Editor's note

As Thanksgiving week approaches, many Americans are already planning their holiday meals, nearly all centering on roast turkey. But some turkey parts never make it to the dinner table. Colorado State University sociologist Michael Carolan explains how turkey tails became a prized delicacy in the Pacific Islands, and what that trade tells us about modern American eating habits.

Worried about the quality of your local TV news? American University School of Communication scholar Margot Susca explains why commercial broadcast newscasts have become increasingly distant from the local communities they serve and argues that a new Federal Communications Commission ruling is about to make the situation even worse.

And Penn State’s Verna Kale, Associate Editor of the Letters of Ernest Hemingway, says that a newly released batch of the celebrated writer’s letters may change the way we think about his relationships with other authors and his views on race.

Jennifer Weeks

Environment + Energy Editor

Top stories
Headed for export? Ryan McDonough

The strange story of turkey tails speaks volumes about our globalized food system

Michael Carolan, Colorado State University

The fate of turkey tails shows how Americans have shifted from eating whole animals to focusing on choice cuts – and the surprising places where unwanted parts end up.
For many Americans, there is no such thing as affordable housing in today’s real estate market. Aleutie/Shutterstock.com

How the proposed budget and tax cuts could stunt new affordable housing

Michelle D. Layser, Georgetown University

Slashing government spending on housing and scrapping a key financing option for new units would make it harder than ever for low-income Americans to keep a roof over their heads.
Beaming in news from far away. Daniel Fung/Shutterstock.com

Here's why your local TV news is about to get even worse

Margot Susca, American University School of Communication

The FCC has made it even easier for broadcast media conglomerates to focus on making money. The public – who own the airwaves those companies depend on – will suffer as a result.

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Today’s quote

The supply of affordable housing is so low that there is no state, city or county in the country where a full-time minimum wage employee can afford to rent a two-bedroom unit.
  Michelle D. Layser