Republican legislation in the North Carolina General Assembly seeks a convention of the states for constitutional amendments that would “impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and limit the terms of office for its officials and for members of Congress.” However, says law professor Ernest Young, “… Whatever changes people might favor, people are mostly happy with the Constitution.”
Read More at NC Policy WatchCategory: Politics-Public Policy
President Trump’s Evolving Foreign Policy
Under a month into Donald Trump’s presidency, his national security adviser Mike Flynn resigned, the dance with Russia has been constant since Trump took office and relations with Mexico and China have been strained. Sanford School professor David Schanzer talks about the foreign policy implications.
Listen on Minnesota Public Radio
Trump and Terrorism: Finding a Way Forward
“The United States will soon reach a crossroads in its struggle against terrorism,” writes political scientist Peter Feaver and a colleague. “The international coalition fighting the Islamic State (also known as ISIS) has driven the group out of much of the territory it once held and, sooner or later, will militarily defeat it by destroying its core in Iraq and Syria. But military victory over ISIS will not end the global war on terrorism that the United States has waged since 9/11.”
Read More in Foreign Policy
Big-Money Race Foreseen as a Pritzker Eyes a Kennedy in Illinois
Sanford School professor Nicholas Carnes called the brewing Illinois governor’s race an “extreme example” in a trend toward wealthier candidates. “You almost never see middle- or working-class people running,” he says. “It’s often the case that, in a primary election for a state or federal office, you won’t see anyone run without significant personal wealth.”
Read More in Bloomberg
Senate Confirms Former Goldman Sachs Banker as Treasury Secretary
In the Trump administration, “there aren’t many people who have experience doing the kinds of jobs that most Americans go to every day,” says Sanford School professor Nicholas Carnes. “The advice that he’s going to be getting – policies are probably going to be heavily slanted in the interests of more wealthy groups.”
Read More in The Christian Science Monitor
Focus On Trump’s Acts, Not His Psychology
“Many people still don’t understand that Trump can be a world class narcissand still not qualify for a mental disorder. … Lumping him with the mentally ill is an insult to them, not him. … Opposition to Trump’s power grab must be based on politics, not psychology,” writes Allen Frances, professor emeritus of psychiatry and behavioral sciences.
Read More in The Huffington Post
President Trump’s Claims About Immigrants
“The temporary halt to President Trump’s travel ban has not stopped him from continuing to lash out against immigrants and refugees. Once again, Trump is falsely painting immigrants and refugees as terrorists, and once again, journalists and others are fighting back with facts,” writes historian Gunther Peck.
Read More in The News & Observer
Ban on Mentally Ill Buying Guns Not Evidence-Based
“Republicans are moving to eliminate a rule instituted by the Obama administration that prevented certain people with mental illnesses from buying guns. As a researcher on firearms policy and mental health, I opposed the rule when it was first established. It wasn’t supported by evidence, and it was far too broad,” writes Jeffrey Swanson, a professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences.
Read More in The Washington Post
Trudeau Visits U.S. With Two Aims
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday opened talks at the White House with U.S. President Donald Trump, seeking to nurture economic ties while avoiding tensions over issues such as immigration on which the two are sharply at odds. “You don’t have to be a genius to see there are some stark differences between them,” says Sanford School professor Stephen Kelly, former U.S. deputy chief of mission to Ottawa.
A Government Jobs Guarantee?
Should the federal government provide a guaranteed jobs program? Mark Paul, a postdoctoral associate at the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity, argues for such an investment on FOX News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”
Watch on FOX News
Examining Violent Extremism in the U.S.
Public policy professor David Schanzer, director of the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security, talks about his organization’s recent report examining Muslim-American involvement in violent extremism in the U.S.
Watch on C-SPAN
Is Trump Getting Too Personal With Judicial Branch?
Law professor Ernest Young says federal judges’ lifetime tenure means they should be ready for protests and criticism, but he adds that tone is important. “The judiciary can take it. That’s why we give them life tenure,” says Young, who clerked for Supreme Court Justice David Souter in the mid-1990s. But “you’d like it to be more substantive and respectful in its tone,” he adds. “I would take the president’s Twitter account away if I could.”
Read More in U.S. News & World Report
