The Conversation

In many of Appalachia’s flood-ravaged areas, residents have little choice but rebuild in risky locations

Written by Kristina P. Brant, Assistant Professor of Rural Sociology, Penn State

Parts of the North Fork of the Kentucky River flooded in July 2022, and again in February 2025.Arden S. Barnes/For The Washington Post via Getty Images

On Valentine’s Day 2025, heavy rains started to fall in parts of rural Appalachia. Over the course of a few days, residents in eastern Kentucky watched as river levels rose and surpassed flood...

States that impose severe prison sentences accomplish the opposite of what they say they want

Written by John Leverso, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati

Prison doors close, but for most people convicted of crimes, they eventually open again.Hans Neleman/Stone via Getty Images

Across the U.S., tough-on-crime policies are surging again, despite research showing they do little to reduce crime, particularly violent offenses.

Before the early 1990s, people who were sentenced to 10 years in prison might...

How ticket-splitting voters could shape the 2026 midterms

Written by Ian Anson, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Even in polarized times, some American voters still cross party lines to support both Democratic and Republican candidates.wildpixel/iStock via Getty Images

With the 2024 U.S. election over and done with, political analysts and both major parties are already turning their attention to the upcoming midterm elections in 2026.

All 435 seats in the...

Cutting Medicaid and federal programs are among 4 key Trump administration policy changes that could make life harder for disabled people

Written by Matthew Borus, Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Disabled people's employment rights and access to free health care are among the policy issues that the Trump administration is aiming to change. Catherine McQueen/Moment/Getty Images

While policy debates on immigration, abortion and other issues took center stage in the 2024 presidential election, the first months of the Trump administration have...

USAID’s apparent demise and the US withdrawal from WHO put millions of lives worldwide at risk and imperil US national security

Written by Nicole Hassoun, Professor of Philosophy, Binghamton University, State University of New York

USAID was established by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 as a way to consolidate existing foreign aid programs.JAM STA ROSA/AFP via Getty Images

On his first day in office, Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald Trump began a drastic reshaping of the United States’ role in global health as part of the first 26 executive orders of his new term.

He...

How Nutriset, a French company, has helped alleviate hunger and create jobs in some of the world’s poorest places

Written by Nicolas Dahan, Professor of Management, Seton Hall University

Michel Lescanne, founder and president of the French company Nutriset, holds Plumpy'nut packets in 2005.Robert Francois/AFP via Getty Images

About 19 million children under 5 around the world suffer from severe acute malnutrition every year. This life-threatening condition kills 400,000 of them – that’s one child every 10 seconds.

These...

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...

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

Delta-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...

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

The 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...

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

A 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...