Harvard Ash Center

Terms of Engagement

Education EN ↓ 56 episodes

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 the political right and left, Terms of Engagement addresses breaking news, providing insights from research and practice to deliver a unique perspective you won’t hear anywhere else.

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Author

Harvard Ash Center

Episodes

From Cherry Blossoms to Checkpoints: Police Takeover, National Guard and Federal Agents Deploy in DC 20.08.2025 31:58

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...

South Park and the Power of Political Parody 13.08.2025 32:01

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...

The Great American Redistrict-Off 06.08.2025 31:14

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...

Censorship by Settlement? 30.07.2025 31:50

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...

Democracy: The Worst Form of Government — Except All the Rest? 23.07.2025 31:08

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...

ICE Expansion, Raids, Protests, and Democracy 16.07.2025 31:03

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...