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The Badass Caucus on the state of American politics

Friday, September 25, 2026, 7 p.m.

Mikie Sherrill, Elissa Slotkin and Abigail Spanberger were all Democrats elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018 and came with backgrounds in national defense. They became friends and have since advanced to more prominent positions as the governor of New Jersey, a U.S. senator from Michigan and the governor of Virginia, respectively. In this extended session, they will discuss the state of American politics with Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post.

Panelists: Mikie Sherrill, Elissa Slotkin, Abigail Spanberger

Moderator: Karen Tumulty

Location: Shannon Hall, Memorial Union, 800 Langdon St.

Tickets: Celebration of Journalism, 5-Day Pass or Friday Admission

Other Sessions

A singular moment: How the world can and should change in the age of artificial intelligence

Monday, Sept. 8th, 1:00 PM
Alta Charo, Alondra Nelson, Dietram Scheufele, Annette Zimmerman
Changes driven by the arrival of powerful artificial intelligence tools are already noticeable, but many commentators say the rise of AI will be among the most profound changes in the history of humanity. An outstanding panel of experts discusses changes we are likely to see on the horizon and how we should respond to them.
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Trump, Gerrymandering and the Rule of Law

Monday, Sept. 8th, 6:00 PM
Jeff Mandell, Kate Shaw
Kate Shaw is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and one of three co-hosts of the podcast “Strict Scrutiny,” which focuses on the U.S. Supreme Court. She, along with Wisconsin attorney Jeff Mandell, will speak with Cap Times associate editor John Nichols about gerrymandering, voting rights and how courts are responding to the Trump administration’s attempts to dramatically expand executive power.
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One-on-One with Maureen Dowd

Monday, Sept. 8th, 7:30 PM
Maureen Dowd
New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd has been one of the country’s foremost commentators on presidential politics for three decades, winning the Pulitzer Prize for her work in 1999. She will speak with author David Maraniss, formerly of the Washington Post (and also a Pulitzer winner) about the state of Washington under Donald Trump.
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