States betting on the Supreme Court to legalize sports gambling

Editor's note

Sometime between now and late June, the U.S. Supreme Court will decide the fate of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in a ruling that could lead to legal sports betting in America. UNLV gambling law expert Jennifer Roberts explains what’s at stake for states, professional sports leagues and the average sports fan. The case – the culmination of a years-long court battle waged by New Jersey – is really about states’ rights, and so can affect other disputed issues, she says.

Wedding season might be upon us, but that doesn’t mean the state of our unions is strong. Marriage is increasingly viewed as an economic transaction or status symbol, and people are more likely to get married or divorced on a whim, writes Indiana University’s Richard Gunderman. He teaches Leo Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina” to his ethics class not only because it’s one of the greatest novels of all time, but also because Tolstoy’s characters bring a set of doubts, expectations and longings to marriage that resonate today. In them, we see what a marriage should – and shouldn’t – look like.

Nick Lehr

Arts + Culture Editor

Arts + Culture

A screen shows a baseball game next to various betting lines at the Westgate Superbook in Las Vegas, Nevada. John Locher/AP Photo

With the Supreme Court's pending sports gambling decision, states are already prepping for legalization

Jennifer Roberts, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

But those hoping for a boon in tax revenues could be sorely mistaken: Sports betting isn't as lucrative as it's often portrayed to be.


As the Royal Wedding approaches, what can one of the world’s greatest novels teach us about marriage? Richard Gunderman, Indiana University In their coverage of Meghan and Harry, the media are focusing on all of the wrong things. Thankfully, Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy had sharp insights about marriage that still resonate today.

Environment + Energy

A Kemp’s ridley hatchling makes its way to the water on Padre Island, Texas. Terry Ross

Beaches are becoming safer for baby sea turtles, but threats await them in the ocean

Pamela T. Plotkin, Texas A&M University

During sea turtle nesting season, scientists collect data and assess how turtles are doing. But they know less about how plastic pollution, fishing and warming oceans are affecting turtle numbers.


Invoking noble coal miners is a mainstay of American politics Lou Martin, Chatham University In the abstract, this near-mythic figure represents bravery, hard work and manliness.

Politics + Society

National Memorial for Peace and Justice. AP Photo/Brynn Anderson

Lynching memorial shows women were victims, too

Evelyn M. Simien, University of Connecticut

Although fewer black women were lynched in the US than men, their stories have been marginalized. Will a new memorial in Alabama help make their sacrifices known?


Argentina's abortion legalization debate ignites soul searching on women's rights Virginia García Beaudoux, University of Buenos Aires A new bill that would legalize abortion in Argentina has spurred surprise debate on the gender pay gap, parental leave and political representation. Will Argentinean women finally get their due?

Education

Black students and students with disabilities get suspended at higher rates, federal data show. From www.shutterstock.com

Kids of color get kicked out of school at higher rates – here's how to stop it

Samuel Song, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

The recent arrest of two black patrons who were waiting on a business meeting at a Starbucks has parallels to how black children are unfairly discipline in school, a researcher argues.


When college tuition goes up, campus diversity goes down Drew Allen, Princeton University; Gregory C. Wolniak, New York University Whenever tuition rises at nonselective four-year colleges and universities, racial and ethnic diversity within the student body declines, researchers have found.

Health + Medicine

Danny Farquhar’s fellow relief pitchers hung up Farquhar’s jersey in the Chicago White Sox bullpen on April 21, 2018, to show their support. AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

Aneurysm strikes baseball pitcher, but why? A neurosurgeon explains the mysterious condition

Brian Hoh, University of Florida

How could an otherwise healthy professional baseball pitcher suffer a devastating brain hemorrhage? A neurosurgeon who studies aneurysms explains their unpredictability.


Why it's so hard for doctors to understand your pain Karen Sibert, University of California, Los Angeles Each person experiences pain differently, depending on his or her genetic makeup. That makes it difficult to figure out what treatments patients need.

Science + Technology

Sunrise at noon in the Arctic. Little exposure to sun was a piece of the genetic puzzle. Bering Land Bridge National Preserve

Mother's milk holds the key to unlocking an evolutionary mystery from the last ice age

Leslea Hlusko, University of California, Berkeley

Why was one gene mutation that affects hair, teeth, sweat glands and breasts ubiquitous among ice age Arctic people? New research points to the advantage it provided for ancestors of Native Americans.


Internet openness pits collaborative history against competitive future Lorenzo De Carli, Colorado State University The internet developed as a place for open collaboration; there are technical limits on its transformation into a commercial marketplace.

Economy + Business

Will they disrupt the tech sector? Reuters/Eduardo Munoz

Women in tech suffer because of American myth of meritocracy

Banu Ozkazanc-Pan, Brown University

Americans' widespread belief that they live in a meritocracy where anyone can get ahead actually makes inequality even worse, particularly in terms of gender.


How transshipment may undercut Trump's tariffs Patrick Conway, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill This speed read explores why it’s hard to stop manufacturers in specific countries from dodging trade barriers by pretending that their goods come from somewhere else.

Ethics + Religion

Former FBI Director James Comey. AP Photo/Susan Walsh

What Comey learned from theologian Reinhold Niebuhr about ethical leadership

Christopher Beem, Pennsylvania State University

Here are three lessons that former FBI Director James Comey, took from the 20th-century American Christian philosopher, Reinhold Niebuhr.


Why this conservative bastion chose a liberal evangelical icon for its commencement speech Adam Laats, Binghamton University, State University of New York Although the choice of liberal icon Jimmy Carter as commencement speaker at Liberty University might be surprising, an expert explains why this fits in with the dream of conservative schools.