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Republicans control Congress, so why is Trump’s SAVE America Act stuck?

Republicans control Congress, so why is Trump’s SAVE America Act stuck?

Republicans hold both chambers and publicly back the president’s signature bill that would curtail mail-in voting and enforce strict voter ID laws....

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The Conversation

Sorelle Wyckoff Gaynor

The Trump administration’s global campaign against ‘radical left terrorism’ is built on a national security memo without congressional approval

The Trump administration’s global campaign against ‘radical left terrorism’ is built on a national security memo without congressional approval

Almost a year after President Trump authorized preemptive law enforcement measures based on political or ideological beliefs, a wave of terrorism...

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The Conversation

Melinda Haas

Why Trump’s move to gut the Endangered Species Act likely won’t hold up in court

Why Trump’s move to gut the Endangered Species Act likely won’t hold up in court

If Congress didn’t believe habitat destruction and degradation constitute ‘harm’ under the statute, why would it require permits and plans to...

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The Conversation

Patrick Parenteau

Embryo personhood, once on the margins of abortion debates, is moving closer to the center

Embryo personhood, once on the margins of abortion debates, is moving closer to the center

In vitro fertilization has become a bigger part of reproductive rights debates as a once-fringe movement to recognize embryos as people grows louder.

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The Conversation

Risa Cromer

What are Trump Accounts for? They are more likely to help newborns start building nest eggs than help pay for their college education

What are Trump Accounts for? They are more likely to help newborns start building nest eggs than help pay for their college education

The government is kicking in $1,000 for babies born in calendar years 2025 through 2028.

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The Conversation

Jay L. Zagorsky

Why Trump’s move to gut the Endangered Species Act won’t hold up in court

Why Trump’s move to gut the Endangered Species Act won’t hold up in court

If Congress didn’t believe habitat destruction and degradation constitute ‘harm’ under the statute, why would it require permits and plans to...

previous day 0

The Conversation

Patrick Parenteau

Bees of many species contain tiny magnetic particles – suggesting they may have an innate magnetic compass for navigation

Bees of many species contain tiny magnetic particles – suggesting they may have an innate magnetic compass for navigation

Researchers were surprised to find how widespread this magnetic property was, not only across families of bees but also beetles, wasps and flies.

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The Conversation

Laura Russo

Autocracies get more repressive when opening up their economies – a political scientists explores why

Autocracies get more repressive when opening up their economies – a political scientists explores why

Economic globalization was supposed to encourage democracy around the world. But sometimes the opposite happens.

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The Conversation

José Kaire

Screen time guidelines for kids and adolescents have shifted as research paints a more nuanced picture

Screen time guidelines for kids and adolescents have shifted as research paints a more nuanced picture

Studies increasingly show that how kids are using screens is more important than the exact amount of time they’re spending on them – and parents...

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The Conversation

Gabriel E. Hales

Autistic children drown at alarming rates ‑ swim lessons and water safety strategies can save their lives

Autistic children drown at alarming rates ‑ swim lessons and water safety strategies can save their lives

Water activities provide a refreshing escape from the heat, but without proper safety precautions, they can be a source of danger for autistic kids.

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The Conversation

Tana Carson

Rubio’s international ‘antifa summit’ takes place after Trump’s national security policy has already sent left‑wing US activists to prison for decades

Rubio’s international ‘antifa summit’ takes place after Trump’s national security policy has already sent left‑wing US activists to prison for decades

Almost a year after President Trump authorized preemptive law enforcement measures based on political or ideological beliefs, a wave of terrorism...

previous day 2

The Conversation

Melinda Haas

Pittsburgh wants to tax skill games – but the real question is whether to limit them

Pittsburgh wants to tax skill games – but the real question is whether to limit them

Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court says skill games are gambling. As lawmakers rush to tax them, a CMU scholar says the debate skips a more fundamental...

