COVID-19, suicide and substandard medical care driving high rate of death among ICE detainees
Deaths among ICE detainees increased sevenfold since April 2018 despite far fewer people being in custody, a USC study shows.
USC Dornsife launches first undergraduate civil rights advocacy clinic in U.S.
Led by noted civil rights attorney Olu Orange, the Agents of Change Initiative enables students to participate in key areas of social reform.
The inauguration of Joe Biden: Can he bring together a fractured America?
With COVID-19 spreading, unemployment rising and insurrection in our nation’s capital, the 46th president will have his work cut out for him. USC experts examine the many challenges Biden will face.
Meet Bell Gardens’ newest city council member: USC student Jorgel Chavez
The progressive master’s student didn’t let the pandemic slow him down as he beat the odds to become the youngest council member in L.A. County.
Why retired generals rarely lead the Pentagon
USC’s Dwight Stirling explains why the law requires a service member to be out of uniform for at least seven years before assuming the civilian role of secretary of defense.
Even before the pandemic, struggling L.A. renters cut back on food, clothes and transportation
Researchers with the USC Sol Price Center for Social Innovation say that rent-burdened households’ spending cutbacks have become semi-permanent changes, impacting their quality of life.
Edward Perkins, 92, first Black U.S. ambassador to South Africa and USC Price alum
Perkins, who received both his master’s and his PhD from USC, also worked as a U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
The Electoral College is surprisingly vulnerable to popular vote changes
Under certain circumstances the Electoral College system is four times more vulnerable to manipulation than a national popular vote, USC Dornsife’s Steven Heilman observes.
Seven Newly Elected Trojans Head to Congress
The septet of USC alumnae will take their place among a record number of women serving in the next U.S. legislature.
How can we fix democracy? USC students embrace expert advice from around the country
When his USC Dornsife class on political reform had to move online, Christian Grose arranged for exclusive guest speakers, including Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.
He Was Healed Through a Love of Dogs — and the People Who Believed in Him
Twenty-two years into a life sentence for a crime committed as a teen, a former gang member found hope with the help of USC legal advocates.
Election polls are more accurate if they ask participants how others will vote
Pollsters’ predictions can be more accurate if they ask people about the political preferences of others in their social circles and their states. That could help paint a fuller picture of the American electorate.
Community college reform is working, but there’s much to do
Reform expert Tatiana Melguizo discusses community college legislation.
California voters want a ‘fresh and new voice’ in the U.S. Senate
With Kamala Harris poised to become vice president, almost half of California voters want someone with no experience in Washington or Sacramento to fill the Senate vacancy, the USC Schwarzenegger Institute’s latest poll finds.
How Reagan’s notions of a ‘good society’ resonate with Trump supporters today
Many leaders have invoked God to justify their policies and cement their power. While Ronald Reagan was more successful than most, USC Annenberg’s Diane Winston notes that Donald Trump uses a similar strategy.
Final USC Dornsife Daybreak Poll reveals stable presidential race; Biden leads Trump by 10 points
Six out of 10 women voters say they will vote for Biden, and voters without a college degree are split between Biden and Trump. The president has lost ground among these groups and others since 2016.
USC’s Center for Inclusive Democracy helps voters and officials during the 2020 election
Projects will help L.A. County tally votes and assist county election offices in 10 states with the placement of voting locations.
COVID-19 has dealt a serious blow to the U.S. economy
USC researchers have found that, by both sickening the workforce and changing people’s behavior, the coronavirus has been an economic disaster beyond even the Great Recession.
California gives rent control another chance on the 2020 ballot
In a state with notoriously high housing costs, voters will consider yet another new take on rent control. USC experts dissect the pros and cons of Proposition 21.
Two experimental poll questions may point to a Trump victory
New questions recently added to the USC Dornsife Daybreak Poll predict that the popular vote for president could be much closer than most polls are predicting.
Debating the American family: 5 important questions for Trump and Biden
As the final presidential debate approaches, experts with the USC Center for the Changing Family share the questions they’d most like to ask regarding family issues.
Trojan tries her hand at politics with two D.C. internships
As an intern for Nancy Pelosi last spring and the EPA this summer, Kelley Xuereb has watched how laws get made from two different branches of government.
Religious identity and Supreme Court justices — a brief history
Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation process has put focus not only on the would-be Supreme Court justice’s faith but the religious makeup of the court itself, a USC Gould legal expert notes.
As few as 1 in 10 homeless people vote in elections — here’s why
The lingering idea that a person must have a residence works against homeless people’s ability to vote, a USC Price survey finds.