Google AI
NewsPronto

 

The Conversation

Special courts helps veterans stay out of jail - but staffing losses at VA and cuts to government programs are threatening their work

  • Written by: Jamie Rowen, Associate Professor of Legal Studies and Political Science, UMass Amherst
imageVeterans from past wars and those returning from ongoing wars will need the country's continued support. SDI Productions/E+ via Getty Images

Memorial Day is an apt time to reflect on the long-term consequences of war. Among them are substance use, mental health problems, homelessness and jail time for those who served in the military.

About 8% of...

Read more: Special courts helps veterans stay out of jail - but staffing losses at VA and cuts to government...

What Jefferson and Madison would have thought about ‘rededicating’ the US to God

  • Written by: Steven K. Green, Professor of Law, Director of the Center for Religion, Law & Democracy, Willamette University
imageMany of the thousands of letters between the two founders attest to their deep commitment to religious freedom.AlexanderZam/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Thousands of Americans prayed on the National Mall on May 17, 2026, during “Rededicate 250”: a day-long rally to “come together in prayer and worship ahead of the nation’s...

Read more: What Jefferson and Madison would have thought about ‘rededicating’ the US to God

5 reasons Stephen Colbert is one of the most important satirists in American history

  • Written by: Sophia A. McClennen, Professor of International Affairs and Comparative Literature, Penn State
imageStephen Colbert tapes a segment for 'The Late Show' at Quicken Loans Arena ahead of the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland.Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

Stephen Colbert’s final episode as host of “The Late Show” on May 21, 2026, won’t mark the end of his career.

But as a scholar of political satire, I...

Read more: 5 reasons Stephen Colbert is one of the most important satirists in American history

San Diego mosque shooting reflects how online rhetoric, media depictions and political discourse contribute to increased Islamophobia

  • Written by: Anisah Bagasra, Associate Professor of Psychology, Kennesaw State University
imagePeople comfort one another near the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego on May 18, 2026, in San Diego. AP Photo/Gregory Bull

Many Muslim Americans are fearful following a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego that left three worshipers dead. Investigators reportedly found hate speech and anti-Islamic writing inside the...

Read more: San Diego mosque shooting reflects how online rhetoric, media depictions and political discourse...

New SNAP rules requiring that benefits be used at stores selling healthier food could backfire

  • Written by: Benjamin Chrisinger, Assistant Professor of Community Health, Tufts University
imageA man shops at El Recuerdo Market in Los Angeles in 2025, next to a sign indicating that customers may pay with SNAP benefits.AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

The more than 250,000 shops and stores that accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits as payment for groceries will have to meet tougher requirements starting on Nov. 4, 2026,...

Read more: New SNAP rules requiring that benefits be used at stores selling healthier food could backfire

Formula 1 racing shows the hard part of reaching net-zero carbon emissions isn’t the engineering

  • Written by: Caitlin Grady, Associate Professor of Environmental Management and Systems Engineering, George Washington University
imageFormula 1 drivers maneuver for position during the 2026 Miami Formula One Grand Prix in Florida.Chandan Khanna / AFP via Getty Images

Formula 1 auto racing is one of the most energy-intensive and logistically complex sports on the planet. The events involve cars, of course, but also long-haul freight, international travel, temporary event...

Read more: Formula 1 racing shows the hard part of reaching net-zero carbon emissions isn’t the engineering

How a shifting Nile landscape shaped the rise of the ancient empire of Kush in Sudan

  • Written by: Geoff Emberling, Research Scientist in Archaeology, University of Michigan
imageJebel Barkal mesa and the archaeological site at its base in the Nile Valley.Sami Elamin

When I first became co-director of an archaeological project at Jebel Barkal in northern Sudan in 2018, I was amazed by the site’s pyramids, temples and palaces. It had been an urban center in the ancient empire of Kush, which dominated the Nile Valley...

Read more: How a shifting Nile landscape shaped the rise of the ancient empire of Kush in Sudan

Texas Tech’s new limits on how faculty teach gender identity and sexual orientation challenge more than free speech

  • Written by: Henry F. Fradella, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Arizona State University
imageBanning students from writing theses and dissertations on sexual orientation and gender identity could be seen as curtailing students' freedom of speech rights.Malte Mueller/fStop/Getty Images

Texas Tech University, a public university in Lubbock, announced in April 2026 that its five schools would phase out all academic credentials centered on...

Read more: Texas Tech’s new limits on how faculty teach gender identity and sexual orientation challenge more...

AI interviewers can’t connect with people the way human researchers can – they can produce only data, not meaning

  • Written by: Kelley Cotter, Assistant Professor of Information Sciences and Technology, Penn State
imageAI models can pose questions and follow up on them, but the answers they solicit may be limited in scope and depth.Andriy Onufriyenko/Moment via Getty Images

Anthropic, the company behind the generative AI tool Claude, claimed in March 2026 that it used an AI interviewer to conduct “the largest and most multilingual qualitative study”...

Read more: AI interviewers can’t connect with people the way human researchers can – they can produce only...

