The Conversation

Why Americans have long been fascinated by gunfighting preachers

Written by Steve Pinkerton, Lecturer in English, Case Western Reserve University

In June, 2009, people were invited to bring their firearms without bullets during a service at the New Bethel Church Louisville, Ky.AP Photo/Ed Reinke, Pool

The mass shooting on June 28 in Annapolis, Maryland, has renewed familiar concerns about America’s gun culture and gun policies.

Yet this was not the only June shooting to make national...

Americans are not as divided or conservative on immigration as you might think

Written by Deborah Schildkraut, Professor of Political Science, Tufts University

Lawmakers in Washington, from the president down to first-term members of Congress, may be misjudging how the public feels about immigration.

President Donald Trump appears to believe the country needs and wants hard-line policies. Members of Congress haven’t stopped him from carrying out those policies.

Do the American people really support...

Fewer Americans are giving money to charity but total donations are at record levels anyway

Written by Una Osili, Professor, Economics and Philanthropic Studies, Associate Dean for Research and International Programs, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

Charitable giving hit record levels in 2017. pinkomelet/Sshutterstock.com

Following years of steady growth that has tracked the performance of a generally healthy economy, U.S. charitable giving has reached an all-time high at a time when the share of Americans who make donations is falling.

But as a lead researcher and an author of the latest Givin...

Mexico elects a leftist president who welcomes migrants

Written by Luis Gómez Romero, Senior Lecturer in Human Rights, Constitutional Law and Legal Theory, University of Wollongong

Mexico’s next president will be Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a former Mexico City mayor and outspoken critic of the political establishment both in Mexico and the United States. The 64-year-old leftist, who had for months led a crowded presidential field, beat three competitors on July 1 to triumph in his third presidential...

3 reasons why the US is vulnerable to big disasters

Written by Morten Wendelbo, Research Fellow and Policy Sciences Lecturer, Texas A&M University

During the 2017 disaster season, three severe hurricanes devastated large parts of the U.S.

The quick succession of major disasters made it obvious that such large-scale emergencies can be a strain, even in one of the world’s richest countries.

As a complex emergency researcher, I investigate why some countries can better withstand and...

Painter Jon McNaughton's novel portrayal of modern conservatism

Written by John Dyck, PhD Student in Philosophy, CUNY Graduate Center

Jon McNauhgton's 2017 painting 'You Are Not Forgotten.'Jon McNauhgton

In recent years, Jon McNaughton has emerged as one of the most well-known artists on the political right.

His 2011 painting “The Forgotten Man,” a not-so-subtle criticism of Barack Obama, became famous when Fox News host Sean Hannity bought it after Donald Trump won...

When some police feel misunderstood, it can impact their performance

Written by Shefali V. Patil, Assistant Professor of Management, University of Texas at Austin

Antwon Rose Jr. was fatally shot by a police officer in East Pittsburgh.AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

Amid a string of fatal police shootings of unarmed black citizens, the Pew Research Center ran a massive study in 2017 of 8,000 U.S. police officers asking them about their experiences.

It revealed something startling: 86 percent of officers believe the...

The US natural gas industry is leaking way more methane than previously thought. Here’s why that matters

Written by Anthony J. Marchese, Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering; Director, Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory; Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State University

The authors conferring at a natural gas facility in Colorado.Colorado State University, CC BY-SA

Natural gas is displacing coal, which could help fight climate change because burning it produces fewer carbon emissions. But producing and transporting natural gas releases methane, a greenhouse gas that also contributes to climate change. How big is...

Rural Americans' struggles against factory farm pollution find traction in court

Written by Sacoby Wilson, Assistant Professor of Applied Environmental Health , University of Maryland

A barn that can hold up to 4,800 hogs outside Berwick, Pa. The state says the farm is in compliance with regulations, but residents have gone to court seeking relief from odors.AP Photo/Michael Rubinkam

As U.S. livestock farming becomes more industrial, it is changing rural life. Many people now live near Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations...

Flu lasts for more than an hour in air and on surfaces – why cleaning can really help

Written by Seema Lakdawala, Assisstant Professor, University of Pittsburgh

Cleaning counters and keyboards can remove flu virus, which can survive well there, a study suggests.AVAVA/Shutterstock.com

Influenza, or flu, viruses cause about 200,000 hospitalizations every year in the U.S. Annual seasonal vaccination is our best line of defense, but in recent years, it has become clear that mismatches in the vaccine can limit...