Trump’s tariff threats fit a growing global phenomenon: hardball migration diplomacy
View at the entrance of the United States Embassy taken in Bogota, Colombia Pablo Vera/AFP via Getty Images As diplomatic spats go, it was short-lived. On Jan 26, 2025, Colombian President Gustavo Petro turned away...
Drought can hit almost anywhere: How 5 cities that nearly ran dry got water use under control
Las Vegas water supplier offers rebates to residents who tear out their grass lawns to save water. LPETTET/iStock/Getty Images Plus Water scarcity is often viewed as an issue for the arid American West, but the U.S....
3 ways the Trump administration could reinvest in rural America’s future, starting with health care
Rural America can be idyllic, but many communities still need support. Mint Images via Getty Images Rural America faces many challenges that Congress and the federal government could help alleviate under the new Trump...
Trump’s Project 2025 agenda caps decades-long resistance to 20th century progressive reform
There has long been a tug-of-war over White House plans to make government more liberal or more conservative. Douglas Rissing/iStock / Getty Images Plus For much of the 20th century, efforts to remake government were...

Is there life out there? The existence of other technological species is highly likely
We live in a golden age for space exploration. Scientists are gathering massive amounts of new information and scientific evidence at a record pace. Yet the age-old question remains unanswered: are we alone? New telescope...

Kinshasa’s traffic cops run an extortion scheme generating five times more revenue than fines
Commuting in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, presents challenges for its 17 million residents. Massive traffic jams and unsafe driving cause chaos on the roads, leading to long delays. The chaos...

Rituals, rites and rumours: how women claim power in Zimbabwe’s informal gold mines
In Zimbabwe they say, Hanzi bhande rinonzvenga vakadzi vakapinda mumigoghi (The gold belt will disappear if women go into the underground mine). Many men on artisanal or small-scale gold mining sites are uncomfortable...