U-M sociologist Silvia Pedraza says Cuban unrest is the result of a perfect storm that includes the coronavirus pandemic, the lack of a charismatic leader, the deep financial crisis unleashed by changes in the currency, and greater access to the internet in recent years.

The combined crises of the past year have darkened the attitudes of local government leaders, according to the first results of U-M’s 2021 Michigan Public Policy Survey.

As a new presidential administration gets to work, U-M experts explore the myriad crises that Joe Biden and his team face, from a lack of trust in government to the relentless COVID-19 pandemic.

Congressional scholars Norm Ornstein, MA ’68/PhD ’74, and Thomas Mann, MA ’68/PhD ’77, describe the dysfunction in Congress as ‘worse than it looks.’ But the Jan. 6 assault on democracy shocked even them.

The satellite city clerk’s office registers about 150-200 students per day. As of Oct. 13, more than 2,600 students registered and more than 2,900 voted in person at UMMA or by returning their ballot to the museum’s drop box.

When meeting with political adversaries, she made lace to appear ‘completely domestic.’ But Lucia V. Grimes, BA 1902/MA 1906, was a canny organizer who pioneered a legislative ‘pressure system’ that propelled ratification of the 19th Amendment. She even enlisted her daughter in the movement (above).

The presidential election is near, but it’s no time to ease up on Black Lives Matter and other social movements, says Mary Frances Berry, PhD ’66/JD ’70/HLLD ’97. The author of ‘History Teaches Us to Protest’ says the fight to change policy is just beginning.

U-M’s Juan Cole and Michael Traugott address the repercussions and long-term implications of the killing of Iran’s Qassem Soleimani.

Lisa and Christopher Jeffries have committed the largest gift in the school’s history: $33 million to support student scholarships, financial aid, debt management, and more.