The Conversation

Debt ceiling negotiators reach a deal: 5 essential reads about the tentative accord, brinkmanship and the danger of default

Written by Bryan Keogh, Deputy Managing Editor and Senior Editor of Economy and Business

Biden speaks to reporters about the tentative accord. AP Photo/Susan Walsh

President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on May 27, 2023, agreed in principle to a tentative deal that would raise the debt ceiling while capping some federal spending at current levels.

The accord, if approved by both houses of Congress, would avert an...

How the practice of Nichiren Buddhism sustained Tina Turner for 50 years

Written by Ralph H. Craig III, PhD Student in Religious Studies, Stanford University

Tina Turner performs onstage during the 50th annual Grammy Awards held at the Staples Center on Feb. 10, 2008, in Los Angeles.Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

When Tina Turner, often dubbed the “Queen of Rock ‘N’ Roll,” died at her home in Küsnacht, Switzerland, on May 24, 2023, at the age of 83, media headlines praised both h...

Including race in clinical algorithms can both reduce and increase health inequities – it depends on what doctors use them for

Written by Anirban Basu, Professor of Health Economics, University of Washington

An increasing number of health care decisions rely on information from algorithms.Tom Werner/Digital Vision via Getty Images

Health practitioners are increasingly concerned that because race is a social construct, and the biological mechanisms of how race affects clinical outcomes are often unknown, including race in predictive algorithms for...

Turkey's presidential runoff: 4 essential reads on what's at stake

Written by Matt Williams, Senior Breaking News and International Editor

Erdoğan or Kılıçdaroğlu -- which one will be flying high after the runoff? Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Turkish voters will head to the polls on May 28, 2023, for the second time in the month – this time facing a choice between a winnowed field of two candidates, each of whom is vowing to take the country in a very...

Voters want compromise in Congress -- so why the brinkmanship over the debt ceiling?

Written by Laurel Harbridge-Yong, Associate Professor of Political Science, Northwestern University

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, left, meets with President Joe Biden to discuss the debt limit in the White House on May 22, 2023. AP Photo/Alex Brandon

There’s progress on the debt limit. There’s no progress. Conservatives have revolted. Liberal Democrats are angry. Negotiators actually ate a meal together. That’s a good sign. No...

Colorado River states bought time with a 3-year water conservation deal – now they need to think bigger

Written by Robert Glennon, Regents Professor Emeritus and Morris K. Udall Professor of Law & Public Policy Emeritus, University of Arizona

An irrigation canal moves Colorado River water through farm fields in California's Imperial Valley.Photo by Sandy Huffaker / AFP via Getty Images

Arizona, California and Nevada have narrowly averted a regional water crisis by agreeing to reduce their use of Colorado River water over the next three years. This deal represents a temporary solution to...

Not all political comedy is equal – how comics can either depress turnout or activate voters in 2024

Written by Sophia A. McClennen, Professor of International Affairs and Comparative Literature, Penn State

Former President Donald Trump's many missteps made him an easy target for amateur jokesters.Ron Adar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Biden is old. Trump has weird hair. Biden mangles the English language. Trump barely seems to understand it.

There’s no question that it is easy to make fun of the two top presidential candidates for...

European soccer is having another reckoning over racism – is it time to accept the problem goes beyond bad fans?

Written by John M Sloop, Professor of Communication Studies, Vanderbilt University

Vinícius Júnior is making the point, but are soccer's governing bosses getting it?Aitor Alcalde Colomer/Getty Images

After suffering months of racial abuse on the field and off, Brazilian soccer star Vinícius Júnior had enough.

On May 21, 2023, the Real Madrid forward – commonly seen as one of the best soccer players...

The Supreme Court just shriveled federal protection for wetlands, leaving many of these valuable ecosystems at risk

Written by Albert C. Lin, Professor of Law, University of California, Davis

Many ecologically important wetlands, like these in Kulm, N.D., lack surface connections to navigable waterways.USFWS Mountain-Prairie/Flickr, CC BY

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in Sackett v. EPA that federal protection of wetlands encompasses only those wetlands that directly adjoin rivers, lakes and other bodies of water. This is an extremely...

Drilling down on treatment-resistant fungi with molecular machines

Written by Ana L. Santos, Postdoctoral Fellow in Microbiology, Rice University

Newly developed molecular drills may be able to fight treatment-resistant fungal infections like *Candida auris*.Dr_Microbe/iStock via Getty Images

Fungi are present on the skin of around 70% of the population, without causing harm or benefit. Some fungal infections, like athlete’s foot, are minor. Others, like Candida albicans, can be deadly...