• With Troops in Los Angeles, Echoes of the Kent State Massacre

    By Jennifer Mascia

    The 1970 shooting of student demonstrators underscores the risks of President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy the military against protesters, a history professor explains.

  • How Digital Identities Challenge Traditional Espionage

    By Kyle McCurdy

    It used to be so simple. An intelligence officer could fly to a country, change passports and, with a false identity, emerge as a completely different person. But those days are long since over.

  • National Academy of Sciences President Says U.S. Science Is Facing ‘Pessimistic’ Future, Urges Changes to Regain Leadership in Science

    National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt says there is a goal shared by all Americans. “Everyone, whether scientists or non-scientists alike, wants U.S. science to be the world leader.” She added: “The elephant in the room right now is whether the drastic reductions in research budgets and new research policies across the federal agencies will allow us to remain a research and development powerhouse.”

  • “The Bethesda Declaration”: Sounding the Alarm on the Growing Chaos at NIH

    More than 300 officials and scientists from all of the NIH’s 27 institutes and centers, have signed and sent a letter to Jay Bhattacharya, the Trump-nominated director of NIH, harshly criticizing the sweeping changes which have plunged the agency into chaos.

  • A Guide to the Countries on Trump’s 2025 Travel Ban List

    By Mariel Ferragamo

    The White House’s latest travel ban imposes restrictions on citizens from nineteen countries. Many of those affected are contending with crises at home.

  • Trump’s Use of the National Guard Against LA Protesters Defies All Precedents

    By Sinead McEneaney

    Unlike his predecessors, Trump has not mobilized the national guard to protect civil rights against a hostile police force. Instead, he appears to be using this as leverage to undermine a political opponent he views as blocking his agenda. Circumventing gubernatorial powers over the national guard in this way has no precedent and heralds the next stage in an extended conflict between the president and the state of California.

  • Twenty-One Things That Are True in Los Angeles

    To understand the dangers inherent in deploying the California National Guard – over the strenuous objections of the California governor – and active-duty Marines to deal with anti-ICE protesters, we should remind ourselves of a few elementary truths, writes Benjamin Wittes. Among these truths: “Not all lawful exercises of authority are wise, prudent, or smart”; “Not all crimes require a federal response”; “Avoiding tragic and unnecessary confrontations is generally desirable”; and “It is thus unwise, imprudent, and stupid to take actions for performative reasons that one might reasonably anticipate would increase the risks of such confrontations.”

  • From Kent State to Los Angeles, Using Armed Forces to Police Civilians Is a High-Risk Strategy

    By Brian VanDeMark

    I am a historian, and my recent book — Kent State: An American Tragedy —  examines a historic clash on 4 May 1970, between anti-war protesters and National Guard troops at Kent State University in Ohio. Troops opened fire on the demonstrators, killing four students and wounding nine others. Dispatching California National Guard troops against civilian protesters in Los Angeles chillingly echoes decisions and actions that led to the tragic Kent State shooting. Some active-duty units, as well as National Guard troops, are better prepared today than in 1970 to respond to riots and violent protests – but the vast majority of their training and their primary mission remains to fight, to kill, and to win wars.

  • Local Police Join ICE Deportation Force in Record Numbers Despite Warnings Program Lacks Oversight

    By Rafael Carranza and Gabriel Sandoval

    ICE officials tout an unprecedented expansion of its 287(g) Program, driven by agreements that allow local officers to function as deportation agents during routine policing. But advocates warn such agreements come at a high cost to communities.

  • States, Sheriffs Puzzle Over Trump’s Error-Filled List of Immigration Sanctuaries

    By Tim Henderson

    A list of 14 states, 298 counties and 200 cities deemed immigration sanctuaries by the Trump administration has disappeared from a government website but continues to hang over the heads of officials who face threats of losing federal funding. “The list is gone. Am I satisfied that it was rectified? Yes. Am I satisfied that it’s over? No,” said Sheriff Charles Blackwood of Orange County, North Carolina.

  • Europe’s Moment of Truth: A Democracy Shield for Today and Tomorrow

    Democracy in Europe is under growing pressure. Authoritarian regimes like Russia and the People’s Republic of China are conducting increasingly sophisticated foreign interference campaigns. Internally, illiberal actors – who are often the beneficiaries of this foreign interference — are eroding the rule of law and civic freedoms as democratic norms deteriorate in the EU’s immediate neighborhood. The EU’s European Democracy Shield, announced in 2024 and expected in 2025, aims to counter these threats to democracy.

  • Economic Impact Report Warns of Setbacks to Public Health Progress Amid Federal Budget Cuts

    A new report details the far-reaching impacts of 2025 federal funding cuts on public health infrastructure, research institutions, workforce development, and the broader US economy. The report provides the first comprehensive look at how widespread grant freezes, budget reductions, and agency restructurings are destabilizing academic public health institutions nationwide.

  • Overshadowed by Border Dispute, India-Pakistan Water Security Risks Grow

    By Neeraj Singh Manhas

    Glacial meltwater accounts for a significant portion of annual flows in the Indus River Basin, but as glaciers retreat due to climate change, this flow is decreasing, leading to water scarcity. Pakistan is particularly vulnerable to reduction in Indus River Basin flows: it relies on the Indus River for more than 90 percent of its water, and is already grappling with severe water shortages.

  • Trump’s Justifications for the Latest Travel Ban Aren’t Supported by the Data on Immigration and Terrorism

    By Charles Kurzman

    This travel ban, like the earlier ones, will not significantly improve national security and public safety in the United States. That’s because migrants account for a minuscule portion of violence in the U.S. And migrants from the latest travel ban countries account for an even smaller portion.

  • Trump Practically Bans Travel and Immigration from 12 Countries with Flimsy Security Justifications

    By Alex Nowrasteh

    The US government has a responsibility to keep terrorists and criminals out of the country and to remove those who make it through. But the government should pursue a rational and evidence-based approach when evaluating the threat posed by foreign nationals. The Trump administration has banned large swaths of travelers and immigrants from many countries based on evidence that it likely won’t release and, if it does, will likely raise more questions than answers.