The Conversation

Big Tobacco loses tax battle in California, but Big Marijuana is on the rise

Written by Stanton Glantz, Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco

Californians are going to be seeing more messages like this because voters stood up to Big Tobacco and passed a $2 tobacco tax increase.California Department of Health Services

California voters handed Big Tobacco a resounding defeat Tuesday when they passed Proposition 56 to raise the cigarette tax by US$2 a pack (with increases in e-cigarettes...

How the U.S. presidential results are being seen around the globe

Written by Anthony J. Gaughan, Professor of Law, Drake University

Editor’s note: You probably have a handle on what Donald Trump’s election as president of the United States means in your own country, but what about around the world? We pulled reaction from our newsrooms in the U.S., the U.K., Australia and France to provide an international view on his surprise victory.

A Trump victory may not spell...

Reports of the death of polling have been greatly exaggerated

Written by Ole J. Forsberg, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, Knox College

Polls are best guesses, votes are real.AP Photo/Lee Jin-man

The first words anyone spoke to me once the election results came in were “What went wrong?” To which I replied, “I was tired and had trouble tying my tie. I’ll fix it before I get to class.” Far from being sartorially flippant, the point I was making was...

Cage-free sounds good, but does it mean a better life for chickens?

Written by Paul B. Thompson, Professor & W K Kellogg Chair in Agricultural, Food and Community Ethics, Michigan State University

What is a good life for an egg-laying hen?

Massachusetts is the latest state to vote on a ballot initiative to increase the amount of space that animals are allowed in industrial food production systems. It prohibits keeping pigs, cows and egg-laying hens in tight confinement that “prevents the animal from lying down, standing up, fully...

Donald Trump and the world: Five challenges

Written by Simon Reich, Professor in The Division of Global Affairs and The Department of Political Science, Rutgers University Newark

The election is finally over. It has resulted in the most stunning political upset in the modern era.

But that is really just the end of the beginning. The country will require a large amount of healing. That the electorate has expressed record high levels of disgust with the political process, and few believe that the country can be united, does...

The oceans are full of plastic, but why do seabirds eat it?

Written by Matthew Savoca, Ph.D. Candidate, University of California, Davis

Imagine that you are constantly eating, but slowly starving to death. Hundreds of species of marine mammals, fish, birds, and sea turtles face this risk every day when they mistake plastic debris for food.

Plastic debris can be found in oceans around the world. Scientists have estimated that there are over five trillion pieces of plastic weighing...

Is the 'Trump effect' lingering in increased school bullying?

Written by Jeffrey R. Sprague, Professor of Special Education, University of Oregon

What has the 'Trump effect' been on children?Juan, CC BY-NC

Donald Trump has won the presidency, but not before launching one of the most ugly and fractious campaigns in American history. As the 2016 election season now comes to a close, there are signs that it has left scars behind, particularly in the schools of the United States.

The National...

After a brutal campaign, a moment of transcendence for Hillary Clinton

Written by Jennifer Mercieca, Associate Professor of Communication and Director of the Aggie Agora, Texas A&M University

After a long night waiting for election returns to trickle in, Hillary Rodham Clinton took to the stage Wednesday morning in New York City to concede the presidency to Donald Trump, a ritual of closure necessary for the stability of the nation.

A concession speech signals the peaceful transition of power between one leader and the next. While...

America's aging voting machines managed to survive another election

Written by Lawrence Norden, Deputy Director, Democracy Program, Brennan Center for Justice, New York University

Depending on old technology.Rob Pegoraro/Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA

During this year’s voting, the vast majority of states used outdated voting machines perilously close to the end of their projected lifespan. Back in April, we warned that 42 states use machines that are at least a decade old. Given that a high percentage of these machines have...

What President Trump means for the future of energy and climate

Written by Mark Barteau, Director, University of Michigan Energy Institute, University of Michigan

President…Donald…Trump. For those on both sides of the aisle who vowed “Never Trump!,” that’s going to take some getting used to. On this morning after a stunning election, the first impulse may be to describe the future in apocalyptic phrases. Game over for the climate! Game over for NATO! Game over for the Clean...