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Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting prioritizes ‘real’ independence from the US − but what does that mean and is it achievable?

  • Written by Garret Martin, Senior Professorial Lecturer, Co-Director Transatlantic Policy Center, American University School of International Service

Germany’s presumptive new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, faces challenges both at home and overseas following his conservative alliance’s election victory on Feb. 23, 2025.

A strong showing from the hard-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) – which Merz, in line with other mainstream German parties, refuses to countenance as a...

Read more: Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting prioritizes ‘real’ independence from the US − but what does that...

A hazy legal landscape means people can get high on hemp products, even where pot is prohibited

  • Written by Katharine Neill Harris, Fellow in Drug Policy, Rice University
imageDelta-8 supplements on a shelf at a Texas store.Sergio Flores/Washington Post via Getty Images

In Texas, where I live, marijuana has long been illegal. Yet on a busy street in my Houston neighborhood, at least five stores within a half-mile of each other sell cannabis products that promise a strong high.

Texas isn’t alone. Due to a mix of...

Read more: A hazy legal landscape means people can get high on hemp products, even where pot is prohibited

Butchers, bakers, candlestick-makers − and prostitutes: The women working behind the scenes in papal Avignon

  • Written by Joelle Rollo-Koster, Professor of Medieval History, University of Rhode Island
imageThe papal palace in Avignon, where the pope's court was based for much of the 14th century.Jean-Marc Rosier from http://www.rosier.pro/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

In the medieval church, women’s roles were limited – usually some form of enclosure and celibacy, such as becoming an anchoress walled up alone for life, or a nun in a classic...

Read more: Butchers, bakers, candlestick-makers − and prostitutes: The women working behind the scenes in...

500 years ago, German peasants revolted – but their faith that the Protestant Reformation stood for freedom was dashed by Martin Luther and the nobility

  • Written by Michael Bruening, Professor of History, Missouri University of Science and Technology
imageA sketch of groups of peasants wandering around the countryside during the German Peasants' War.Warwick Press via Wikimedia Commons.

Five hundred years ago, in the winter of 1524-1525, bands of peasants roamed the German countryside seeking recruits. It was the start of the German Peasants’ War, the largest uprising in Europe before the...

Read more: 500 years ago, German peasants revolted – but their faith that the Protestant Reformation stood...

How early voting on campuses can boost election turnout – not only for students but for residents, too

  • Written by Stephen C. Phillips, Lecturer in Political Science, Clemson University
imageNextGen, a youth and democracy group, encouraging University of Central Florida students to vote early on campus in the 2018 midterms, Orlando, Florida, Oct. 25, 2018. Willie J. Allen Jr./AP Images

Republican-led legislatures in several U.S. states, from Indiana to Oklahoma, are considering imposing restrictions on early voting, from shortening the...

Read more: How early voting on campuses can boost election turnout – not only for students but for residents,...

Trump’s claims of vast presidential powers run up against Article 2 of the Constitution and exceed previous presidents’ power grabs

  • Written by Claire B. Wofford, Associate Professor of Political Science, College of Charleston
imageHow much power does the president really have?fotojog-iStock/Getty Images Plus

Those who wrote and wrangled over America’s Constitution might be troubled by the second presidency of Donald J. Trump.

While almost all modern presidents flex their muscles in the initial stages of their administration, the first weeks of the second Trump presidency...

Read more: Trump’s claims of vast presidential powers run up against Article 2 of the Constitution and exceed...

Generative AI is most useful for the things we care about the least

  • Written by John P. Nelson, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Ethics and Societal Implications of Artificial Intelligence, Georgia Institute of Technology
imageThe creative process involves choices that lead artists to places they couldn't have imagined.Eoneren/E+ via Getty Images

Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and Midjourney can produce text, images and videos far more quickly than any one person can accomplish by hand.

But as someone who studies the societal impacts of AI, I’ve noticed an...

Read more: Generative AI is most useful for the things we care about the least

Selenium is an essential nutrient named after the Greek goddess of the Moon − crucial to health, it may help prevent and treat cancer

  • Written by Aliasger K. Salem, Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Iowa
imageSelenium is found in trace amounts in living organisms, soil and plants.Nazarii Neshcherenskyi/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Selenium is a nutrient that plays a crucial role in human health, contributing to the thyroid and immune function, DNA repair, and cardiovascular and cognitive health.

It acts as an antioxidant – substances that protect...

Read more: Selenium is an essential nutrient named after the Greek goddess of the Moon − crucial to health,...

Colorado is tackling air pollution in vulnerable neighborhoods by regulating 5 air toxics

  • Written by Jenni Shearston, Assistant Professor of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder
imageThe Suncor Refinery in Commerce City, Colo., is a known air polluter.RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via Getty Images

The Globeville, Elyria-Swansea and Commerce City communities in metro Denver are choked by air pollution from nearby highways, an oil refinery and a Superfund site.

While these neighborhoods have long suffered from air pollution,...

