The Conversation

‘Hamnet’ is making audiences break down in tears – and upending beliefs about male grief

Written by Jeanette Tran, Associate Professor of English, Drake University

Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare in Chloé Zhao’s film 'Hamnet.'Focus Features

Did you cry during “Hamnet”?

On social media, many viewers shared the overwhelming emotions elicited by the film, which has been nominated for eight Academy Awards.

One viewer commented on Reddit that the movie was an “out of body experience....

Federal benefits cuts are looming – here’s how Colorado is trying to protect families with children

Written by Stephen Roll, Assistant Professor of Social Policy, Washington University in St. Louis

Colorado is leveraging its tax code to reduce child poverty. Royalty-free/Getty Images

Childhood poverty in the U.S. fell to its lowest level in history in 2021. The fall was largely due to the expanded child tax credit and other COVID-19 pandemic supports that put cash directly in the hands of parents and lifted millions of children out of poverty....

A successful USDA program that has supported more than 533,000 affordable rental homes in rural America is getting phased out

Written by Brian Y. An, Co-Director of Center for Urban Research, Director of Master of Science in Public Policy Program, & Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology

Low-income Americans in rural areas can struggle to pay market-rate rents.mphillips007/iStock via Getty Images Plus

The high cost of renting and buying homes in U.S. cities is no secret. But this affordability problem isn’t limited to urban regions – it affects rural areas as well.

Rural areas, home to about 25% of Americans, benefit...

Kurdish gains in Syria could disappear without international support − just as they did in Iraq decades ago

Written by Lily Hindy, PhD Candidate in History, University of California, Los Angeles

Kurdish fighters welcome Syrian government forces to the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli, Syria, on Feb. 3, 2026. Delil Souleiman/AFP via Getty Images

Days into the United States and Israel’s war against Iran, Trump officials and Kurdish leaders began openly musing about whether Iran’s Kurdish minority should seize on the dire...

Not just Patriot interceptors: A defense expert explains the various weapons US and allies use to defend against missiles and drones

Written by Iain Boyd, Director of the Center for National Security Initiatives and Professor of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder

An Israeli air defense system fires interceptor missiles at missiles launched from Iran on March 1, 2026.AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean

Patriot missile batteries have been the iconic air defense system in the United States’ arsenal for several decades, but evolving threats – from cheap rockets to even cheaper drones – have forced the...

Constant technology changes throw seniors a curve – and add to caregivers’ load

Written by Debaleena Chattopadhyay, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, University of Illinois Chicago

Shifting interfaces and frequent updates challenge elders and increase the burdens on people who try to help them.Maskot via Getty Images

This past Christmas, I helped my parents choose a water filter. The latest “smart” models all came with a smartphone app that promised to monitor filter life, track water quality and automatically...

ICE buys $87M warehouse in Pennsylvania − can local officials block a detention facility?

Written by Aaron Walayat, Assistant Professor of Law, University of Dayton

Local residents express concern after ICE purchased a warehouse in Upper Bern, Pa., for $87 million in February 2026.SOPA Images/LightRocket Collection via Getty Images

Immigration and Customs Enforcement finalized the purchase of a 520,000-square-foot warehouse in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in February 2026. The agency paid US$87 million for the...

Legal refugees now face long detention after DHS reinterprets law on applying for a green card after a year

Written by Ashley Sanchez, Associate Professor of Immigration, University of Notre Dame

A group of refugees and asylum-seekers tour a commercial fishing marina as part of a summer immersion program in August 2018 in Eastport, Maine. John Moore/Getty Images

The Department of Homeland Security issued a policy memo in February 2026 that could lead to the detention of refugees who are legally in the country.

The new policy states that...

As Iran war expands, some conservative Christians interpret the conflict through biblical prophecies

Written by Shalom Goldman, Professor Emeritus of Religion, Middlebury College

Smoke and flames rise at the site of airstrikes on an oil depot in Tehran on March 7, 2026. Sasan/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

As the American and Israeli war with Iran unfolds, some American Christians are speaking of the conflict in biblical terms, mapping end-time prophecies on to current events in the Middle East.

In a sermon on March...

‘The Tibetan Book of the Dead’ is actually not just about death

Written by Jue Liang, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, Case Western Reserve University

Tibetan fabric painting from the 17th or 18th century depicting a Bardo Cycle deity, representing transitional states between death and rebirth in Tibetan Buddhist belief.Dea/ V. Pirozzi/DeAgostini via Getty Images

You’ve seen it in bookstores – the metallic turquoise spine peeking out from the shelf under “Eastern...