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Meloni and Trump’s cooling relationship marks the failure of an EU-MAGA middle ground

  • Written by Julia Khrebtan-Hörhager, Professor of Critical Cultural & International Studies, Colorado State University
imageBreaking up is hard to do?Yoan Valat/AFP via Getty Images

As recently as October 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump was heaping praise on Giorgia Meloni, telling the Italian prime minister how “beautiful” she was.

But what once looked like a political romance based on equal parts ideological alignment and strategic convenience is now...

Read more: Meloni and Trump’s cooling relationship marks the failure of an EU-MAGA middle ground

‘Just war’ has guided Catholic thinking on conflict for centuries – including criticism of Iran war

  • Written by Valerie Morkevičius, Associate Professor, Political Science, Colgate University

Since the beginning of the Iran war, Pope Leo XIV has frequently called for peace, cautioning that the “delusion of omnipotence” makes military force seem preferable to diplomacy. Although U.S. Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic, criticized some of the pope’s comments, a growing choir of Catholic voices has criticized the...

Read more: ‘Just war’ has guided Catholic thinking on conflict for centuries – including criticism of Iran war

Boom in cremation hides surprising truths about what Americans really want when they die

  • Written by Tanya D. Marsh, Professor of Law, Wake Forest University
imageA striking 51.7% of Gen Z respondents ranked casket burial as their first choice, compared with just 27.1% of baby boomers.Ashley Cooper/The Image Bank via Getty Images

Nearly two-thirds of Americans now opt for cremation – a figure that has been steadily increasing over five decades.

On the surface, that proportion tells a simple story: The...

Read more: Boom in cremation hides surprising truths about what Americans really want when they die

You probably wouldn’t notice if an AI chatbot slipped ads into its responses

  • Written by Brian Jay Tang, Ph.D. Candidate in Computer Science and Engineering, University of Michigan
imageAre you sure you could tell if an AI chatbot were trying to sell you something?AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

Hundreds of millions of people consult artificial intelligence chatbots on a daily basis for everything from product recommendations to romance, making them a tempting audience to target with potentially below-the-radar advertising. Indeed, our...

Read more: You probably wouldn’t notice if an AI chatbot slipped ads into its responses

What is black garlic? How heat and humidity turn a pungent ingredient mild and slightly sweet

  • Written by Mavra Javed, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University
imageNatasha Breen/REDA/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

You may have seen black garlic appear more frequently in grocery stores, restaurants and online recipes over the past few years. Many chefs and food writers describe it as a unique and deeply flavored ingredient. So what is black garlic, and how is it made?

I noticed a growing curiosity...

Read more: What is black garlic? How heat and humidity turn a pungent ingredient mild and slightly sweet

‘Affordable’ Pittsburgh doesn’t have enough affordable housing – here’s why

  • Written by Selena E. Ortiz, Associate professor of Health Policy and Administration and Demography, Penn State
imagePittsburgh is facing a shortage of affordable housing − especially for extremely low-income residents.dosecreative/iStock Collection via Getty Images

Pittsburgh is widely regarded as a relatively affordable place to live. Overall, housing and living costs remain below national averages for midsize cities in the United States.

Along with low...

Read more: ‘Affordable’ Pittsburgh doesn’t have enough affordable housing – here’s why

China surpasses US in research spending – the consequences extend far beyond scientific ranking and clout

  • Written by Caroline Wagner, Professor of Public Affairs, The Ohio State University
imageIn a span of a few years, China has outstripped the U.S. in scientific publications, spending and patents.AP Photo/Andy Wong

China’s rapid rise in science has hit a milestone. The country’s investment in research and development has reached parity with – and by purchasing power measures has surpassed – that of the United...

Read more: China surpasses US in research spending – the consequences extend far beyond scientific ranking...

Trump administration’s indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center breaks with norms – and may lack evidence of criminal wrongdoing

  • Written by Beth Gazley, Professor of Nonprofit Management and Policy, Indiana University
imageFBI Director Kash Patel, right, and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche speak about the Southern Poverty Law Center's indictment in April 2026.Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images

The Southern Poverty Law Center was indicted on April 21, 2026, on federal fraud charges. The Justice Department alleges that the civil rights group known as the SPLC...

Read more: Trump administration’s indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center breaks with norms – and may...

Why the Southeast is burning – extreme drought is only part of the reason

  • Written by Zachary Handlos, Atmospheric Science Educator, Georgia Institute of Technology
imageFire crews responded to dozens of wildfires burning in Georgia and northern Florida on April 23, 2026.Georgia Department of Natural Resources via AP

Large parts of the southeastern U.S. are in the midst of an exceptional drought, and it is fueling dozens of wildfires in Florida and Georgia.

One of those wildfires, in southeastern Georgia’s...

Read more: Why the Southeast is burning – extreme drought is only part of the reason

Why the Southeast is burning – extreme drought is only part of the cause

  • Written by Zachary Handlos, Atmospheric Science Educator, Georgia Institute of Technology
imageFire crews responded to dozens of wildfires burning in Georgia and northern Florida on April 23, 2026.Georgia Department of Natural Resources via AP

Large parts of the southeastern U.S. are in the midst of an exceptional drought, and it is fueling dozens of wildfires in Florida and Georgia.

