Terms of Engagement

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...

Last week, President Donald Trump flexed the federal government’s power over the nation’s capital to address what he sees as a city “overtaken” by crime and homelessness. He invoked a power that allowed him to take over the city’s police department and deployed the National Guard and federal agents to patrol the city. This week, Juliette Kayyem, a national leader in homeland security and crisis ma...

The newest season of “South Park” premiered with a parody of President Donald Trump and in the second episode, a satirical jab at the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Since airing, the show’s lampooning of the current administration has drawn ire from the White House and praise from the President’s critics. This week, Michelle Goldberg, an opinion columnist for The New York...

Texas GOP lawmakers recently unveiled a new draft district map, created to flip several House seats from blue to red. In response, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced his intention to respond with a California map that favored Democrats, despite California’s existing independent redistricting commission. Maryland, Illinois, and New York could also be poised to engineer maps to produce more...

On July 23rd, Columbia University announced it reached a deal with the Trump administration that involves a $220 million payment; an agreement to suspend, expel, or revoke degrees from some 70 students; as well as a report to a monitor to ensure their programs “do not promote unlawful DEI goals.” What does this settlement mean for higher education? Are the First Amendment rights of Columbia and ot...

Video Credit : Surrounded - 1 Progressive vs 20 Far-Right Conservatives (ft. Mehdi Hasan)   About Terms of Engagement  From rank-choice voting to reconciliation, American democracy is headline news. Let’s talk about it.  Join Harvard Ash Center's Archon Fung and Stephen Richer for a weekly conversation about the latest developments in American politics. Blending perspectives from both th...

Hosts Archon Fung and Stephen Richer discuss the expansion of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE), ongoing raids and deportations, protests, and the implications for democracy from government responsiveness to transparency and accountability. About Terms of Engagement  From rank-choice voting to reconciliation, American democracy is headline news. Let’s talk about it.  Join Harvard As...