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There’s quite a lot that remains unknown about the allegations that 13 people affiliated with a militia group in Michigan were plotting to kidnap the state’s governor. But Amy Cooter, a sociologist at Vanderbilt, who has spent years studying these groups – including three years embedded with militia groups in Michigan – says there are five key issues to keep in mind as details emerge and events unfold.
She discusses who these people seem to be, what their motivations might be, the roles of gender and President Donald Trump and whether these people were in fact as serious a threat as prosecutors claim.
This week we also liked articles about world hunger, the role of Congress in contested elections and how online shoppers can avoid scams.
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A search warrant and a list of seized property from an FBI raid related to the alleged kidnapping plot.
Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images
Amy Cooter, Vanderbilt University
Much remains unknown so far about an alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, but five themes will remain relevant no matter how events unfold.
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Villagers collect World Food Programme aid dropped from a plane Feb. 6 in South Sudan.
Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Images
Jessica Eise, Purdue University
Over 820 million people around the world go to bed hungry at night, and that tide is rising. For working to reverse it, the U.N. World Food Program has received the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize.
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If the House of Representatives selects the president, each state would get a single vote – not one vote per House member.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
Donald Brand, College of the Holy Cross
Biden and Trump are both preparing for a court battle in November. But when the Electoral College produces no clear winner, it's the House of Representatives that's supposed to select the president.
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Peter Lehman, Arizona State University
Directors and audiences are becoming more comfortable with male frontal nudity. But what message does it send when almost all of the penises shown aren't real?
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H. Colleen Sinclair, Mississippi State University
Setting up an online scam can be as simple as registering a domain name, signing up for an online payment account and copying and pasting product info from legitimate businesses.
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Matthew Woodruff, Emory University
Patients suffering from severe COVID-19 may be experiencing a rogue antibody response similar to that seen in autoimmune diseases. The findings offer new approaches for COVID-19 therapy.
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Nancy Nielsen, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
When a celebrity, politician or other influential person checks in, a health care team can feel pressured to give in to a VIP's wishes.
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Several sports events have been disrupted by extreme weather events, such as wildfires in 2020.
AP Photo/Tony Avelar
Brian P. McCullough, Texas A&M University
While the sports sector’s environmental impact is not fully understood, it has a social platform and reach to influence a significant number of people worldwide to choose more sustainable behaviors.
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