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Foreign Policy

Foreign Policy
Duped by Putin for months on end, Trump must now hold the line on Russia (Foreign Policy Brief #212)
Trump’s egregious pre-election claim that he could “end the war in a day” between Russia and Ukraine has instead resulted in Russia’s huge surge of attacks on Ukraine and an increasing number of civilian deaths. While Trump often tries to deflect his responsibility for handling this war onto past U.S. presidents, he is now in fact the commander in chief and must take action to support an ally in Ukraine, help prevent further carnage, and demonstrate American democratic mettle vis-a-vis a ruthless dictator in Putin.
Peace Prizes and Bombs: The Theater of Trump’s Nobel Pursuit (Foreign Policy Brief #211)
In the summer of 2025, President Donald Trump became the centerpiece of a surreal global spectacle: a campaign to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lauded Trump for supposedly brokering stability in conflict zones, and Cambodia’s deputy prime minister praised him for his role in a temporary ceasefire with Thailand. The White House eagerly embraced this narrative, touting Trump as a global peacemaker and repeatedly pointing to “six major conflicts” that he allegedly helped resolve.
South Sudan: Oil and Matches (Foreign Policy Brief #210)
South Sudan is the youngest country in the world in terms of its autonomous foundation. Once part of Sudan, it achieved semi-autonomy in 2005 after years of brutal civil war as part of its now northern neighbor. Eventually, under referendum, the people of South Sudan voted for absolute autonomy in 2011, legally breaking away from Sudan.

Technology

Technology
Trump’s Tech Ventures Positioned for Top Profits (Technology Policy Brief #151)
The Trump organization has dropped any pretense of avoiding conflicts of interest. Instead, it is blatantly cashing in on Trump’s presidency in every conceivable way. At the top of the list is tech, with both Trump and his wife selling digital currencies and a new Trump mobile phone on the way. An additional bonus is that Trump has a great deal of power over the agencies that oversee these industries, and Congress is doing nothing to stop him from taking advantage of it.
AI Regulation: Who’s Up to the Challenge? (Technology Policy Brief #150)
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the discipline of designing computer systems that can perform tasks normally requiring human cognition—pattern recognition, language generation, planning—by learning statistical relationships from large data sets. Modern AI works by training vast machine-learning models on petabytes of text, images, audio, and code and then applying those models to new inputs to produce predictions or content; it now powers everything from chatbots and fraud detection to medical imaging and autonomous drones.
Trump’s Big Beautiful Gifts to Artificial Intelligence Companies (Technology Policy Brief # 149)
In his first few days in office, Donald Trump announced a $500 billion joint venture with OpenAI, Oracle, and Softbank to invest in growing the US’s AI infrastructure and rescinded former President Joe Biden’s executive order requiring safety submissions from AI developers. His big, beautiful bill showers much more money in the industry, and aims to eliminate state oversight or regulation of AI companies as well.

Environment

Environment
Introducing Gulf of America – from the person who gave us Trump Tower (Environmental Policy Brief #178)
For the last 475 years, the expanse of ocean from western Florida to southern Texas has been called the “Gulf of Mexico.” English geographer Richard Hakluyt referred to the “Gulfe of Mexico” in his work of 1589. With the stroke of a pen on February 9, 2025, the President of the United States signed Executive Order 14172 and renamed the body of water “Gulf of America.” In addition to “restoring American pride,” President Trump justified the name change by referencing territorial rights over much of the area and that those waters have “long been an integral asset to our once burgeoning Nation and has remained an indelible part of America.” Trump considers the Gulf a business asset.
The End of DEI in the Federal Government: Who’s Really Affected? (Social Justice Policy Brief #172)
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies in the United States trace their roots back to the civil rights movements of the 1960s, particularly through the enactment of Affirmative Action programs.
No shortage of Canaries in our Coastlines Signaling Catastrophe (Environmental Policy Brief #178)
40% of the U.S. population line our coasts. That equates to approximately 130 million people residing in coastal counties. In addition to those who retire seaside, entire economies are integrated into the coastal industries of fishing, tourism, energy, shipbuilding, and recreation. Even a cursory glance using google maps shows how tightly clustered the built space is, all on only 10% of the total U.S. land mass. Shoreline communities have five times the population density as compared to the U.S. average.

Education

Health & Gender

Health & Gender
Checking in on 14 Years of Obamacare: Part 3
Policy Brief #174 – Health and Gender
by: Geoffrey Small
Fourteen years after the enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), its impact on innovative medical care and cost-saving measures remains mixed. While Obamacare has expanded access and encouraged preventative care, the anticipated financial savings have not fully materialized, highlighting the ongoing complexity of achieving affordable healthcare in the U.S.
Women’s Health Research Gets Its Priorities Straight
Policy Brief #173 – Health and Gender
by: Abigail Hunt
President Biden’s executive order on Women’s Health Research marks a significant step toward prioritizing gender-inclusive medical studies. The move aims to rectify historical gender biases, significantly impacting women’s health care policies.
Checking in on 14 Years of Obamacare: Part 2
Policy Brief #172 – Health and Gender
by: Geoffrey Small
This article examines the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on Medicaid expansion across states. Despite the ACA’s goal to make health insurance more accessible and to encourage Medicaid expansion, some states have resisted, leading to ongoing debates and policy changes regarding healthcare coverage and access.

Immigration

Immigration
An Update on Trump’s Mass Deportation Efforts (Immigration Policy Brief #141)
As we enter the second month of Donald Trump’s return to office, his stance on immigration remains as hardline as ever—if not more extreme. He has ramped up his rhetoric against so-called “criminals,” but communities across the country are feeling the tangible effects of his deportation policies. Friends, neighbors, workers, and community members are being forcibly removed, leaving behind fractured families and economic instability.
Exploring Different Types of Immigrants & Immigration Realities (Immigration Policy Brief #140)
The Trump administration has recently begun redefining its view on what it sees as the appropriate options for gender in the education system. The newly released Trump executive order on “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling” released on January 29 seeks to prohibit federal funding for schools that are teaching gender ideology and critical race theory in the classroom.
Who’s Being Deported? Our Neighbors, Friends, and the Workforce (Immigration Policy Brief #139)
Given the start of the Trump era and ICE raids occurring across the country it is timely to remind people who immigrants are and more importantly who they are not. The initial figures released by ICE at the start of the new era of raids on immigrants reported that they had arrested 472 people on average in the first 3 days.

Economic Policy

Economic Policy
Impact of Remote Work on Urban Development
Brief #62 – Economic Policy Brief
by: Inijah Quadri
The rise of remote work, spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, is reshaping urban landscapes and challenging traditional city planning. As cities adapt to this new reality, the shift presents both opportunities for sustainable development and significant hurdles for local economies reliant on office workers.
Navigating Inflation: A Comprehensive Analysis
Brief #61 – Economic Policy Brief
by: Arvind Salem
As inflation rates surge, consumers face mounting pressure on their wallets, with prices soaring in key sectors like housing and groceries. Amidst political debates and policy clashes, understanding the root causes and potential solutions becomes critical for navigating the economic landscape.
Cryptocurrencies: Economic Implications and Challenges
Brief #60 – Economic Policy Brief
by: Inijah Quadri
The rise of cryptocurrencies heralds a new era in the global financial landscape, offering decentralized alternatives to traditional fiat currencies. With the potential for enhanced financial inclusion and transactional efficiency, cryptocurrencies present both opportunities and challenges in reshaping the future of finance.

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