Maxwell School News

“The overall erosion in the president’s approval ratings is still the consequence of the accumulation of many policies, orders, actions and statements during his term. There is no one reason or single inflection point. Certainly, the war in Iran and the quick, steep rise in gasoline prices have only added to the longer term trend,” says Grant Reeher, professor of political science. 

“An opening chapter of an AI cold war is emerging,” Yingyi Ma, professor of sociology, wrote ahead of the summit in a Brookings Institution commentary piece that was referenced in TIME.

“To have [Vance] speak out and say, in effect, the pope should mind his own business, and the pope should learn Catholic doctrine, and other members of the administration saying things like, the pope should read the Bible—these are kind of odd statements,” says Margaret Susan Thompson, professor of history and political science.

“Iran does have significant leverage due to geography and capability. At the same time, it is very much in Iran’s interest to keep the strait open, given how much of its economy depends on exports moving through it. Our military posture is important in creating leverage for a diplomatic solution that would allow free and open navigation,” says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs.

“These large state drops in SNAP caseloads represent a fundamental restructuring of the food-assistance safety net,” says Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs. “We should expect to see a surge in food insecurity and its related negative consequences at new levels.”

Offering an opportunity to honor those among us who dedicate themselves to uplifting others through careers in government and community service, the celebration is led by the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to build more effective government and strengthening American democracy. 

“I think where it's going to go from here is back to where it started, and that is you're going to see a lot of debate and conflict over what is going on on the ground with the immigration enforcement efforts,” says Grant Reeher, professor of political science.

“I would have been surprised if they hadn’t developed because we’re in a society that is absolutely saturated with conspiracism,” says Michael Barkun, professor of political science.

Hosted by the Moynihan Institute, the cross-disciplinary panel discussed the impact on consumers, supply chains, global credibility and more.

“Drug seizure data measure interdiction activity, not actual trafficking volume,” says Dessa Bergen-Cico, professor of public health. “As drug policy researchers have noted, no one knows how much goes uncaught, and changes in seizure data are insufficient to make definitive claims about policy outcomes.”

“I think [Trump] is losing even some of his [Catholic] supporters, or they are moderating their support,” says Margaret Susan Thompson, professor of history and political science. She notes that Trump's comments have been so harsh and controversial that even conservative-leaning Catholics are speaking out against the president and defending Leo.

The study, authored by Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science Jeffrey Stonecash, was published in PS: Political Science & Politics.

University Professor Emeritus Sean O'Keefe says the nations that land on the Moon will have the advantage of exploring and developing the resources that are there. “After all these years of thinking it was nothing more than a dust bowl, we have come to realise it has a significant amount of helium 3,” he says.

“...What kind of worries me is this idea of the collapse of the context of communication when it comes from official government channels. What happens if the government is actually trying to send out a very serious message, alerting the public to maybe a natural disaster or some other serious threat?” says Baobao Zhang, Maxwell Dean Associate Professor of the Politics of AI.

“I do think it’s a particular moment of danger [for Trump]. Up to now, there has been this drip-drip-drip erosion in the president’s support. This one, to me, has more of a potential to open up a floodgate,” says Grant Reeher, professor of political science.

Daniel McDowell, Maxwell Advisory Board Professor of International Affairs, says he is concerned the conflict could “result in renewed attacks from the White House on the independence of the Federal Reserve. As oil prices rise and put upward pressure on prices, this makes it less likely that the Fed will cut rates, something President Trump has been demanding for his entire second presidency.”

“Having been attacked twice in less than a year by the United States and Israel, including the assassinations of a significant number of political, military and religious leaders, Iran is determined to reestablish deterrence,” says Osamah Khali, professor of history.

“You do have to look at the economic implications, not just in terms of what it's doing to energy markets, but also our allies—the Gulf states—the tremendous hit that they've taken just as a center of gravity, whether it's tourism, the airlines going through there and also for commerce,” says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs. 

“A prudent approach for India is to let uncertainties arising out of the SCOTUS ruling resolve themselves to the extent possible before finalizing the trade deal,” says Devashish Mitra, Gerald B. and Daphna Cramer Professor of Global Affairs.

“There's certainly more potential of retaliation. Having said that, their military capabilities overall, which were already somewhat degraded just based upon attacks that have taken place in the last several months, have been degraded even further,” says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs.