For months, the news about President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better legislation has featured obsessive coverage of the backroom politics of the bill rather than its contents.
If you know far more than you want about Sen. Kyrsten Sinema and the man who may have just tanked the bill, Sen. Joe Manchin, that’s because news stories have “breathlessly focused on the behind-the-scenes wrangling and hour-by-hour negotiations around the legislation. How much has been slashed from the bill today? What does it mean for the future of the Democratic and Republican parties?” writes scholar Angela Bradbery, who teaches public interest communications at the University of Florida.
Such horse-race journalism discourages people from caring about legislation. Bradbery asks what would happen if the press had, instead, focused on how the bill would affect real people. Bottom line: Democracy benefits.
Also today: Dry places got drier and wet places wetter in 2021 For the midterms, 331 jurisdictions in 30 states will offer voting materials in languages other than English What is the point of giving gifts?
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Reporters waiting outside a private meeting between advisers to President Biden and Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema about the Build Back Better Act on Capitol Hill, Sept. 30, 2021.
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
Angela Bradbery, University of Florida
A quarter of Americans don’t know how they feel about the Build Back Better Act. Focusing on Americans’ individual stories – and not just political theater – could help fuel civic engagement.
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Politics + Society
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Gabe Osterhout, Boise State University; Lantz McGinnis-Brown, Boise State University
Access to voting materials in a citizen’s native language helps boost involvement and voter turnout.
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Economy + Business
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Michael Klein, Tufts University
Sen. Manchin effectively killed one of Biden’s key economic priorities by withdrawing his support from the $2 trillion bill.
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Environment + Energy
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Shuang-Ye Wu, University of Dayton
US disasters in 2021 told a tale of two climate extremes. A climate scientist explains why wet areas are getting wetter and dry areas drier.
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Ethics + Religion
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Laurie Archbald-Pannone, University of Virginia
In tough conversations, show your respect for loved ones’ autonomy and dignity.
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Science + Technology
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Corey Neu, University of Colorado Boulder
Heart disease can change the genetic structure of heart cells. Understanding the role that mechanical forces play in these changes could lead to improvements in artificial tissue design.
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Paul E. Smith, Purdue University
Hidden underneath the bright colors and celebratory nature of fireworks is a combination of ancient chemistry and modern pyrotechnical recipes.
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Arts + Culture
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Dimitris Xygalatas, University of Connecticut
Gift-giving might seem needlessly cumbersome and stressful. But the costs and benefits of the custom aren’t what they seem.
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Mark Canada, Indiana University Kokomo; Christina Downey, Indiana University
An ‘old year’ approach takes into account findings from psychological research and the wisdom of habit guru Benjamin Franklin.
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From our international editions
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Peter Kimani, Aga Khan University Graduate School of Media and Communications (GSMC)
Tanzania might be in the news for producing East Africa’s first Nobel laureate for literature, but there are other compelling authors that also merit attention.
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Yvonne Su, York University, Canada
Research suggests that communities need jobs, food and health care, not political acts that hijack the spirit of bayanihan.
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Mark Dallas, University of Reading
Genetics and other health conditions were both linked to greater risk of developing mild cognitive impairment.
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