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The Conversation

Jonathan Caulkins

Why you let down your guard on ads when scrolling on social media

Why you let down your guard on ads when scrolling on social media

When you’re tired and distracted, an online ad’s claims can be more effective in pitching a product when they’re assertive and explicit.

previous day 2

The Conversation

Matthew Pittman

Yes, breathing wildfire smoke can harm your health – here’s what you can do to protect yourself

Yes, breathing wildfire smoke can harm your health – here’s what you can do to protect yourself

When you breathe in wildfire smoke, harmful particles can travel deep into your body.

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The Conversation

Colleen E. Reid

When can a power company take your land for data center infrastructure?

When can a power company take your land for data center infrastructure?

Courts have long let utilities seize private property to build transmission lines. Does that hold if the power flows to a single data center?

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The Conversation

Aaron Walayat

When can a power company take your land for a data center?

When can a power company take your land for a data center?

Courts have long let utilities seize private property to build transmission lines. Does that hold if the power flows to a single data center?

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The Conversation

Aaron Walayat

Can a power company take your land to support a data center? It depends

Can a power company take your land to support a data center? It depends

Courts have long let utilities seize private property to build transmission lines. Does that hold if the power flows to a single data center?

thursday 0

The Conversation

Aaron Walayat

A perfect storm of factors is driving up US produce prices, but shoppers can still save

A perfect storm of factors is driving up US produce prices, but shoppers can still save

US shoppers are seeing higher fruit and vegetable prices thanks to trade tensions, extreme weather and geopolitics, just to name a few reasons.

thursday 0

The Conversation

Elizabeth Canales

Foundations can outlive their charitable missions – and that’s a problem

Foundations can outlive their charitable missions – and that’s a problem

The missions the foundations’ original donors champion during their lifetimes can become outdated after they’ve died.

thursday 0

The Conversation

Thomas Adam

How to avoid tick bites in your yard or while hiking in the woods, and what to do if one starts feasting on you

How to avoid tick bites in your yard or while hiking in the woods, and what to do if one starts feasting on you

A tick disease researcher explains the risks and how she avoids bringing home ticks from both work and walking her dog in the woods. Lint rollers,...

thursday 2

The Conversation

Amanda Roome

Mindfulness is often presented as a path to calm, but its Buddhist roots explain why it can also bring difficulties

Mindfulness is often presented as a path to calm, but its Buddhist roots explain why it can also bring difficulties

Mindfulness can improve health and well-being, but it may not work for everyone. Buddhist teachings suggest that how it is practiced – and who...

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The Conversation

Ronald S. Green

Africa’s Greater Horn region is facing a looming polycrisis fueled by conflict, prices, climate and disease

Africa’s Greater Horn region is facing a looming polycrisis fueled by conflict, prices, climate and disease

The response to the many problems facing the region has been set back by cuts in humanitarian aid.

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The Conversation

Daniel Maxwell

After 1776, the founders designed a government that accounts for ‘a degree of depravity in mankind’

After 1776, the founders designed a government that accounts for ‘a degree of depravity in mankind’

After the colonists declared their independence, designing a government was next. Three of the founding generation said the new government needed to...

thursday 2

The Conversation

Donovan Fifield

‘Heartstopper’ is helping LGBTQ+ fans find hope and community across time and space

‘Heartstopper’ is helping LGBTQ+ fans find hope and community across time and space

Stories about young queer people coming of age and finding love have touched people across age and identity, bringing healing after the AIDS crisis...

15.07.2026 2

The Conversation

Annaliese Grant

FDA drug approval affects healthcare around the world, but political shortcuts could hurt the agency’s international reputation

FDA drug approval affects healthcare around the world, but political shortcuts could hurt the agency’s international reputation

A new FDA fast-track program could undermine the agency’s role as a global drug safety authority.

15.07.2026 1

The Conversation

C. Michael White

Philadelphia’s rich history of children’s television includes ‘Double Dare’ and a golden age of local hosts like Chief Halftown and Captain Noah

Philadelphia’s rich history of children’s television includes ‘Double Dare’ and a golden age of local hosts like Chief Halftown and Captain Noah

Philadelphia produced some of the most popular and longest-running local children’s shows in television history.

