Is Religious Liberty a Shield or a Sword?

Despite frequent disagreement on how to implement freedom of religion, the vast majority of Americans understand the basic religious protection offered by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Nearly nine in ten Americans (88%) agree that the U.S. government cannot establish an official religion or favor one religion over […] Read more »

Republicans’ Biggest Problem is That They Need Trump Supporters’ and Extremists’ Votes

The divisions within the Republican Party have been on clear display in the wake of the tumultuous end to Donald Trump’s presidency, which included a violent insurrectionist takeover of the U.S. Capitol on January 6. In the aftermath, will the party remain loyal to Trump and embrace its more extremist […] Read more »

Politics & Polls: How the Religious Right May Have Provoked the Insurrection

At the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, religious messaging echoed through the streets as Christian-right activists protested the 2020 presidential election. What role did the religious right play in the uprising at the Capitol? And will they continue to be emboldened despite President Donald Trump’s departure? Katherine Stewart […] Read more »

‘Demographic eclipse’ explains this era’s political chaos

Brian Stelter asks Ron Brownstein about how to process the years of history that have happened in just a few short weeks. Brownstein, the CNN senior political analyst and senior editor at The Atlantic, says the “big structural factor driving the politics of our era” is demographic eclipse. America is […] Read more »

Capitol mob wasn’t just angry white men – there were angry white women as well

There were women among the crowd that marched to the Capitol and stormed the building. Shay Horse/NurPhoto via Getty Images Jakana Thomas, Michigan State University The terror inflicted on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 laid bare America’s problem with violent extremism. The FBI and other law enforcement agencies have […] Read more »