The Conversation

Trump's unprecedented call for protests is the latest sign of his aim to degrade America's institutions

Written by Shelley Inglis, Executive Director, University of Dayton Human Rights Center, University of Dayton

Donald Trump asked his supporters to protest what he claimed is his imminent indictment.AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File

In a social media post on March 18, 2023, former President Donald Trump announced that he would be arrested on March 21 on charges stemming from an investigation led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Bragg’s office is...

Is Wikipedia a good source? 2 college librarians explain when to use the online encyclopedia – and when to avoid it

Written by Bridget Retzloff, Assistant Professor and Digital Pedagogy Librarian, University of Dayton

Some professors now assign Wikipedia editing as an alternative to the traditional research paper. Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images

What comes to mind when you think of Wikipedia?

Maybe you think of clicking link after link to learn about a topic, followed by another topic and then another. Or maybe you’ve heard a teacher or...

Worst bank turmoil since 2008 means Federal Reserve is damned if it does and damned if it doesn't in decision over interest rates

Written by Alexander Kurov, Professor of Finance and Fred T. Tattersall Research Chair in Finance, West Virginia University

Just hold your nose and make a decision.AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

The Federal Reserve faces a pivotal decision on March 22, 2023: whether to continue its aggressive fight against inflation or put it on hold.

Making another big interest rate hike would risk exacerbating the global banking turmoil sparked by Silicon Valley Bank’s failure on March...

Secession is here: States, cities and the wealthy are already withdrawing from America

Written by Michael J. Lee, Professor of Communication, College of Charleston

Acts of secession are happening across the U.S.Vector Illustration/Getty Images

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, wants a “national divorce.” In her view, another Civil War is inevitable unless red and blue states form separate countries.

She has plenty of company on the right, where a host of others – 52% of...

Voice deepfakes are calling – here's what they are and how to avoid getting scammed

Written by Matthew Wright, Professor of Computing Security, Rochester Institute of Technology

Cloning someone's voice is easier than ever.D-Keine/iStock via Getty Images

You have just returned home after a long day at work and are about to sit down for dinner when suddenly your phone starts buzzing. On the other end is a loved one, perhaps a parent, a child or a childhood friend, begging you to send them money immediately.

You ask them...

The state takeover of Houston public schools is about more than school improvement

Written by Domingo Morel, Associate Professor of Political Science and Public Service, New York University

The state takeover is based largely on one school.Maskot / Getty Images

When the state of Texas took over Houston’s public school district on March 15, 2023, it made the district one of more than 100 school districts in the nation that have experienced similar state takeovers during the past 30 years.

The list includes New York City, Chicago,...

Estonia's e-governance revolution is hailed as a voting success – so why are some US states pulling in the opposite direction?

Written by Erik S. Herron, Professor of Political Science, West Virginia University

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas reacts to e-vote results on March 5, 2023.Raigo Pajula/AFP via Getty Images

Estonia, a small country in northern Europe, reached a digital milestone when the country headed to the polls on March 5, 2023.

For the first time, over 50% of voters cast their ballots online in a national parliamentary election.

As a pol...

3 reasons the Willow Arctic oil drilling project was approved – it's the latest battle in a long fight over Alaska's North Slope

Written by Scott L. Montgomery, Lecturer, Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington

Several oil projects are active in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. Bob Wick/Bureau of Land Management, CC BY-SA

For more than six decades, Alaska’s North Slope has been a focus of intense controversy over oil development and wilderness protection, with no end in sight. Willow field, a 600-million-barrel, US$8 billion oil project...

Prosecuting Putin for abducting Ukrainian children will require a high bar of evidence – and won't guarantee the children can come back home

Written by Stefan Schmitt, Project Lead for International Technical Forensic Services, Florida International University

Thousands of teddy bears with candles on display at a protest in Brussels in February 2023 represented abducted Ukrainian children.Nicolas Maeterlinck/Belga MAG/AFP via Getty Images

The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 17, 2023, over war crimes in Ukraine, alleging he bears...

Is the Western drought finally ending? That depends on where you look

Written by Dan McEvoy, Associate Research Professor in Climatology, Desert Research Institute

California's snowpack was more than twice the average in much of the state in early March 2023.Mario Tama/Getty Images

After three years of extreme drought, the Western U.S. is finally getting a break. Mountain ranges are covered in deep snow, and water reservoirs in many areas are filling up following a series of atmospheric rivers that brought...