The Conversation

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs advises the president on use of America’s military power

Written by Dwight Stirling, Lecturer in Law, University of Southern California

In February 2025, Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown, center, was fired as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by President Donald Trump.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The dismissal of Gen. Charles Q. Brown as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was startling, if not unexpected, at the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term.

Trump...

How the hidden epidemic of violence against nurses affects health care

Written by Jason Blomquist, Assistant Professor of Nursing, Boise State University

Nurses in the United States face a high rate of burnout.Hirung via Getty Images

“Violence is just part of the job. Every nurse and health care worker experiences it at some point.”

Sentiments like this echo across American hospitals and health care facilities, capturing a disturbing and growing reality. Though Americans think of nursing...

How Trump’s second term might affect the market and your finances

Written by Art Durnev, Distinguished Chair in Finance, Professor of Finance, University of Richmond

Ever since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, stock market expectations have been volatile – driven in part by a healthy dose of motivated reasoning.

At first, markets surged on hopes of lower taxes and deregulation. But this enthusiasm soon faded as announcements about tariffs and stricter immigration policies dampened...

Many more Denver teens have experienced homelessness than official counts show

Written by Matthew Westfall, Medical Resident in Internal Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Denver saw an increase in youth homelessness from 10% to 25% between 2017 and 2021, according to our study recently published in the peer-reviewed journal “Pediatrics.”

We are two physicians whose clinical work and research focuses on the social causes of health and disease. In particular, we’ve seen firsthand how housing...

Out-of-balance bacteria is linked to multiple sclerosis − the ratio can predict severity of disease

Written by Ashutosh Mangalam, Associate Professor of Pathology, University of Iowa

The myelin sheaths insulating neurons are damaged in multiple sclerosis.Steve Gschmeissner/Science Photo Library/Brand X Pictures via Getty Images

Multiple sclerosis is a disease that results when the immune system mistakenly attacks the brain and spinal cord. It affects nearly one million people in the U.S. and over 2.8 million worldwide. While...

How are clouds’ shapes made? A scientist explains the different cloud types and how they help forecast weather

Written by Ross Lazear, Instructor in Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, University at Albany, State University of New York

Lenticular clouds, like this one over a mountain in Chile, can look like flying saucers.Bilderbuch/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.

How are clouds’ shapes...

GOP lawmakers commit to big spending cuts, putting Medicaid under a spotlight – but trimming the low-income health insurance program would be hard

Written by Paul Shafer, Assistant Professor of Health Law, Policy and Management, Boston University

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson addresses the media on Feb. 25, 2025, after the House narrowly passed his budget resolution calling for big spending cuts. Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

Efforts by Republicans in Congress to make steep spending cuts have stirred widespread concerns that the federal government may trim expenditures on Medicaid even...

Who’s who at the Vatican?

Written by Daniel Speed Thompson, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of Dayton

Deacons take part in a mass in St. Peter's Basilica that was supposed to be presided over by Pope Francis.AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino

For more than two weeks, eyes have been on the Vatican, awaiting news about Pope Francis’ health. The pope has been at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital since Feb. 14, 2025, being treated for double pneumonia and...

What is isolationism? The history and politics of an often-maligned foreign policy concept

Written by Andrew Latham, Professor of Political Science, Macalester College

Isolationism has deep roots in American foreign policy stretching back to George Washington.FotografiaBasica/Getty Images

Few terms in American foreign policy discourse are as misunderstood or politically charged as “isolationism.”

Often used as a political weapon, the term conjures images of a retreating America, indifferent to global...

From opposing robber barons to the New Deal to desegregation to DOGE, state attorneys general have long taken on Washington

Written by Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College

State attorneys general are teaming up to check Trump's executive power.erhui1979/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images

The start of President Donald Trump’s second term has been a bonanza for the attorneys general of blue states. As the president has released his blizzard of executive orders and axed federal funding and programs on which...