What fueled Trump's win, and Harris' defeat?

+ airborne microplastics could produce clouds and affect weather US Edition - Today's top story: Why so many people voted for Trump − 5 things to understand about MAGA supporters' thinking [View in browser]( US Edition | 7 November 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [Cannabis hits a red wall on ballot measures]( - [Why the US has an Electoral College – and what it does now]( - [What Hindu philosophy teaches us about aging well]( Lead story The American people, it seems, cannot agree on much. But the simple fact that Donald Trump easily and quickly won the presidential election on Tuesday is difficult to dispute. Behind Trump’s political comeback – and Kamala Harris’ defeat – is a tangled web of contradictions, trends and missteps that journalists, historians and others might take decades to fully untangle. In the lead-up to the election, Alexander Hinton of Rutgers University - Newark brought an anthropologist’s approach [to explaining Trump’s appeal]( in a story that’s been viewed by hundreds of thousands of readers. Hinton cites Ronald Reagan’s famous question, “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” For many Trump voters, the answer to that question is a clear “No,” Hinton writes. But there is more to the story, explains Farida Jalalzai, a scholar of women political leaders. Voters’ tolerance of Trump’s countless misogynistic and racist comments – directed at Harris and others – shows that perhaps American voters are moving further from the goal of gender equality. Although perhaps not the primary reason for Harris’ loss, [gender played a significant role in the campaign](, Jalalzai writes: Gender “was a factor that contributed to her lack of support, especially when you compare her performance with Joe Biden’s in the same places and with almost all of the same voting groups he won in 2020.” [ [Get perspectives from around the world with our weekly global newsletter](. ] Amy Lieberman Politics + Society Editor Supporters watch Donald Trump speak at a rally in Uniondale, N.Y., on Sept. 18, 2024. Spencer Platt/Getty Images [Why so many people voted for Trump − 5 things to understand about MAGA supporters’ thinking]( Alex Hinton, Rutgers University - Newark An anthropologist who studies polarization asked people why they supported Trump. Here’s what they said about immigration, the economy and his ‘bull in a china shop’ style. A hand fan depicting Kamala Harris lies on the sidewalk in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 6, 2024. Bastien Inzaurralde/AFP via Getty Images [America’s glass ceiling remains − here are some of the reasons why a woman may have once again lost the presidency]( Farida Jalalzai, Virginia Tech While other countries have had female leaders in office, these women tend to have family connections or hold roles that are less powerful than that of the US president. Environment + Energy - [Microplastics promote cloud formation, with likely effects on weather and climate]( Miriam Freedman, Penn State; Heidi Busse, Penn State Clouds affect Earth’s weather and climate in many ways. New research suggests that the presence of microplastic particles could alter these processes. Health + Medicine - [Military veterans are disproportionately affected by suicide, but targeted prevention can help reverse the tide]( Jordan Batchelor, Arizona State University; Charles Max Katz, Arizona State University; Taylor Cox, Arizona State University Statistics show that veterans die by suicide from firearms – a particularly lethal means of suicide – at a higher rate than in the general population. Economy + Business - [Iran’s currency was already tumbling − and then news of Trump’s victory broke]( Nader Habibi, Brandeis University Iran’s rial fell against the dollar just as Trump was claiming victory. The 2 events are linked, argues an expert on the Iranian economy. - [Massachusetts votes to keep its ‘subminimum wage’ for tipped workers]( Jeannette Wicks-Lim, UMass Amherst; Jasmine Kerrissey, UMass Amherst It’s unclear what raising the tipped minimum wage or getting rid of it altogether does to labor markets. Arts + Culture - [‘Yellowstone’ highlights Montana’s long-forgotten connection to the Confederacy]( Randi Lynn Tanglen, University of North Dakota The themes in the hit television series echo the social and political issues that the state has grappled with for decades. Politics + Society - [Ballot measures to legalize recreational use of cannabis fail in Florida, North Dakota and South Dakota]( William Garriott, Drake University Two medical measures in Nebraska passed decisively but face legal challenges. - [2024’s quick win for Trump will go down in the history books alongside 1964 and 1980 Election Day landslides]( Shannon Bow O'Brien, The University of Texas at Austin In US history, there have been many memorable elections – including those involving quick, decisive wins and others subjected to drawn-out legal battles. - [Now the Electoral College votes for president – 4 essential reads]( Jeff Inglis, The Conversation Voters have cast their ballots. Now the 2024 US presidential election comes down to the Electoral College. Ethics + Religion - [The 4 ‘ashramas’ of Hinduism and what they can teach us about aging gracefully]( Nandini Bhattacharya, Texas A&M University The ancient classical texts of Hinduism taught that every age and stage of life need not be lived as a breathless race. They proposed living according to one’s natural capabilities. - [Religions talk about the value of humility − but it can be especially hard for clergy to practice what they preach]( Elise Ji Young Choe, Boston University; Steven Sandage, Boston University Intellectual humility means being open to new ideas and other points of view – and for leaders, it can be a delicate balancing act. Podcast 🎙️ - [Stories of gangsters who’ve left their life on the streets behind – podcast]( Gemma Ware, The Conversation Listen to The Conversation Weekly for an interview with gang expert Dennis Rodgers, and Gaz, a former gang leader from Sierra Leone. Trending on site - [Trump’s comeback victory, after reshaping his party and national politics, looks a lot like Andrew Jackson’s in 1828]( - [Only 5.3% of welders in the US are women. After years as a writing professor, I became one − here’s what I learned]( - [The racist ‘one-drop rule’ lives on in how Trump talks about Black politicians and whiteness in America]( Today's graphic 📈 [A bar chart breaking down the amount of damage dealt by different kinds of disasters (severe storm, flood, tropical cyclone, drought, wildfire, freeze or winter storm) in the US from 1990 to 2024. The number of weather and climate disasters exceeding $1 billion in damage each has grown in recent decades, even with costs adjusted for inflation. The greatest increase has been severe storms, many of which affect the Plains and Midwest. Events in 2024 are through October.]( From the story, [Why home insurance rates are rising fast across the US – climate change plays a big role]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our weekly and biweekly emails: • [Weekly Highlights]( • [Science Editors' Picks]( • [Giving Today]( [New!] • [This Week in Religion]( • [Politics Weekly]( • [Global Perspectives]( • [Global Economy & Business]( Follow us on social media: • [Bluesky]( • [Mastodon]( • [Threads]( • [Nostr]( • [LinkedIn]( • [Instagram]( • [Facebook]( • Or [get a daily text from us]( - - About The Conversation We're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to [help you make sense of our complex world](. We can give away our articles thanks to the help of foundations, universities and readers like you. [Donate now to support research-based journalism]( [The Conversation]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation]( 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451 [Forward to a friend]( • [Unsubscribe](