Category Archives: Media

‘Late Show’ no more: Late-night TV’s future uncertain as Colbert bows out (The Hill)

Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington, said Colbert has been part of a generation of comedians “who have become much more aggressive and critical in their mockery of politics.”

“We’ve been on a steady trajectory since the more evenhanded days of Johnny Carson towards a much more aggressive and more partisan vision of late-night humor,” Farnsworth said.

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Trump ‘wants to declare victory as soon as possible’ in Iran (CTV News Canada) 

University of Mary Washington Political Science Professor Stephen Farnsworth says Trump’s supporters are ‘in a very tough spot’ as the war in Iran continues to cause gas prices to skyrocket in the U.S. Farnsworth said that continuing negotiations between the US and Iran remain opaque: “The truth of the matter is we don’t know the details yet.”

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Va. Gov. Spanberger still has dozens of bills to consider (Free Lance-Star)

“The governor has sent her message,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington, after word leaked that Spanberger plans to veto the collective bargaining and class-action lawsuit bills. “Now, the question is how loud that message is going to be. Maybe it’s a preview of coming attractions, or this message will be sufficient.”

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What’s next after Virginia Supreme Court’s redistricting decision? (Virginia Business)

While the emergency appeal for stay remained pending before the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, some experts who spoke with Virginia Lawyers Weekly believed time was running out for the new maps to be implemented by the 2026 midterms. “My guess is the [U.S.] Supreme Court would not have any interest in adjudicating,” said Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington. “It’s not a particularly favorable time, more generally, for Democratic initiatives before the current Supreme Court, and that’s above and beyond the issue of state constitutional interpretation.”

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Virginia Democrats balk at proposal to retire state Supreme Court (Virginia Business)

Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington, said, “The idea of mandatory retirement in your 50s for a judge seems ridiculous. “Democrats wisely abandoned this idea almost immediately,” Farnsworth added. “That would strike most people as pretty unreasonable, and Democrats would pay a high price if they tried to employ this approach.”

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