More than just chips: Chinese threats and Trump tariffs could disrupt lots of ‘made in Taiwan’ imports − disappointing US builders, cyclists and golfers alike

Jay L. Zagorsky, Boston University

Geopolitical threats from China and the United States abound. That could be a tough pill to swallow for Taiwan − and American consumers.

Myanmar military’s ‘ceasefire’ follows a pattern of ruling generals exploiting disasters to shore up control

Tharaphi Than, Northern Illinois University

Thousands were killed in 7.7 magnitude earthquake. Yet military generals were slow to agree to pause in civil war fighting, and continued airstrikes.

The problem with Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center isn’t the possibility of ‘Cats’

Joanna Dee Das, Washington University in St. Louis

The president has followed in the footsteps of Louis XIV of France and the czars of Russia, who operated national theaters as extensions of monarchical power.

How a lone judge can block a Trump order nationwide – and why, from DACA to DOGE, this judicial check on presidents’ power is shaping how the government works

Cassandra Burke Robertson, Case Western Reserve University

Do court-imposed nationwide injunctions, which stop policies for everyone across the country, give too much power to a single judge? Or do they protect important rights?

The Trump administration says Tren de Aragua is a terrorist group – but it’s really a transnational criminal organization. Here’s why the label matters.

Ernesto Castañeda, American University

While foreign terrorist organizations typically have a political or religious ideology, transnational criminal organizations are driven by profit.

Florida is home to about 341,000 immigrants from Venezuela and Haiti who may soon lose residency, work permits

Mercedes Vigon, Florida International University

The loss of TPS doesn’t necessarily mean all of these people will immediately leave the country. Some will seek legal or illegal means to stay.

Abolition wasn’t fueled by just moral or economic concerns – the booming whaling industry also helped sink slavery

Topher L. McDougal, University of San Diego; Austin Choi-Fitzpatrick, University of San Diego

New research shows that when the whaling industry in the US produced more products, the proportion of slaves also declined in the 1700s and 1800s.

Insects are everywhere in farming and research − but insect welfare is just catching up

Bob Fischer, Texas State University

There’s no single, simple way to assess whether bugs feel pain, but research is giving scientists a better understanding of their abilities.

Hard work feels worth it, but only after it’s done – new research on how people value effort

Piotr Winkielman, University of California, San Diego; Przemysław Marcowski, University of California, San Diego

Researchers probed what psychologists call the ‘paradox of effort’ to learn how different people value work they could do in the future or that they’ve already accomplished in the past.

Hormone therapy may cut cardiovascular risk in younger menopausal women

Matthew Nudy, Penn State

A more nuanced understanding of hormone therapy now suggests that its benefits for heart health depend on how soon after menopause onset it is prescribed.

Research shows that a majority of Christian religious leaders accept the reality of climate change but have never mentioned it to their congregations

Chinese barges and Taiwan Strait drills are about global power projection − not just a potential invasion

Why do dogs love to play with trash?