A First Amendment battle looms in Georgia, where the state is framing opposition to a police training complex as a criminal conspiracy

Rachel McKane, Brandeis University; David Pellow, University of California, Santa Barbara

This isn’t the first time that US authorities have criminalized civil disobedience or framed grassroots organizing as a conspiracy.

Edward Blum’s crusade against affirmative action has used the legal strategy developed by civil rights activists

Julian Maxwell Hayter, University of Richmond

Without much scrutiny or fanfare, Edward Blum has led the attack against federal minority voter protection laws and the use of race in college admissions.

‘Wonka’ movie holds remnants of novel’s racist past

Meisha Lohmann, Binghamton University, State University of New York

The original storyline for Road Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” contained some stunning parallels to the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

How the keffiyeh – a practical garment used for protection against the desert sun – became a symbol of Palestinian identity

Armin Langer, University of Florida

The keffiyeh’s prominence soared in the 1970s when Yasser Arafat, leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, adopted and popularized the garment.

A scholar of military ethics explains why the principle of moral equality applies to all civilian lives during combat

Jessica Wolfendale, Case Western Reserve University

Proportionality requires that lives of civilians on both sides of a conflict must be treated with the same degree of respect.

Massive planet too big for its own sun pushes astronomers to rethink exoplanet formation

Suvrath Mahadevan, Penn State; Guðmundur Kári Stefánsson, Princeton University; Megan Delamer, Penn State

A newly discovered planet that should be too big to have formed around a tiny star is throwing into question what researchers know about planet formation.

Bringing classical physics into the modern world with Galileo’s Leaning Tower of Pisa experiment

Larry M. Silverberg, North Carolina State University

A centuries-old experiment shows the differences between classical and modern physics. Physicists use thought experiments like this to think about how objects move both on Earth and in the stars.

These programs make college possible for students with developmental disabilities

Neil Edwin Duchac II, Kennesaw State University

Inclusive postsecondary education programs help students with intellectual disabilities make friends and become independent adults.

Who is still getting HIV in America? Medication is only half the fight – homing in on disparities can help get care to those who need it most

Angel Algarin, Arizona State University

Two-thirds of new HIV infections are among gay and bisexual men. Although cases have decreased among white men, they have stagnated among communities of color.

Colonized countries rarely ask for redress over past wrongs − the reasons can be complex

Manjari Chatterjee Miller, Boston University

Fewer than a quarter of once-colonized countries make official government-to-government requests for an apology or reparations.

Henry Kissinger’s bombing campaign likely killed hundreds of thousands of Cambodians − and set path for the ravages of the Khmer Rouge

Gentle parenting can be really hard on parents, new research suggests

Stoicism and spirituality: A philosopher explains how more Americans’ search for meaning is turning them toward the classics

Here’s the first question of this week’s edition:

The United Nations meeting known as COP28 began in Dubai on Nov. 30. What does COP stand for?

1. A. Climate Oversight Proceedings
2. B. Census of Partners
3. C. Conference of the Parties
4. D. Come On, People!

Test your knowledge