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Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal: Why now and what next?

  • Written by Asher Kaufman, Professor of History and Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame
imageDemonstrators in Tel Aviv call on the Israeli government to secure the release of the hostages during a Jan. 15, 2025, protest.Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images)

A much-anticipated Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal is expected to take effect on Jan. 19, 2025 – subject to a delayed Israeli government vote on the package originally scheduled for...

Read more: Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal: Why now and what next?

Biden’s move to remove Cuba from terror list continues ‘yo-yo’ policy likely to be reversed by Trump

  • Written by Jason M. Blazakis, Professor of Practice and Director of Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism, Middlebury
imageCould removing Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism alleviate the plight of the impoverished nation?Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images

The Biden administration has signaled to Congress its intention to remove Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.

But here’s the twist: The move will only become legal upon the...

Read more: Biden’s move to remove Cuba from terror list continues ‘yo-yo’ policy likely to be reversed by Trump

LA fires: Harm from long-term exposure to wildfire smoke is poorly understood − and it’s a growing risk

  • Written by Luke Montrose, Assistant Professor of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University
imageResidents watch as a home burns in Altadena, Calif., on Jan. 8, 2025.AP Photo/Ethan Swope

Millions of people across the Los Angeles area are being exposed to wildfire smoke as fires burn through homes and vehicles. The fires in January 2025 have burned thousands of structures, along with the building materials, furniture, paints, plastics and...

Read more: LA fires: Harm from long-term exposure to wildfire smoke is poorly understood − and it’s a growing...

LA fires: Long-term exposure to wildfire smoke is a growing health risk, and not well understood

  • Written by Luke Montrose, Assistant Professor of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University
imageResidents watch as a home burns in Altadena, Calif., on Jan. 8, 2025.AP Photo/Ethan Swope

Millions of people across the Los Angeles area are being exposed to wildfire smoke as fires burn through homes and vehicles. The fires in January 2025 have burned thousands of structures, along with the building materials, furniture, paints, plastics and...

Read more: LA fires: Long-term exposure to wildfire smoke is a growing health risk, and not well understood

Universities are mapping where local news outlets are still thriving − and where gaps persist

  • Written by Corey Hutchins, Manager, Colorado College Journalism Institute, Colorado College

Across the country, academics, journalists and researchers are mapping their state’s news and information ecosystems.

Their methodologies differ, but such initiatives seek to make sense of the splintered reality of where people are getting their local news and information. Often, it’s not just from a legacy news organization such as a...

Read more: Universities are mapping where local news outlets are still thriving − and where gaps persist

A national, nonpartisan study of the Los Angeles fires could improve planning for future disasters

  • Written by Najmedin Meshkati, Professor of Engineering and International Relations, University of Southern California
imageAn aerial view shows homes destroyed by wildfire in Pacific Palisades, Calif., Jan. 13, 2025. Mario Tama/Getty Images

The Los Angeles fires are a national disaster of epic proportions. City officials, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and President-elect Donald Trump have traded accusations about what caused this crisis. But as an engineering professor...

Read more: A national, nonpartisan study of the Los Angeles fires could improve planning for future disasters

Meta shift from fact-checking to crowdsourcing spotlights competing approaches in fight against misinformation and hate speech

  • Written by Anjana Susarla, Professor of Information Systems, Michigan State University
imageMeta stirred up controversy when it ditched fact-checking.Chesnot/Getty Images

Meta’s decision to change its content moderation policies by replacing centralized fact-checking teams with user-generated community labeling has stirred up a storm of reactions. But taken at face value, the changes raise the question of the effectiveness of...

Read more: Meta shift from fact-checking to crowdsourcing spotlights competing approaches in fight against...

Joe Biden’s record on science and tech: Investments and regulation for vaccines, broadband, microchips and AI

  • Written by Mark Zachary Taylor, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology
imageMassive support for U.S. computer chip manufacturing will be part of Joe Biden's tech legacy.AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

In evaluating the outgoing Biden administration, much news has focused on inflation, immigration or Hunter’s laptop. But as an expert on national competitiveness in science and technology, I have a somewhat different...

Read more: Joe Biden’s record on science and tech: Investments and regulation for vaccines, broadband,...

Insurance for natural disasters is failing homeowners − I don’t have the answers, but I do know the right questions to ask

  • Written by Jay Feinman, Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus, Rutgers University

The wildfires that have devastated large parts of Los Angeles County have drawn fresh attention to the struggles many Americans face insuring their homes.

Since 2022, seven of the 12 largest insurance companies have stopped issuing new policies to homeowners in California, citing increased risks due to climate change. California isn’t alone:...

Read more: Insurance for natural disasters is failing homeowners − I don’t have the answers, but I do know...

