The Conversation

Experts agree that Trump's coronavirus response was poor, but the US was ill-prepared in the first place

Written by Simon F. Haeder, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Pennsylvania State University

President Donald Trump with members of the president's Coronavirus Task Force at the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020.AP Photo/Evan Vucci

As the coronavirus pandemic exerts a tighter grip on the nation, critics of the Trump administration have repeatedly highlighted the administration’s changes to the nation’s pandemic response team...

Telecommuting could curb the coronavirus epidemic

Written by Mohja Rhoads, Research Consultant and Lecturer in Policy, Planning and Development, California State University, Dominguez Hills

Less than 30% of the workforce has the ability to work from home.Westend61/Getty ImagesCC BY-ND

Recent surveys from both the National Household Transportation Survey and the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that around 29% of the United States workforce has the option to work at home, and around 15% usually does so.

Working from home pays a...

What coronavirus symptoms should I look for, and when do I call the doctor? A doctor answers 4 questions

Written by William Petri, Professor of Medicine, University of Virginia

A nurse at a drive-up coronavirus testing station set up by the University of Washington Medical Center on Friday, March 13, 2020.AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

As the nation adjusts to the threat of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, it’s only natural to worry whether a cough or aches and pains could be signs you have become infected...

Mubarak's lasting legacy on Egypt's Coptic Christians

Written by Ramazan Kılınç, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Nebraska Omaha

A 2005 presidential election poster of then-President Hosni Mubarak that said: '70 million Egyptian Muslims and Christians say yes to Mubarak.'AP Photo/Hasan Jamali

The rule of Egypt’s former leader Hosni Mubarak, who died in February at age 91, will be remembered by many for its repressive tactics and the unprecedented Arab Spring protests...

Reports of the death of congressional oversight are greatly exaggerated

Written by Kirsten Carlson, Associate Professor of Law and Adjunct Associate Professor of Political Science, Wayne State University

The U.S .Capitol on February 20, 2020 in Washington, D.C. Getty/Alex Edelman/AFP

For over 200 years, Congress and the executive branch have maintained a delicate balance of power. When disputes between the two branches have arisen, they have compromised and turned to the courts only as a last resort.

Recently, an appeals court ruled in House...

How to talk to someone you believe is misinformed about the coronavirus

Written by Emma Frances Bloomfield, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Don't shout or lecture – just talk.fizkes/Shutterstock.com

The medical evidence is clear: The coronavirus global health threat is not an elaborate hoax. Bill Gates did not create the coronavirus to sell more vaccines. Essential oils are not effective at protecting you from coronavirus.

But those facts have not stopped contrary claims from...

Netflix's 'Self-Made' miniseries about Madam C.J. Walker leaves out the mark she made through generosity

Written by Tyrone McKinley Freeman, Assistant Professor of Philanthropic Studies, Director of Undergraduate Programs, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, IUPUI

Octavia Spencer, left, stars in this rags-to-riches tale, along with Blair Underwood.Amanda Matlovich/Netflix

The Netflix series “Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker” brings to life part of a fascinating rags-to-riches tale I’ve been researching for the past 10 years.

Walker, widely documented to have been...

Prosecutors are increasingly – and misleadingly – using rap lyrics as evidence in court

Written by Erik Nielson, Associate Professor of Liberal Arts, University of Richmond

You wouldn't think Bob Marley 'shot the sheriff,' but rappers are held to a double standard.k1003mike/Shutterstock.com

Rapper Darrell Caldwell, better known to fans as Drakeo the Ruler, was on his way to stardom. Hailed as one of the most original rappers to emerge from Los Angeles in a generation, he had garnered hundreds of thousands of followers...

Should Trump shut down the stock market? 4 questions answered

Written by Jonathan T. Fluharty-Jaidee, Assistant Department Chair and Professor of Finance, West Virginia University

The normally busy floor of the New York Stock Exchange was empty on Oct. 29, 2012, during Hurricane Sandy.AP Photo/Richard Drew

Editor’s note: Financial markets across the globe have plunged repeatedly in recent weeks over concerns about the growing economic toll from the coronavirus pandemic, on some days falling over 10%. This has raised...

St. Patrick’s Day: A time to toast ... your liver

Written by Marie-Pierre Hasne, PhD, Pharm.D. Lecturer, College of Medicine-Tucson, University of Arizona

St. Patrick and Ireland may be mostly on your mind on March 17, but it's also a time to toast your liver.VGstockstudio/Shutterstock.com

St. Patrick’s Day is here, and even though most big celebrations have been canceled because of coronavirus, we still have something to cheer over – our livers.

If St. Patrick is celebrated for his...