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Voters shrug off scandals, paying a price in lost trust

  • Written by Brandon Rottinghaus, Professor of Political Science, University of Houston
imageDonald Trump waits in court during proceedings over a business records violation. He was convicted, but Trump and his supporters dismissed the case as a partisan attack.Mary Altaffer/AP

Donald Trump joked in 2016 that he could “stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody” and not lose support. In 2024, after two impeachments a...

Read more: Voters shrug off scandals, paying a price in lost trust

LA fires: Chemicals from the smoke lingered inside homes long after the wildfires were out – studies tracked the harm

  • Written by Yifang Zhu, Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles
imageSmoke rolls up a hillside from the Palisades Fire on Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles.AP Photo/Eric Thayer

When wildfires began racing through the Los Angeles area on Jan. 7, 2025, the scope of the disaster caught residents by surprise. Forecasters had warned about high winds and exceptionally dry conditions, but few people expected to see smoke and...

Read more: LA fires: Chemicals from the smoke lingered inside homes long after the wildfires were out –...

The US used to be really dirty – environmental cleanup laws have made a huge difference

  • Written by James Salzman, Professor of Environmental Law, Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, University of California, Santa Barbara; University of California, Los Angeles

Growing up in the 1970s, I took for granted the trash piles along the highway, tires washed up on beaches, and smog fouling city air. The famed “Crying Indian” commercial of 1971 became a symbol of widespread environmental damage across the United States.

That’s why the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, energized the nation. In...

Read more: The US used to be really dirty – environmental cleanup laws have made a huge difference

How museums can help rebuild trust in a divided America

  • Written by Devon Akmon, Director of the MSU Museum and CoLab Studio, Michigan State University
imageA student CoLaborator engages visitors in dialogue about food security and sustainability during a recent exhibition.MSU Museum

Across the United States, political polarization has deepened to historic levels. In a report published in May 2025, the Pew Research Center found that Americans are more divided and less trusting of one another than at...

Read more: How museums can help rebuild trust in a divided America

Why does orange juice taste bad after you brush your teeth?

  • Written by Linda Bartoshuk, Research Professor of Psychology, George Washington University
imageThere's a scientific reason your OJ tastes funny after you brush your teeth.JGI/Tom Grill/Tetra Images via Getty Images

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com.

Why does orange juice taste bad after you brush your teeth? – Seth...

Read more: Why does orange juice taste bad after you brush your teeth?

Can the US ‘run’ Venezuela? Military force can topple a dictator, but it cannot create political authority or legitimacy

  • Written by Monica Duffy Toft, Professor of International Politics and Director of the Center for Strategic Studies, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
imageSupporters of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro gather during a demonstration in Caracas on Jan, 4, 2026. Pedro Mattey/Anadolu via Getty Images

An image circulated over media the weekend of Jan. 3 and 4 was meant to convey dominance: Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, blindfolded and handcuffed aboard a U.S. naval vessel....

Read more: Can the US ‘run’ Venezuela? Military force can topple a dictator, but it cannot create political...

How Maduro’s capture went down – a military strategist explains what goes into a successful special op

  • Written by R. Evan Ellis, Senior Associate, Americas Program, The Center for Strategic and International Studies
imageU.S. military fighter jets sit on the tarmac at José Aponte de la Torre Airport in Puerto Rico, on Jan. 3, 2026.Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP via Getty Images

The predawn seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3, 2026 was a complicated affair. It was also, operationally, a resounding success for the U.S. military.

O...

Read more: How Maduro’s capture went down – a military strategist explains what goes into a successful...

5 scenarios for a post-Maduro Venezuela — and what they could signal to the wider region

  • Written by Robert Muggah, Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow na Bosch Academy e Co-fundador, Instituto Igarapé; Princeton University
imageArmed supporters of Nicolás Maduro gather near the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas on Jan. 3, 2026.Federico Parra/ AFP via Getty Images

The predawn U.S. military operation that spirited Nicolás Maduro and his wife out of Venezuela and into U.S. custody marks a watershed in hemispheric politics. In an operation that lasted...

Read more: 5 scenarios for a post-Maduro Venezuela — and what they could signal to the wider region

A predawn op in Latin America? The US has been here before, but the seizure of Venezuela’s Maduro is still unprecedented

  • Written by Alan McPherson, Professor of History, Temple University
imageA motorcycle rides past graffiti depicting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas on Jan. 3, 2026.Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images

In the dead of night during the holidays, the United States launched an operation inside a Latin American country, intent on seizing its leader on the pretext that he is wanted in U.S. courts on drug charges.

Th...

Read more: A predawn op in Latin America? The US has been here before, but the seizure of Venezuela’s Maduro...