15.07.2026 2

The Conversation

Jared Bahir Browsh

How to be grateful to someone – even when you really don’t want to

How to be grateful to someone – even when you really don’t want to

Struggling to feel grateful? Try thinking differently about what caused the person’s actions.

15.07.2026 2

The Conversation

Mark Schroeder

What does it mean to be ‘quantum’? A physicist explains the basics behind Einstein’s spooky actions at a distance

What does it mean to be ‘quantum’? A physicist explains the basics behind Einstein’s spooky actions at a distance

Particles’ properties at the quantum level could one day enable faster computing and better cybersecurity.

15.07.2026 2

The Conversation

Aldo Romero

Viktor Orbán is gone, but scores of public monuments show the potency of his legacy and Hungarian nationalism

Viktor Orbán is gone, but scores of public monuments show the potency of his legacy and Hungarian nationalism

More than a century after the Treaty of Trianon, its monuments have produced a visible political landscape that Péter Magyar will continue to embrace.

15.07.2026 5

The Conversation

Brett R. Chloupek

What science loses when T. rex becomes a trophy

What science loses when T. rex becomes a trophy

Sold for a record price of more than $50 million, ‘Gus’ was described by Sotheby’s as more than 60% complete.

14.07.2026 3

The Conversation

Kristi Curry Rogers

How Lindsey Graham’s keen ability to read the moment propelled him to political relevance for 3 decades

How Lindsey Graham’s keen ability to read the moment propelled him to political relevance for 3 decades

Sen. Graham repeatedly moved in the direction South Carolina and Republican politics were headed rather than where they had been.

14.07.2026 3

The Conversation

Gibbs Knotts

Most Americans prefer to die at home, but the US healthcare system often prevents it

Most Americans prefer to die at home, but the US healthcare system often prevents it

‘Fix-it’ medical approaches often go against people’s wishes near the end of life, creating unnecessary and preventable suffering.

14.07.2026 3

The Conversation

Karen Lutfey Spencer

Large language models often prioritize Western moral values, overlooking other cultures

Large language models often prioritize Western moral values, overlooking other cultures

Generative AI’s overemphasis on Western moral concerns could reinforce global disparities in sensitive applications such as public health messaging...

14.07.2026 3

The Conversation

Aliah Zewail

As lawmakers politicize the 250th anniversary, Americans are looking for unity over division

As lawmakers politicize the 250th anniversary, Americans are looking for unity over division

While discord exists over the meaning of the 250th anniversary, Americans strongly believe there is more that unites the country than divides it.

14.07.2026 4

The Conversation

Tatishe Nteta

When a police officer is shot, how they get to the hospital depends on the city – and Philadelphia stands apart

When a police officer is shot, how they get to the hospital depends on the city – and Philadelphia stands apart

Police departments vary widely in how they use ‘scoop and run’ – and whether they use it just for colleagues who’ve been shot or for members...

14.07.2026 3

The Conversation

Prachi Sanghavi

Children’s books about Black people’s everyday, joyful lives are sometimes banned – but they help all kids explore what it means to be human

Children’s books about Black people’s everyday, joyful lives are sometimes banned – but they help all kids explore what it means to be human

Books showing Black children spending time with family, or playing at home, help Black kids see themselves in literature and give all kids a window...

14.07.2026 6

The Conversation

Wintre Foxworth Johnson

A lack of pies for a pack of lies – what spoonerisms reveal about how the brain produces speech

A lack of pies for a pack of lies – what spoonerisms reveal about how the brain produces speech

Spoonerisms can be silly and make you laugh. But linguists see something more: a rare glimpse of how the mind plans speech before we even open our...

14.07.2026 3

The Conversation

Karen Stollznow

Building a long‑term base on the Moon will require extensive planning – a planetary geologist describes the considerations that go into it

Building a long‑term base on the Moon will require extensive planning – a planetary geologist describes the considerations that go into it

A lunar base could allow for research, economic activities and lunar mining. Such an operation has potential benefits, but lots of challenges await...

