HNN Topics 
-
3/2/2021
Historians on CPAC 2021
The annual conservative meeting showed that Donald Trump still holds the steering wheel of the Republican Party. Historians on the speeches, the stage design, and the golden idol.
-
2/17/2021
Rush Limbaugh Dead at 70, Influenced Combative Conservatism Over the Airwaves
by HNN Staff
The talk radio host energized conservatives and disgusted others with racist, misogynistic, gay-bashing rhetoric, building a lucrative media empire and a culture of politicized resentment.
-
2/18/2021
The Texas Weather and Power Catastrophe
by HNN Staff
The combination of severe winter storms and persistent cold and a deregulated energy supply system without compulsion to invest in winterization has left Texans without power, heat or drinking water for days. Senator Ted Cruz appears to have decamped to Cancun while politicians blame wind and solar power for frozen natural gas refineries.
-
2/4/2021
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Marjorie?
The House of Representatives has voted, mostly on party lines, to remove Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from her committee assignments in response to her statements endorsing the Capitol riots and conspiracy theories that school shootings were hoaxes and California wildfires were started by the Rothschild banking family using space lasers.
-
1/22/2021
Historians Pay Tribute to Hank Aaron
by HNN Staff
Hank Aaron, an all-time great of baseball and for many years its all-time leader in home runs, passed away at age 86 on January 22. Historians recall him as a player, an advocate for civil rights inside and outside the game, and a man who was uneasy being made into a symbol of progress against racism.
-
1/21/2021
Biden Takes Office, Takes Stock, and Begins to Take Action
After an unusual inaugural ceremony, Joe Biden signed a slew of executive orders and released a COVID action plan.
-
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
The policy progress of the Biden administration had a setback as the Senate Parliamentarian advised that a minimum wage increase should not be part of a budget reconciliation bill to pass COVID relief. Will this revive the effort to end the filibuster?
-
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.
News
- The Muddled History of Anti-Asian Violence
- Massive Investment in Social Studies and Civics Education Proposed to Address Eroding Trust in Democratic Institutions
- Lightning Strikes Twice: Another Lost Jacob Lawrence Surfaces
- Former Procter and Gamble CEO: America and the World Need History Majors
- Cherokee Nation Addresses Bias Against Descendants of Enslaved People
- Part of Being a Domestic Goddess in 17th-Century Europe Was Making Medicines
- How Dr. Seuss Responded to Critics Who Called Out His Racism
- Discovery Of Schoolhouse For Black Children Now Offers A History Lesson
- People Longing for Movie Theaters During the 1918 Flu Pandemic Feels Very Familiar in 2021
- How Did "Bipartisanship" Become a Goal In Itself? (Podcast)