Self-censorship, more stress, tougher recruiting – we asked US researchers how the Trump administration’s science policies have affected them

  • Written by: Eric Welch, Professor and Director, Center for Science, Technology & Environmental Policy Studies, Arizona State University
image93% of surveyed researchers have negative opinions of federal science policies since January 2025.Cavan Images via Getty Images

The American academic research engine has long been the envy of the world. Generally well-funded, labs in the United States have been able to attract the best mindswho generate breakthroughs and train the next generation...

Read more: Self-censorship, more stress, tougher recruiting – we asked US researchers how the Trump...

More Articles …

  1. Ebola strain spreading in Congo and Uganda has no approved vaccine
  2. Battleground state with few combatants – why Pennsylvania’s primaries lack competition
  3. Hurricane forecasts have improved dramatically, saving lives, but federal cuts threaten to stretch NOAA to the breaking point
  4. Hurricane forecasts have improved dramatically, saving lives, but federal cuts threaten to stretch NOAA resources to breaking point
  5. Antonia Bembo fled Venice to escape her abusive husband – over three centuries later, her opera finally takes the stage
  6. Dark patterns on the web are designed to manipulate you – why aren’t they all illegal?
  7. What are those orange balls on some power lines?
  8. Flavored vapes led to a major shake-up at the FDA – 3 health policy analysts explain the science behind the controversial products
  9. Uncovering coded antisemitism online takes both human expertise and AI automation
  10. A newly rediscovered moth species in Florida may already be at risk
  11. Companies are hyping AI the same way they talked up sustainability, but there are ways to fix that
  12. Trump’s Cabinet dramatically changed American foreign policy while the president made noise – a scholar of presidential rhetoric explains
  13. Why the Iran war is breaking the US-European strategic alliance
  14. From beef ribs to a ‘heavenly’ walk: Xi-Trump summit symbolism underscored American power and Chinese tradition
  15. Supreme Court preserves access to mifepristone via telehealth – at least for now
  16. Trump-Xi summit: Cautious progress on trade, ties and some ‘win-wins’
  17. You can persuade AI models to accept falsehoods as truth, study shows
  18. Is baby talk bad? Why ‘parentese’ actually helps babies learn language
  19. A fungal disease, along with climate change, threatens Colorado’s prized peaches
  20. AI-generated fantasies of US intervention reveal how desperation has narrowed Cuba’s political horizons
  21. Would a $1 rideshare fee affect wealthier or working-class Philadelphians more? 2 Chicago studies offer some perspective
  22. From medieval plague ships to hantavirus: How outbreaks at sea helped to shape the international public health system
  23. More than just a critical blow to Keir Starmer and Labour, local votes signal a dis-United Kingdom
  24. America’s musical founding father: ‘Liberty songs’ by a self-taught singer and tanner helped fuel the Revolution
  25. Who shops at farmers markets in the US?
  26. A ‘super El Niño?’ Why it’s too early to forecast one with certainty, but not too soon to prepare
  27. How much is a bat worth? Protecting these tiny insect-eaters isn’t just good for farms – their deaths cost taxpayers and the wider economy
  28. Why a growing number of Trump supporters are experiencing voter’s remorse
  29. Astrophysicists use ‘space archaeology’ to trace the history of a spiral galaxy
  30. Will future missions to the Moon be sustainable? It may depend on whom you ask
  31. TikTok’s popular microdramas shrink TV into bite-sized chunks
  32. Is AI really ‘writing’? From a priestess to philosophers, ancient authors would have said ‘no’
  33. How Trump plans to keep tariffs at the center of his economic policy despite stinging court losses
  34. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson disagreed about the American Revolution’s meaning even as they lay dying
  35. Baloch insurgency: Suicide bombs and uptick in violence threaten Pakistan, regional security
  36. Most people don’t know what they don’t know, but think they do – correcting your metaknowledge can make you a better teacher and learner
  37. Immigrant patients often choose doctors with a shared cultural background – what they are seeking isn’t sameness but connection
  38. Why Trump’s call to pull 5,000 US troops from Germany will hurt America
  39. Falling space debris poses an escalating risk as spacecraft get stronger and more heat resistant
  40. We tested the new World Cup ball – this is what you need to know about how it will fly, dip and swerve
  41. Detroit’s water affordability crisis is tied to the uneven distribution of stormwater management costs – a fraught history explains why
  42. How tarot readers are using AI – and what it says about our growing reliance on chatbots for emotional support and advice
  43. Why Pennsylvania’s low-income residents are feeling the squeeze as gas prices rise
  44. Suspending federal gas tax wouldn’t save drivers as much as they might hope – here’s what goes into the price of a gallon of gas
  45. Many of the Caribbean’s most important reefs are going unprotected
  46. You can change your emotions – but it’s a 2-step process that takes some effort
  47. How America’s independence from England revolutionized US philanthropy
  48. Why Kevin Warsh might still prove to be an independent Federal Reserve chair
  49. A deep-ocean climate plan wins rare EPA approval, but is sinking plants in the sea the answer?
  50. The Cherokee Bible, one of the language’s first books, is a window between worldviews