HNN Topics

• 
• 1/5/2021
  

  Historians on the Georgia Senate Runoff Elections

  Two runoff elections in Georgia will determine who represents the state in the U.S. Senate and which party controls the chamber when Joe Biden takes over as the 46th president. Historians discuss whether Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock or Republicans David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler will prevail. 

• 
• 11/17/2020
  

  Where do the Democrats Go from Here?

  by HNN Staff

  As the Trump administration withholds transition help and the Senate hangs in the balance, what can Democrats plan for Biden's first term? Student debt forgiveness has been an early policy idea. 

• 
• 11/10/2020
  

  Was This a Coup Attempt?

  by HNN Staff

  On January 6, Trump told a rally of supporters the election had been stolen and encouraged them to go to the Capitol. A mob then stormed the building, temporarily disrupting the verification of the Electoral College vote count. Historians discuss how serious the danger to democracy was and the possible consequences. 

• 
• 10/20/2020
  

  Will We Need a Truth and Reconciliation Commission for the Trump Years?

  Jill Lepore's recent op ed suggests that the real fight is to preserve documentary evidence for future historians to render judgment on Trump. That view is not universally shared among historians. 

• 
• 10/9/2020
  

  FBI Arrests Plotters to Kidnap Michigan Governor, Highlighting Trump's "Liberate Michigan" Rhetoric

  On October 8, the FBI announced multiple arrests in a plot to kidnap Michigan's Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, whose support for lockdown measures to fight COVID-19 moved Trump to call on right-wing mobs to "Liberate Michigan." 

• 
• 9/28/2020
  

  NYT Reports Trump's Leaked Tax Returns

  The report, based on Trump's leaked tax records, indicates that he routinely used business losses to avoid taxes, but also has significant mortgage debts due in the near future. 

• 
• 9/25/2020
  

  Historians on the 2020 Election

  by HNN Staff

  With one week until election day, historians discuss voting lines, potential legal battles, and all things election. 

• 
• 9/20/2020
  

  Amy Coney Barrett Sworn In; Historians on the Changing SCOTUS

  Amy Coney Barrett has been sworn in a week before the election. Historians discuss the process and the future. 

• 
• 9/17/2020
  

  The "1776 Commission" Releases its Report

  The report of the 1776 commission, released on Martin Luther King Day, came in for sharp criticism from historians, not least for its treatment of racism in US history.

• 
• 9/10/2020
  

  Senator Ben Sasse Advocates Ending Direct Election of US Senators

  The Nebraska Republican, who has a PhD in US History from Yale, argued in the Wall Street Journal that the Senate would be made more functional by repealing the 17th Amendment and returning the selection of Senators to the state legislatures. 

• 
• 9/10/2020
  

  Bob Woodward's Book Includes Trump on Tape Admitting to Downplaying COVID Danger

  Among other revelations, Woodward's taped interviews show Trump admitting to grave concerns about virus in February and to downplaying the risk in March.

• 
• 9/8/2020
  

  Historians on Trump's Reported Disparagement of Veterans

  An Atlantic story, citing sources close to the President, describes Trump's belief that military personnel injured or killed in war were "suckers." 

• 
• 9/8/2020
  

  Trump Attacks Racial Sensitivity Training, 1619 Project

  Trump apparently wants to make acknowledging the existence of racism a campaign issue. 

• 
• 8/25/2020
  

  It's the Republicans' Turn: Historians on the RNC

  Historians comment on the week leading up to Trump's Thursday address from the White House Lawn (#HatchAct) to conclude the Republican National Convention.

• 
• 8/20/2020
  

  Steve Bannon Indicted for Fraud Related to Build the Wall Fundraiser

  The former Trump campaign chief and policy adviser was indicted for fraud related to a fundraising campaign that claimed to support construction of a wall on the US-Mexico border. 

• 
• 8/18/2020
  

  Historians Watch the Virtual Democratic Convention

  The groundbreaking virtual convention caps off with Joe Biden's acceptance. What do historians think? 

• 
• 8/13/2020
  

  The Right Questions Kamala Harris's Citizenship, Eligibility to Be Vice President

  A Newsweek op ed argues that because Kamala Harris's parents were not US citizens at the time she was born in Oakland, CA, that she does not qualify as a "natural born" citizen. Historians respond. 

• 
• 8/11/2020
  

  Historians React to Biden's Choice of Kamala Harris for VP

  The California Senator will be the first African American woman and the first person of south Asian heritage to appear on a major party presidential ticket. Historians discuss the impact of the selection. 

• 
• 7/30/2020
  

  Trump Vows to Defend the Suburbs Against Fair Housing

  Trump pledged to rescind an Obama-era order to enforce mandates of the Fair Housing Act and claimed to save the "suburban dream" from violent crime. 

• 
• 7/30/2020
  

  Trump Doubles Down on Vote-by-Mail Fraud Predictions, Undermines USPS

  After declaring that voting by mail would lead to fraud, Trump told an interviewer that he would block financial support to the Postal Service because he expected many Democrats to vote by mail.