Does the World Cup favor democratic or autocratic nations? I did some number crunching to find out
Hosting the FIFA World Cup games can prove a propaganda win for authoritarian nations. But the data suggests the tournament favors democracies.
From Belfast to Washington, a familiar script of the ‘dangerous migrant’ has emerged
In many cases, a single, shocking crime allegedly involving a foreign-born suspect was quickly reframed into a broader indictment of minorities.
How health insurers get a free pass to deny coverage from a 52‑year‑old law meant to protect worker pensions
A little-known law called ERISA bars millions of patients from suing for damages when health insurers wrongly deny claims.
Venezuela’s deadly earthquakes happened on a fault similar to the San Andreas, and the risks aren’t over yet – a geophysicist explains
Both faults are along plate boundaries that move in similar ways and have ruptured in enormously destructive earthquakes in the past.
Israel’s ‘campaign between the wars’: How strategy to contain Iran and its allies risks further straining ties with US
Israel has long sought to gain a military advantage by degrading its adversaries’ military capabilities outside of times of direct conflict.
Why Denver stopped treating sidewalk repair as a DIY project – lessons for other cities and homeowners
New legislation in Denver created a program to build, repair and maintain sidewalks throughout the city.
‘In the end the court did its job’ – a former federal judge reviews a Supreme Court term full of momentous decisions
A former federal judge analyzes key Supreme Court decisions this term, reflects on growing judicial invective evident in its opinions, and judiciously gives praise for some great writing.
Military voters were at the heart of the Supreme Court’s mail‑in ballot decision
Mail-in voting was created during the Civil War so soldiers could vote. That legacy helped shape how the Supreme Court ruled more than 160 years later.
As the US turns 250, a forgotten founding influence helps explain its current unease
Montesquieu shaped how Americans understood liberty, and his warning about a ‘tyranny of opinion’ speaks to today’s polarization.
Data center fights pit social values, democracy and capitalism against each other
Data center proposals are often local controversies with significant underlying principles at stake.