Discussions
‘More Abundant, Diverse and Affordable’: Missing Middle Housing Proposed as Solution to Housing Crisis in Massachusetts
In Greater Boston, one- and two-person households make up about 60 percent of homes. These smaller households limit the effective housing supply while more than 200,000 housing units in Massachusetts are needed to address the current shortage.
Former Israel PM Says Trump Is the Only Leader Who Can End War in Gaza
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Donald Trump — more than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or any other world leader — is the only person who can bring an end to the war in Gaza during an Institute of Politics forum on Thursday night.
Sandel, Deming, Kennedy Clash Over Meritocracy in Higher Education and Democracy
Harvard professors Michael J. Sandel, Randall L. Kennedy, and College Dean David J. Deming debated the role of meritocracy in democratic societies at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute’s inaugural academic freedom lecture on Thursday night.
Author Erik Davis Discusses Role of ‘Psychedelic Jesus’ in Christian Movements at Harvard Divinity School Talk
Author Erik Davis scrutinized the current state of “spiritual warfare” between new, evolving sects of Christianity and the pervasiveness of the “Psychedelic Jesus” figure at a Harvard Divinity School talk on Monday.
Former Canadian Supreme Court Justice Criticises U.S. Court for Attachment to Originalism
Former Canadian Supreme Court Justice Rosalie Abella criticized U.S. Supreme Court Justices for their adamant commitment to originalism during a panel hosted by the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs.
Former Jan. 6 Prosecutor Denounces Trump’s Decision to Pardon Rioters at HLS Talk
Mike Romano, who supervised the federal government’s effort to prosecute crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol, slammed President Donald Trump’s decision to pardon the rioters during a discussion at Harvard Law School on Wednesday.
Former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer Applauds Legal Pragmatism at HLS Symposium
Former Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer criticized the reversal of Roe v. Wade as an example of a decision driven by judges’ personal beliefs rather than consideration of the law’s broader context during an event at Harvard Law School on Friday.
CNN Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir Discusses His Pivot to Covering Climate Solutions at IOP Talk
CNN Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir said at an Institutes of Politics discussion on Wednesday that the focus of the media conversation on climate change had shifted from climate-related emergencies to problem-solving.
At Harvard Talk, World Wide Web Inventor Tim Berners-Lee Says Today’s Internet Exploits Users for Data
Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor the World Wide Web, criticized the state of the internet today for turning users into “consumable products” in a talk in Harvard Square on Wednesday evening about his recently released memoir.
Czech Republic President Petr Pavel Urges U.S. Support for Ukraine at Harvard Talk
Czech Republic President Petr Pavel positioned Europe as a key ally for the United States and urged increased American support for Ukraine during a talk at the Harvard Kennedy School on Wednesday.
Former State Department Negotiator Wendy Sherman Says Trump Should Reverse Its Foreign Policy Approach
Former Deputy Secretary of State Wendy R. Sherman criticized what she called a “transactional” approach to foreign policy under the Trump administration at a Harvard Institute of Politics forum Tuesday evening, warning that the world’s authoritarian leaders had been emboldened by the White House.
Tim Walz Says at Harvard Talk That Democrats Need To ‘Fundamentally Change’ To Win in 2028
Former vice presidential candidate Tim Walz said he was “not sure” whether the Democratic Party yet has a viable presidential candidate for the 2028 election at an Institute of Politics forum on Monday — but remained adamant it wouldn’t be him.
Former Irish Prime Minister Relives His Tenure at 2025 Gustav Pollak Lecture
Former Prime Minister of Ireland Leo Varadkar said Western countries should give more foreign aid to reduce illegal migration and defended the rise of deportations during his tenure at the 2025 Gustav Pollak Lecture on Thursday.
Women Founders Discuss the Future of Climate and Sustainability at Earth Day Panel
Female leaders in climate and sustainability discussed their initiatives at a Harvard College Women’s Center event in honor of Earth Day on Wednesday.
At Union Event, UC-Riverside Professor Says Harvard Is a Collaborator With Trump
University of California-Riverside Professor Dylan Rodriguez discussed organizing against “enemy institutions” like Harvard under the Trump administration at a Thursday event hosted by the graduate student union’s unofficial Workers’ Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions caucus.
Paleoanthropologist Louise Leakey Talks Turkana Basin Discoveries at Peabody Museum
Paleoanthropologist Louise Leakey, the granddaughter of Mary and Louis Leakey, who first determined that early humans evolved in Africa, presented a history of her family’s research in north Kenya at the Peabody Museum on Thursday.
Jodi Kantor Talks Investigative Journalism at Harvard Law School Discussion
Jodi Kantor, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist at the The New York Times who exposed allegations of sexual assault against Harvey Weinstein in 2017, discussed the differences between journalism and legal careers at a Harvard Law School event on Wednesday.
Panelists Condemn Weak International Response to Sudan at IOP Forum
Experts in African politics and international conflict called for renewed attention and a stronger global response to Sudan’s civil war at an Institute of Politics forum on Tuesday, exactly two years after the conflict began.
HOOP Organizes Silent Demonstration at Jake Sullivan IOP Forum
Eight Harvard affiliates unfurled banners above the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum to protest former National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan’s role in Israel’s war in Gaza as he spoke at an Institute of Politics forum on Tuesday.
CNN Anchor Anderson Cooper Honored With 2025 Goldsmith Career Award
CNN anchor Anderson Cooper was awarded the 2025 Goldsmith Career Award for Excellence in Journalism at a ceremony hosted by the Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy.
‘Be Nice to Allies’: Former Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns Emphasizes Diplomatic Civility at IOP Forum
Former United States Ambassador to China R. Nicholas Burns stressed the importance of maintaining strong relationships with U.S. allies in limiting Chinese global influence at an Institute of Politics forum on Wednesday.
Former OCR Head Catherine Lhamon Talks Ed Department Cuts at HGSE
Former Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the Department of Education Catherine E. Lhamon said the Trump administration’s decision to dismantle the department will put students at risk at a Harvard Graduate School of Education forum on Tuesday.
Journalist Connie Chung Lambasts Trump, State of the Media at Harvard Graduate School of Education Talk
Veteran news anchor Connie Chung slammed President Donald Trump and the current state of the media at a Harvard Graduate School of Education event on Sunday.
American Actor Jeremy Pope Discusses Queer, Black Identity and Performance at College Event
Emmy, Grammy, Golden Globe, and Tony-nominated actor Jeremy Pope spoke about identity, his upbringing, and navigating the entertainment industry as a queer Black artist during a talk on Thursday afternoon.
At IOP Forum, Legacy Protest Leaders Say Younger Protesters Need to Take More Risks in Era of Retribution
Gloria J. Browne-Marshall, a constitutional law professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said protestors need to brace themselves for potential legal consequences at an Institute of Politics forum on Thursday night.