The Balance of Power
The first year of President Donald Trump’s second term in the White House raised significant questions about federalism and the separation of powers as the administration used executive orders, federal funding and the presidential bully pulpit to bend public and private institutions to Trump’s will.
The Balance of Power project examines the history of presidential power in the U.S. and explores how Trump’s expansive interpretation of executive authority has impacted the state of Connecticut and its residents, communities and institutions.
Fourteen journalism students at the University of Connecticut researched, reported and produced this special project under the supervision of two faculty members during the Fall 2025 semester. They interviewed state leaders and experts from UConn and other universities, shadowed advocates and protesters, pored through legal decisions and executive orders, and chronicled the ripple effects of the administration’s actions throughout Connecticut.
Learn more about the Balance of Power staff and fill out the form below to contact us.
Sara Bedigian (higher education reporter, photographer, fact-checker) is a journalism and political science student at the University of Connecticut and a legislative reporting intern at the CT Mirror. Her work has been published in newspapers across Southern New England, including the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, Worcester Business Journal, The Valley Breeze, The CT Examiner and The Community Advocate. She is the former editor-in-chief of The Daily Campus and the current president of UConn’s chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Breanna Bonner (higher education reporter, fact-checker) is a human rights and individualized degree student at the University of Connecticut. She is currently a BOLD research Scholar through the Office of Undergraduate Research, where she researches art and policy-based interventions for community gun violence. She also serves as a Peer Research Ambassador, Undergraduate Humanities Advisory Council member, and organizer of the UConn Humanities Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Samantha Brody (CT impact reporter, graphics) is a sophomore honors journalism and political science student at the University of Connecticut. She is currently a life editor and board member of The Daily Campus, UConn’s student newspaper.
Bridget Bronsdon (education reporter, fact-checker) is a journalism student with minors in political science and Spanish at the University of Connecticut. She serves as the sports editor for UConn’s student newspaper, The Daily Campus, and has interned for We-Ha.com, focusing in community and business reporting. Her work has been published by The Hartford Courant and The CT Mirror.
Mikayla Bunnell (executive power reporter, chief copy editor, photographer) is a journalism and political science student with a minor in writing at the University of Connecticut. Her work has been published in the Hartford Courant, CT Examiner, CT Public and the Willimantic Chronicle. She serves as a staff writer in the news section and a copy editor of The Daily Campus, UConn’s student-run newspaper. She also serves as the treasurer of the UConn chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Lily Goldblatt (executive power reporter, videographer, photographer) is a journalism and political science student at the University of Connecticut. She serves as program director for WHUS Radio, UConn’s student-run radio station, where she hosts a weekly show and has several stories and photo galleries published.
Charlotte Harvey (executive power & legal reporter) is a senior majoring in journalism at UConn. She was born and raised in Manchester, Connecticut, and lived on the south shore of Long Island before moving back to Connecticut. Charlotte’s work has been published by the Hartford Courant, CT Community News and the CT Examiner. She aspires to be a legal journalist writing about the courts and law, or a foreign correspondent working in Russia and Russophone countries in the former Soviet Union.
Anna Heqimi (immigration reporter, photographer, fact-checker) is a journalism and communication student at the University of Connecticut. She is a broadcast reporter with the University of Connecticut Student Television and will be interning as a writer for UConn Today, the official news website for the university, in the spring 2026 semester. Her work has been published throughout the state, including in the Hartford Courant, CT Examiner and CT News Junkie. She is also a Fall 2024 Media Fellows scholarship recipient with the Washington Media Scholars Foundation.
Jenna Outcalt (science & environment reporter, fact-checker) is a journalism student at the University of Connecticut who focuses on environmental reporting and local news. She serves as news editor, board member and staff writer at The Daily Campus and as a correspondent for Planet Forward at George Washington University. She has interned for the PHL17 morning show in Philadelphia and participates in a biweekly news podcast for WHUS radio at UConn.
Karla Perez (immigration reporter, videographer, fact-checker) is a journalism and communications student at the University of Connecticut. She serves as the editor-in-chief of The Daily Campus and as a newsroom intern an NBC Connecticut. She is part of the New York Times Corps class of 2026. Her work has been published throughout the state, including in the Hartford Courant, CT Examiner, Connecticut Public, WSHU Public Radio and CT News Junkie.
Elijah Polance (LGBTQ+ reporter, photographer) is a journalism and English student at the University of Connecticut. Polance serves as the managing editor for Long River Review, UConn’s undergraduate literary and arts magazine, and is a staff writer for the life section of UConn’s student newspaper, The Daily Campus. Their work has also been published in the Hartford Courant.
Connor Sharp (photo editor, photographer, videographer) is an individualized major in visual media production at the University of Connecticut. He is the photo editor at The Daily Campus, UConn’s student newspaper, and a photo intern at UConn athletics.
Dan Stark (executive power reporter, fact-checker) is a journalism and political science student at the University of Connecticut. He is an incoming reporter at The Express News Group and has been published in The Day. He currently serves as Editorial Director at Nutmeg Publishing and served as Life Editor and a staff writer at The Daily Campus. He is also the vice president of UConn’s chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Christi C. Thrower (DEI & executive power reporter, fact-checker) is a journalism student at the University of Connecticut. Her work has been published in the CT Examiner, CT News Junkie, and WHUS Radio.
Amanda J. Crawford (editor, associate professor) is a former political reporter for Bloomberg News, The Arizona Republic and The Baltimore Sun. Her work has appeared in a variety of other publications including The Boston Globe, The Hartford Courant, National Geographic, Ms. Magazine, CNN Opinion, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. Crawford’s academic research focuses on media coverage of mass shootings, mis/disinformation and journalists’ role in democracy. Her book examining misinformation, spectacle violence and mass media is forthcoming from Columbia University Press. Before coming to UConn in 2018, Crawford held faculty appointments at the journalism schools at Western Kentucky University and Arizona State University
Marie K. Shanahan (publisher, associate professor) serves as head of the Department of Journalism at UConn. Her academic research and teaching focus on the intersection of journalism and digital communication technology. Shanahan studies trends in digital discourse, news literacy, misinformation and local news engagement. She is the author of Journalism, Online Comments, and the Future of Public Discourse (Routledge, 2018). Before joining the faculty at UConn, she worked for 18 years as a reporter, online producer and digital editor at The Hartford Courant.
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