Editor's note
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Across the U.S. heartland, farmers are nearing the end of planting season, but they’re not just sowing seeds. As Penn State University insect ecologist John Tooker explains, many of those seeds – especially major commodity crops like corn and soybeans – are coated with neonicotinoid insecticides. He argues that this strategy uses far more insecticide than needed and threatens wildlife, including helpful insects that prey on pests.
Since the end of World War II, the U.S. has been the central player in an international order governed by clear rules. But those days are gone. “Not only do China and Russia contest America’s global role,” writes Gordon Adams, American University scholar and former national security official, “a growing number of other countries are asserting an independent and increasingly influential role in regional economic and security developments.” And if you think it’s all President Trump’s fault, Adams writes that the change has
been underway for some time.
The rules are changing in the U.S., too. Wayne State University law professor Jonathan Weinberg explains how a Supreme Court ruling last week begins to create privacy protections for the digital age.
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Jennifer Weeks
Environment + Energy Editor
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Top stories
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Soybean seeds treated with neonicotinoids (blue) and treated corn seeds (red) versus untreated seeds.
Ian Grettenberger/PennState University
John F. Tooker, Pennsylvania State University
US farmers are planting more and more acres with seeds coated with neonicotinoid pesticides. An ecologist explains why this approach is overkill and may be doing more harm than good.
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, speaks with U.S. President Donald Trump, at the contentious G7 Leaders Summit in Canada in June.
AP/Jesco Denzel/German Federal Government
Gordon Adams, American University School of International Service
President Trump is criticized for wreaking havoc on the international order, where the US was the established leader. But Trump is simply hastening a change that has been a long time coming.
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Your phone knows where you’ve been.
LightAndShare/Shutterstock.com
Jonathan Weinberg, Wayne State University
People's most private information isn't on paper locked in desks anymore – it's online, stored on corporate servers. The Supreme Court now says some privacy protections cover that data.
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Politics + Society
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Brian Levin, California State University San Bernardino; James J. Nolan, West Virginia University; John David Reitzel, California State University San Bernardino
In 38 US cities, hate crimes rose 12 percent in 2017. There were 1,038 hate crimes in the nation’s 10 largest cities – the most in more than a decade.
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Education
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Brooke Macnamara, Case Western Reserve University
While schools have adopted 'growth mindset' interventions and millions of dollars have been spent to see if they work, an analysis of the available research shows they have only a small impact.
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Carol Dweck, Stanford University
Growth mindset interventions work as well as many educational programs, at a fraction of the cost. And they are just in their infancy, says the Stanford researcher who developed mindset theory.
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From our international editions
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Andrew James Reid, Glasgow Caledonian University
WHO's classification of 'gaming addiction' ignores the hugely positive aspects of play.
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Andrea Furlan, University of Toronto
More places, including Canada, are legalizing cannabis, but how do we figure out when it's no longer safe to drive?
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Mohammed Girma, University of Pretoria
The grenade attack shows that opponents are threatened by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's progress.
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