb8738acdcaeb2b01a4?s=96&d=mm&r=g david
Jul 12 2025

A Hick-Lib’s Rebellion: Kyle Rable, No Kings!, & the Fight for West Texas (Elections and Politics Brief #187)

I sat down with Kyle Rable to learn more about the No Kings! protests. Kyle is a new father, a Ph.D. candidate in History at Texas Tech, a U.S. Army Reserves Captain, a...
By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Nate Iglehart
Jul 12 2025

Ranked Choice Voting is On the Rise. How does it work and why is it popular? (Elections & Politics Brief #186)

Elections & Politics Brief #186 | Nate Iglehart | July 5, 2025 The most important aspect of democracy is being able to vote for who represents you in government....
By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Nate Iglehart
May 22 2025

Habeas corpus: What is it, and can it be suspended? (Elections & Politics Brief #185)

One of the most fundamental aspects of a fair and just legal system is the ability to challenge one’s detention, often referred to as “habeas corpus”. Habeas corpus is...
By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Morgan Davidson
May 12 2025

The Growing 2025 Anti-Trump Protests: Hands Off, No Kings Day, and More

In just over 100 days of Trump 2.0, a reinvigorated Democratic opposition has taken shape. AOC and Bernie have been headlining rallies across the country. Cory Booker...
By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Inijah Quadri
May 05 2025

A Primer on Political Interest Groups

Political interest groups play a central role in shaping policy in the United States. From corporate-funded lobbying arms to grassroots-driven caucuses, these groups...
By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Nate Iglehart
Apr 10 2025

Where Democrats can aim for the 2026 midterms: House Edition

After two months into Donald Trump’s second presidency, many voters and Congresspeople are already eyeing the 2026 Congressional elections. The November 3rd elections...
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Foreign Policy

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Foreign Policy

South Sudan: Oil and Matches (Foreign Policy Brief #210)

South Sudan is the youngest country in the world in terms of its autonomous foundation. Once part of Sudan, it achieved semi-autonomy in 2005 after years of brutal civil war as part of its now northern neighbor. Eventually, under referendum, the people of South Sudan voted for absolute autonomy in 2011, legally breaking away from Sudan.

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The Week That Was: Global News in Review (Foreign Policy Brief #209)

Palestinians in Gaza are now experiencing full blown famine as the total Israeli blockade, which for months made the extreme situation in the strip even worse as no food, water, medicine or fuel has been allowed to make its way into the strip. International humanitarian aid organizations, the UN and a majority of countries around the world acknowledge the forced starvation taking place in Gaza and expressed condemnation towards the Israeli government. Meanwhile various Israeli officials continue to deny the existence of mass starvation, claiming without evidence that Hamas steals and hoards aid and hinges blame on failures by the UN and its officials.

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Nigeria’s Resource Curse (Foreign Policy Brief #209)

Those who have a casual understanding of history or geopolitics may react agreeably to the concept: the greater abundance of natural resources a country has the more well-off the people of that country will be. Unfortunately, for Nigerians, the opposite is their reality. The abundance of oil in Nigeria, along with their colonial history, has resulted in a “resource curse,” a theory posited by contemporary international relations scholars. Nigeria now finds its economy reliant on the export of oil and renting their oil fields to multinational corporations (MNCs), leading to a commodity industry based on corruption and wealth centralization.

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Technology

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Technology

Trump’s Tech Ventures Positioned for Top Profits (Technology Policy Brief #151)

The Trump organization has dropped any pretense of avoiding conflicts of interest.  Instead, it is blatantly cashing in on Trump’s presidency in every conceivable way.  At the top of the list is tech, with both Trump and his wife selling digital currencies and a new Trump mobile phone on the way.  An additional bonus is that Trump has a great deal of power over the agencies that oversee these industries, and Congress is doing nothing to stop him from taking advantage of it.

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AI Regulation: Who’s Up to the Challenge? (Technology Policy Brief #150)

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the discipline of designing computer systems that can perform tasks normally requiring human cognition—pattern recognition, language generation, planning—by learning statistical relationships from large data sets. Modern AI works by training vast machine-learning models on petabytes of text, images, audio, and code and then applying those models to new inputs to produce predictions or content; it now powers everything from chatbots and fraud detection to medical imaging and autonomous drones.

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Environment

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Environment

Old Growth Forest Policy Made at the 19th Hole

Through an Executive Order issued March 1, 2025, there is to be an expansion of American timber production that meets goals to achieve “sound forest management, reduce time to deliver timber, and decrease timber supply uncertainty.” Approximately 100 million acres, the equivalent of 60% of our national forests, are to be within earshot of a chainsaw. In so doing, the Trump administration declares this a “new era” in national forest management. Legally protected forest land and parts of old growth forest are slated be part of the expanded production.

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The Growing Global Battle for Rare Earth Minerals

Where there’s oil, there’s the United States of America. It’s an old joke, fostered by a century of U.S.-backed coups and military interventions in the name of cheap access to oil reserves. But the age of oil politics may be giving way to a new age of mineral politics.

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Introducing Gulf of America – from the person who gave us Trump Tower

For the last 475 years, the expanse of ocean from western Florida to southern Texas has been called the “Gulf of Mexico.” English geographer Richard Hakluyt referred to the “Gulfe of Mexico” in his work of 1589. With the stroke of a pen on February 9, 2025, the President of the United States signed Executive Order 14172 and renamed the body of water “Gulf of America.” In addition to “restoring American pride,” President Trump justified the name change by referencing territorial rights over much of the area and that those waters have “long been an integral asset to our once burgeoning Nation and has remained an indelible part of America.” Trump considers the Gulf a business asset.

