The Conversation

Puerto Rico votes on statehood: Polls and protests

Written by Jossianna Arroyo-Martínez, Chair/Professor of Latin American and Caribbean Literatures and Cultures, Depts. Spanish and Portuguese, African and African Diaspora Studies, University of Texas at Austin

Will the vote matter?

Charles R. Venator-Santiago, University of Connecticut

The 2017 Plebiscite for the Immediate Decolonization of Puerto Rico was held on June 11. This is the fifth vote on the political status of Puerto Rico since the United States annexed the island in 1898.

Only 23 percent of the 2,260,804 registered Puerto Rican voters participa...

How Obamacare may morph into Medicaid

Written by JB Silvers, Professor of Health Finance, Case Western Reserve University

The slow-motion consideration by Congress and the president to change the Affordable Care Act is likely to produce surprising results. The insurance market does not go into suspended animation while Washington debates.

In fact, starting this month, insurers face a series of filing deadlines that will determine what comes next for health insurance...

Statehood for Puerto Rico? Lessons from the last time the US added a star to its flag

Written by David Stebenne, Professor of History and Law Faculty, The Ohio State University

San Juan, Puerto Rico, Nov. 3, 2012. AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo

On June 11, Puerto Ricans will vote on statehood.

Even if Puerto Rico votes “yes,” Congress must still pass a law in order to change the island’s legal status from that of a commonwealth to a state. Congress, however, seems likely to drag its feet. That’s what...

How populism explains May's stunning UK election upset: Experts react

Written by Terrence Guay, Clinical Professor of International Business, Pennsylvania State University

Corbyn may not have won enough seats to take over Parliament, but he dealt May a serious blow nonetheless. AP Photo/Markus Schreiber

Editor’s note: U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May’s election gamble failed badly as her Conservatives lost 12 seats, leaving them with 318, shy of a majority. It was a stunning loss for a party earlier...

Puerto Rico votes on statehood – fifth time's the charm?

Written by Charles R. Venator-Santiago, Associate Professor of Political Science and El Instituto, University of Connecticut

Puerto Rican citizen gestures during political rally in 2012. AP/Ricardo Arduengo

On June 11, Puerto Ricans will have an opportunity to vote in a nonbinding plebiscite to determine Puerto Rico’s political status.

Local voters will choose among three options: statehood, independence or territorial autonomy – or keeping the status quo.

There...

Tourette syndrome: Finally, something to shout about

Written by Michael Okun, Professor of Neurology, University of Florida

Campers at Twitch and Shout, a camp for teenagers with Tourette, in Winder, Georgia, say goodbye in this 2014 file photo. David Goldman/AP

Tourette syndrome is a mysterious medical curiosity that has puzzled doctors for more than a century. People who have it suffer from tics and other behavioral problems, such as obsessive compulsive traits and...

Most countries score an F on our LGBT human rights report card

Written by Susan Dicklitch-Nelson, Professor of Government and Chair of the Government Department, Franklin & Marshall College

Police in Istanbul,Turkey disperse gay pride demonstrators with a water cannon in June 2015.AP Photo/Emrah Gurel

June is Gay Pride Month, but the sobering reality is that most countries, including the U.S., do not protect sexual minorities.

Our research gives most countries in the world a failing grade in LGBTQ rights, reflecting widespread...

Can the world ever really keep terrorists off the internet?

Written by Shontavia Johnson, Professor of Intellectual Property Law, Drake University

Can the world come together as one to fight terrorism online?rawpixel.com/shutterstock.com

After London’s most recent terror attacks, British Prime Minister Theresa May called on countries to collaborate on internet regulation to prevent terrorism planning online. May criticized online spaces that allow such ideas to breed, and the companies...

Is there a First Amendment right to follow President Trump's Twitter account?

Written by Clay Calvert, Brechner Eminent Scholar in Mass Communication, University of Florida

Can the president block people from seeing his tweets?AP Photo/J. David Ake

President Donald Trump’s fondness for criticizing news organizations, “heckling journalists” and spouting points of public policy via his Twitter account is clear.

News of his nomination of Christopher Wray to be the next FBI director, for example, came...

How TV cultivates authoritarianism – and helped elect Trump

Written by James Shanahan, Dean of the Media School, Indiana University

Many gallons of ink (and megabytes of electronic text) have been devoted to explaining the surprise victory of Donald Trump.

Reasons range from white working-class resentment, to FBI Director James Comey’s decision to reopen the Hillary Clinton email investigation, to low turnout. All likely played some role. It would be a mistake to think...