On Sunday, Puerto Rico asked its citizens for a fifth time – should the island become a state? Voters, at least those who showed up to the polls, said yes with 97 percent casting a ballot for statehood. However, as our panel of experts point out, there are several major reasons why this vote may not be taken seriously by Congress, let alone its own people – record low turnout, major protests from parties opposed to statehood and a strike led by students in response to potential massive
budget cuts that shut down the University of Puerto Rico for months.
Last week, in an unprecedented move, the FDA asked a drug company to withdraw an opioid from the market because of its potential for abuse. This comes in the wake of mounting evidence that the opioid epidemic in the U.S. is only getting worse. How did we get here? And what can be done to deal with this crisis? Six Conversation scholars weigh in.
And, today is George H.W. Bush’s 93rd birthday. To mark the occasion, James Goldgeier of American University’s School of International Service considers the legacy of Bush, the last president to come to office with an impressive foreign policy resume.
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Protesters in favor of Puerto Rico’s independence protest after a referendum was held on the island’s status.
AP Photo/Carlos Giusti
Jossianna Arroyo-Martínez, University of Texas at Austin; Carlos Vargas-Ramos, City University of New York; Charles R. Venator-Santiago, University of Connecticut
Some Puerto Ricans voted, but most stayed home amid a looming financial debt crisis and political protests. Will this vote matter?
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Politics + Society
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James Goldgeier, American University School of International Service
The first President Bush had some impressive foreign policies wins, but could he be best remembered for getting the U.S. entangled in Iraq?
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Caty Borum Chattoo, American University School of Communication
In 1958, Mildred and Richard Loving were arrested in Virginia for the crime of being married. The couple helped spark an effort to strike down laws against interracial marriage in the United States.
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Health + Medicine
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JB Silvers, Case Western Reserve University
Senate Republicans have been trying to find a way to get enough votes to repeal Obamacare. Here's how their delay could lead to a result they did not expect – more Medicaid.
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Jessie Schanzle, The Conversation; Aviva Rutkin, The Conversation
According to The New York Times, drug deaths are rising faster than ever, with more than 59,000 overdose deaths in 2016. How did we get here and what to do about it?
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David Stebenne, The Ohio State University
Hawaii was the last state to join the Union. It didn’t happen without a lot of political dealmaking.
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James Shanahan, Indiana University; Michael Morgan, University of Massachusetts Amherst
A new study looks at the amount of television voters consumed, and whether this influenced their support for Donald Trump.
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Timothy J. Jorgensen, Georgetown University
The true radiation risk from commercial flying has nothing to do with security scans. A radiation expert explains how much cancer risk the most frequent of flyers take on when they take to the skies.
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