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The Conversation

Syria, chemical weapons and the limits of international law

  • Written by Andrew Bell, Assistant Professor of International Studies, Indiana University
A Syrian soldier films the damage of the Syrian Scientific Research Center which was attacked by U.S., British and French military strikes.AP Photo/Hassan Ammar

Consider this shocking fact: Despite horrific images of yet another reported chemical weapons attack in Syria, the U.S.-led humanitarian intervention to protect civilians on April 13 was...

Read more: Syria, chemical weapons and the limits of international law

What to do if you owe the IRS money

  • Written by Tameka E. Lester, Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Director of the Philip C. Cook Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic, Georgia State University
The IRS is friendlier than you think.Shutterstock.com

Tax Day is finally here once more. If you’re getting a refund, lucky you. But if you owe the government money, you may be worried that you have to pay the amount due by the filing deadline of April 17 – even if you asked for an extension.

Owing the IRS – especially when you...

Read more: What to do if you owe the IRS money

How the new estate tax rules could reduce charitable giving by billions

  • Written by Patrick Rooney, Executive Associate Dean for Academic Programs, Professor of Economics and Philanthropic Studies, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
What people decide to bequeath to charity depends on many factors, including tax laws.Ocskay Bence/Shutterstock.com

Congress and the Trump administration scaled back the estate tax when they enacted the new tax law.

Although the government didn’t do away with this tax altogether, as many conservatives had long called for, trimming the tax...

Read more: How the new estate tax rules could reduce charitable giving by billions

What does the Speaker of the House do?

  • Written by Rachel Caufield, Associate Professor of Political Science, Drake University
Speaker Ryan is leaving the House.AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Rep. Paul Ryan, Republican speaker of the House, announced this week he will retire from Congress.

What does the speaker do?

Second in the line of presidential succession after the vice president, the speaker occupies a central role in our national government.

Most people think the...

Read more: What does the Speaker of the House do?

I'm an expat US scientist – and I'm returning to Trump's America to stand up for science

  • Written by Elizabeth Madin, Assistant Professor, University of Hawaii (starting May 2018); Postdoctoral Researcher in Marine Ecology (current), Macquarie University
The first March for Science, April 22, 2017, Washington DC.Molly Adams, CC BY

Editor’s note: With the second March for Science scheduled for April 14, The Conversation is publishing articles in which scientists share their perspectives, including this one, on the role of scientists in society.

Donald Trump’s presidency has not been good...

Read more: I'm an expat US scientist – and I'm returning to Trump's America to stand up for science

Mariah Carey says she has bipolar disorder; a psychiatrist explains what that is

  • Written by Arash Javanbakht, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Wayne State University
Mariah Carey in Inglewood, Calif. on March 24, 2018. AP Photo/Jordan Strauss

Mariah Carey recently opened up about her struggle with bipolar disorder.

As an assistant professor of psychiatry, I see her courage as an opportunity to explain bipolar disorder, a mood disorder that includes episodes of elevated mood, as well as episodes of depression.

The...

Read more: Mariah Carey says she has bipolar disorder; a psychiatrist explains what that is

5 food trends that are changing Latin America

  • Written by Johanna Mendelson Forman, Scholar in Residence, American University School of International Service

Latin America’s economy has grown enormously over the past two decades. However, unemployment in the region still hovers at 8 percent, double that of the United States.

Youth joblessness is even higher – almost 15 percent among Latin Americans under the age of 18. Sixty percent of young people between the ages of 16 and 24 work...

Read more: 5 food trends that are changing Latin America

How the CIA's secret torture program sparked a citizen-led public reckoning in North Carolina

  • Written by Alexandra Moore, Professor of Human Rights in Literary and Cultural Studies, Binghamton University, State University of New York
North Carolina Stop Torture Now advocacy group.djbiesack, CC BY-NC-SA

President Donald Trump’s nominee for CIA director, Gina Haspel, is reported to have overseen a U.S. site in Thailand where torture of a suspected terrorist took place. Later she allegedly helped destroy evidence of torture.

Her nomination, pending congressional approval, is...