Read more: Colorado is tackling air pollution in vulnerable neighborhoods by regulating 5 air toxics

If US attempts World Bank retreat, the China-led AIIB could be poised to step in – and provide a model of global cooperation

  • Written by Tamar Gutner, Associate Professor, American University

Donald Trump’s animosity toward multilateralism and international organizations is well known. Just hours after taking office on Jan 20, 2025, the U.S. president announced his intention to withdraw from the World Health Organization and the Paris agreement on climate change.

Could the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank be next?

Cert...

Read more: If US attempts World Bank retreat, the China-led AIIB could be poised to step in – and provide a...

More Articles ...

  1. Francis − a pope who has cared deeply for the poor and opened up the Catholic Church
  2. The murder rate in Venezuela has fallen − but both Trump and Maduro are wrong about why
  3. How Elon Musk’s deep ties to – and admiration for – China could complicate Trump’s Beijing policy
  4. Rising house prices don’t just make it harder to become a homeowner – they also widen the racial wealth gap
  5. 3 ways Trump is acting like a king and bypassing the Constitution’s checks and balances on presidential authority
  6. Why including people with disabilities in the workforce and higher education benefits everyone
  7. As Pennsylvania inches toward legalizing recreational cannabis, lawmakers propose selling it in state-owned dispensaries similar to state liquor stores
  8. Can animals have mental disabilities?
  9. How Roman society integrated people who altered their bodies and defied gender norms
  10. The quest to extend human life is both fascinating and fraught with moral peril
  11. I went to CPAC as an anthropologist to see how Trump supporters are feeling − for them, a ‘golden age’ has begun
  12. Trump’s moves to strip employment protections from federal workers threaten to make government function worse – not better
  13. Brazil coup charges could end Bolsonaro’s political career − but they won’t extinguish Bolsonarismo
  14. A Palestinian film is an Oscars favorite − so why is it so hard to see?
  15. A Palestinian-Israeli film is an Oscars favorite − so why is it so hard to see?
  16. We study mass surveillance for social control, and we see Trump laying the groundwork to ‘contain’ people of color and immigrants
  17. Survey shows immigrants in Florida – even US citizens – are less likely to seek health care after passage of anti-immigrant laws
  18. Colliding plasma ejections from the Sun generate huge geomagnetic storms − studying them will help scientists monitor future space weather
  19. Making sex deadly for insects could control pests that carry disease and harm crops
  20. From ancient emperors to modern presidents, leaders have used libraries to cement their legacies
  21. How allies have helped the US gain independence, defend freedom and keep the peace – even as the US did the same for our friends
  22. A fiscal crisis is looming for many US cities
  23. Trump’s threats on Greenland, Gaza, Ukraine and Panama revive old-school US imperialism of dominating other nations by force, after decades of nuclear deterrence
  24. Trump’s move to closer ties with Russia does not mean betrayal of Ukraine, yet – in his first term, Trump was pretty tough on Putin
  25. p53 is both your genome’s guardian and weakness against cancer – scientists are trying to repair or replace it when it goes awry
  26. Trump order boosts school choice, but there’s little evidence vouchers lead to smarter students or better educational outcomes
  27. The leadership hack that drives success: Being trustworthy
  28. CDC layoffs strike deeply at its ability to respond to the current flu, norovirus and measles outbreaks and other public health emergencies
  29. In pushing for Ukraine elections, Trump is falling into Putin-laid trap to delegitimize Zelenskyy
  30. DEI programs are designed to help white people too – here’s how
  31. Greenland’s rapidly melting ice and landslide-prone fjords make the oil and minerals Trump covets dangerous to extract
  32. Deportation fears create ripple effects for immigrants and their communities
  33. How medical treatments devised for war can quickly be implemented in US hospitals to save lives
  34. Traumatic brain injuries have toxic effects that last weeks after initial impact − an antioxidant material reduces this damage in mice
  35. The dangers of ‘Jekyll and Hyde leadership’: Why making amends after workplace abuse can hurt more than it helps
  36. Investors value corporate tax responsibility – at least when the company is based somewhere with a lot of inequality, research shows
  37. Trans people affirmed their gender without medical help in medieval Europe − history shows how identity transcends medicine and law
  38. Why community pharmacies are closing – and what to do if your neighborhood location shutters
  39. Many gluten-free foods are high in calories and sugar, low on fiber and protein, and they cost more − new research
  40. Deporting millions of immigrants would shock the US economy, increasing housing, food and other prices
  41. Firing civil servants and dismantling government departments is how aspiring strongmen consolidate personal power – lessons from around the globe
  42. Nat King Cole’s often overlooked role in the Civil Rights Movement
  43. Philly’s Chinatown has a rich tradition of activism – the Sixers arena fight was just one of many to preserve the neighborhood
  44. How California can rebuild safer, more resilient cities after wildfires without pricing out workers
  45. How Oscar-nominated screenwriters attempt to craft authentic dialogue, dialects and accents
  46. Cutting funding for science can have consequences for the economy, US technological competitiveness
  47. Trump has purged the Kennedy Center’s board, which in turn made him its chair – why does that matter?
  48. Why is water different colors in different places?
  49. Why do skiers sunburn so easily on the slopes? A snow scientist explains
  50. Who are Ismaili Muslims and how do their beliefs relate to the Aga Khan’s work?