U.S. health care myth: A system is not broken if it was historically designed to be dysfunctional
By Zachary W. Schulz, Senior Lecturer of History, Auburn University A few years ago, a student in my history of public health course asked why her mother could not afford insulin without insurance, despite having a full-time job. I told her what I have come to...
Why health care costs surge when patients lose insurance coverage and access to a primary doctor
By Jane Tavares, Senior Research Fellow and Lecturer of Gerontology, UMass Boston; and Marc Cohen, Professor of Gerontology, UMass Boston When you lose your health insurance or switch to a plan that skimps on preventive care, something critical breaks. The connection...
How artificial intelligence was put in control of the quality of health insurance coverage Americans get
By Jennifer D. Oliva, Professor of Law, Indiana University Over the past decade, health insurance companies have increasingly embraced the use of artificial intelligence algorithms. Unlike doctors and hospitals, which use AI to help diagnose and treat patients, health...
Why Japanese anime draws from religious traditions to explore the struggle between duty and desire
By Ronald S. Green, Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Coastal Carolina University I have spent years studying and teaching Japanese anime, exploring how its narratives intertwine with cultural, philosophical and religious...
Sacramental Shame: How LGBTQ+ conservative Christians wrestle with and find spiritual healing
By Dawne Moon, Professor of Social and Cultural Sciences, Marquette University; and Theresa Tobin, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Marquette University Kai found Jesus as a teenager. A person of White and Hawaiian descent, Kai now goes by gender-neutral pronouns...
ICE expands 287(g) to record levels under Trump as critics warn of lost trust and diminished safety
By W. Carsten Andresen, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, St. Edward’s University During his first few months in office, President Donald Trump has been establishing a framework for deporting undocumented immigrants en masse. It is something he has...
June 6 “D-Day” protest against Trump’s VA cuts marks historic moment as U.S. veterans mobilize for survival
By Jamie Rowen, Associate Professor of Legal Studies and Political Science, UMass Amherst Veterans across the United States will gather on June 6, 2025, to protest the Trump administration’s cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as the slashing of staff...
Arrest of North Korean tech spy in China signals diplomatic rift as Pyongyang expands ties to Moscow
By Linggong Kong, Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science, Auburn University Chinese authorities in the northeastern city of Shenyang reportedly arrested a North Korean IT specialist in late April 2025, accusing him of stealing drone technology secrets. The suspect,...
Increased anxiety and depression across all groups of Americans linked to “everyday discrimination”
By Monica Wang, Associate Professor of Public Health, Boston University People who most frequently encounter everyday discrimination, those subtle snubs and slights of everyday life, are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression. In addition, that finding...
U.S. cities explore how land reparations can address generational harm from racism and colonization
By Sara Safransky, Associate Professor, Department of Human and Organizational Development, Vanderbilt University; Elsa Noterman, Senior Lecturer in Human Geography, Queen Mary University of London; Madeleine Lewis, Doctoral Student, Department of Human and...
Public safety blackouts surge as U.S. utilities try to avoid fires, lawsuits, and catastrophic damage
By Jay L. Zagorsky, Associate Professor Questrom School of Business, Boston University Are you prepared for when the power goes out? To prevent massive wildfires in drought-prone, high-wind areas, electrical companies have begun preemptively shutting off electricity....
Trump is expected to unleash mass surveillance against political enemies and minority populations
By Brittany Friedman, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California President Donald Trump has vowed to target his political enemies, and experts have warned that he could weaponize U.S....
