Terms of Engagement

The United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, killing the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other top officials in an airstrike on his presidential compound. But regime decapitation isn’t the same as regime change, which has been one of the Trump Administration’s stated goals for the conflict.  But even if the regime collapses, Boston College Associate Professor and cu...

The last two U.S. presidents have both faced questions of senility and cognitive decline while in office. The Wall Street Journal recently published an article on wealth distribution titled “Over 65? Congratulations, you own the economy.” Meanwhile, Millennials and members of Generation Z are finding it next to impossible to afford things older generations took for granted, like buying a home and...

Unpacking the most pressing threats to American democracy requires deeper investigation of the historical currents shaping today’s civil rights battles. What lessons from the Civil Rights Movement remain relevant in addressing modern political conflicts? And if key voting protections continue to erode, where should the voting rights movement go from here? In this episode, co-hosts Archon Fung and...

The 2026 midterms are shaping up to be unlike any in recent history. While these elections traditionally serve as a standard check on the presidency, today’s landscape of federal pressures and localized flashpoints has many questioning if the old rules still apply. Are we looking at a routine political correction, or an unprecedented “election meltdown”? In this episode, co-hosts Archon Fung and S...

Under President Trump, the White House looks different than ever before, from press relations to the construction of new ballroom. But how does the Trump White House actually operate—and has that approach begun to shift in 2026? Recent developments, including immigration enforcement in Minneapolis and clashes over the Kennedy Center, raise questions about whether the administration’s actions are d...

Few political labels are as charged as “fascism,” a term often used as an insult rather than an analytic category. But recent developments under the Trump administration have prompted a growing number of scholars and commentators to revisit the term and what it actually means, and to argue that it may be a fitting label for what’s happening in American politics today.   In this episode, Archon Fun...

The red-hat-wearing crowd at a Trump rally has become one of the most enduring images in American politics. But according to nonprofit More in Common’s new report, Beyond MAGA: A Profile of the Trump Coalition , that picture hides a much more complex reality. Trump’s support comes from a coalition of groups with overlapping concerns but distinct identities, priorities, and worldviews. And less tha...

Once one of Latin America’s strongest democracies, Venezuela has endured years of economic collapse, humanitarian crisis, and authoritarian rule under Nicolás Maduro. In January 2026, a U.S. military operation captured Maduro, a move the Trump administration has characterized as an effort to remove a dictator and stabilize the country. However, questions remain about its legality and the path forw...

The January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol marked an unprecedented breach of democratic norms and further divided an already fractured public. Five years later, the events remain contested, as the Trump administration works to rewrite its history and debates continue over how it happened, who was responsible, and what its impact has been. This week, co-hosts Archon Fung and Stephen Richer welcome Ma...

The New Right blends ideas from podcasters, academics, and think tanks that push against democratic norms and multiracial inclusion. Some openly deny election legitimacy, while others promote visions of a society rooted in Christian nationalism. And yet many Americans know very little about who these figures are or what they actually believe. This week, co-hosts Archon Fung and Stephen Richer sit...

The push to disclose the Epstein files has escalated into a highly charged political debate that has dominated recent news cycles. What began as a call for transparency around Jeffrey Epstein’s network has exposed deep rifts within both parties. On the right, populist voices are clashing with party leadership; on the left, Democrats are divided over whether the issue is a distraction or an overdue...

From the deployment of the National Guard in D.C. to a new compact for higher education and the longest-ever government shutdown, the past few months have been packed with news. Join co-hosts Archon Fung and Stephen Richer in looking back at the last five months of headlines as they celebrate the twentieth episode of Terms of Engagement. Fung and Richer will reflect on some of the major themes the...

Anchorage, Alaska, is pioneering mobile voting, allowing voters to cast ballots for municipal elections from their phones. If successful, Anchorage could offer a blueprint for the future of voting across America. But with election mistrust at record highs, will voters have faith in the accuracy of mobile votes? To discuss the latest news and the future of voting by phone, this week, co-hosts Archo...

In the wake of New York City’s recent mayoral election, fusion voting is in the spotlight. Fusion voting—also called fusion balloting, cross-endorsement, or multiple-party nomination—is an election practice where two or more political parties nominate the same candidate for an office, allowing the candidate’s name to appear on the ballot lines of each endorsing party. Following the New York City m...

For the first time in its 60-year history, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — often referred to as food stamps — ceased to distribute funds on November 1st due to the ongoing government shutdown. This lapse in funding leaves over 40 million Americans without the money they regularly receive to purchase food. This week on Terms of Engagement, co-hosts Archon Fung and Stephen Ric...

The federal government shutdown, precipitated by Congress’s inability to reach consensus on a fiscal year 2026 budget, is nearing thirty days. The shutdown has brought some federal government programs to a grinding halt, while other government employees in essential roles continue to work with partial or no pay. One such worker is Jack Criss, an FAA Air Traffic Controller currently stationed at An...

Over the weekend, millions of Americans took to the streets at over 2,600 ‘No Kings’ protest events. Organizers describe the movements as a push to protect democracy, protesting several actions by the Trump administration, while critics called the events a stunt and anti-American. Just how effective are protests? From the Tea Party to today, how have protest movements changed in American society?...

The Trump Administration’s new “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” was largely met with skepticism and criticism by university leaders, but Danielle Allen, James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University, Director of the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation, argues that we shouldn’t dismiss the opportunity the compact presents. While she asserts universities shouldn’...

Last week, the Trump administration introduced a new “compact” for select universities — a deal that promises priority federal support in exchange for greater alignment with the administration’s agenda. The government is billing it as a great deal, while critics see it as political interference in higher education. This week, Archon Fung and Stephen Richer are joined by Joseph Fishkin, Professor o...

Last week, President Trump signed a memorandum targeting “domestic terrorism and organized political violence.” It directs federal agencies — from the Department of Justice to the IRS — to investigate and prosecute groups and individuals accused of fostering political violence. While Antifa is named explicitly, the memo is widely viewed as focusing on what the administration calls “left-wing terro...

Over the past week, comments about Charlie Kirk's assassination have resulted in several employees being sanctioned or fired. Notably, ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel after he made comments on his late-night show; however, recent reports indicate his show is returning. Is free speech in decline in the U.S.? Are firings and sanctions a breach of the First Amendment, or are private employers simply exerc...

The recent assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk drew impassioned responses from across America’s political spectrum. This week on Terms of Engagement, Alex Keyssar, Matthew W. Stirling, Jr. Professor of History and Social Policy at Harvard Kennedy School, will join Archon Fung and Stephen Richer to examine the broader issue of political violence in the U.S.—whether it is t...

On Wednesday, September 3rd, a federal judge in Boston found the Trump Administration’s freeze of over $2 billion in federal grants to Harvard illegal, ruling that the government violated the University’s First Amendment rights. The Trump Administration originally withheld the funds over allegations that Harvard failed to address antisemitism on campus. In response to the ruling, the administratio...

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy recently announced the federal government will reclaim management of Washington, D.C.’s Union Station, citing safety concerns, homelessness, and long-delayed repairs. He pledged new investment aligned with President Trump’s vision to revitalize the station and the city. Hours later, Deputy Secretary Steven Bradbury floated a similar move for Boston’s South...

President Trump recently announced on social media his plans to “lead a movement” to ban mail-in ballots and voting machines. Ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, he outlined his intention to sign an executive order that would stop the use of mail-in voting and curb the use of voting machines, which he accused of being “highly inaccurate” compared to paper ballots. This week, Archon Fung and Steph...