The Conversation

When image trumps ideology: How JFK created the template for the modern presidency

Written by Steven Watts, Professor of History, University of Missouri-Columbia

President John F. Kennedy watches as planes conduct anti-sub operations during maneuvers off the North Carolina coast in April 1962.Associated Press

Even at John F. Kennedy’s centennial on May 29, 2017, the 35th president remains an enigma. We still struggle to come to a clear consensus about a leader frozen in time – a man who, in our...

Trump says the IRS regulates churches too much. Here's why he's wrong

Written by Philip Hackney, James E. & Betty M. Phillips Associate Professor of Law, Louisiana State University

Who enforces regulations that bar churches from engaging in politics?www.shutterstock.com

President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order that he said would keep his campaign promise to defend religious groups from the IRS when they engage in political speech.

Like other experts, I believe this move does nothing to change IRS policy. But...

Designing games that change perceptions, opinions and even players' real-life actions

Written by Lindsay Grace, Associate Professor of Communication; Director, American University Game Lab and Studio, American University School of Communication

In 1904, Lizzie Magie patented “The Landlord’s Game,” a board game about property ownership, with the specific goal of teaching players about how a system of land grabbing impoverishes tenants and enriches property owners. The game, which went on to become the mass-market classic “Monopoly,” was the first widely...

How do the chemicals in sunscreen protect our skin from damage?

Written by Kerry Hanson, Research Chemist, University of California, Riverside

Don't skimp on the SPF.Sabphoto via Shutterstock.com

Not so long ago, people like my Aunt Muriel thought of sunburn as a necessary evil on the way to a “good base tan.” She used to slather on the baby oil while using a large reflector to bake away. Aunt Muriel’s mantra when the inevitable burn and peel appeared: Beauty has its...

The song that had one British politician wishing for the Sex Pistols' 'sudden death'

Written by Karen Fournier, Associate Professor of Music Theory, University of Michigan

Since punk rock’s earliest days, the genre has sought to challenge social norms and traditions.

But when the Sex Pistols came out with “God Save the Queen” 40 years ago, on May 27, 1977, it was instantly greeted with widespread, visceral condemnation.

Released only months after the band’s infamous and expletive-laden...

JFK at 100: Why we still cherish his memory

Written by Michael Hogan, Professor of History, University of Illinois at Springfield

President Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy on Dec. 15, 1961.White House Photographs

On May 29, the nation commemorates the 100th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s birth. It’s worth noting on this occasion that even now, more than 50 years after his death, Kennedy is widely regarded as one of the country’s best presidents....

Brazil plunges once more into political crisis, jeopardizing economic recovery

Written by Terry L. McCoy, Professor Emeritus of Latin American Studies and Political Science, University of Florida

Demonstrations demanding Temer's removal from office have been growing. AP Photo/Eraldo Peres

Brazil’s massive corruption scandal – which has brought down dozens of politicians and business leaders – has ensnared its latest victim: President Michel Temer, who got the job after his predecessor was impeached.

Allegations that Temer...

Beyond the CBO score: How Trump Budget and the AHCA are dismantling America's safety net

Written by Simon Haeder, Assistant Professor of Political Science, West Virginia University

President Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan, to his left, celebrating the House passage of the AHCA on May 4. Evan Vucci/AP

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on May 24 released its long-awaited analysis of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) passed by the House of Representatives three weeks ago.

While the score was not dramatically different...

Iraq and Afghanistan: The US$6 trillion bill for America's longest war is unpaid

Written by Linda J. Bilmes, Daniel Patrick Moynihan Senior Lecturer in Public Policy and Public Finance, Harvard University

On Memorial Day, we pay respects to the fallen from past wars – including the more than one million American soldiers killed in the Civil War, World Wars I and II, Korea and Vietnam.

Yet the nation’s longest and most expensive war is the one that is still going on. In addition to nearly 7,000 troops killed, the 16-year conflict in Iraq...

Scientists at work: Forecasting the Atlantic hurricane season

Written by Phil Klotzbach, Research Scientist, Colorado State University

Hurricane Matthew approaching the east coast of Florida on Oct. 6, 2016.Author provided

June 1 marks the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs through the end of November. It’s a busy time for us at the Tropical Meteorology Project in Colorado State University’s Department of Atmospheric Science, where we are...