One of those wildfires, in southeastern Georgia’s...

Read more: Why the Southeast is burning – extreme drought is only part of the cause

More Articles ...

  1. Supreme Court’s ‘shadow docket’ brings hasty decisions with long-lasting implications, outside of its usual careful deliberation
  2. School gardens help students learn science and connect with agriculture – but making them happen isn’t easy
  3. The new brain break app for Philadelphia students raises questions about more screen time
  4. Many churches, synagogues and mosques are built around families – and they’re struggling to respond to rising singles
  5. New reading textbooks, same problem: Why children’s reading scores in the US aren’t rising
  6. What we lose when artificial intelligence does our shopping
  7. If Justice Alito resigns before the midterms, a Trump nominee to the Supreme Court is likely to sail through confirmation
  8. Extreme rain on snow is testing aging dams across Michigan and Wisconsin – this is the future in a warming world
  9. Heavy rain on snow is testing aging dams across Michigan and Wisconsin – this is the future in a warming world
  10. Sorry, Tampa Bay, mixed-use districts don’t reverse the dismal economics of sports venues
  11. Chernobyl at 40: Secret Stasi files reveal extent of Soviet misinformation campaign over nuclear disaster
  12. What a Muslim folk trickster can teach us about the danger of holding a single worldview
  13. Rotavirus cases in children are rising – but a highly effective vaccine has slashed hospitalizations from the virus by 80% in 2 decades
  14. Is Trump heading to a Pyrrhic victory in Iran?
  15. High school yearbooks focus on the fun students had, obscuring the pain people also experienced
  16. HEPA air purifiers may boost brain power in adults over 40 – new research
  17. Why Trump can’t just decree changes to voting by mail – a former federal judge explains how the president’s executive order is ‘a solution looking for a problem’
  18. How personal finance advice is getting political, thanks to ‘finfluencers’
  19. It’s a sing-off! Myth-busting about birds and sex when it comes to defending the nest
  20. Why the US military is stuck using $1 million missiles against Iran’s $20,000 drones
  21. Research at Chernobyl and Fukushima shows how radioactive materials move in the environment
  22. Hurricanes devastated Florida’s East Coast – then seagrass made an unexpected comeback
  23. Attending multiple places of worship is the norm for many Americans
  24. Agricultural work is dangerous – but good communication can save lives in Colorado
  25. Signs of economic instability emerge in Oakland County, one of Michigan’s wealthiest
  26. US government ramps up mass surveillance with help of AI tech, data brokers – and your apps and devices
  27. Umbilical cord blood may hold clues for a child’s risk of developing Type 1 diabetes
  28. Despite all the likes, literallys and dropped g’s, English isn’t decaying before our eyes
  29. Data centers don’t have to be a burden on local communities – and can even support them by generating power and repurposing waste heat
  30. NATO’s internal cohesion is being threatened (again) – but in pushing for support on Iran, Trump may risk eroding US influence on the alliance
  31. Placebo effect can work as well as real medicine – but your body may need permission to use it
  32. Don’t just plant trees, plant forests to restore biodiversity for the future
  33. We designed the turf for soccer’s biggest World Cup ever – here’s how we created the same playing experience across 3 countries
  34. Intimate partner homicide has clear warning signs – and is often preventable, research shows
  35. Is the science that we do today truth, likely to be a lie, or is it undetermined?
  36. It’s a myth that baby boys are less social than girls – a new look at decades of research shows all babies are born to connect
  37. Most people do not realize when a personal message they receive was written by AI, study finds
  38. Schools are supposed to limit using restraint and seclusion to discipline kids – but parents I spoke with say the practice is wildly misused
  39. ICE’s heavy-handed immigration enforcement was tried once before – by Arizona’s notorious sheriff Joe Arpaio in the early 2000s
  40. 1914 Ludlow Massacre took lives of 25 miners and family members during bitter strike for fair wages and conditions
  41. When oil prices spike, where does the money go?
  42. Hampshire College’s demise is yet another blow to creative, outside-the-box options in higher education
  43. Why the future of marijuana legalization remains hazy despite high public support
  44. Trump sidelined Congress’ authority over war on Iran – and lawmakers allowed it, extending a 75-year trend
  45. Trump’s coercive tactics in Latin America evoke era of gunboat diplomacy – and the rise of anti-imperialism it helped spur
  46. I’ve fired one of America’s most powerful lasers – here’s what a shot day looks like
  47. About half of young Americans can’t name a single Holocaust site, repeating a pattern of ignorance seen in postwar Germany
  48. Ancient teeth reveal clues to the environment humans’ early ancestors evolved in millions of years ago
  49. How Islamophobic rhetoric leaves an impact on the mental health of Muslim Americans
  50. ‘Right to race’ laws and the battle over America’s local racetracks