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Hurricane season starts today, and all the forecasts are warning of an extreme six months ahead for the Atlantic basin. If national forecasters are right, we could see as many as 25 named storms and more than a dozen hurricanes. It’s the National Hurricane Center’s busiest preseason forecast ever, and for good reason, as Purdue University meteorologist Jhordanne Jones explains.
Hurricanes are clearly bad news for the coasts, but being inland doesn’t mean you’re safe. These storms don’t stop at the water’s edge – they keep going, often for hundreds of miles, as years of storm tracks show. And when they get into the mountains, that much rain quickly becomes a flood disaster. Geographer Craig Colten describes what happens when tropical cyclone rains have reached the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and what mountain towns are
starting to do to prepare.
This week, we also liked articles about how the upcoming Olympic Games are drawing attention to France’s headscarf ban, why insurance companies should cover colon cancer screenings, and how the British electoral system differs from the U.S. one.
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Remnants of Hurricane Fred sent rivers out of their banks across western North Carolina in 2021.
North Carolina DOT
Craig E. Colten, Louisiana State University
In the mountains, heavy downpours can be devastating, especially when storms hit back to back. .
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Donald Trump arrives in a Manhattan court to hear the jury’s verdict.
Justin Lane-Pool/Getty Images
Donald Nieman, Binghamton University, State University of New York
By focusing on the facts, the public can avoid being distracted by baseless allegations about the Trump verdict that undermine institutions designed to ensure – not weaponize – justice.
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The 2024 Paris Olympics will officially start on July 26.
nicolas michaud/Flickr
Armin Langer, University of Florida
Laïcité, which historically upheld individual freedom, denies minority rights today, as seen in the ban on French athletes wearing hijabs at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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Andrea Shin, University of California, Los Angeles
Colon cancer is curable when caught early, but some insurers are either refusing to cover or significantly delaying approval for colonoscopies.
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Garret Martin, American University School of International Service
UK political leaders have just a few short weeks − and limited campaign funds − to woo voters.
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Rodney Coates, Miami University
At least one positive came out of the racial protests during the Vietnam War era – the emergence of Black studies programs on college campuses.
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The Conversation News Quiz 🧠
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Fritz Holznagel, The Conversation
Here’s the first question of this week’s edition:
Donald Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts at his trial in New York. The jury apparently did not buy defense attorney Todd Blanche's description of witness (and former Trump fixer) Michael Cohen as what?
- A. "A Mount Everest of misinformation"
- B. "The GLOAT ... Greatest liar of all time"
- C. "The King Kong of con men"
- D. "A stool pigeon who sings like another MC, Mariah Carey"
Test your knowledge
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