Left, Right & Center

Pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses have taken over national headlines recently. Clashes between protestors and counterprotestors, as well as law enforcement, are top of mind for political leaders. Have the student-led demonstrations shifted the focus away from the actual conflict on the ground in Gaza? When it comes to states enforcing Title IX, the Biden administration recently announced new guidelines, which include extending discrimination protections to groups who previously weren’t covered by the legislation, including LGBTQ students. Several Republican-led states have filed lawsuits claiming that the administration overstepped its authority and attempted to change how they define sex and gender. And this installment of the 50 states series looks at a rare phenomenon in Idaho politics that could empower the political middle.

President Biden signed off on a $95 billion foreign aid package approved by Congress this week. It includes military funds to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. While Democrats were happy to work with the Republican leadership to get the bill done, a more conservative wing of the GOP was less than thrilled. Will the package cost another speaker of the House their job? And how are U.S. allies feeling about the drawn-out fight to get a deal done? New polling from NBC shows a shift in support for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign. The independent candidate is trending upward with voters who would otherwise be supporting former President Donald Trump. How will the Trump and Biden camps prepare to deal with a growing third-party challenge? Early electoral maps reveal a short list of battleground states. What will it take to capture the electoral votes that will define the 2024 election?

The embattled leadership of the Republican Party came together in a show of solidarity this week. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was joined by House Speaker Mike Johnson for a press conference at Trump’s Mar-A-Lago compound. Trump backed the speaker in the face of mounting pressure from conservative members of the House to remove Johnson from the role. This show of support came amid another legal challenge for the former president. Jury selection in Trump’s trial over alleged hush money payments began this week. It’s the first time a former president has faced criminal charges, and drew substantial media coverage. That coverage added increased difficulty to the selection process, with one seated juror dropping out over fears that media reporting on the case would reveal her identity. Can the media circus surrounding the case be wrangled to avoid further interruptions? Will Johnson be able to survive his own circus in the House to accomplish something — anything — as speaker before November’s election? U.S. colleges continue to struggle with the protecting free speech and fighting hate on campus. Another congressional hearing on campus antisemitism [https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/04/17/nyregion/columbia-antisemitism-hearing] — this time with officials from Columbia University — arrived at the same time a valedictorian at the University of Southern California faced backlash [https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-04-16/usc-valedictorian-banned-graduation-speech] for her support of pro-Palestinian causes. How can colleges navigate increasing tensions as the lines between anti-semitism and calls for an end to the conflict in Gaza continue to be blurred? An Oklahoma city councilman was elected last year, before reports he had ties to a white nationalist group became more widely known. For our 50 states series, we examine what lessons we all could stand to learn from the voters of Enid, Oklahoma.

This week, former President Donald Trump took credit for leaving decisions about abortion bans up to individual states, while pledging to maintain that choice for states if he’s re-elected. Can we expect the lack of federal guidance on individual rights to continue? And will Republican supporters hold any ill will for his lack of commitment to a classic conservative value? President Biden openly criticized Benjamin Netanyahu’s deadly campaign in Gaza following last week’s attack on World Central Kitchen aid workers. In an interview with Univision, Biden called for a temporary ceasefire and for Israel to allow more aid into Gaza. It’s a significant change of attitude publicly for the president. It could appease some more moderate observers who take issue with Israel’s military strategy. But many on the left believe nothing has actually changed regarding U.S. policy with Israel. President Biden vowed to federally fund the rebuild of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge following a tragic accident late last month. That promise could be slowed by opposition to commit taxpayer dollars towards the project without certain guarantees. We hear and use the phrase “taxpayer dollars” so often, but what does it really mean?

Donald Trump and Joe Biden aren’t the only ones preparing for a tight race this year. With every House seat and a third of Senate seats up for grabs in November, both Democrats and Republicans are hoping to take control of Congress. But will congressional candidates be able to overcome the unique situation that Trump and Biden’s policies and personalities present? More Americans than ever believe religion’s influence in politics is dwindling. [https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2024/03/15/8-in-10-americans-say-religion-is-losing-influence-in-public-life/] Evangelical voters have pointed to President Biden’s support for abortion access and LGTBTQ issues as signs that he lacks a commitment to religious values, despite his Catholic faith. Those sentiments were on display last weekend in the conservative uproar over Biden’s choice to simultaneously acknowledge Transgender Day of Visibility and Easter Sunday. Why did a statement from the president cause so much outrage? Will the lack of religious faith in Biden play a role in 2024? As part of our 50 States series, we explore a proposal from Kansas Republicans that aims to change the mail-in ballot process.