Author
What’s next after Supreme Court curbs regulatory power?
By Robin Kundis Craig, University of Kansas Federal Chevron deference is dead. On June 28, 2024, in a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court overturned the 40-year-old legal tenet that when a federal statute is silent or ambiguous about a particular regulatory issue, courts should defer to the implementing agency’s reasonable interpretation of the law. The […]
Trump’s rhetoric post conviction is designed to ease the way for an anti-democratic strongman
By Karrin Vasby Anderson, Colorado State University After a jury convicted Donald Trump of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up a politically damaging relationship, he responded by warning viewers of his post-verdict news conference: “If they can do this to me, they can do this to anyone.” That statement simultaneously invokes […]
The forgotten history of Memorial Day
By Richard Gardiner, Columbus State University In the years following the bitter Civil War, a former Union general took a holiday originated by former Confederates and helped spread it across the entire country. The holiday was Memorial Day, an annual commemoration was born in the former Confederate States in 1866 and adopted by the United […]
Biden’s labor record: Historian gives Union Joe a higher grade than any president since FDR
By Erik Loomis, University of Rhode Island Joe Biden has pledged repeatedly to go further than any of his predecessors with his support for U.S. labor rights. “I intend to be the most pro-union president leading the most pro-union administration in American history,” Biden said at a White House meeting in September 2021 that brought […]
Caring for older Americans’ teeth and gums is essential but Medicare generally doesn’t cover it
By Frank Scannapieco, University at Buffalo and Ira Lamster, Stony Brook University (The State University of New York) C. Everett Koop, the avuncular doctor with a fluffy white beard who served as the U.S. surgeon general during the Reagan administration, was famous for his work as an innovative pediatric surgeon and the attention he paid […]
Solar power occupies a lot of space – here’s how to make it more ecologically beneficial
By Matthew Sturchio, Colorado State University As societies look for ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions and slow climate change, large-scale solar power is playing a central role. Climate scientists view it as the tool with the greatest potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 2030. In the U.S., the Department of Energy predicts that […]
Lead from old paint and pipes is still a harmful and deadly hazard in millions of US homes
By Aaron Specht, Purdue University Lead is a potent neurotoxin that causes severe health effects such as neurological damage, organ failure and death. Widely used in products such as paint and gasoline until the late 1970s, lead continues to contaminate environments and harm the health of people around the world. The World Health Organization estimates […]
Backlash to trans health care isn’t new, but the faulty science used to justify it has changed
By G. Samantha Rosenthal, Roanoke College In the past century, there have been three waves of opposition to transgender health care. In 1933, when the Nazis rose to power, they cracked down on transgender medical research and clinical practice in Europe. In 1979, a research report critical of transgender medicine led to the closure of […]
Biases behind transgender athlete bans are deeply rooted
By George B. Cunningham, University of Florida and Kelsey Garrison, University of Florida In 2023, 24 states had laws or regulations in place prohibiting transgender students from participating on public school athletic teams consistent with their gender identity. These bans mean that a person whose sex assigned at birth was male but who identifies as […]
Who can defend voting rights? A ruling sharply limiting lawsuits likely heading to Supreme Court
A federal appeals court in Arkansas ruled on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023, that only the federal government – not private citizens or civil rights groups – could sue to enforce the 1965 Voting Rights Act. This decision will likely be appealed to the Supreme Court – but if it stands, it could gut individual people’s […]
Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission can – and should – deny fracking in our public lands
By Cathy Cowan Becker, Roxanne Groff, Loraine McCosker, Jenny Morgan, Randi Pokladnik, and Melinda Zemper of Save Ohio Parks Ohio’s Oil and Gas Land Management Commission met Sept. 18 to discuss the fate of our beloved state parks, wildlife areas, and public lands. At issue were nine applications, called “lease nominations,” by unidentified oil and […]
Opinion: Recognizing progress and opportunities for our railroads during Rail Safety Week
By Jeff Buddle The writer is president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Maryland. Every three hours in the United States a person or vehicle is hit by a train, and 60% of collisions occur at crossings that are equipped with lights and/or gates. More than 2,100 people across North America are injured or killed […]