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James Francis, Jr.

Instructional Associate Professor, Texas A&M University
Dr. Francis received his BA and MA in creative writing from Texas A&M University. He studied children’s literature and film at MTSU where he attained his PhD, now specializing in film (horror studies), children’s literature, and creative writing. He is the author of Remaking Horror: Hollywood’s New Reliance on Scares of Old, which chronicles the contemporary film industry phenomenon of horror-movie remakes. He has published book chapters in Dexter: Investigating Cutting Edge Television and TV Goes to Hell: An Unofficial Road Map of Supernatural as part of his background in television and media studies; The Scientist in Popular Culture: Playing God and Working Wonders and Bloody Women: Women Directors of Horror regarding his specialty in Horror Studies; and The Tennessee Williams Annual Review connected to his interest in Queer Studies. He is the editor for Images in Motion: Exploring Visual Storytelling and served as contributing author and editor to Howdy or Hello?: Technical and Professional Communication; Surface and Subtext: Literature, Research, Writing; and Marvels and Wonders: Reading, Researching, and Writing about Science Fiction and Fantasy, all open-educational resource textbooks created by TAMU English Department committees in order to provide free-access educational resources to the instructor and student populations to enhance teaching and learning practices and increase academic equity. Dr. Francis is also an internationally-published portrait, fashion, and art photographer. As an Instructional Associate Professor at TAMU, he is currently researching and co-authoring two genre-studies monographs on horror musicals and A.I. in science-fiction film with former students of the TAMU English Department.

Economy

Dollar Near Multi-Year Lows Amid Tariff Uncertainty and Investor Caution

The U.S. dollar held steady on Tuesday but remained close to a three-year low against the euro and a six-month low against the yen as investors navigated ongoing volatility in U.S. trade policy. The greenback was last up...

South Korea Boosts Semiconductor Support to $23B Amid U.S. Tariff Concerns

South Korea has expanded its support package for the semiconductor industry to 33 trillion won ($23.25 billion), marking a 27% increase from the 26 trillion won initiative announced in 2023. The move comes as global chip...

Wall Street Futures Dip Amid Tariff Uncertainty and Trump’s Shifting Trade Policy

U.S. stock index futures fell Monday evening as investor uncertainty grew over President Donald Trumps unpredictable trade policy. The dip followed two days of gains on Wall Street, driven by Trumps temporary tariff...

South Korea and Vietnam Strengthen Trade Alliance to Counter U.S. Tariff Risks

South Korea and Vietnam agreed to expand economic cooperation on Monday in a bid to counter looming U.S. tariffs that could significantly impact both nations. South Korean Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun, during a visit to...

Gold Slips From Record High as Risk Appetite Rises, But Recession Fears Keep Prices Elevated

Gold prices dipped slightly on Monday, pulling back from record highs as global risk sentiment improved following partial tariff exemptions from the U.S. However, safe haven demand remained strong amid ongoing U.S.-China...

Politics

China Slams U.S. Over Latin America Debt Accusations

The Chinese embassy in Argentina has strongly condemned recent remarks by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, accusing him of maliciously slandering and smearing Chinas international partnerships. The embassy labeled...

Iran-Russia Meeting Precedes Second Round of U.S. Nuclear Talks

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi is set to visit Russia this week ahead of a second round of nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington. The talks, aimed at resolving Irans long-standing nuclear standoff,...

Trump, Bukele Defy Court Over MS-13 Deportee Amid Legal Clash

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele stated during a White House meeting on Monday that he has no plans to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident mistakenly deported by the U.S., claiming doing so would be akin to...

New Zealand Strengthens Indo-Pacific Ties with U.S. Amid Regional Security Shifts

New Zealands Foreign Minister Winston Peters emphasized the countrys enduring partnership with the United States, calling it vital to both nations shared strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific region. Following his recent...

Trump Administration Seeks to Scrap $8 Credit Card Late Fee Cap

The Trump administration has moved to overturn a rule that capped credit card late fees at $8, aligning with business and banking groups that argued the regulation was unlawful. In a filing submitted Monday to a federal...

Science

Kennedy Sets September Deadline to Uncover Autism Causes Amid Controversy

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a bold plan to identify the cause of autism by September 2025. Speaking at a cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump, Kennedy declared a global...

AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi Gets US Approval for Bladder Cancer Treatment

AstraZenecas drug Imfinzi (NASDAQ: AZN) has received U.S. approval to treat adult patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, a significant advancement in cancer therapy. The approval allows Imfinzi to be used in...

Sanofi’s New Hemophilia Drug Qfitlia Gains FDA Approval with Breakthrough Bimonthly Dosing

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Qfitlia, a groundbreaking hemophilia treatment by French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi (NASDAQ: SNY). Designed for patients aged 12 and older with hemophilia A or B,...

FDA Vaccine Chief Peter Marks Resigns Amid Controversy Over Transparency

Peter Marks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) top vaccine official, has resigned after reportedly being forced out by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to The Wall Street Journal....

Museums have tons of data, and AI could make it more accessible − but standardizing and organizing it across fields won’t be easy

Ice cores in freezers, dinosaurs on display, fish in jars, birds in boxes, human remains and ancient artifacts from long gone civilizations that few people ever see museum collections are filled with all this and more....

Technology

TSMC Nears Breakthrough in Advanced Chip Packaging to Power AI Growth

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the worlds leading contract chipmaker, is nearing completion of a cutting-edge chip packaging technology to meet surging demand for high-performance AI chips, according to...

Blue Origin Boosts Space Tourism with Katy Perry on Historic All-Female Flight

Pop star Katy Perry and five other trailblazing women successfully completed a historic suborbital spaceflight aboard Blue Origins New Shepard rocket on April 14, marking the first all-female space mission in over 60...

AMD Ready to Begin Chip Production in Arizona Amid AI Server Expansion

Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) CEO Lisa Su confirmed on Tuesday that the company is prepared to begin chip production at its Arizona facility. Speaking at National Taiwan University in Taipei, Su emphasized AMDs...

Nvidia to Manufacture AI Supercomputers in the U.S. with TSMC and Foxconn

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) announced plans to manufacture AI supercomputers entirely in the U.S. for the first time, marking a major shift in its production strategy. The company has secured over one million square feet of...

Trump to Reveal Semiconductor Tariff Strategy on Monday

U.S. President Donald Trump announced he will unveil his administrations stance on semiconductor tariffs this coming Monday. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday, Trump said, Ill give you that answer on...