Political Science | Penn Today

A conference room full of empty chairs in front of an empty podium on a stage with an American flag on the left side.

Presidential campaigning during the coronavirus crisis

From targeted ads on Facebook and Snapchat to Zoom celebrity events and email blasts, the coronavirus pandemic is forcing the Trump and Biden campaigns to get creative as they make their bids for the presidency.

What Kamala Harris means for the Democratic ticket?

Mary Frances Berry of the School of Arts & Sciences was interviewed about Kamala Harris’ appointment to the Democratic ticket.

Steven Hahn, F.D.A. chief, is caught between scientists and the president

Kevin B. Mahoney of the University of Pennsylvania Health System said public health officials like Steven Hahn are limited by President Trump’s expectations. “The president has shown if you disagree with him too much, he fires you,” Mahoney said. “To say that any public health official can control what is going on right now is expecting too much for that person.”

Mushroom cloud rises over Hiroshima after the American atomic bombing in 1945

Lessons from Hiroshima, 75 years later

Penn Today asks scholars and experts to share their thoughts on the 75th anniversary of America’s atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

Biden on cognitive test: ‘Why the hell would I take a test?’

Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center said verbal slips are not enough to conclude that a presidential candidate is unqualified for the job. “If you can’t focus, that’s a problem. If you can’t provide a coherent answer, that’s a problem. (But) sometimes what you’re seeing, it may be annoying, but it doesn’t speak to a person’s capacity to govern,” she said.

Facebook’s fact-checkers have ruled claims in Trump ads are false—but no one is telling Facebook’s users

Facebook employed fact checkers, including the Annenberg Public Policy Center’s FactCheck.org, to assess political ads on the platform but has not shared the results with the ads’ viewers. “The policy should be that you provide Facebook users with as much information as you can to make good decisions. That’s why we’re here,” said Eugene Kiely of FactCheck.org. “I don’t see how you can argue against giving Facebook users more information.”

Elizabeth Warren’s evolution on race brought her here

Stephen Burbank of the Law School spoke about Elizabeth Warren’s research on systemic inequality. “I believe that finding out what was happening to people, including minorities, was very, very influential in the development of all sorts of her views and policy positions,” he said.

‘Reassurance that future is better’: What Americans want from leaders

Ian Lustick of the School of Arts & Sciences was interviewed about U.S. politics and economics. Americans are looking to political leaders for “reassurance that the future will be better than the present,” he said.

If the Fed’s nominees were confirmed, could they change monetary policy?

Peter Conti-Brown of the Wharton School said every appointment to the Federal Reserve is significant. “Each governor and each reserve bank president gets, with the appointment, a bully pulpit,” he said. “And what that governor or president does with that pulpit can matter significantly.”

The Russian flag cracked diagonally overlaps with the US flag behind it

Russia, bounties, and the U.S. elections

Amid allegations of Russian bounties on U.S. soldiers and of hackers trying to steal vaccine research, Penn Today spoke to two experts to get their take and how the developments play into the U.S. presidential election cycle.

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