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You want to vote in the 2024 election − here is how to make sure that your voice is heard

  • Written by Amy Dacey, Executive Director of the Sine Institute of Policy and Politics, American University
imageIt's that time again.Hill Street Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Voting will begin in many states in just a few weeks – Alabama became the first state to begin sending out mail-in ballots on Sept. 11, 2024. It’s one of 10 states that send mail-in ballots to voters more than 45 days before Election Day.

Every state’s...

Read more: You want to vote in the 2024 election − here is how to make sure that your voice is heard

50 years after the first procedure, Tommy John surgery is more common than ever − especially for young athletes

  • Written by Ted Spiker, Professor of Journalism, University of Florida

Tommy John pitched in the big leagues from 1963 to 1989 and won 288 games. Only 25 MLB pitchers have won more.

But check out his 27 years of statistics, and you’ll see one year is blank: 1975. That’s because in the fall of 1974, John underwent surgery for a ligament tear in his elbow, an injury once considered career-ending.

John was...

Read more: 50 years after the first procedure, Tommy John surgery is more common than ever − especially for...

Collaboratively imagining the future can bring people closer together in the present

  • Written by Zoë Fowler, Graduate Assistant in Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York
imageImagining a joint future may be the first step in building it.Kateryna Kovarzh/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Warm sun on your face, a gentle salty breeze, the sound of ocean waves. Your friend earnestly suggests surfing lessons, and you both laugh as you imagine the two of you gracelessly tumbling through the water.

Could imagining this beachside...

Read more: Collaboratively imagining the future can bring people closer together in the present

Fed slashes rates by a half-point – what that means for the economy and the presidential election

  • Written by Michael Walden, Professor and Extension Economist, North Carolina State University
imageAll smiles as Fed Chair Jay Powell signals he's confident he's winning the inflation fight. AP Photo/Ben Curtis

In a widely anticipated move, the Federal Reserve announced on Sept. 18, 2024, that it was cutting its benchmark interest rate by half a percentage point to a range of 4.75% to 5% – the first time the cost of borrowing has been...

Read more: Fed slashes rates by a half-point – what that means for the economy and the presidential election

Pagers and walkie-talkies over cellphones – a security expert explains why Hezbollah went low-tech for communications

  • Written by Richard Forno, Principal Lecturer in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
imageA police officer examines a damaged car after thousands of pagers exploded simultaneously across Lebanon on Sept. 17, 2024.AP Photo/Hussein Malla

Electronic pagers across Lebanon exploded simultaneously on Sept. 17, 2024, killing 12 and wounding more than 2,700. The following day, another wave of explosions in the country came from detonating...

Read more: Pagers and walkie-talkies over cellphones – a security expert explains why Hezbollah went low-tech...

Preventive care is free by law, but many Americans get incorrectly billed − especially if you’re poor, a person of color or don’t have a college degree

  • Written by Alex Hoagland, Assistant Professor of Health Economics, University of Toronto
imageUnexpected bills for preventive care can worsen existing racial and socioeconomic health disparities.Maskot/Getty Images

Even though preventive care is supposed to be free by law for millions of Americans thanks to the Affordable Care Act, many don’t receive recommended preventive services, especially racial and ethnic minorities and other...

Read more: Preventive care is free by law, but many Americans get incorrectly billed − especially if you’re...

What the jet stream and climate change had to do with the hottest summer on record − remember all those heat domes?

  • Written by Shuang-Ye Wu, Professor of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, University of Dayton

Summer 2024 was officially the Northern Hemisphere’s hottest on record. In the United States, fierce heat waves seemed to hit somewhere almost every day.

Phoenix reached 100 degrees for more than 100 days straight. The 2024 Olympic Games started in the midst of a long-running heat wave in Europe that included the three hottest days on record...

Read more: What the jet stream and climate change had to do with the hottest summer on record − remember all...

What James Earl Jones can teach us about activism and art in times of crisis

  • Written by Dominic Taylor, Acting Chair of Theater, School of Theater, Film and Television, University of California, Los Angeles
imageJames Earl Jones preps in the dressing room before performing as Jack Jefferson in 'The Great White Hope' in December 1968.Harry Benson/Daily Express via Getty Images

The death of James Earl Jones has forced me to consider the end of an era.

Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitier and Jones were giants in my industry. They were Black performers whose...

Read more: What James Earl Jones can teach us about activism and art in times of crisis

To American revolutionaries, patriotism meant fair dealing with one another

  • Written by Barbara Clark Smith, Curator, Division of Political History, Smithsonian Institution
imageA 1782 engraving depicts the First Continental Congress, held in 1774.François Godefroy engraving from Library of Congress

When modern Americans call themselves patriots, they are evoking a sentiment that is 250 years old.

In September 1774, nearly two years before the Declaration of Independence, delegates from 12 of the 13 Colonies gathered...

