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Germany Moves to Protect Top Court Against Far Right
Several authoritarian governments are trying to curb the clout of their countries’ supreme courts. As far-right populists gain ground in Germany, the government is also working to protect this bastion of democracy.
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Will Maduro Hold on to Power in Venezuela’s 2024 Election?
The closely watched elections on July 28 will determine whether incumbent President Nicolás Maduro wins a third term or allows a democratic transition.
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A Uniquely Perilous Moment in U.S. Politics
Assassins believe that they can change the course of history. Bruce Hoffman and Jacob Ware write that the attempt om Donald Trump’s life is but the latest violent incident targeting an elected official or candidate in the United States in recent years. “The biggest question is whether this is, in fact, the beginning of what could be the most violent presidential race in the history of the country.”
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Russia Spreads Disinformation to Cover Up Its Use of Chemical Weapons in Ukraine
The United States determined Russia used the chemical weapon chloropicrin against Ukrainian troops and riot control agents (RCA) as a method of warfare in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
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Trump Assassination Attempt Sparks Antisemitic Conspiracy Theories and Violent, “Revenge” Rhetoric
Online reactions to the assassination attempt elevated a variety of conspiracy theories about the motivation for and “real” perpetrators of the attack, as well as calls for retaliatory violence and a civil war.
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Detroit Takes Important Step in Curbing the Harms of Face Recognition Technology
In a first-of-its-kind agreement, the Detroit Police Department recently agreed to adopt strict limits on its officers’ use of face recognition technology as part of a settlement in a lawsuit brought by a victim of this faulty technology.
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More States Consider Voter ID Laws Amid Conflicting Research on Their Impact
36 states require some form of identification to cast a ballot. Voting rights advocates cite research showing that such rules block many legitimate voters — especially young, Black and Latino voters — from the polls. But backers of voter ID laws point to other studies which suggest that the rules have had a minimal effect on voter turnout, partly because Democrats often respond to them by amping up their voter mobilization efforts.
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Can the Military Disobey Orders in the SEAL Team 6 Hypothetical?
On 1 July, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its long-awaited presidential immunity decision in the sure-to-be-landmark Trump v. United States case. The majority opinion raised significant and troubling implications, but the question of just how far this new explicit immunity can go was first raised in oral argument: Can a president order SEAL Team 6 to assassinate a domestic political rival? Dan Maurer writes that ‘assuming the Court is correct in its vague demarcation between official and unofficial acts, and even if such orders were probable, there are two reasons for cautious optimism—or at least cautious suspension of outright horror.”
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How Big Is the Risk of Voter Fraud in U.S. Elections?
Voter fraud claims are already making the rounds ahead of the November 5 elections. Are noncitizens voting illegally, and how safe are mail-in ballots and electronic voting machines?
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Despite What Some Politicians Say, Crime Rates Are Decreasing
Violent crime in the United States dropped significantly in the first quarter of 2024 compared with the same period last year, but some politicians continue to assert the opposite. Criminologists caution that while the overall decline in violent crime is an indisputable fact, the story may be different in individual cities and neighborhoods.
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U.S. Supreme Court Blocks the Texas’s Rio Grande Water Deal with New Mexico
Water law experts say the Supreme Court’s recent decision will set a precedent for the federal government to intervene in water conflicts between states moving forward.
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Another Report Says CBP, ICE Not Detaining, Removing Inadmissibles Flying into Country
A DHS OIG audit found that a regional CBP and ICE detention and removal processes were ineffective at one major international airport, the OIG audit found. Between fiscal years 2021 and 2023, the report found CBP agents at this airport released at least 383 inadmissible travelers from custody into the U.S. who, under the law, are prohibited from entering the country.
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States Struggle with Unreliable Federal Funding for Making Sure Elections Are Secure
The federal government has sought to bolster election security for years through a popular grant program, but the wildly fluctuating funding levels have made it difficult for state officials to plan their budgets and their projects.
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Modern-Day Outlaws, “Sovereign Citizens” Threaten the Rule of Law
The FBI considers sovereign citizens a domestic terrorism threat. My research into sovereign citizens has found they have long been active in the U.S. and other countries. At the core of their beliefs is the denial of the government’s legitimacy. They commonly do not register their vehicles, acquire driver’s licenses or car insurance, or pay taxes. And they pose a significant threat to the public.
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Election Administration Performance Linked to Counties’ Economic, Racial Makeup
“The federal government and states may set general directives about how elections are to be administered, but a lot of those actions are carried forth by county-level governments.,” says Professor Michael Ritter, lead author of a new study on election administration.
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The long view
Are We Ready for a ‘DeepSeek for Bioweapons’?
Anthropic’s Claude 4 is a warning sign: AI that can help build bioweapons is coming, and could be widely available soon. Steven Adler writes that we need to be prepared for the consequences: “like a freely downloadable ‘DeepSeek for bioweapons,’ available across the internet, loadable to the computer of any amateur scientist who wishes to cause mass harm. With Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4 having finally triggered this level of safety risk, the clock is now ticking.”
The “Invasion” Invention: The Far Right’s Long Legal Battle to Make Immigrants the Enemy
The Trump administration is using the claim that immigrants have “invaded” the country to justify possibly suspending habeas corpus, part of the constitutional right to due process. A faction of the far right has been building this case for years.
Luigi Mangione and the Making of a ‘Terrorist’
Discretion is crucial to the American tradition of criminal law, Jacob Ware and Ania Zolyniak write, noting that “lawmakers enact broader statutes to empower prosecutors to pursue justice while entrusting that they will stay within the confines of their authority and screen out the inevitable “absurd” cases that may arise.” Discretion is also vital to maintaining the legitimacy of the legal system. In the prosecution’s case against Luigi Mangione, they charge, “That discretion was abused.”
Autocrats Don’t Act Like Hitler or Stalin Anymore − Instead of Governing with Violence, They Use Manipulation
Modern autocrats don’t always resemble their 20th-century predecessors. Instead, they project a polished image, avoid overt violence and speak the language of democracy. They wear suits, hold elections and talk about the will of the people. Rather than terrorizing citizens, many use media control and messaging to shape public opinion and promote nationalist narratives. Many gain power not through military coups but at the ballot box.