The Conversation

How to meet America’s climate goals: 5 policies for Biden’s next climate bill

Written by Kelly Sims Gallagher, Professor of Energy and Environmental Policy and Director, Center for International Environment and Resource Policy at The Fletcher School, Tufts University

President Joe Biden wanted to have a clear plan before the U.N. climate conference starting Oct. 31 in Scotland.Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

President Joe Biden’s new climate strategy, announced after his original plan crumbled under opposition in Congress, will represent a historic investment in clean energy technology and infrastructure...

The FDA authorizes Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 – a pediatrician explains how the drug was tested for safety and efficacy

Written by Debbie-Ann Shirley, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Virginia

For many parents, the long-awaited COVID-19 vaccine authorization for younger kids can't come soon enough. Vladimir Vladimirov/E+ via Getty Images

Elementary school children in the United States will soon have one more layer of protection to keep them safe from COVID-19.

On Oct. 29, 2021, the Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use of...

Why taxing US billionaires’ wealth – as Biden tried to do – will never work

Written by Beverly Moran, Professor Emerita of Law, Vanderbilt University

Elon Musk is currently the world’s richest person.AP Photo/Matt Rourke

The speed with which a tax on billionaires came and went as a means to pay for President Joe Biden’s economic agenda shows why it’s so hard to tax wealth in the U.S.

Democrats unveiled their proposal on Oct. 27, 2021, and it was nixed that same day, replaced...

A Catholic theologian argues for a death row inmate's right to have the pastor's touch in the execution chamber

Written by Dorian Llywelyn, President, Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Physical touch at the end of life has a special significance in many cultures and offers solace.Valerie Winckler/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on Nov. 9, 2021, in a case regarding a death row inmate’s plea that his Baptist pastor be allowed to lay hands on him in the execution chamber. The Supreme...

Less than 2% of all US giving supports women's and girls' charities

Written by Tessa Skidmore, Research Associate of Philanthropy, Women's Philanthropy Institute; Doctoral student of Philanthropy, IUPUI

Girl Scout cookie sales include a charitable donation.Will Lester/MediaNews Group/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin via Getty Images

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The #MeToo movement gained traction in late 2017 and continued to grow the following year, as countless women shared their experiences with sexual harassment, abuse and assault. But donations to women’s and...

Breast cancer awareness campaigns can do a better job supporting women who've received a stage 4 diagnosis, instead of focusing only on early detection and 'beating cancer'

Written by Rachel Kraus, Professor of Sociology, Ball State University

Many women with metastatic breast cancer feel left out of annual 'Pinktober' awareness drives because these campaigns tend to focus on earlier, more curable stages of the disease.kali9/E+ via Getty Images

Since 1985, cancer-related nonprofits, along with pharmaceutical firms and other businesses, have sponsored an international campaign to observe...

How to help kids with 'long COVID' thrive in school

Written by Susan Davies, Professor, School Psychology, University of Dayton

Many long COVID-19 symptoms – such as fatigue, brain fog and memory impairment – are similar to those experienced post-concussion. Cavan Images/Cavan Collection via Getty Images

Children who get COVID-19 typically recover quickly and will not require special support upon return to school. However, some people who contract the disease...

Antibiotic resistance is at a crisis point – government support for academia and Big Pharma to find new drugs could help defeat superbugs

Written by Andre Hudson, Professor and Head of the Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology

Bacteria that are resistant to every available antibiotic in the U.S. already exist.Rodolfo Parulan Jr/Moment via Getty Images

Antibiotic resistance poses one of the most important health challenges of the 21st century. And time has already run out to stop its dire consequences.

The rise of multidrug-resistant bacteria has already led to a...

Steve Bannon is held in criminal contempt of Congress, pushing key question over presidential power to the courts

Written by Jennifer Selin, Kinder Institute Assistant Professor of Constitutional Democracy, University of Missouri-Columbia

U.S. Reps. Bennie Thompson and Liz Cheney, chair and vice chair of the committee investigating the Capitol insurrection, after voting to hold Steve Bannon in criminal contempt.Alex Wong/Getty Images

Every president in history has refused to disclose information to Congress. These refusals are so commonplace that there is not even a comprehensive...

How much longer will major league baseball stay in the closet?

Written by Peter Dreier, E.P. Clapp Distinguished Professor of Politics, Occidental College

While the league has taken steps to make baseball more welcoming for LGBTQ employees and fans, no active player has come out.Spencer Platt/Getty Images

In his 1990 autobiography, “Behind the Mask: My Double Life in Baseball,” Dave Pallone, a gay major league umpire who was quietly fired in 1988 after rumors about his sexual orientation...