By Tatishe Nteta, Provost Professor of Political Science, UMass Amherst
Jesse Rhodes, Associate Professor of Political Science, UMass Amherst
Lane Cuthbert, Doctoral candidate, UMass Amherst
In a recent national survey, Americans with the most negative views of women were the biggest proponents of transgender sports bans.
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By Valerie M. Fridland, Professor of Linguistics, University of Nevada, Reno
Vowels have become the latest players in partisan politics, a barometer of how beliefs and values fit within the old vs. new South.
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By Jordi Calvet-Bademunt, Research Fellow and Visiting Scholar of Political Science, Vanderbilt University
Some governments use legitimate AI concerns as a pretext to control political discussion, particularly chatbot responses about those in power.
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By Markus Schneider, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Denver
From tax policy to gas prices and tariffs, a mix of new factors is making inequality in the US more extreme.
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By Steve Uhlig, Professor of Networks and Head of School EECS, Queen Mary University of London
Reports that SpaceX temporarily restricted its satellite internet service for Ukraine’s armed forces have generated serious concern in Kyiv and among the country’s allies. SpaceX operates the civilian Starlink system and its lesser-known military-grade counterpart, called Starshield.
But many news stories leave an important question unanswered: what does a Starshield “slowdown” mean on the battlefield? The answer is that it does not suddenly blind the Ukrainian military or bring operations to a halt. But it does degrade one of the communications systems deeply embedded in how
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By Katie Edwards, Commissioning Editor, Health + Medicine and Host of Strange Health podcast, The Conversation
Dan Baumgardt, Senior Lecturer, School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol
Cottage cheese used to be the sort of food you associated with 1970s diet plans, uninspiring lunches and people who claimed to enjoy eating grapefruit for breakfast.
Now it’s a TikTok sensation.
Social media creators are blending the curdy, clumpy white stuff into everything from cookie dough and chocolate brownies to flatbreads and even slapping it onto hot dogs. Apparently, there’s no recipe that can’t be improved with a generous helping of cottage cheese.
But why has this rather unglamorous dairy product suddenly become so fashionable?
The answer…
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image A voter carries a ballot during early voting in the New York City mayoral elections on October 25, 2025. © 2025 Olga Fedorova/AP Photo (Washington, DC) – The United States government should order federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers not to operate in the vicinity of polling places, early voting locations, or drop boxes during the midterm electoral period, Human Rights Watch said today. The presence of these federal agents could deter people from voting. “ICE officers’ abuses have already seriously affected US citizens who have been…
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By Joshua Black, Lecturer in Australian Political Studies, University of Canberra
Frank Bongiorno, Director, Vice-Chancellor's Centre of Public Ideas (CoPI) and Donald Horne Professor of History and Public Ideas, University of Canberra
Australian history has been relatively free of political violence. But there have nonetheless been some shocking incidents from which we should learn.
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image People stand near a framed photo of Guatemalan lawyer and anti-corruption figure Juan Francisco Solorzano Foppa, who died after being shot by unknown assailants on Saturday while visiting a sports center, during his wake at a funeral home in Guatemala City, Guatemala, October 19, 2026. © 2026 Cristina Chiquin/Reuters (Washington, DC) – Guatemalan authorities should carry out a thorough, prompt, and credible investigation into the killing of Juan Francisco Solórzano Foppa, a prominent anti-corruption lawyer, former prosecutor, and former head of Guatemala’s tax…
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By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
The independent MP remains in a critical condition after the incident on Monday afternoon. The alleged attacker has been identified as 43-year-old Brendan Nugent.
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