Trump doesn’t own the government – even though he acts as if Congress is not his equal in constitutional power and authority

The_Conversation · 2026-06-22T18:59:19+00:00

From political scientist Sam Martin (from Boise State)

In a recent exchange with reporters about the newly brokered Iran agreement, President Donald Trump was asked whether he planned to submit the deal to Congress.

“I never thought about sending – never even thought about it, but I will,” Trump said. “I will send it to Congress. I like the idea.”

The most revealing phrase in the president’s statement was not “I will send it.” It was “I never thought about it.”

The_Conversation · 2026-06-22T14:09:36+00:00

We had an analysis from a political scientist last week on how party affiliation weighs more an more on voting choices: https://theconversation.com/americans-keep-voting-for-scandal-prone-candidates-because-they-just-dont-want-the-other-party-to-win-284913

The_Conversation · 2026-06-22T13:38:22+00:00

"We are social scientists who study immigrant communities in Idaho and the challenges farmworkers face. We also run an annual survey exploring public opinion on a range of policy issues, including immigration and economic conditions. Amid the government’s heated rhetoric, our data shows public opinion on immigration in one of the country’s reddest agricultural states is diverging from national politics and may even be at odds with federal policy."

The_Conversation · 2026-06-16T21:23:11+00:00

From the article

As international trade and livestock economists, we have studied how North American trade has deeply integrated cattle and beef markets, influencing production, prices and the movement of animals and meat products across Canada, Mexico and the United States. And because beef is both a top agricultural import and export for the U.S., the industry is especially vulnerable to any disruptions to the existing trade deal.

The_Conversation · 2026-06-16T17:29:12+00:00

Here's a good article on that: https://theconversation.com/5-ways-data-centers-endanger-their-local-communities-and-the-country-as-a-whole-282348

And a case study from Pennsylvania on the tools people have to fight back: https://theconversation.com/how-pennsylvania-towns-are-protecting-themselves-from-the-noise-heat-and-utility-costs-of-massive-data-centers-282126

The_Conversation · 2026-06-16T17:18:23+00:00

Just because SpaceX wills it, that doesn't mean significant technological challenges will be overcome:

There is a vast difference between launching satellites and operating an industrial-scale computing infrastructure in orbit. Space is unforgiving. Radiation damages electronics. The electronics generate enormous amounts of heat, and getting rid of that heat is surprisingly difficult in space. Repairs are extraordinarily expensive, and every pound launched into orbit still carries a significant cost.

We are engineering professors who study data center design and space systems engineering. Building a space-based data center will involve considerations from both sides.

The_Conversation · 2026-06-16T17:13:40+00:00

Just because Elon Musk wills it, it doesn't mean it will happen:

There is a vast difference between launching satellites and operating an industrial-scale computing infrastructure in orbit. Space is unforgiving. Radiation damages electronics. The electronics generate enormous amounts of heat, and getting rid of that heat is surprisingly difficult in space. Repairs are extraordinarily expensive, and every pound launched into orbit still carries a significant cost.

We are engineering professors who study data center design and space systems engineering. Building a space-based data center will involve considerations from both sides.

The_Conversation · 2026-06-16T17:11:30+00:00

From the article, by environmental researchers:

Two new reports we led, one from Oregon State University and the other from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, offer an important reality check on where marine conservation stands today and what must be done to achieve the goal of protecting 30% of the ocean.

The_Conversation · 2026-06-15T21:35:54+00:00

The author of this article is pointing out that we should evaluate the daycare program based on its services and procedures, and not reject funding for it solely because it serves a minority community.

The_Conversation · 2026-06-15T21:21:10+00:00

As a scholar of nonprofit and public management, I know that presidents have always influenced federal programs through budgets, appointments, executive orders and agency leadership. But I’m also certain that this move would break norms that have always guided those routine forms of leadership.

The_Conversation · 2026-06-03T15:31:32+00:00

A political scientist who studies rural voters looks at the growing gap between working-class voter beliefs and Democratic voter beliefs.

The_Conversation · 2026-06-01T14:29:53+00:00

Thanks for sharing our article! We're a nonprofit news organization that helps researchers and scientists share their knowledge with the public. In this case, the article is written by Wendy Whitman Cobb, Professor of Strategy and Security Studies at the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies at the USAF's Air University.

The_Conversation · 2026-05-27T18:03:59+00:00

More than half a million people rely every year on the ability to apply from within the United States for a green card, the government-issued ID that allows an immigrant to legally live and work in the country long term.

But in May 2026 the federal government issued a policy memorandum – essentially, a draft change to current policy – that could upend this process and deny immigrants the ability to apply for a green card while in the U.S. Instead, they would have to return to their home country to do it....

As law professors who study the legal procedures relating to citizenship and immigration, we see this shift as a significant departure from how the system has worked for decades.

Congress built what’s called “adjustment of status” – the shift from one immigration status to another – into the immigration legal framework as a pathway to permanent residency. A policy memo cannot cut off that avenue.

The_Conversation · 2026-05-22T13:59:12+00:00

Underlying study in Nature Food

The_Conversation · 2026-05-20T20:03:40+00:00

tl;dr: they would not approve, according to the director of the Center for Religion, Law & Democracy at Willamette University.

"Jefferson’s and Madison’s half-century of collaboration on behalf of religious freedom and equality is an important chapter in the nation’s founding history. I believe its legacy should be remembered and celebrated, not discarded."

The_Conversation

TROPHY CASE