Topic: Focus

All Content

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  An old beast re-awoken, anti-Semitism stalks Europe, US once more

  Britain, France, the US, and Hungary have seen upticks in anti-Jewish invective and assaults in recent years. The resurgence of overt anti-Semitism stems from both an awakening of repressed prejudice and a byproduct of anti-Zionism.
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  In the Philippines, divided politics feed – and feed on – a divided web

  Social media is transforming power and politics around the world, but few places epitomize those changes as much as the Philippines, where sharply dissonant views of the country and its leaders dominate debate both online and offline. Part Two of Two.
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  The Duterte dissonance: One leader, two Philippines?

  President Duterte's critics say he's paving the way for the demise of democracy and human dignity. In the eyes of Filipinos who have long felt politically impotent, though, he's launching the country toward prosperity and stability, with a brash but welcome authority. Part One of Two. 
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  As Hungary votes, memories of a mythical past loom large

  Ahead of Sunday's parliamentary election Sunday, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is framing Hungary as a homogeneous Christian nation standing against a migrant tide. But the country's national identity may be proving hollow and fragile. Part of an occasional series on Finding 'Home.'
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  Florida, the 'Gunshine State,' tries on new role: gun-control bellwether

  Florida has long been a testing ground for expansion of gun rights. With the gun industry facing its first serious headwinds in two decades, experts say shifts in perception and policy in Florida could, once again, lead the way.
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  For women in science, busting barriers is just part of the job

  As awareness of bias has increased, so too have efforts to address the subtle ways in which women find their work devalued. But in many institutions, women still struggle to get male peers and supervisors to acknowledge the problem.
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  In Kentucky, all sides agree on need for criminal justice reform. But how?

  From lawyers and judges to legislators and the conservative governor, nobody wants to build more prisons. But getting all those stakeholders to agree on what to do instead is proving a challenge.
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  What Ghouta tells us about the world's ability to protect civilians

  Not long ago the humanitarian concept of 'Responsibility to Protect' had currency. But as one expert notes, 'the main champions of international humanitarian law are no longer the main arbiters of conflicts.' In Syria, that reality is playing out harshly in eastern Ghouta.
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  Will NRA follow the path of Big Tobacco?

  In the wake of the Parkland, Fla., school shooting, some say gun control activists should adopt the tools used against tobacco – from liability lawsuits to ad campaigns 'deglamorizing' consumer usage. But there are key differences between the two industries.
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  Kentucky tests how much to demand of Medicaid recipients

  In July, Kentucky will become the first state to enforce work and community engagement requirements for some Medicaid recipients. The debate centers on fundamental questions: Does work make you healthier, or do you need to be healthy to work? And is health care a benefit or a right?
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  'Arm the good guys'? Kentucky and other states weigh adding guns to schools.

  Five school shootings so far in 2018 have resulted in serious physical injury or death – including the fatal shooting of 17 students and teachers in Florida.
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  Russia's media scene: not just a state affair

  Despite Western preconceptions of a Soviet-like puppet media, the Russian news landscape is quite diverse, with outlets public and private, big and small. But government influence remains a critical concern.
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  In L.A., resources grow for homeless community college students

  Innovative ideas – from food pantries on campus to the first homeless shelter for college students – are on the rise in Los Angeles. Those involved with higher ed say they have a moral duty to meet the basic needs of learners so they can succeed.
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  Jesuits, slave descendants consider how Georgetown can make amends

  The 1838 sale of 272 enslaved people wasn’t the first or the last the Maryland Jesuits made, but it was the largest. If Georgetown and the Jesuits commit to reparatory justice, observers say, they could embolden others to push their universities to follow suit.
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  Colorado asks: Is there a better way to build a highway?

  As plans to renovate I-70 continue, federal highway authorities, mindful of past patterns of bulldozing over the concerns of poor and minority communities, call the state transportation department's efforts to consult residents unprecedented. But people in affected neighborhoods have gone to court.
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  Battle over legal marijuana: a monumental moment for states’ rights

  The Department of Justice's crackdown comes as 64 percent of Americans, including for the first time more than half of Republicans, support legalization, Gallup found this month. So far, 29 states have legalized the medical use of the drug, while eight have legalized recreational use.
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  Harvard Law grad helps low-income students aim high

  James O'Neal started with the idea of getting students interested in school by getting them interested in the law. His initial idea has expanded to helping increase the ranks of high-schoolers who get to – and through – top tier colleges. 
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  Why coal-rich Wyoming is investing big in wind power

  Wind power is gaining ground in many conservative states across the American Plains, as residents begin to view investment in wind power as an economic opportunity rather than an ideological statement.
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  Iceland has largely kicked teen drinking. What can it teach other countries?

  In the last two decades, Icelandic teens have embraced sobriety under a program that asks families and communities to rethink adolescent freedoms. Some are trying to export this model to Europe and the US.
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  Reporters grapple with the 'right' way to cover the far right

  As news organizations probe the rise in white nationalism, some worry they may unintentionally wind up promoting it.
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  After the pledge: Scientists scramble to make politicians' climate goals a reality

  As global leaders meet Tuesday in Paris for the One Planet Summit, the world is waking up to the reality that achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement requires more than good intentions.
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  Is culture missing from conservation? Scientists take cues from indigenous peoples.

  We typically think of conservation as removing humans from the ecosystem to return it to its 'natural' state. But the practices of many indigenous cultures offer a different way to view humanity's relationship with the natural world.
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  From Texas to Congress: Will 'rare' friendship cost politicians their careers?

  Democrat Beto O'Rourke and Republican Will Hurd of Texas bonded over an unexpected hit road trip earlier this year. But as elections draw near, this bipartisan friendship may not be charming voters. 
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  'Bad moms' or women in need of help? Oklahoma rethinks view of female inmates.

  Oklahoma's rate of incarcerating women is the highest in the US and more than double the average. Pushback is coming from reformers who decry the destabilizing effect on families, as well as fiscal conservatives alarmed by the rocketing prison bill.
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  Rural schools unite to make college the rule, rather than the exception

  Cooperation among sparsely populated districts in Ohio fuels a successful – and necessary – push for college in a place where manufacturing jobs have disappeared. Part 1 of 3.