The Conversation

What happens when senators die or are incapacitated?

Written by Nicholas G. Napolio, Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

The Senate wing of the U.S. Capitol building.Matt H. Wade via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

What happens if U.S. senators get sick or, even worse, if they die? It’s happened before – and our research shows that national policies, and even the course of history, can change as a result.

At least three U.S. Republican senators have recently...

3 ways to get your point across while wearing a mask – tips from an award-winning speech coach

Written by Cheryl Chambers, Instructor of Communication and Head Coach, MSU Speech & Debate Team, Mississippi State University

Masks hide just part of how you communicate.Hispanolistic/E+ via Getty Images

You wear your mask, keep six feet between yourself and others and are committed to safety. But the measures that help minimize your risk of COVID-19 can also have an impact on your interactions with others.

As you stroll the aisle of a supermarket, you approach someone...

Dominance or democracy? Authoritarian white masculinity as Trump and Pence's political debate strategy

Written by Karrin Vasby Anderson, Professor of Communication Studies, Colorado State University

Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, debated on Oct. 7, 2020. Justin Sullivan / POOL / AFP/Getty Images

After the debate between Sen. Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence, commentators contrasted Pence’s reserved demeanor with the belligerence President Donald Trump exhibited in...

Restoring California's forests to reduce wildfire risks will take time, billions of dollars and a broad commitment

Written by Roger Bales, Distinguished Professor of Engineering, University of California, Merced

A mixed-conifer forest in the central Sierra Nevada after restoration, with unthinned forest in the background.Roger Bales, CC BY-ND

As California contends with its worst wildfire season in history, it’s more evident than ever that land management practices in the state’s forested mountains need major changes.

Many of California’s...

Political leaders’ views on COVID-19 risk are highly infectious in a polarized nation – we see the same with climate change

Written by Wanyun Shao, Assistant Professor of Geography, University of Alabama

President Trump's messages discounting mask-wearing have worried public health professionals.AP Photos/Alex Brandon

When President Donald Trump announced he was leaving the hospital after being treated for COVID-19, he sent his supporters a message: “Don’t be afraid of COVID. Don’t let it dominate your life,” he tweeted. A...

What's the best way to get out the vote in a pandemic?

Written by Lisa García Bedolla, Vice Provost for Graduate Studies and Dean of the Graduate Division, Professor of Education, University of California, Berkeley

Virtual neighborhood meetings, like this Democratic effort in Reedsburg, Wis., are among the latest efforts to get people to vote.AP Photo/Tom Beaumont

Identifying supporters and getting them to the polls are key parts of any political campaign. The pandemic, however, creates new challenges for candidates trying to convey their messages and...

Election 2020 sees record $11 billion in campaign spending, mostly from a handful of super-rich donors

Written by Richard Briffault, Joseph P. Chamberlain Professor of Legislation, Columbia University

Money can't buy you love, but it may be able to buy you political influence.Marius Faust / EyeEm via Getty

Total spending in the 2020 federal elections is projected to set a new record of almost US$11 billion by November.

When adjusted for inflation, that’s over 50% higher than 2016 election spending. This year’s federal election...

Pandemic presents an opportunity for small liberal arts colleges to change

Written by Beth D. Benedix, Professor of World Literature, Religious Studies and Community Engagement, DePauw University

Colgate University is a small liberal arts college in upstate New York.John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images

In their newly released book, “The Post-Pandemic Liberal Arts College,” Steven Volk, emeritus professor of history at Oberlin College, and Beth D. Benedix, professor of world literature, religious studies and community...

Appealing to evangelicals, Trump uses religious words and references to God at a higher rate than previous presidents

Written by Ceri Hughes, Knight Research Fellow of Communication and Civic Renewal, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Reading material or preparing a speech?Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty

Speaking from the hospital while undergoing treatment for COVID-19, Donald Trump faced the camera and touted therapeutics that “look like miracles coming down from God.”

The choice of words shouldn’t come as a surprise. President Trump has used religious...

Will it be a 'V' or a 'K'? The many shapes of recessions and recoveries

Written by William Hauk, Associate Professor of Economics, University of South Carolina

A 'V' recovery is seen as the best way to bounce back from a recession. Steve Stone/Moment via Getty Images

Recessions – typically defined as two consecutive quarters of declining economic output – are always painful in terms of how they affect our economic well-being. Like all bad things, fortunately, they eventually end and a recovery...