Trump’s squeeze of Venezuela goes beyond ‘Monroe doctrine’ – in ideology, intent and scale, it’s unprecedented

Alan McPherson, Temple University

A US military buildup in the Caribbean after weeks of naval strikes is both the latest case of intervention in Latin America and uniquely aggressive in key ways.

Bangladesh’s accession to the UN Water Convention has a ripple effect that could cause problems with India

Pintu Kumar Mahla, University of Arizona

Bangladesh’s ratification of the UN Water Convention could increase the nation’s legal clout in transboundary water governance.

Investors prefer ‘I’ over ‘we’ when CEOs apologize

Prachi Gala, Kennesaw State University

New research on 224 corporate apologies suggests investors reward leaders who take personal responsibility – with one key exception.

Private equity firms are snapping up mobile home parks − and driving out the residents who can least afford to lose them

Cassie Powell, University of Richmond

For residents who can’t afford to move, rising lot rents can mean losing everything.

‘Only death can protect us’: How the folk saint La Santa Muerte reflects violence in Mexico

Myriam Lamrani, Harvard University

Since appearing as a public shrine in 2001, the female death deity’s popularity has exploded and is a frequent sight in public ceremonies such as the Day of the Dead.

The shutdown – and the House’s inaction – helps pave Congress’ path to irrelevance

Charlie Hunt, Boise State University

With major shutdown impacts beginning to set in, a scholar of Congress says the House has all but abdicated its position as ‘The People’s Chamber.’

Why can’t every country get along with each other? It comes down to resources, inequality and perception

Kaleb Demerew, West Texas A&M University; Institute for Humane Studies

Even countries with similar values and goals can end up in conflict with each other due to forces they cannot fully control.

Amateur hour in Congress: How political newcomers fuel gridlock and government shutdowns

Rachel Porter, University of Notre Dame; Jeff Harden, University of Notre Dame

The public’s frustration with ‘politics as usual’ has led more political newcomers to win office. But amateurs are more likely to view bipartisanship as a concession, not a tool for advancing policy.

The military’s diversity rises out of recruitment targets, not any ‘woke’ goals

Jeremiah Favara, Gonzaga University

Both men view diversity as a symptom of “woke” culture rather than as a long-standing practice driven by the nature of the all-volunteer force.

Trump is changing student loan forgiveness rules – barring some public workers from getting relief, but resuming it for others

Jennifer L. Steele, American University

A person with the average amount of student loans is paying nearly $300 a month, an amount that many people find difficult to meet.

Strict school vaccine mandates work, and parents don’t game the system − new research

Y. Tony Yang, George Washington University; Anthony Bald, California State University, Fullerton ; Samantha Gold, Cornell University

When states prohibit parents from opting their kids out of vaccines for religious, philosophical or other nonmedical reasons, communities stay better protected against infectious diseases.

Signatures meant more in Mesopotamia than they do now − what cylinder seals say about ancient and modern life

Serdar Yalçin, Macalester College

Cylinder seals were intimately tied to their owner, showcasing their identity, beliefs and social status.

Atorvastatin recall may affect hundreds of thousands of patients – and reflects FDA’s troubles inspecting medicines manufactured overseas

Signature size and narcissism − a psychologist explains a long-ago discovery that helped establish the link

An Indigenous approach shows how changing the clocks for daylight saving time runs counter to human nature – and nature itself