Donald Trump
Other presidents have let white‑collar criminals dodge financial penalties – but not like Trump
No other U.S. president has come close to wiping away the amount in fines and restitution owed to victims that Trump has.
When presidents ban journalists from the White House, the First Amendment is not the only constitutional right at stake
When President Trump barred three news organizations from the White House, a lawsuit followed. In it, the news outlets invoked their Fifth and First amendments rights.
Trump’s thumbs‑up to Irish reunification breaks with precedent, but evokes earlier age of White House support
Trump waded intro controversial territory with his comments in Ireland.
Pardoned by Trump and escaping charges at home, ex‑Honduran leader’s case shows a nation’s struggle for sovereignty
Juan Orlando Hernández’s escape from legal accountability at home and abroad point to the larger challenges of democracy building under the shadow of US power.
How ‘portfolio reasoning’ explains Trump’s constant reevaluation of America’s value
Trump has approached governing through the same framework as his former business portfolio, where he casts the US as a flagship holding whose value he was elected to increase.
Why the Supreme Court blocked Trump and the Postal Service from restricting mail‑in voting for the midterms
An election law scholar explains the president’s effort to dramatically limit mail voting ahead of the midterm elections – and why the court decided to block it.
How anti‑bribery laws apply to Trump’s promise of $5,000 payments if Republicans keep control of Congress
Bribery involves offering money to a particular person, but Trump did not make his $5,000 offer to any single voter or set of voters.
Security clearances don’t determine whom a president can trust – they reveal risks the president may not know
A report that one of Trump’s aides went a year without routine vetting raises a question a former CIA executive knows well: What is that process for?
The Pentagon is using polygraphs to hunt leakers, but the tests are more theater than fact
A CIA veteran explains that a polygraph campaign is not likely to eliminate leaks, but it may divert investigative energy from essential security priorities.
Americans agree their democracy is in crisis – yet the solution is as simple as it is elusive
An educated citizenry is the key to making self-government succeed, Founding Father Thomas Jefferson said.