Editor's note

Venezuela’s political power struggle claimed more lives over the weekend as soldiers killed four protesters during a standoff over humanitarian aid at the Venezuela-Colombia border. Saying President Nicolás Maduro’s “days are numbered,” the Trump administration is reportedly weighing a military operation against the embattled leader. That would be a serious misstep, writes historian Joseph J. Gonzalez. The U.S. has repeatedly intervened in Latin American politics over the past 120 years. Dictatorship, civil war and anti-American sentiment have resulted – not democracy.

As elected officials and others continue to assess the fallout from Amazon’s decision to withdraw its bid to establish a second headquarters in New York City, Jason Owen-Smith, a University of Michigan scholar who studies partnerships between business and academe, critiques local colleges that appear too eager to please the tech giant.

Gene-edited plants are regarded by the USDA as just that: gene-edited plants. On the other hand, the FDA classifies gene-edited livestock – like cows and pigs – as drugs. Geneticist Alison Van Eenennaam of the University of California, Davis, explains why treating plants and animals differently, when the genetic alterations are produced using the same techniques, could jeopardize agricultural research in the U.S.

Catesby Holmes

Global Affairs Editor

Top stories

An officer from Venezuela’s National Guard lobs tear gas toward demonstrators during a standoff over humanitarian aid at the Colombian border on Feb. 23, 2019. Four protesters were killed. AP Photo/Fernando Llano

Venezuela crisis: Trump threats to Maduro evoke bloody history of US intervention in Latin America

Joseph J. Gonzalez, Appalachian State University

The Trump administration says President Maduro's 'days are numbered' after Venezuelan security forces killed four protesters. But any US-led operation to oust him is likely to be extremely unpopular.

Amazon’s plan to locate its second headquarters in New York City fell through. Mark Lennihan/AP

Amazon pullout from NYC shows the perils of partnerships between higher education and business

Jason Owen-Smith, University of Michigan

When colleges rush to serve the needs of business, they risk losing sight of their purpose and entering into bad deals with a selfish partner, a scholar of research and business argues.

Cows at the University of California, Davis beef research facility. Photo credit: Alison Van Eenennaam/ University of California, Davis

Is a gene-edited animal a drug?

Alison Van Eenennaam, University of California, Davis

According to current regulations, animals that have been genetically edited, like pigs or cows, are considered drugs. What are the consequences of such rules on American livestock and agriculture?

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Today’s quote

"One recent report found that charter schools take US$3 million a year from public schools in Oakland."

 

What's behind the teacher strikes: Unions focus on social justice, not just salaries

 

Rebecca Tarlau

Pennsylvania State University

Rebecca Tarlau