Kamala Harris memes questioning her cultural background highlight Americans’ contradictions with race

  • Written by Raven Maragh-Lloyd, Assistant Professor of African and African American Studies and Film and Media Studies, Washington University in St. Louis
imageDonald Trump and Kamala Harris debate on Sept. 10, 2024, in Las Vegas.AP Photo/John Locher

Even after Vice President Kamala Harris lost the 2024 presidential election, Americans continue to argue about her race.

During the campaign, President-elect Donald Trump accused Harris, who is biracial, of toggling between being Indian and being Black. Once,...

Read more: Kamala Harris memes questioning her cultural background highlight Americans’ contradictions with...

More Articles ...

  1. In eyeing Greenland, Trump is echoing long-held American designs on the Arctic expanse
  2. Catholic cardinals play a key role in secular politics as well as the Catholic Church–and the importance of Pope Francis’ choice to head the church in DC
  3. Spending, regulations and DOGE: Office of Management and Budget director plays vital role helping government get stuff done
  4. This class uses museums to show law students the high art of curating ideas
  5. My beautiful ‘practicing’ Christians: As churchgoers’ numbers shrink, their social views grow more similar
  6. Rents rise faster after disasters, but a federal program can help restrain excesses
  7. How the CIA director helps the US navigate a world of spies, threats and geopolitical turbulence
  8. Terrorist groups respond to verbal attacks and slights by governments with more violence against civilians
  9. We study aging family business incumbents who refuse to let go − here’s why the 2024 race felt familiar
  10. 4 reasons why the US might want to buy Greenland – if it were for sale, which it isn’t
  11. What’s an H-1B visa? A brief history of the controversial program for skilled foreign workers
  12. Job of homeland security secretary is to adapt almost continuously to pressures from the department, the public and the world at large
  13. The power of friendship: How a letter helped create an American bestseller about antisemitism
  14. Vaccine hesitancy among pet owners is growing – a public health expert explains why that matters
  15. A brief history of presidential inaugural speeches, from George Washington to today
  16. Larry Krasner, Kensington, the scrapped Sixers arena − and other key concerns that will shape Philly politics in 2025
  17. Lightning strikes make collecting a parasitic fungus prized in traditional Chinese medicine a deadly pursuit
  18. LA fires: Why fast wildfires and those started by human activities are more destructive and harder to contain
  19. LA fires: Why fast-moving wildfires and those started by human activities are more destructive and harder to contain
  20. US secretary of state has an expansive job that could make or break peace deals and key foreign alliances
  21. When presidents would send handwritten lists of their nominees to the Senate, things were a lot different
  22. Firefighting planes are dumping ocean water on the Los Angeles fires − why using saltwater is typically a last resort
  23. Mass deportations don’t keep out ‘bad genes’ − they use scientific racism to justify biased immigration policies
  24. From Myanmar to Gaza, Ukraine to Sudan – 2024 was another grim year, according to our mass atrocity index
  25. One way Trump could help revive rural America’s economies
  26. Is capitalism falling out of favor? We analyzed 400,000 news stories to find out
  27. Trump’s canal canard obscures a truth: Panama just wants to run its shipping passage without interference from China or the US
  28. What the dead, the uncanny and the monstrous tell us about human nature
  29. Why does a rocket have to go 25,000 mph to escape Earth?
  30. From watts to warheads: Secretary of energy oversees big science research and the US nuclear arsenal
  31. Secretary of defense must perform a ‘delicate dance’ between the president, Congress and the public
  32. Wildfires can contaminate drinking water systems with harmful chemicals − here’s what Los Angeles needs to know
  33. Philly sports fans consider themselves ‘gritty’ − but it’s merely a myth used to fuel their passion
  34. An eye for an eye: People agree about the values of body parts across cultures and eras
  35. How the EPA administrator protects public health, air, water and the environment
  36. With more Americans able to access legalized marijuana, fewer are picking up prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications – new research
  37. Even 1 drink a day elevates your cancer risk – an expert on how alcohol affects the body breaks down a new government report
  38. Funding public schools based on enrollment in the previous year may help keep their budgets more stable, research shows
  39. Many ‘impact investors’ aren’t fully tracking whether their investments are good for society or the environment − new research
  40. From anecdotes to AI tools, how doctors make medical decisions is evolving with technology
  41. Southern California is extremely dry, and that’s fueling fires − maps show just how dry
  42. Trump gets an ‘unconditional discharge’ in hush money conviction − a constitutional law expert explains what that means
  43. Wildfire smoke inside homes can create health risks that linger for months − tips for cleaning and staying safe
  44. How the U.S. could in fact make Canada an American territory
  45. 2024’s extreme ocean heat leaves 2 mysteries to solve
  46. 2024’s extreme ocean heat breaks records again, leaving 2 mysteries to solve
  47. Trump’s Greenland bid is really about control of the Arctic and the coming battle with China
  48. Germany and US have long been allies - that could change with Trump
  49. Birkin handbags, Walmart’s ‘Wirkin’ and the meme-ification of class warfare
  50. How midlife became a crisis