Amy’s portfolio
Work as an editor
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Trump orders a plan to close Education Department – an anthropologist who studies MAGA explains 4 reasons why Trump and his supporters want to eliminate it The Conversation, May 2025
Trump’s white genocide claims about South Africa have deep roots in American history, The Conversation, May 2025
I went to CPAC as an anthropologist to see how Trump supporters are feeling − for them, a ‘golden age’ has begun The Conversation, May 2025
Why so many people voted for Trump − 5 things to understand about MAGA supporters’ thinking The Conversation, November 2024
2024’s quick win for Trump will go down in the history books alongside 1964 and 1980 Election Day landslides The Conversation, November 2024
From a pig as political candidate to a breakout speech for Obama − Democratic National Convention often leaves its mark on history The Conversation, August 2024
Kamala Harris' sudden political rise echoes that of another female politician - New Zealand's Jacinda Ardern, The Conversation, August 2024
Biden isn’t the first to struggle to pop the presidential bubble that divides him from the public The Conversation, July 2024
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The hidden power of marathon Senate speeches: What history tells us about Cory Booker’s 25-hour oration. The Conversation, April 2025.
Florida, once considered a swing state, is firmly Republican – a social anthropologist explains what caused this shift. Yahoo News and The Conversation, April 2025.
I study democracy worldwide − here’s how Texas is eroding human rights, free expression and civil liberties, The Conversation, January 2025
Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 is just the latest action plan from a group with an over 50 year history of steering GOP lawmaking, The Conversation, July 2025
State courts are fielding sky-high numbers of lawsuits ahead of the midterms – including challenges to voting restrictions and to how elections are run, The Conversation, October 2022
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Trump is using the Alien Enemies Act to deport immigrants – but the 18th-century law has been invoked only during times of war, The Conversation, March 2025
ICE has broad power to detain and arrest noncitizens – but is still bound by constitutional limits. The Conversation and Mississippi Free Press, April 2025.
The Trump administration says Tren de Aragua is a terrorist group – but it’s really a transnational criminal organization. Here’s why the label matters, The Conversation, April 2025 Trump promises to end birthright citizenship and shut down the border – a legal scholar explains the challenges these actions could face, The Conversation, January 2025
How Trump might target DACA recipients and other immigrant groups, The Conversation, November 2024
How Trump’s racist talk of immigrant ‘bad genes’ echoes some of the last century’s darkest ideas about eugenics The Conversation, October 2024
Biden’s immigration order won’t fix problems quickly – 4 things to know about what’s changing, The Conversation, June 2024
Texas immigration law in legal limbo, with intensifying fight between Texas and the US government over securing the Mexico border, The Conversation, March 2024
Ron DeSantis dropping migrants off on Martha's Vineyard may be illegal -- an immigration lawyer explains why, The Conversation, September 2022
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Birthright citizenship case at Supreme Court reveals deeper questions about judicial authority to halt unlawful policies., The Conversation, May 2025
Trump’s bid to end birthright citizenship heads to the Supreme Court, The Conversation, May 2025
What the Supreme Court’s ruling on man wrongly deported to El Salvador says about presidential authority and the rule of law, The Conversation, April 2025
Federal judge finds ‘probable cause’ to hold Trump administration in contempt – a legal scholar explains what this means, The Conversation, April 2025
How Trump’s $2B court battle over foreign aid could reshape executive authority, The Conversation, March 2025
Trump found guilty: 5 key aspects of the trial explained by a law professor. The Conversation, May 2024.
The most serious Trump indictment yet – a criminal law scholar explains the charges of using ‘dishonesty, fraud and deceit’ to cling to power, The Conversation, August 2023
What is a target letter? 3 things to know about how the Justice Department notifies suspects, like Donald Trump, ahead of possible charges, The Conversation, July 2023
Trump indictment unsealed – a criminal law scholar explains what the charges mean, and what prosecutors will now need to prove, The Conversation, June 2023
How the FBI knew what to search for at Mar-a-Lago – and why the Presidential Records Act is an essential tool for the National Archives and future historians, The Conversation, August 2022
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The Conversation. (2022, January 24). 5 things to know about why Russia might invade Ukraine – and why the US is involved.
Michigan Advance. (2025, March 31). How is classified info typically shared?
The Conversation. (As Editor). USAID’s history shows decades of good work on behalf of America’s global interests – although not all its projects succeeded.