I wrote a book on the politics of war powers, and Trump’s attack on Venezuela reflects Congress surrendering its decision-making powers

  • Written by Sarah Burns, Associate Professor of Political Science, Rochester Institute of Technology
imageExplosions were seen across Caracas after the U.S. launched large-scale attacks on Venezuela and captured its leader and his wife. AFP via Getty Images

Americans woke up on Jan. 3, 2025, to blaring headlines: “US CAPTURES MADURO, TRUMP SAYS,” declared The New York Times, using all capital letters. The U.S. had mounted an overnight...

Read more: I wrote a book on the politics of war powers, and Trump’s attack on Venezuela reflects Congress...

More Articles ...

  1. Oldest known cremation in Africa poses 9,500-year-old mystery about Stone Age hunter-gatherers
  2. West Coast levee failures show growing risks from America’s aging flood defenses
  3. LA fires showed how much neighborliness matters for wildfire safety – schools can do much more to teach it
  4. Has the Fed fixed the economy yet? And other burning economic questions for 2026
  5. What loving-kindness meditation is and how to practice it in the new year
  6. The ‘sacred’ pledge that will power the relaunch of far-right militia Oath Keepers
  7. AI agents arrived in 2025 – here’s what happened and the challenges ahead in 2026
  8. Midlife weight gain can start long before menopause – but you can take steps early on to help your body weather the hormonal shift
  9. Deepfakes leveled up in 2025 – here’s what’s coming next
  10. New materials, old physics – the science behind how your winter jacket keeps you warm
  11. Who thinks Republicans will suffer in the 2026 midterms? Republican members of Congress
  12. Resolve to network at your employer’s next ‘offsite’ – research shows these retreats actually help forge new connections
  13. West Antarctica’s history of rapid melting foretells sudden shifts in continent’s ‘catastrophic’ geology
  14. How the ‘slayer rule’ might play a role in determining who will inherit wealth from Rob Reiner and his wife
  15. The celibate, dancing Shakers were once seen as a threat to society – 250 years later, they’re part of the sound of America
  16. From truce in the trenches to cocktails at the consulate: How Christmas diplomacy seeks to exploit seasonal goodwill
  17. As DOJ begins to release Epstein files, his many victims deserve more attention than the powerful men in his ‘client list’
  18. How to reduce gift-giving stress with your kids – a child psychologist’s tips for making magic and avoiding tears
  19. The world risks forgetting one of humanity’s greatest triumphs as polio nears global eradication − 70 years after Jonas Salk developed the vaccine in a Pittsburgh lab
  20. Medieval peasants probably enjoyed their holiday festivities more than you do
  21. People are getting their news from AI – and it’s altering their views
  22. Autocracies in transition: In 2025, Cameroon and Tanzania rulers clung to power — but look more vulnerable than ever
  23. Why are some Black conservatives drawn to Nick Fuentes?
  24. Local democracy is holding strong, but rural communities are falling behind, new survey of Michigan officials shows
  25. How C-reactive protein outpaced ‘bad’ cholesterol as leading heart disease risk marker
  26. It’s more than OK for kids to be bored − it’s good for them
  27. I study rat nests − here’s why rodents make great archivists
  28. As millions of Americans face a steep rise in health insurance costs, lawmakers continue a century-long battle over who should pay for health care
  29. RFK Jr. wants to scrutinize the vaccine schedule – but its safety record is already decades long
  30. Deception and lies from the White House to justify a war in Venezuela? We’ve seen this movie before in run-ups to wars in Vietnam and Iraq
  31. Miami’s new mayor faces a housing affordability crisis, city charter reform and a shrinking budget
  32. Understanding climate change in America: Skepticism, dogmatism and personal experience
  33. Rest is essential during the holidays, but it may mean getting active, not crashing on the couch
  34. With wolves absent from most of eastern North America, can coyotes replace them?
  35. What are gas stove manufacturers trying to hide? Warning labels
  36. Resolve to stop punching the clock: Why you might be able to change when and how long you work
  37. There’s little evidence tech is much help stopping school shootings
  38. Why it’s so hard to tell if a piece of text was written by AI – even for AI
  39. Large trunks discovered in a basement offer a window into the lives and struggles of early Filipino migrants
  40. Tennis is set for a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ sequel – with no movement behind it
  41. Trump tariffs and warming India-China ties have silenced the Quad partnership … for now
  42. Sudan’s civil war: A visual guide to the brutal conflict
  43. ‘This year nearly broke me as a scientist’ – US researchers reflect on how 2025’s science cuts have changed their lives
  44. Karoline Leavitt’s White House briefing doublethink is straight out of Orwell’s ‘1984’
  45. Where the wild things thrive: Finding and protecting nature’s climate change safe havens
  46. Billionaires with $1 salaries – and other legal tax dodges the ultrawealthy use to keep their riches
  47. Unpaid caregiving work can feel small and personal, but that doesn’t take away its ethical value
  48. The US already faces a health care workforce shortage – immigration policy could make it worse
  49. America faced domestic fascists before and buried that history
  50. Supreme Court case about ‘crisis pregnancy centers’ highlights debate over truthful advertising standards