Cutting junk food out of your political diet

+ is Trump disqualified from appearing on ballots? US Edition - Today's top story: 8 GOP candidates debate funding to Ukraine, Trump's future and -- covertly, with dog whistles -- race [View in browser]( US Edition | 24 August 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( I usually highlight one story in this newsletter. But this week, the editors on the politics desk produced so many compelling stories that choosing one to focus on is like having to choose your favorite child. There is one story, though, that all the politics editors worked on together, and it captures just how we approach the journalism we do here at The Conversation. What lies behind that story lies behind all of our stories: our commitment to go deeper into the news and find out the history and ideas behind current events. That’s what our partnership with scholars affords us – their work gives you the facts and context to make up your own minds about what you see happening in the world. So, the first GOP presidential debate was held this week, and our approach was not to do what the mainstream news did, which was analyze who was up, who was down, who had to do what to stay up and not move down – in other words, classic horse-race coverage. Instead, we had three scholars – a historian of race and slavery, a law professor and a foreign affairs expert (sounds like the beginning of a joke set in a bar, I know) look at [what the candidates actually said]( about race, pardoning Trump and the country’s Ukraine policy. We’ll be taking this substantive approach over the next 15 months – through the primaries, conventions and the election itself. Stay tuned as the editors on the politics desk serve you the journalistic equivalent of a whole food diet – not junk food. Naomi Schalit Senior Editor, Politics + Society Eight GOP candidates for president after they entered the debate hall in Milwaukee on Aug. 23, 2023. Scott Olson/Getty Images [8 GOP candidates debate funding to Ukraine, Trump’s future and – covertly, with dog whistles – race]( Jordan Tama, American University School of International Service; Brian Kalt, Michigan State University; Calvin Schermerhorn, Arizona State University From immigration and federal spending to Ukraine and the state of American schools, eight GOP presidential candidates had a lot to say. Wagner group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, photographed on June 24, 2023, in Russia. Anadolu Agency via Getty Images [Wagner group’s Yevgeny Prigozhin reportedly died in private jet crash – if confirmed, it wouldn’t be first time someone who crossed Putin met a suspicious demise]( Gregory F. Treverton, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences The lesson in the presumed death of the mercenary leader two months after his mutiny against Putin: Don’t make yourself an enemy of Russia’s leader. Meghan Downey of Chatham protests as U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announces federal policy changes in rules for investigating sexual assault reports on college campuses. . Lawler Duggan/For The Washington Post via Getty Images [Campus sexual assault prevention programs could do more to prevent violence, even after a decade-long federal mandate]( Heather Hensman Kettrey, Clemson University ; Martie Thompson, Appalachian State University In the 10 years since the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act took effect, the measure appears to have had a greater effect on knowledge about sexual assault than on prevention. [First Republican debate set to kick off without Trump – but with the potential to direct the GOP’s foreign policy stance]( Jordan Tama, American University School of International Service While a few Republican politicians have aligned with former President Donald Trump’s isolationist foreign policy position, most candidates continue to push for the traditional stance of engagement. [How Ukraine’s savvy official social media rallied the world and raised the bar for national propaganda]( Brandon Boatwright, Clemson University An analysis of tweets posted by the Ukrainian national government and the Kyiv city government in the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 shows a national resilience. [Georgia indictment and post-Civil War history make it clear: Trump’s actions have already disqualified him from the presidency]( Joseph Ferguson, Loyola University Chicago; Thomas A. Durkin, Loyola University Chicago US law actually bars former President Donald Trump from holding office ever again. The recent Georgia indictment of Trump helps make the case. [Israel’s democracy protests: What happens next?]( Dov Waxman, University of California, Los Angeles What will happen in Israel after more than half a year of pro-democracy demonstrations against the conservative government’s judicial overhaul? - [Cameras in the court: Why most Trump trials won’t be televised]( David Cuillier, University of Florida The majority of Americans support TV coverage of former President Donald Trump’s trial on charges he attempted to overturn the 2020 election. - [Trump’s classified-documents indictment does more than allege crimes − it tells a compelling story]( Derek H. Kiernan-Johnson, University of Colorado Boulder Department of Justice prosecutors could have composed a technocratic document intelligible only to other criminal law insiders when indicting Donald Trump in the documents case. They did much more. - [Yes, debates do help voters decide – and candidates are increasingly reluctant to participate]( Gibbs Knotts, College of Charleston; Vince Benigni, College of Charleston Debates have played an important part in the American political process. And when candidates don’t participate, democracy suffers. Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our other weekly emails: [Science Editors' Picks]( • [This Week in Religion]( • [Weekly Highlights]( [The Conversation]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation]( 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451 [Forward to a friend]( • [Unsubscribe](