As the federal government ramps up deportation efforts, myths about sanctuary cities are widespread. Professor Tom Wong shows how local sanctuary policies lead to safer and economically stronger communities and explains what they can and cannot do.

For More on this Topic:

• Check out his research discussed in The Washington Post and San Diego Union-Tribune.
• Read his new book, The Politics of Immigration.

Further Reading:

• How Young Immigrants, Communities, and States Benefit from President Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, Tom Wong, Spotlight, August 2015
• Should Local Police be on the Front Lines of Immigration Enforcement?, Doris Marie Provine, Arizona State University
• What Does the Supreme Court's Deadlocked Decision on Deferring Deportations Mean for Immigrant Families?, Heide Castañeda, University of South Florida

The outsized influence of money is a problem in U.S. politics. Sean McElwee and Professor Tabatha Abu El-Haj describe how donors skew policy and how getting more people to vote could counter big money in politics where repealing Citizens United cannot.

For More on this Topic:

• Check out McElwee's study, Whose Voice, Whose Choice?
• Read Professor Abu El-Haj's two-page brief, The Inevitable Limits of Campaign Finance Reform, or her article, Beyond Campaign Finance Reform.
• Find the recommended articles by Professor Theda Skocpol in Vox and the New York Times.

Further Reading:

• Making Sense of the Koch Network, Theda Skocpol, Harvard University
• Rising Economic Inequality and Campaign Contributions from Very Wealthy Americans, Adam Bonica, Stanford University, Howard Rosenthal, New York University

Protests that turn violent have been a constant throughout American history. Professor Ashley Howard explains their origins, and how new laws, policing methods, and social media have changed the way people demonstrate.

For More on this Topic:

• Check out her interview in The Chronicle of Higher Education and her piece in The Black Scholar.
• Read her two-page brief, How U.S. Urban Unrest in the 1960s Can Help Make Sense of Ferguson, Missouri, and Other Recent Protests.

Further Reading:

• How the Ferguson Commission Can Promote Healing and Reconciliation in Metropolitan Saint Louis, Eric Royer, University of Missouri-St. Louis
• How Social Movements are Using the Internet to Change Politics, Deana A. Rohlinger, Florida State University
• How Legacies of Urban Racial Segregation Shape Today's Controversies over Police Killings of Black People, Colin Gordon, University of Iowa

Republican majorities in the federal government and in most states are putting protections for abortion, parenting, and birth control rights at risk. Professor Monica McLemore details what the future may hold for reproductive health, rights, and justice.

For More on this Topic

• Read her two-page fact sheet, What Trump Means for Abortion Access, co-authored with Ushma Upadhyay and Alice Cartwright.
• Check out the "What if Roe Fell" report from the Center for Reproductive Rights, and the policy and advocacy resources from Reproductive Health in Nursing.
• Explore organizations working toward reproductive justice like the National Network of Abortion Funds, ACCESS Reproductive Justice, Sister Song, and SisterReach.

Further Reading:

• The Future of Reproductive Rights in America, SSN Spotlight, May 2016
• What Happened to Women's Health When the State of Ohio Forced the Use of Outdated Abortion Procedures?, Alice Cartwright, Sarah C.M. Roberts, and Ushma Upadhyay, ANSIRH, University of California, San Francisco

Trump and Republican leaders have promised to repeal Obamacare, leaving millions without health insurance. Professor Colleen Grogan breaks down the benefits of the Affordable Care Act, its shortcomings, and key parts of proposed alternatives.

For More on this Topic:

• Read her two-page fact sheet, What Trump Means for the Affordable Care Act, co-authored with Dean Sherry Glied .
• Check out her brief, Debunking Myths about Medicaid - And Its Expansion, with Theda Skocpol and Katherine Swartz.

Further Reading:

• How Obamacare Repeal Would Harm Rural America, Claire Snell-Rood, University of California, Berkeley, Cathleen E. Willging, Behavioral Health Research Center of the Southwest
• How Obamacare Helps Americans Who Already Have Health Insurance, Jonathan Oberlander, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Tensions with China are high, North Korea is testing nuclear warheads, and the Philippines is distancing itself. Professor Oriana Skylar Mastro explores the complicated web of U.S. trade and military relations in Asia and highlights potential challenges.

For More on this Topic:

• Check out her two-page brief, Japan, the United States, and the Shifting Balance of Air Power in Northeast Asia.
• Read her article on China's military transparency as mentioned in the episode.

Further Reading:

• Can Countries Overcome Distrust by Affirming Rather than Downplaying National Identities?, Eun Bin Chung, University of Utah
• Is Military Aid an Effective Tool for U.S. Foreign Policy?, Patricia L. Sullivan, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Americans across the political spectrum are questioning the integrity of U.S. elections and democracy. Professor Amel Ahmed walks through threats that can erode democracies and encourages protecting institutions, even the controversial Electoral College.

For More on this Topic:

• Check out her piece defending the electoral college in The American Prospect.
• See the controversial New York Times graph Avi mentioned and a rebuttal in the Washington Post.
• Read her two-page brief and her book, Democracy and the Politics of Electoral System Choice: Engineering Electoral Dominance.

Further Reading:

• How Government by the Privileged Distorts Democracies, Nicholas Carnes, Duke University, Noam Lupu, Vanderbilt University
• How International Election Observers Can Help Fledgling Democracies, Leslie E. Anderson, University of Florida

The Supreme Court is helps shape civil rights in the United States, but it is less recognized for its role in intensifying economic inequality. Professor Stephen Gottlieb details cases in the high court that have promoted these inequalities.

For More on this Topic:

• Read two-page brief, How the Roberts Court Undermines U.S. Democracy, or his book, Unfit for Democracy: The Roberts Court and the Breakdown of American Politics.
• Check out his blog or commentary on WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Further Reading:

• The Changing Relationship of Congress and the Federal Judiciary, Bruce Peabody, Fairleigh Dickinson University
• County Right-to-Work Laws as the Latest Tactic to Undercut American Labor Unions, Raymond Hogler, Colorado State University

A voting rule no one is talking about could change the face of elections across the country. Professor Zoltan Hajnal explains how combining national, state, and local election days would boost turnout and reduce disparities in voting and representation.

For More on this Topic:

• Check out his two-page brief, To Avert the Next Ferguson, Reschedule Elections to Make Local Politics More Representative
• Read his book, America's Uneven Democracy: Turnout, Race, and Representation in City Politics.

Further Reading:

• How The Timing of Elections Shapes Turnout, Election Outcomes, and Public Policy, Sarah F. Anzia, University of California, Berkeley
• Do Election Reforms Promote Equal Participation?, Elizabeth Rigby, The George Washington University

Professor Heather Lee tells the story of how a loophole in the Chinese Exclusion Act led to the Chinese restaurant boom in America. Drawing parallels to today, she explains the unintended impacts of the law on the U.S. and China.