DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

Once, it was thought, a scandal was the kiss of death for a political career. Today, however, surviving scandal seems to be the norm. Donald Trump has weathered—and even perhaps benefited from—controversies that would have been unimaginable for virtually any other candidate. Prominent figures in both parties have won elections and remained in office despite credible allegations of wrongdoing. Do scandals still matter? When and why do voters punish politicians or give them a free pass? Charting the changes from Watergate to the present, this book is a rigorous and compelling investigation of the politics of scandals.

Here’s how two Chicago-area political scientists — Tabitha Bonilla of Northwestern University and Mark John Hansen of the University of Chicago — are viewing the politics of the shutdown and which party is under more pressure. (Bonilla and Hansen’s answers have been edited for length and clarity.) WTTW News: On Monday, the largest union representing federal workers came out publicly in support of the clean continuing resolution, which congressional Democrats have rejected. Do you see Democrats feeling the pressure to pass that clean CR, so that federal workers can get paid again? Tabitha Bonilla: I do think that there is building pressure for them to pass that. I also think that there’s understandable concern that if they do so they may not have this same strength to hold their ground to protect the health care subsidies that they’re trying to push for later on.

On Tuesday, September 30, Bates hosted Wendy Pearlman, a professor of political science at Northwestern University to discuss her first-hand experience interviewing Syrian refugees over several years. Her presentation, titled “Syria after Assad: How it Got Here, Pathways Forward,” covered the history and politics of the present Syrian situation, as well as her trip to Syria earlier this year. Pearlman’s presentation began with a short history of Syria starting with when Hafez Al-Assad, the grandfather and predecessor of the now-deposed Bashar Al-Assad, seized power as president of Syria. The “omnipresent security apparatus” ensured that Syria would be “allowed no space for criticism” Pearlman stated.

The Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement (NIICE) organized a public lecture on “Rising Power Competition: Indian and Chinese Commercial Landscapes in the Indo–Pacific” on 27 October 2025 at the NIICE Seminar Hall, Hattiban, Lalitpur. The lecture was delivered by Mr. Daniel Loebell, PhD Candidate in Political Science at Northwestern University, USA, who emphasized how the strategic and economic rivalry between India and China is reshaping the Indo-Pacific region and influencing smaller South Asian states, including Nepal and Malaysia.

Reparations policies seek to address the harms of the past through measures often including apologies and financial compensation. In new research, Matthew D. Nelsen, Monique Newton and Amanda Sahar d’Urso look at the reparations initiative introduced in Evanston, Illinois which provides grants to Black residents who had experienced past housing discrimination. Through interviews and surveys, they find that Black residents have concerns about the structure of the program, and that Black Americans nationally, were more supportive of direct cash payments. They argue that, as the beneficiaries of reparations policies, Black Americans must have a close part of the policy development process.

The last surviving October 7th hostages are home. Earlier this month, 738 days after they were kidnapped from their homes, military bases, and a music festival in southern Israel, the 20 surviving hostages of the Hamas-led attack were released into Red Cross custody and returned to their loved ones. As I wrote in the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, the mass kidnapping was unprecedented in several respects. Hamas and its allies took an astounding number of diverse and vulnerable captives. In total, 251 hostages were held in tunnels and homes throughout Gaza. And yet, as this singular hostage crisis came to an end, its resolution followed a remarkably familiar pattern of most hostage recovery. Here are several broad takeaways about this pervasive form of violence.

Finalmente, luego de las incesantes provocaciones, muchas de las cuales rayaban en el ridículo, como la de llamar con un megáfono en plena calle de Nueva York a la sublevación del ejército de EE. UU., Trump le respondió a Petro. Lo acusó en las redes sociales de ser un líder del narcotráfico y de promover la producción de drogas desde Colombia. Además, amenazó con suspender toda ayuda económica y con imponer aranceles a las exportaciones colombianas.

If you’ve been tuned into the news recently, then you’ve probably seen the raids Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) have been carrying out across the country. Grocery stores, car washes, and bus stops have all been targeted by masked individuals who are part of the agency. Major cities like Los Angeles and Chicago have been hit especially hard, but the fear has trickled across the country. In response to ICE’s actions, many have created apps and social networking groups to report and track sightings of ICE agents in public areas, helping warn their friends and neighbors about any potential raids. However, these supportive mechanisms aren’t the only way to get and share information to protect yourself and others.

While Ingrassia joins a growing list of President Donald Trump’s nominees who have withdrawn from consideration, many who have aired controversial beliefs or lack requisite qualifications have still been appointed or are still in the nomination process. “Trump has gone the distance to nominate people who are loyalists, people that he can count upon to do what he wants,” said Stanford political science professor Terry Moe. “And for the most part, senators have just been willing to embrace anyone that he nominates.” Moe said that, compared to past presidents, Trump has taken his determination to prioritize loyalty in presidential appointments “to the extreme,” laying aside the normal concern for competence.

Caroline L. Silva is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of International and European Law at the University of Amsterdam, and a research fellow at https://acil.uva.nl/. Caroline has joined the ERC-funded project “Beyond Compliance: Rethinking the Effectiveness of Regional Human Rights Regimes” as a postdoctoral researcher in September 2025. She is responsible for conducting research into the institutional effectiveness of the Inter-American System of Human Rights. Caroline’s previous research examined the relationship between domestic and international courts in Latin America. Drawing on fieldwork conducted in national high courts and at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, her previous work investigates how domestic judges gatekeep the Inter-American Court of Human Rights’ decisions.