The Conversation

Finding joy in 2020? It's not such an absurd idea, really

Written by Angela Gorrell, Assistant Professor of Practical Theology, George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University

You don't need rose-tinted spectacles to find joy – even in the most stressful times. MEDITERRANEAN /Via Getty Images

The year 2020 hasn’t been one to remember – in fact, for a lot of people it has been an outright nightmare. The pandemic, along with political turmoil and social unrest, has brought anxiety, heartbreak, righteous...

Amid COVID-19 spike in ultra-Orthodox areas, Jewish history may explain reluctance of some to restrictions

Written by Joyce Dalsheim, Associate Professor of Global Studies, University of North Carolina – Charlotte

COVID-19 has spiked in ultra-Orthodox Jewish parts of New York City.Spencer Platt/Getty Images

A spike in coronavirus cases in several Orthodox Jewish areas of New York has prompted state and city authorities to impose new localized restrictions aimed at halting the spread.

On Oct. 5, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that nearly 100 public...

What happens to national security and foreign relations if the president is incapacitated?

Written by Gordon Adams, Professor Emeritus, American University School of International Service

If there's a question about who is in charge, the government isn't totally rudderless.AP Photo/Evan Vucci

If President Donald Trump is too sick to perform his duties, it’s not clear what might happen to the country’s national security and foreign relations. That’s a concern because crises like a terrorist attack or the outbreak of...

2020 Nobel Prize in physics awarded for work on black holes – an astrophysicist explains the trailblazing discoveries

Written by Gaurav Khanna, Professor of Physics, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

A black hole is an object so compact that nothing can escape its gravitational pull, not even light. They are formed when stars die and start collapsing under their own weight. Deep inside the black hole resides an infinitely hot and dense object, a so-called, singularity. Science Photo Library - MARK GARLICK/Getty Images

Black holes are perhaps...

Trump's decade-old audit illustrates why the IRS targets the working poor as much as the rich

Written by Hayes Holderness, Assistant Professor of Law, University of Richmond

Trump has tried to keep his taxes in the dark for years. Alex Wong/Getty Images

The New York Times’ exclusive on President Donald Trump’s taxes contains a lot of startling new findings.

A few noteworthy examples: He paid only US$750 in federal income tax in 2016 and 2017 – and nothing at all in 10 of the previous 15 years; he took...

Migrant caravans restart as pandemic deepens the humanitarian crisis at the US-Mexico border

Written by Katrina Burgess, Associate Professor of Political Economy, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University

The pandemic and anti-immigration policies haven't stopped migration from Central America – they've just made conditions at the border more hazardous. Herika Martinez/AFP via Getty Images

Members of a U.S.-bound migrant caravan from Honduras have been detained in Guatemala and deported before they could reach Mexico. Though their journey was...

If the Supreme Court strikes down the Affordable Care Act, Trump's health care order is not enough to replace it

Written by Simon F. Haeder, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Pennsylvania State University

The Supreme Court will face another challenge to the Affordable Care Act that is more likely to succeed with the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.AP Photo/Susan Walsh

The battle over the replacement of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has refocused American attention on the future of the Affordable Care Act. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear...

The 2020 elections will determine which voices dominate public land debates

Written by James R. Skillen, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, Calvin University

Utah's Cottonwood Canyon is a popular hiking destination on federal land.BLM

Presidential elections are anxious times for federal land agencies and the people they serve. The Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Forest Service manage more than a quarter of the nation’s land, which means...

Regal Cinemas' decision to close its theaters is the latest blow to a film industry on life support

Written by Matthew Jordan, Associate Professor of Media Studies, Pennsylvania State University

Most people are avoiding movie theaters, even as restrictions have eased.AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

A film industry in free fall just suffered its latest blow.

Cineworld Group, the owner of Regal Cinemas, announced that it would suspend operations at all of its locations in the U.S. and U.K. as crowded theaters continue to be seen as petri dishes for a...

VP debates are often forgettable – but Dan Quayle never recovered from his 1988 debate mistake

Written by Chris Lamb, Professor of Journalism, IUPUI

Texas Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, left, had something to celebrate after the 1988 vice presidential debate. Quayle not so much.Bettmann via Getty

If you think that vice presidential debates – like the one on Oct. 7 between Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris – have no political impact, I have two words for you: Dan Quayle.

Afte...