Universities struggling with racist past?Let Ideas Compete, CC BY-NC-NDIn the wake of the resignation of University of Missouri System President Tom Wolfe, much is being written about the power of collective action among student groups to affect positive change on their campuses.
The Black Lives Matter movement has demonstrated the same. Young...
Even if Exxon eludes charges in New York, the attorney general's investigation sends a message on corporate accountability.mortaupat/flickr, CC BY-NC-NDIn a move that is potentially transformative, the New York attorney general is investigating Exxon for financial fraud.
The company made public statements questioning the science of climate change...
Read more: In targeting Exxon on climate, New York puts all corporations on notice
Poor polls results have pushed Chris Christie and Mike Huckabee off the main debate stage.REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson (l), Mike Blake (r)Polling is more important than ever in US presidential politics.
In the 2016 campaign, the polls now function as a primary election of their own, forcing candidates out of the race and influencing which candidates the...
Read more: Fox relies on polls too much in planning GOP debate
Traditional nonprofits help ensure aid gets to 'hidden' populations like the homeless. ReutersA recent article in The Atlantic highlighted a growing trend in economic aid of giving money directly to the needy, often without strings attached. It’s being fueled in part by the spread of smartphones, which make it a breeze to offer a few dollars...
As Donald Trump knows all too well, sensationalism sells.Rick Wilking/ReutersAnyone curious about the state of American democracy should simply tune into the GOP debate series, whose next episode airs Tuesday night on Fox Business Network.
If the first two debates are any indication, advertisers will be clamoring to buy up commercial spots,...
Read more: How ratings-driven presidential debates are weakening American democracy
Numbered days of the print form of scholar's book?quattrostagioni, CC BYThe print-format scholarly book, a bulwark of academia’s publish-or-perish culture, is an endangered species. The market that has sustained it over the years is collapsing.
Sales of scholarly books in print format have hit record lows. Per-copy prices are at record highs....
Read more: Academic print books are dying. What's the future?
US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter observes the destroyer USS Lassen in the South China Sea. US NavyUS defense officials are open about the fact they sent a guided-missile destroyer within 12 nautical miles of a Chinese artificial island in the South China Sea on October 27.
In response, Chinese President Xi Jinping asserted “islands in the...
Read more: US and Chinese tempers rise in the South China Sea
Upon purchasing a product, many consumers will sign contracts that contain gag clauses in the fine print.'Zipper' via www.shutterstock.comIn late September, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a complaint against two marketers of weight-loss supplements – Roca Labs, Inc and Roca Labs Nutraceutical USA, Inc.
According to the FTC, Roca...
What would an environmental economist do? iip-photo-archive/flickr, CC BY-NCIn announcing the State Department’s decision to reject the permit application for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, President Obama focused on how this decision fits into the broader context of international negotiations on climate change.
With this decision made,...
Read more: If the US had price on carbon, would Keystone XL have made sense?
Crucial to Paris is a system to monitor and verify countries' pledges to reduce emissions.Kacper Pempel/ReutersThe United States, like many other countries, has been participating in negotiations in the lead-up to the United Nations' conference on climate change in Paris. The goal is to craft a policy framework that is going to engage all...
Read more: As the US heads to climate talks, it seeks a plan to 'trust but verify'