April 15, 2020

We can hold safe elections in November—here's how

Elaine Kamarck lays out six steps that policymakers can take now to ensure a safe election in November, including making Election Day a holiday, allowing early voting, and amending laws to allow no-excuse absentee voting.

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For more, listen to our expert panel discussion featuring E.J. Dionne, Elaine Kamarck, and Tom Wheeler on what federal, state, and local officials can do to protect public safety and the integrity of our elections.

How to reduce the racial gap in COVID-19 deaths

Rashawn Ray shares policy ideas to help reduce the rates of coronavirus infection and death among Black Americans, including hosting testing and triage facilities at Black churches and ensuring hazard pay and paid sick leave for front-line workers.

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Critical in a public health crisis, COVID-19 has hit local newsrooms hard

Half of U.S. counties that have reported COVID-19 cases are "news deserts," with only one local newspaper or none at all. Clara Hendrickson writes that lawmakers should consider providing financial support to local newsrooms as part of their coronavirus relief efforts.

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Join us for a webinar

Public health surveillance, AI bias, and risks to privacy in the fight against COVID-19

Tuesday, April 21, 2020 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EDT

And in case you missed it, we hosted a webinar last week on how federal agencies and local leaders are working to support communities with limited or no access to broadband internet.

More from Governance Studies

Don't expect AI to save us.  Artificial intelligence can be helpful during the pandemic, but its big challenges—accuracy, bias, and the risk of surveillance—haven't gone away. Alex Engler spoke to VOX about the dangers of trusting unproven technology. 

Trump's A Team. Out of the 65 people that originally composed President Trump's senior White House staff, just 10 remain. Kathryn Dunn Tenpas examines who's been able to survive the chaos.

Congress must respond to inspector general firing. Senator Dianne Feinstein writes on Lawfare that now, more than ever, the United States must protect its national security institutions from an administration that is making policy decisions based on personal political benefit.

Wartime leadership. "Leadership is something that is exercised and recognized, not self-declared." Tom Wheeler compares wartime leaders and writes about what it really means to be a leader in a crisis.

The Enabler-in-Chief. John Hudak spoke to The New Yorker's Jane Mayer about Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's refusal to rein in the President.