14.07.2026 5

The Conversation

Clive Neal

Despite the growth of some AI schools like Alpha, research doesn’t show that AI tutors are better than human teachers

Despite the growth of some AI schools like Alpha, research doesn’t show that AI tutors are better than human teachers

Instead of schools trying to replace teachers with AI, teachers could use AI to become better educators.

13.07.2026 4

The Conversation

Gerald K. Letendre

Can Ozempic prevent cancer? A doctor explains why the headlines are easy to misread

Can Ozempic prevent cancer? A doctor explains why the headlines are easy to misread

Several studies suggest GLP-1 drugs may lower cancer risk. But that benefit may be due to the patients themselves: those who are healthier, wealthier...

13.07.2026 5

The Conversation

Ziyad Al-Aly

When disaster recovery becomes a way of life: Community disaster fatigue is on the rise with more frequent floods

When disaster recovery becomes a way of life: Community disaster fatigue is on the rise with more frequent floods

Increasing flash flooding is exhausting communities as they’re hit again and again.

13.07.2026 6

The Conversation

Lee Ann Rawlins Williams

When a congressman beat a senator unconscious, America confronted the limits of free speech

When a congressman beat a senator unconscious, America confronted the limits of free speech

The beating of Sen. Charles Sumner in 1856 by Rep. Preston Brooks over a speech against slavery sparked a nationwide debate over free speech,...

13.07.2026 5

The Conversation

Paul Quigley

For nearly 250 years, the US has had eyes on Latin America – but interventions then looked rather different

For nearly 250 years, the US has had eyes on Latin America – but interventions then looked rather different

Now as then, the US supported forces that wanted to change the political situation in Venezuela.

13.07.2026 3

The Conversation

Lindsay Schakenbach Regele

2.6 million Americans lost health insurance in 2025 after ACA subsidies expired, leading to real health consequences

2.6 million Americans lost health insurance in 2025 after ACA subsidies expired, leading to real health consequences

Research shows that losing coverage, even temporarily, tends to make people less healthy, and it exposes them to financial losses.

13.07.2026 4

The Conversation

Aparna Soni

Cuba’s future remains in limbo while Trump’s unpredictable foreign policy offers no clear path forward

Cuba’s future remains in limbo while Trump’s unpredictable foreign policy offers no clear path forward

Cubans are living in a state of limbo, and it’s not clear that US military intervention would revitalize the Cuban economy.

13.07.2026 7

The Conversation

Juan Carlos Albarran

Why is Venus hotter than Mercury, when Mercury is closer to the Sun?

Why is Venus hotter than Mercury, when Mercury is closer to the Sun?

Venus and Earth share some atmospheric quirks – but how did Venus get so unbearably hot, while Earth is mild and temperate?

13.07.2026 3

The Conversation

Vahe Peroomian

How redefining one word strips the Endangered Species Act’s ability to protect vital habitat

How redefining one word strips the Endangered Species Act’s ability to protect vital habitat

The majority of endangered species listings over the years have involved habitat loss, from Chinook salmon to island foxes and many birds.

11.07.2026 5

The Conversation

Mariah Meek

A rare bipartisan housing bill just became law ‑ but Americans will still struggle with affordability

A rare bipartisan housing bill just became law ‑ but Americans will still struggle with affordability

The legislation is the first major housing bill to pass in decades.

11.07.2026 5

The Conversation

Kirk McClure

The ball is round – and contrary to some keepers’ views, in this World Cup it has performed just fine

The ball is round – and contrary to some keepers’ views, in this World Cup it has performed just fine

Is the Trionda ball being used at the tournament traveling too fast or flying unpredictably? We asked a physicist who tested the ball.

10.07.2026 3

The Conversation

John Eric Goff

Teachers are worried about students cheating with AI, but my survey suggests the deeper issue is learning

Teachers are worried about students cheating with AI, but my survey suggests the deeper issue is learning

As schools consider AI guidelines, educators are also thinking about how they can adjust their assignments to accurately measure what students are...

10.07.2026 5

The Conversation

Brett Dejager