Read more: How the CIA's secret torture program sparked a citizen-led public reckoning in North Carolina

Wealthy Americans know less than they think they do about food and nutrition

  • Written by Sheril Kirshenbaum, Food@MSU, Michigan State University
Organic? Conventional? Genetically modified? Decisions, decisions.dawnfu

Socioeconomics play a significant role in attitudes about food – especially concerns about safety and purchasing behavior. And higher income doesn’t always correlate with informed choices. On the contrary, our research shows that affluent Americans tend to...

Read more: Wealthy Americans know less than they think they do about food and nutrition

The deaths of 76 Branch Davidians in April 1993 could have been avoided – so why didn't anyone care?

  • Written by Catherine Wessinger, Rev. H. James Yamauchi, S.J. Professor of the History of Religions, Loyola University New Orleans
Fire engulfs the Branch Davidian residence near Waco, Texas on April 19, 1993Ron Heflin/AP Photo

Twenty-five years ago, on February 28, 1993, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents attempted to execute a “dynamic entry” into the home of a religious community at Mount Carmel, a property 10 miles east of Waco, Texas.

David Koresh...

Read more: The deaths of 76 Branch Davidians in April 1993 could have been avoided – so why didn't anyone care?

More Articles ...

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  2. Supreme Court case tests weight of old Native American treaties in 21st century
  3. Night owls may have 10 percent higher risk of early death, study says
  4. Facebook's social responsibility should include privacy protection
  5. Assassination in Brazil unmasks the deadly racism of a country that would rather ignore it
  6. Don't shoot: When Dallas police draw their guns, they usually choose not to fire
  7. Resistance to school integration in the name of 'local control': 5 questions answered
  8. Lawyers keep secrets locked up – that’s why they get asked to do the dirty work
  9. The urgency of curbing pollution from ships, explained
  10. Overeating? It may be a brain glitch
  11. Rebuilding trust in the media from the bottom up
  12. Reading Zuckerberg’s face: What 3 key expressions from his testimony reveal
  13. Why remembering matters for healing
  14. To serve a free society, social media must evolve beyond data mining
  15. Should California winemakers be worried about China's tariffs?
  16. The law that made Facebook what it is today
  17. A school resource officer in every school?
  18. When presidents lawyer up: A brief history
  19. 3 research-based things a doctor says should be part of your weight loss efforts
  20. Bolivia is not Venezuela – even if its president does want to stay in power forever
  21. Women earn less after they have kids, despite strong credentials
  22. Stand up for science: More researchers now see engagement as a crucial part of their job
  23. Now that Russia has apparently hacked America's grid, shoring up security is more important than ever
  24. How you helped create the crisis in private data
  25. Stock investors on higher floors take more risks – here's why
  26. Why the label 'cult' gets in the way of understanding new religions
  27. Why can't Trump just take out Assad?
  28. Trump national security staff merry-go-round reflects decades of policy competition and conflict
  29. The Trump administration, slanted science and the environment: 4 essential reads
  30. Fragmented US privacy rules leave large data loopholes for Facebook and others
  31. From certain war to uncertain peace: Northern Ireland's Good Friday Agreement turns 20
  32. Remind us: What exactly is the National Guard?
  33. Brazil in political crisis over jailed president: 4 essential reads
  34. Porn 'disruption' makes Stormy Daniels a rare success in increasingly abusive industry
  35. Local media struggle to hold Sinclair accountable
  36. Mormonism's newest apostles reflect growing global reach
  37. Election security means much more than just new voting machines
  38. Why the extreme reaction to Obamacare could be the new normal in American politics
  39. Why nuclear fusion is gaining steam – again
  40. Goodbye Kepler, hello TESS: Passing the baton in the search for distant planets
  41. Why double-majors might beat you out of a job
  42. Why weather forecasters still struggle to get the big storms right
  43. Coral reefs are in crisis – but scientists are finding effective ways to restore them
  44. Why California gets to write its own auto emissions standards: 5 questions answered
  45. Paper trails and random audits could secure all elections – don't save them just for recounts in close races
  46. Rights of the dead and the living clash when scientists extract DNA from human remains
  47. Colombia's murder rate is at an all-time low but its activists keep getting killed
  48. For many US towns and cities, deciding which streets to name after MLK reflects his unfinished work
  49. How to deal with life's risks more rationally
  50. Government fuel economy standards for cars and trucks have worked