Dr Rebecca Stone, Associate Professor of US Political History from The University of Warwick, said: "In every American election in history where the incumbent of the governing party has chosen not to run, the opposition has won. A more similar comparison, however, might be the election of 1856 – another era of extreme division in US history. The candidacy of incumbent President Franklin Pierce was rejected by his own party at the Convention, but their new nominee, James Buchanan, won comfortably that November."

President Joe Biden withdrawing from his campaign for re-election opens up the Democratic nomination at a crucial time in the election calendar. There are four weeks until the Democratic National Convention where the party will confirm their candidate for the presidency. It's important for the Democrats to show unity now and not descend into a period of damaging in-fighting, so it seems highly likely they will select Vice President Kamala Harris who Biden and other senior Democrats have already endorsed.

Assistant Professor Shweta Singh of Warwick Business School commented:

“Deepfakes are an increasingly big problem for trust, elections and democracy across Britain. With the election just around the corner, it’s more important than ever that voters know that what they’re looking at is real. We’ve recently seen voters and even pundits and journalists fooled by deepfakes, including a video purporting to show Nigel Farage playing ‘Minecraft’.

The current heatwave in the UK underscores the need for comprehensive strategies to address heat-related health risks, especially for vulnerable groups such as older adults, children, those with chronic illnesses, socially isolated individuals, and outdoor workers.

Dr Minjae Kim, Research Fellow, Department of Physics, comments on these space events for Asteroid Day (30 June).