Editor's note

Today protesters take to the streets once again in Washington, DC and other cities – this time for the People’s Climate March. Organizers want to show broad support for action against climate change, but their messages also call for broader resistance against the Trump administration. This may be an effective way to mobilize committed activists, but journalism scholar Jill Hopke warns that it is unlikely to broaden the movement.

On Tuesday, April 25, Pope Francis surprised everyone by giving a talk at the TED international conference in Vancouver. On the face of it, the Pope talked about the value of tenderness, social justice and caring for the marginalized. But, there was more, says theologian Massimo Faggioli, as he explains the two key takeaways from the talk.

Jennifer Weeks

Editor, Environment and Energy

Top Story

The 2014 People’s Climate March in New York City. Annette Bernhardt/flickr

To have impact, the People's Climate March needs to reach beyond activists

Jill Hopke, DePaul University

Messaging for the April 29 People's Climate March is stressing collective resistance against President Trump. This theme may appeal to activists, but is unlikely to grow the movement.

Ethics + Religion

  • Two key takeaways from the pope's TED talk

    Massimo Faggioli, Villanova University

    What Pope Francis did in his surprise TED talk was to relate the social message of Catholicism to people’s real lives.

  • Syria’s forgotten pluralism and why it matters today

    Andrea Williams, Colorado State University

    For many centuries, Syrian society has included people of many faiths – Sunni and Shi'i Muslims, Christians and Druze. This past is important to know to understand the present.

Science + Technology

Environment + Energy

  • National monuments: Presidents can create them, but only Congress can undo them

    Nicholas Bryner, University of California, Los Angeles; Eric Biber, University of California, Berkeley; Mark Squillace, University of Colorado; Sean B. Hecht, University of California, Los Angeles

    President Trump has ordered a review of national monuments protected by his predecessors, and may try to abolish or shrink some. But four legal experts say that only Congress has that authority.

  • Trump’s offshore oil drilling push: Five essential reads

    Martin LaMonica, The Conversation

    The industry has wanted access to offshore oil for decades, but the Arctic remains challenging. Consumers, meanwhile, seem conflicted on expanded offshore drilling.

Education

  • Is charter school fraud the next Enron?

    Preston Green III, University of Connecticut

    Enron stands as one of the most infamous scandals in business history. With a growing charter school sector and lax regulation, the same kind of corruption and fraud is rearing its ugly head.

  • Federal role in education has a long history

    Dustin Hornbeck, Miami University

    Trump has ordered a task force to look into the federal government's role in schools. Where does this executive order fit in the country's long history of federal versus state educational policies?

  • How parents can help autistic children make sense of their world

    Allyssa McCabe, University of Massachusetts Lowell

    People tell each other stories every day about the things they've seen and done. For many children with autism, this kind of personal narrative doesn't come easily. Here's how parents can help.

Arts + Culture

Economy + Business

Health + Medicine

Politics + Society