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Viktor Orbán's use and misuse of religion serves as a warning to Western democracies

  • Written by Garret Martin, Senior Professorial Lecturer, Co-Director Transatlantic Policy Center, American University School of International Service
imageViktor Orbán speaking at a summit on Poland on Sept. 11.Omar Marques/Getty Images

Somewhere in his journey to power in Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had a radical religious conversion.

An atheist when he started in politics in the late 1980s, Orbán now calls himself a defender of Christianity. In an August speech...

Read more: Viktor Orbán's use and misuse of religion serves as a warning to Western democracies

If a robot is conscious, is it OK to turn it off? The moral implications of building true AIs

  • Written by Anand Vaidya, Associate Professor of Philosophy, San José State University
imageWhat do you owe a faithful android like Data?CBS

In the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” episode “The Measure of a Man,” Data, an android crew member of the Enterprise, is to be dismantled for research purposes unless Captain Picard can argue that Data deserves the same rights as a human being. Naturally the question arises:...

Read more: If a robot is conscious, is it OK to turn it off? The moral implications of building true AIs

Undocumented immigrants may actually make American communities safer – not more dangerous – new study finds

  • Written by Robert M. Adelman, Associate Professor and Department Chair of Sociology, University at Buffalo
imagePresident Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that undocumented immigrants cause more crime, but new research suggests the opposite might be true.Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

Undocumented immigration does not increase the violent crime rate in U.S. metropolitan areas....

Read more: Undocumented immigrants may actually make American communities safer – not more dangerous – new...

A contested election: 5 essential reads

  • Written by Naomi Schalit, Senior Editor, Politics + Society, The Conversation US
imageWhat happens when an election is contested?Gorilla Studio/Getty

Democracy in America could hit a rough patch soon, as election officials tally votes in the presidential race. More than 350 lawsuits have already been filed this year across the country over how, where and when voters could cast ballots. One presidential candidate – Donald Trump...

Read more: A contested election: 5 essential reads

Wildfires force thousands to evacuate near Los Angeles: Here's how the 2020 Western fire season got so extreme

  • Written by Mojtaba Sadegh, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, Boise State University
imageThe 2020 wildfire season has been shattering records across the West.Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images

Two wildfires erupted on the outskirts of cities near Los Angeles, forcing more than 100,000 people to evacuate their homes Monday as powerful Santa Ana winds swept the flames through dry grasses and brush. With strong winds and extremely low...

Read more: Wildfires force thousands to evacuate near Los Angeles: Here's how the 2020 Western fire season...

SNAP benefits cost a total of $85.6B in the 2020 fiscal year amid heightened US poverty and unemployment

  • Written by Tracy Roof, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Richmond
imageSome states make it possible to use SNAP benefits at farmers markets.AP Photo/Robert F. Bukatyimage

The government spent a record US$85.6 billion on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in the fiscal year ending in September. This sum, included in an October Treasury Department report, was about 35% higher than the $63.5 billion the federal...

Read more: SNAP benefits cost a total of $85.6B in the 2020 fiscal year amid heightened US poverty and...

Initiatives to close the digital divide must last beyond the COVID-19 pandemic to work

  • Written by D. Antonio Cantù, Associate Dean and Director of Education, Counseling and Leadership, Bradley University
imageInternet access at home has been linked to higher academic achievement.FG Trade / Getty Images

As COVID-19 continues to force many schools to operate remotely, cities throughout the nation are stepping up to provide free internet service to public school students from families of lesser means.

Washington, D.C., plans to provide free internet access...

Read more: Initiatives to close the digital divide must last beyond the COVID-19 pandemic to work

The Conversation and Burroughs Wellcome Fund announce partnership to encourage more diverse expert voices in the media

  • Written by Beth Daley, Editor and General Manager

I’m delighted to announce that The Conversation has received a planning grant from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund to help us launch a new initiative to develop, promote, and sustain diverse expert voices for the public.

I know that as a reader of The Conversation you already understand the importance of the work we do at The Conversation to...

Read more: The Conversation and Burroughs Wellcome Fund announce partnership to encourage more diverse expert...

¿Harto del COVID-19? Aquí te decimos por qué podrías tener fatiga pandémica

  • Written by Jay Maddock, Professor of Public Health, Texas A&M University
imageEs tentador tomar un descanso de tantas precauciones.Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

A medida que la pandemia se prolonga, seguir las pautas de prevención de COVID-19 puede parecer un desafío cada vez mayor.

Este tipo de fatiga no es exclusivo de las precauciones contra una pandemia, como mantener el distanciamiento...

