Trump administration pauses new mine safety regulation − here’s how those rules benefit companies as well as workers

| Insights & Views

Federal officials in white hard hats speak with miners in an Indiana coal mine in 2015. AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley President Donald Trumps administration has announced its intention to pause or reverse regulations on mine...

Controlled burns reduce wildfire risk, but they require trained staff and funding − this could be a rough year

| Insights & Views

Prescribed burns like this one are intentional, controlled fires used to clear out dry grass and underbrush that could fuel more destructive wildfires. Ethan Swope/Getty Images Red skies in August, longer fire seasons and...

Trump is stripping protections from marine protected areas – why that’s a problem for fishing’s future, and for whales, corals and other ocean life

| Insights & Views

The coral reefs of Palmyra Atoll, part of Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument, provide nurseries for many fish species. Andrew S. Wright/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via Flickr, CC BY-SA The single greatest...

US universities lose millions of dollars chasing patents, research shows

| Insights & Views

Every year, American universities spend millions of dollars patenting inventions developed on their campuses. Big names such as Stanford and the University of California system lead the pack in patent activity, but...

Some politicians who share harmful information are rewarded with more clicks, study finds

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The likes pour in for some politicians who post misinformation. J Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images What happens when politicians post false or toxic messages online? My team and I found evidence that suggests U.S....

I study local government and Hurricane Helene forced me from my home − here’s how rural towns and counties in North Carolina and beyond cooperate to rebuild

| Insights & Views

Last year was a record year for disasters in the United States. A new report from the British charity International Institute for Environment and Development finds that 90 disasters were declared nationwide in 2024, from...

A warning for Democrats from the Gilded Age and the 1896 election

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Chief Justice Melville Weston Fuller administers the oath of office to William McKinley during his presidential inauguration in 1897, as outgoing President Grover Cleveland looks on. AP Photo/Library of Congress More than...