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By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Yelena Korshunov
Aug 04 2025

New Trump Rule Targets The Head Start Program (Education Policy Brief #206)

Earlier this month, on Thursday, July 10, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that children of undocumented immigrants will no longer be...
By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Steve Piazza
Jul 16 2025

Current Efforts to Change State Education Curricula (Education Policy Brief #205)

Recent changes to state laws and policies reflect conservative efforts to remove what they consider “divisive concepts” regarding race and gender. South Carolina,...
By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Steve Piazza
Jun 18 2025

Project 2025 and Federal Influence Over K-12 Curricula (Education Policy Brief #204)

Although President Trump campaigned by keeping distance between himself and Project 2025, it is clear that his agenda since his inauguration has run parallel to the...
By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Naja Barnes
Jun 10 2025

The Future of Student Loans in Trump’s Presidency (Education Policy Brief #203)

Since Trump’s attack on the Department of Education, there has been some confusion surrounding the future of student loans. During the Biden Administration, there were...
By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Valerie Henderson
May 05 2025

The Trump Administration and the University Communities: Part 1, Funding Suspension

In April 2025, the Trump administration escalated its efforts to reshape American higher education by suspending billions in federal grants to elite universities —...
By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Valerie Henderson
May 05 2025

The Trump Administration and University Communities: Part II

Following the initial wave of federal funding suspensions, the Trump administration has intensified its campaign to reshape American higher education. The effort has...
By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Valerie Henderson
Apr 23 2025

Understanding What the U.S. Department of Education Did

The U.S. Department of Education (DOE), established in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter, promotes student achievement, ensures equal access to education, and enforces...
By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Damian DeSola
Apr 10 2025

MAGA Against College: A Fight for America’s Minds

It is no secret that the past two months of Trump’s second term have rattled both American and international societies to their core. Racing out of the gates, the...
By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Valerie Henderson
Apr 06 2025

The Reasons We’ve Had a Department of Education

The U.S. Department of Education (DOE), established in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter, operates to promote student achievement, ensure equal access to education, and...
By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Evan Wechman
Feb 12 2025

The Dangers for Schools Amid the Trump Gender War

The Trump administration has recently begun redefining its view on what it sees as the appropriate options for gender in the education system. The newly released Trump...
By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Evan Wechman
Jan 28 2025

The Uncertainty of the Student Loan Crisis in the Age of Trump

The student loan crisis, a pressing issue under former President Biden, has entered a phase of uncertainty with President Trump back in office. Biden’s...
By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Evan Wechman
Colorful Direction Signs on a Metal Pole
Jan 17 2025

The Fallacy of School Choice

Though touted as a way to empower families, school choice policies often widen the gap between wealthy and disadvantaged communities, leaving public schools underfunded...
By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Evan Wechman
Yellow school bus in front of banner reading "imagine a future free of gun violence"
Jan 06 2025

Trump and Vance Fail to Offer Solutions to School Violence

Trump and Vance Fail to Offer Solutions to School Violence Education Policy Brief #196 | By: Evan Wechman | December 28, 2024 Photo by Jose Alonso on Unsplash...
By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Evan Wechman
Dec 23 2024

Transgender Students Need Protection from Trump’s Assault on Title IX

Transgender Students Need Protection from Trump’s Assault on Title IX Education Policy Brief #196 | By: Evan Wechman | December 21, 2024 Photo by Katie Rainbow 🏳️‍🌈...
By ?s=96&d=mm&r=g Evan Wechman
Swirling pile of books.
Dec 09 2024

The Dangerous Future of the Department of Education

The Dangerous Future of the Department of Education Education Policy Brief #95 | By: Evan Wechman | December 08, 2024 Photo by Pixabay...
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Health & Gender

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Health & Gender

The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You: A Tribe’s Response to the Measles Outbreak

Seminole, Texas is where I graduated high school, where I met my best friends, where I played football, and where I drank my first beer. Seminole is where I learned to pick myself up by the bootstraps, that no one is better than me, and that hard work coupled with perseverance will get you far. Seminole is where I learned the value of a handshake, that a person is only as good as their word, how to overcome adversity, and that it takes a Tribe to solve our biggest problems.

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The Hypocrite in Chief’s War on Women

Trump has been president for under a month, and he is already going to great lengths to restrict a woman’s right to an abortion.  At first, after the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court that Trump helped assemble, it appeared that abortion would be left to the states.

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Immigration

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Immigration

Justice Delayed: The Mounting Crisis of America’s Immigration Court Backlog (Immigration Policy Brief #144)

There are over 3 million cases currently pending in U.S. immigration courts, with the trend steadily rising since 2012, according to Syracuse University’s TRAC project. These cases reflect more than just bureaucratic dysfunction—they represent a failing immigration system. The problem goes beyond inefficient government & red tape; it’s a legal & human rights crisis affecting families, asylum seekers, & entire communities.

How ICE Works (Immigration Policy Brief #144)

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was created in 2003 as a component of the Department of Homeland Security to enforce immigration laws inside the United States and investigate transnational crime. Twenty‑two years later, the agency employs more than 20,000 personnel across more than 400 domestic and foreign offices.

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Economic Policy

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Economic Policy

Economic Crossroads: Are Tariffs Ending North American Relations? (Economic Policy Brief #86)

Since his re-election in 2024, President Donald Trump has reignited a trade war strategy similar to his first term, escalating tariffs against China, Mexico, and the European Union. These tariffs, framed as efforts to “protect American jobs,” have significantly raised the cost of imported goods such as electronics, food, clothing, and raw materials. While intended to support domestic industries, the policy has instead imposed hidden costs on American consumers—especially those from lower-income and marginalized communities.

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