The Conversation

White supremacists who stormed US Capitol are only the most visible product of racism

Written by Ursula Moffitt, Postdoctoral Fellow in Psychology, Northwestern University

Known white supremacists have been identified among the Trump supporters at the Capitol on Jan. 6.Probal Rashid/LightRocket via Getty Images

Among the Trump supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 were members of right-wing groups, including the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and Three Percenters.

The increasing violence and visibility of these...

How Trump's language shifted in the weeks leading up to the Capitol riot – 2 linguists explain

Written by Roger J. Kreuz, Associate Dean and Professor of Psychology, University of Memphis

Trump addresses a crowd in Dalton, Georgia, on Jan. 4, the night before the state's U.S. Senate runoff.Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

On Jan. 6, the world witnessed how language can incite violence.

One after another, a series of speakers at the “Save America” rally at the Ellipse in Washington redoubled...

Nonprofits helped organize the pro-Trump rally before the Capitol siege – but they probably won't suffer any consequences

Written by Ellen P. Aprill, Professor of Law; John E. Anderson Chair in Tax Law, Loyola Law School Los Angeles

Before hundreds of angry Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, thousands took part in a nearby rally. AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

Editor’s note: Some of the money used to organize the Jan. 6 pro-Trump “March to Save America” came from social welfare groups. One of them, Women for America First, notably obtained a permit from the...

The Capitol siege recalls past acts of Christian nationalist violence

Written by Samuel Perry, Associate professor, Baylor University

Supporters of President Trump put up a cross outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6,Win McNamee/Getty Images

Christian imagery loomed large on Jan. 6 as the “Stop the Steal” rally morphed into a mob siege. A group of Trump supporters prayed around a large wooden cross, and others carried “Jesus saves” signs and yelled...

Cities can help migrating birds on their way by planting more trees and turning lights off at night

Written by Frank La Sorte, Research Associate, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University

Tennessee warblers (_Leiothlypis peregrina_) breed in northern Canada and spend winters in Central and South America. Kyle Horton, CC BY-ND

Millions of birds travel between their breeding and wintering grounds during spring and autumn migration, creating one of the greatest spectacles of the natural world. These journeys often span incredible...

That time private US media companies stepped in to silence the falsehoods and incitements of a major public figure ... in 1938

Written by William (Bill) Kovarik, Professor of Communication, Radford University

Father Coughlin's bully pulpit.Fotosearch/Getty Images

In speeches filled with hatred and falsehoods, a public figure attacks his enemies and calls for marches on Washington. Then, after one particularly virulent address, private media companies close down his channels of communication, prompting consternation from his supporters and calls for a...

Francis Galton pioneered scientific advances in many fields – but also founded the racist pseudoscience of eugenics

Written by Richard Gunderman, Chancellor's Professor of Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy, Indiana University

A man of genius – but his ideas were not to the benefit of all humankind.Mondadori Portfolio/Hulton Fine Art Collection via Getty Images

A popular pseudoscience was leaving its mark on American culture a century ago in everything from massive reductions in quotas for immigration to the U.S., to thousands of “fitter family” contests...

What you need to know about the new COVID-19 variants

Written by David Kennedy, Assistant Professor of Biology, Penn State

B117, the SARS CoV-2 variant that was first detected in the U.K., has been found to be 30%-80% more transmissible.Juan Gaertner/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

Editor’s note: Two new strains of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 called B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 have been found in the U.K. and South Africa and are thought to be more...

Trump's Twitter feed shows 'arc of the hero,' from savior to showdown

Written by Ronald Hill, Professor of Marketing, American University Kogod School of Business

Trump's tweets depict himself as the lone savior of America.AP Photo/Brynn Anderson

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

I’ve analyzed over 30,000 tweets from Donald Trump’s Twitter feed from January 2015 to December 2020. They show Trump following a “hero’s journey,” from...

The far-right rioters at the Capitol were not antifa – but violent groups often blame rivals for unpopular attacks

Written by Mia Bloom, Evidence Based Cyber Security Program, Georgia State University

Protesters who claimed to be members of the far-right Proud Boys gather with other Trump supporters outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images

Some Republican congressional leaders, including U.S. Reps. Matt Gaetz, Mo Brooks and Paul Gosar, along with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, joined President Trump in...