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Kamala Harris and Donald Trump's records on abortion policy couldn't be more different - here are what actions they have both taken while in office, The Conversation, October 2024
Abortion rights are on 10 state ballots in November - Democrats can't count on this to win elections for them, The Conversation, September 2024
Crossing state lines to get an abortion is a new legal minefield, with courts to decide if there’s a right to travel, The Conversation, September 2024
Abortion rights referendums are winning with state by state battles over rights replacing national debate, The Conversation, November 2022
Supreme Court’s selective reading of US history ignored 19th-century women’s support for ‘voluntary motherhood’, The Conversation, September 2022,
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USAID’s history shows decades of good work on behalf of America’s global interests – although not all its projects succeeded.The Conversation, May 2025
International election monitors can help boost people's trust in the electoral process -- but not all work the same way, The Conversation, November 2024
Is Russia committing genocide in Ukraine? A human rights expert looks at the warning signs The Conversation, April 2022
5 things to know about why Russia might invade Ukraine -- and why the US is involved, The Conversation, January 2022
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Autocrats don’t act like Hitler or Stalin anymore – instead of governing with violence, they use manipulation. The Conversation, June 2025
Pandas and politics − from World War II to the Cold War, zoos have always been ideological, The Conversation and Yahoo News, May 2025
Justice Department lawyers work for justice and the Constitution – not the White House, The Conversation, April 2025
Trump is not a king – but that doesn’t stop him from reveling in his job’s most ceremonial and exciting parts The Conversation, March 2025
1920s America, today's political climate exhibit dark parallels, The Conversation and UPI, March 2025
Donald Trump’s nonstop news-making can be exhausting, making it harder for people to scrutinize his presidential actions, The Conversation, March 2025
Manhattan grand jury votes to indict Donald Trump, showing he, like all other presidents, is not an imperial king, The Conversation, March 2023
Reporting as a journalist and writer
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Trump is making it easier to fire federal workers, but they have some legal protections – 3 essential reads. The Conversation, May 2025
How is classified information typically shared -- and can officials declassify secrets whenever they want?, The Conversation, March 2025
What’s a constitutional crisis? Here’s how Trump’s recent moves are challenging the Constitution’s separation of powers The Conversation, February 2025
Why vote for Harris or Trump? A cheat sheet on the candidates’ records, why their supporters like them and why picking one or the other makes sense, The Conversation, November 2024
Trump found guilty: 5 key aspects of the trial explained by a law professor, The Conversation, May 2024
US launches retaliatory strikes in Iraq and Syria − a national security expert explains the message they send, The Conversation, February 2024
Bringing them Home - Russia-US prisoner swap almost didn't happen, The Conversation, August 2024
Tulsa’s community garden provides urban farming oasis in a food desert. The Guardian, August 2016.
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Climate migration keeps growing — but doesn't look as you might expect, Devex, February 2021
Climate change is destroying people's lives. Should they be compensated?, Devex, December 2020
Preparing for the Inevitable Sea-Level Rise, The Atlantic, February 2016
Big Oil braced for global warming while it fought regulations, Los Angeles Times, December 2015
The New Normal? Severe Weather Battering Cities, PassBlue, November 2012
Cambodian Women Speak on Dam Threat, Women’s eNews July 2011
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Israel-Hamas deal shows limits of US influence – and the unpredictable impact of Trump, The Conversation, February 2025
What are war crimes? 3 essential reads on atrocities in Ukraine and the likelihood of prosecuting Putin The Conversation and SFGate, December 2024
Early humanitarian action can save lives, money. But it comes with uncertainty, Devex, April 2021
The UN pledged to tackle sexual harassment. The work remains incomplete, experts say, Devex, February 2021
Humanitarians plan for COVID-19 vaccinations in conflict zones, Devex, January 2021
There is 'enough common ground' to revitalize the UN, but it still won't be easy, Devex, September 2020
In Yemen, one field program officer struggles to move work online, Devex, August 2020
How are women spending time? Overlooked survey method gains prominence during pandemic, Devex, August 2020
Can women's health clinics refrain ground after the most disruptive interruption?, Devex, June 2020
Yemen and COVID-19: 'A perfect storm' for catastrophe, experts warn, Devex, May 2020
MSF navigating 'blockages everywhere' in wake of COVID-19 outbreak, Devex, March 2020
Where are the women in the Afghan peace talks?, Devex, March 2020
UN's Alston tailors language to talk about development in the US, Devex, September 2017
Challenges for maternal health efforts, The Lancet, September 2016
Syrian Women’s Group Keeps an Eye on Stalled Peace Talks, Women’s eNews June 2016
From Disease to Pandemic , World Policy Journal, September 2013
New York City and the UN - Cool but Useful Partners, PassBlue, September 2013
The Masterminds Behind Security Council Resolutions, PassBlue, March 2013
A Former Child Soldier Grows Up in Colombia, PassBlue, August 2012
Colombians Doubt a Law Can Get Them Home Again, Women’s eNews, June 2012
Cambodia: Women fight land grab around Phnom Penh's contested lake, Thomson Reuters Foundation, December 2011
Migration main factor for HIV prevalence in West Nepal, IRIN News (now New Humanitarian), July 2011
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How Trump might target DACA recipients and other immigrant groups, The Conversation, November 2024
Arizona’s Checkpoint Rebellion - Liberals, libertarians, retirees, and activists protest against immigration patrols far from the border. Slate, July 2014.
Multi-part series on abuse of transgender women in immigration detention centers, Women’s eNews, supported by Fund for Investigative Journalism. 2014
Gay and Transgender Migrants Face Staggering Violence in Mexico, The Atlantic, July 2013ption