Read more: ¿Harto del COVID-19? Aquí te decimos por qué podrías tener fatiga pandémica

Feeling scared about how your kids can enjoy Halloween this year? Have no fear – healthy snacks are here

  • Written by Michael Goran, Professor of Pediatrics, Center for the Changing Family & Children's Hospital Los Angeles, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
imageA monster face made of guacamole and vegetables, left, and owls and spiders made from sesame seeds are great fun for kids and healthy, too.Emily Ventura, CC BY-SA

Halloween is extra tricky this year thanks to COVID-19. But beyond the possible exposure to the virus from trick-or-treating or Halloween parties, there’s the issue of excess sugar...

Read more: Feeling scared about how your kids can enjoy Halloween this year? Have no fear – healthy snacks...

More Articles ...

  1. Are 50 Cent, Ice Cube and young Black men the supporters who will enable Trump's return to the White House? Not exactly
  2. Chile abolishes its dictatorship-era constitution in groundbreaking vote for a more inclusive democracy
  3. In rural America, resentment over COVID-19 shutdowns is colliding with rising case numbers
  4. Why mixed messaging can erode trust in institutions
  5. The spooky and dangerous side of black licorice
  6. Your dog's nose knows no bounds – and neither does its love for you
  7. Rats help clear minefields in Cambodia – and suspicion of the military
  8. Severed families, raided workplaces and a climate of fear: Assessing Trump's immigration crackdown
  9. Trump's trade war – what was it good for? Not much
  10. Kids are probably more strategic about swapping Halloween candy and other stuff than you might think
  11. Obstacles to voting: 6 essential reads on the challenges of election 2020
  12. What is originalism? Debunking the myths
  13. COVID-19 causes some patients' immune systems to attack their own bodies, which may contribute to severe illness
  14. An epidemiologist explains the new CDC guidance on 15 minutes of exposure and what it means for you
  15. Sick of COVID-19? Here's why you might have pandemic fatigue
  16. A second pathway into cells for SARS-CoV-2: New understanding of the neuropilin-1 protein could speed vaccine research
  17. In two political battlegrounds, thousands of mail-in ballots are on the verge of being rejected
  18. Most plastic recycling produces low-value materials – but we've found a way to turn a common plastic into high-value molecules
  19. How to use COVID-19 testing and quarantining to safely travel for the holidays
  20. COVID-19 has shone a light on the millennia-old balance between public and private worship
  21. Do we have to toss Halloween out the window this year, too? Public health experts give some guidelines
  22. An expert in nonverbal communication watched the Trump-Biden debate with the sound turned down – here's what he saw
  23. Dios puede ser herido, pero no como afirma Trump, según los teólogos
  24. Election 2020: 89 articles to teach you about how American elections really work
  25. Pope Francis' support for civil unions is a call to justice – and nothing new
  26. How to track your mail-in ballot
  27. Mail delays, the election and the future of the US Postal Service: 5 questions answered
  28. 1968's presidential election looks a lot like today's – but it was very different
  29. What the rise of digital handouts on Venmo and Cash App says about our fraying social safety net
  30. Disputes over when life begins may block cutting-edge reproductive technologies like mitochondrial replacement therapies
  31. P-TECH high school model connects students to college and careers
  32. When fracking moves into the neighborhood, mental health risks rise
  33. Writing the Isolation Rag – a composer reflects on his experience making music during a pandemic
  34. Designing batteries for easier recycling could avert a looming e-waste crisis
  35. A tiny circular racetrack for light can rapidly detect single molecules
  36. OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma may settle legal claims with a new 'public trust' that would still be dedicated to profit
  37. Why the FDA is warning pregnant women not to use over-the-counter pain relievers
  38. Turbulent environment set the stage for leaps in human evolution and technology 320,000 years ago
  39. How sexist abuse of women in Congress amounts to political violence – and undermines American democracy
  40. Immigrants are still sending lots of money home despite the coronavirus job losses – for now
  41. From Macedonia to America: Civics lessons from the former Yugoslavia
  42. 19th-century political parties kidnapped reluctant voters and printed their own ballots -- and that's why we've got laws regulating behavior at polling places
  43. How might the campaign’s endgame be disrupted? Here are five scenarios, drawn from the history of election polling
  44. Why Democrats and health policy experts believe the Barrett confirmation rush is about getting rid of the Affordable Care Act: 3 essential reads
  45. People want data privacy but don't always know what they're getting
  46. Beheading in France could bolster president's claim that Islam is in 'crisis' – but so is French secularism
  47. Lincoln Project's anti-Trump ads show power of biting satire
  48. Russian media may be joining China and Iran in turning on Trump
  49. How QAnon uses satanic rhetoric to set up a narrative of 'good vs. evil'
  50. The president's term ends at noon on Jan. 20