The Conversation

Trump's Mexico tariffs don't make sense, but Americans will pay a steep price anyway if they go into effect

Written by Christina Fattore, Associate Professor of Political Science, West Virginia University

Mexican avocados may soon be more expensive in American supermarkets.AP Photo/Mark Lennihan

The Trump administration says it intends to slap a 5% tariff on every medium-sized car, avocado and other Mexican import beginning June 10 – all almost US$1 billion worth that crosses the border into the U.S. each day on average.

The president is using...

Hackers seek ransoms from Baltimore and communities across the US

Written by Richard Forno, Senior Lecturer, Cybersecurity & Internet Researcher, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Many of Baltimore's city services are crippled by a cyberattack.The Conversation from City of Baltimore and Love Silhouette/Shutterstock.com, CC BY-SA

The people of Baltimore are beginning their fifth week under an electronic siege that has prevented residents from obtaining building permits and business licenses – and even buying or selling...

How 'America's Got Talent' contestant Kodi Lee shattered stereotypes about disability

Written by Stan Link, Associate Professor of the Composition, Philosophy and Analysis of Music, Vanderbilt University

Lee was able to communicate that disability is a part of humanity – not separate from it.America's Got Talent/YouTube

If you haven’t seen Kodi Lee’s May 28 performance on “America’s Got Talent,” it’s worth a watch.

The 22-year-old Lee is blind and has autism. His rendition of Leon Russell’s “A...

Cheaper versions of the most expensive drugs may be coming, but monopolies will likely remain

Written by Yaniv Heled, Associate Professor of Law, Georgia State University

Some biologics can cost up to a million dollars for a year's worth.Tero Vesalainen

In May, the Food and Drug Administration issued much-anticipated guidance that could revolutionize the pricing of some of the most expensive drugs on the market in the U.S. and, possibly, globally.

In this document, the FDA explains to drug manufacturers how to...

Climate change is driving rapid shifts between high and low water levels on the Great Lakes

Written by Drew Gronewold, Associate Professor of Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan

Waves on Lake Superior crash against the Duluth, Minn. waterfront Sept. 10, 2014.Randen Pederson, CC BY

The North American Great Lakes contain about one-fifth of the world’s surface fresh water. In May, new high water level records were set on Lakes Erie and Superior, and there has been widespread flooding across Lake Ontario for the second...

Violence climbs in Colombia as president chips away at landmark peace deal with FARC guerrillas

Written by Fabio Andres Diaz, Researcher on Conflict, Peace and Development, International Institute of Social Studies

Police protect a judicial complex where former FARC rebel leader Seuxis Hernandez was standing trial on May 20, 2019. The former peace negotiator has been arrested on drug charges and is now fighting extradition to the United States. AP Photo/Ivan Valencia

Thousands of Colombian militants and soldiers will have their day in court.

A panel of...

The racist roots of American policing: From slave patrols to traffic stops

Written by Connie Hassett-Walker, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, Kean University

A new slogan for an old problemPhoto/Lynne Sladky

Outrage over racial profiling and the killing of African Americans by police officers and vigilantes in recent years helped give rise to the Black Lives Matter movement.

But tensions between the police and black communities are nothing new.

There are many precedents to the Ferguson, Missouri...

The war on women coaches

Written by Laura Burton, Professor of Sport Management, University of Connecticut

Former Georgia Tech head coach MaChelle Joseph looks on during an NCAA college basketball game against Notre Dame in February 2019.AP Photo/Robert Franklin

During the past women’s college basketball season, two prominent head coaches, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill’s Sylvia Hatchell and Georgia Tech’s MaChelle Joseph,...

What is Eid and how do Muslims celebrate it? 6 questions answered

Written by Ken Chitwood, Ph.D. Candidate, Religion in the Americas, Global Islam, University of Florida

Muslim women at a prayer service at a mosque in Redmond, Washington, to mark the end of Ramadan and the start of Eid-al-Fitr in 2016.AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

Editor’s note: Muslims all over the world are celebrating Eid al-Fitr, one of the religion’s principal festivals. In August, Muslims will celebrate Eid al-Adha. Ken Chitwood, a...

Angkor Wat archaeological digs yield new clues to its civilization's decline

Written by Alison Kyra Carter, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, University of Oregon

Cambodia’s famous temple of Angkor Wat is one of the world’s largest religious monuments, visited by over 2 million tourists each year.

It was built in the early 12th century by King Suryavarman II, one of the most famous kings of the Angkorian civilization that lasted from approximately the ninth to 15th centuries. The structure is so...