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Boise State University

Why Trump’s call to pull 5,000 US troops from Germany will hurt America

Why Trump’s call to pull 5,000 US troops from Germany will hurt America

President Donald Trump announced on May 1, 2026, that the United States will withdraw 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany – personnel who had been deployed there as a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Germany-U.S. tensions started after the U.S. invasion of Iran. German Chancellor

Can the nearly $1 trillion-a-year US military really be depleting key weapons in Iran?

Can the nearly $1 trillion-a-year US military really be depleting key weapons in Iran?

(BOISE, IDAHO) The fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire announced on April 7, 2026, after 40 days of war came at an opportune time for the United States. Several reports indicate it is running out of weapons amid the conflict. As a scholar focused on U.S. military deployments, these reports

Presidential words can turn the unthinkable into the thinkable − for better or for worse

Presidential words can turn the unthinkable into the thinkable − for better or for worse

(BOISE, IDAHO) Among the most disorienting things about President Donald Trump’s public language is how easily it can feel numbing and shocking in the same moment. He says something outrageous, the country recoils, and then the recoil itself begins to feel familiar. As a scholar who studies presidential rhetoric,

There’s a competition crisis in America’s state legislatures – and that’s bad for democracy

There’s a competition crisis in America’s state legislatures – and that’s bad for democracy

(BOISE, IDAHO) Many Americans report frustration with the two-party system, in which the Democratic and Republican candidates are seen as the only viable options for elective office. But an alarming trend in many state legislative elections is lowering the bar even further, to something more like a one-party

Congress still has ways to throttle back Trump’s war with Iran – and to ask questions

Congress still has ways to throttle back Trump’s war with Iran – and to ask questions

Despite the scale of its military assault on Iran, the Trump administration’s reasons for entering into war have been inconsistent and vague, from regime change to the destruction of nuclear weapons, preempting military action by Israel, or the more chilling decree of following “God’s divine plan.” Politicians, pundits

The inspiring and tragic story of Mabel Stark, America’s most famous female tiger trainer

The inspiring and tragic story of Mabel Stark, America’s most famous female tiger trainer

(BOISE, IDAHO) For the sharpest minds in show business, there’s always another hustle. Take Joe Exotic, whose 2020 conviction for a murder-for-hire plot and violations of the Endangered Species Act hasn’t kept the eccentric tiger trainer out of the headlines. Since beginning his 21-year sentence,