Read more: To American revolutionaries, patriotism meant fair dealing with one another

UN’s pact to protect future generations will be undermined by Security Council’s veto and its use in cases of mass atrocity

  • Written by Mike Brand, Adjunct Professor of Genocide Studies and Human Rights, University of Connecticut

World leaders will gather at the United Nations on Sept. 22-23, 2024, where they are set to adopt the Pact for the Future – an ambitious plan for how to best reform the U.N., and other institutions, to address the current problems of the world and protect future generations.

It couldn’t come at a more pressing time. As presidents, prime...

Read more: UN’s pact to protect future generations will be undermined by Security Council’s veto and its use...

More Articles ...

  1. Why Pennsylvania is the key to a Harris or Trump Electoral College victory
  2. Young professionals are struggling to socially adapt in the workplace – educators can help
  3. Abortion rights are on 10 state ballots in November − Democrats can’t count on this to win elections for them
  4. How the Israeli settlers movement shaped modern Israel
  5. Eviction filings can destabilize tenants’ lives – even when they win their case
  6. Trump’s second assassination attempt is shocking, but attempts on presidents’ lives are not rare in US history
  7. Happiness swings votes – and America’s current mood could scramble expectations of young and old voters
  8. Why holding kids back fails − and what to do about it
  9. Denver’s experiment in providing a soft landing for newly arrived migrants and asylum-seekers isn’t cheap – but doing nothing might cost more
  10. Lost in translation: What spirituality and Einstein’s theory of time have to do with misunderstandings about climate change
  11. Health care under Harris versus Trump: A public health historian sizes up their records
  12. ‘They’re eating pets’ – another example of US politicians smearing Haiti and Haitian immigrants
  13. Tiny robots and AI algorithms could help to craft material solutions for cleaner environments
  14. TikTok ban goes to the court: 5 essential reads on the case and its consequences
  15. America’s dairy farms are disappearing, down 95% since the 1970s − milk price rules are one reason why
  16. Class and race can create divides between donors and a cause they support − putting stress on those nonprofits
  17. Empowering engineering students through storytelling
  18. Women are still underrepresented in local government, despite a woman running for president
  19. Pennsylvania’s mail-in ballot system has a problem − but it’s not what Trump is making unfounded claims about
  20. Intoxication nation: a double shot of US history
  21. Will your phone one day let you smell as well as see and hear what’s on the other end of a call?
  22. What are halal mortgages?
  23. How researchers measure wildfire smoke exposure doesn’t capture long-term health effects − and hides racial disparities
  24. Plants get a GMO glow-up: Genetically modified varieties are coming out of the lab and into homes and gardens
  25. Vatican News: How to Stay Informed on the Global Religious Landscape
  26. Students ride the rails in this course to learn about sustainability and tourism
  27. Creative life after death − or yes, you can control spinoffs from beyond the grave
  28. Sunflowers make small moves to maximize their Sun exposure − physicists can model them to predict how they grow
  29. Voters’ ‘moral flexibility’ helps them defend politicians’ misinformation − if they believe the inaccurate info speaks to a larger truth
  30. Wild ginseng is declining, but small-scale ‘diggers’ aren’t the main threat to this native plant − and they can help save it
  31. Colorado voters weigh a ban on hunting mountain lions as attitudes toward wild predators shift
  32. Endometriosis pain leads to missed school and work in two-thirds of women with the condition, new study finds
  33. Photographer Louis Carlos Bernal memorialized the barrios at the US-Mexican border
  34. Fujimori’s death won’t end pursuit of justice for Peruvian victims – or stop the strongman’s supporters from revering his legacy
  35. Kamala Harris effectively baited Donald Trump during the debate, drawing out his insecure white masculinity
  36. Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris shows how big a role music is playing in the 2024 election
  37. Supreme Court’s ruling in Trump v. United States would have given Nixon immunity for Watergate crimes — but 50 years ago he needed a presidential pardon to avoid prison
  38. A Nazi magazine regularly published manipulated photos and misinformation, long before the age of AI
  39. Philly residents with opioid addiction get medication from the ‘bupe bus’ − creating a path for treatment
  40. Biobots arise from the cells of dead organisms − pushing the boundaries of life, death and medicine
  41. Responding to work emails after hours contributes to burnout, hostility
  42. Free school meals are on the rise in the US − but that could change depending on who wins the 2024 presidential election
  43. East is East, West is West − and Turkey is looking to forge its own BRICS path between the two
  44. Making fuels from plastics in Newaygo, Michigan, would be controversial – here’s why
  45. Kamala Harris’ message to women on ‘freedom’ helps explain why Black and white Christians are deeply divided over support for Donald Trump
  46. Trump’s tax cuts led to a $20B reduction in charitable giving within a year
  47. Fewer college students indicate they are nonbinary amid backlash
  48. With China seeking AI dominance, Taiwan’s efforts to slow neighbor’s access to advanced chips needs support from the West
  49. Coastal cities’ growing hurricane vulnerability is fed by both climate change and unbridled population growth
  50. Funny reviews help engage consumers, fueling impulse buys − to a point, study shows