Untangling Trump's complex legal battles

Supreme Court rules in favor of Black voters in Alabama and protects landmark Voting Rights Act

Rodney Coates, Miami University

At a time when state legislatures are enacting laws that restrict who, when and where people can vote, the US Supreme Court ruled to protect voting rights.

Why a federal judge found Tennessee’s anti-drag law unconstitutional

Mark Satta, Wayne State University

The law passed by Tennessee legislators that banned many drag performances violated the First Amendment. A legal scholar explains the judge’s decision in the case.

Overcrowded trains serve as metaphor for India in Western eyes – but they are a relic of colonialism and capitalism

Ritika Prasad, University of North Carolina – Charlotte

A deadly crash in India that claimed the lives of around 300 people has refocused international attention on the importance of railways in the country.

‘From Magic Mushrooms to Big Pharma’ – a college course explores nature’s medicine cabinet and different ways of healing

Heather McIlvaine-Newsad, Western Illinois University

An anthropology course explores how peoples and cultures around the world use nature-based medicines to heal.

The US has a child labor problem – recalling an embarrassing past that Americans may think they’ve left behind

Beth Saunders, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

While Lewis Hine’s early-20th century photographs of working children compelled Congress to limit or ban child labor, the US Department of Labor is now under fire for failing to enforce these laws.

El Niño is back – that’s good news or bad news, depending on where you live

Bob Leamon, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

The official forecast calls for a strong El Niño by winter, but other models suggest it might dip in and out. An atmospheric scientist explains.

Millions of women are working during menopause, but US law isn’t clear on employees’ rights or employers’ obligations

Naomi Cahn, University of Virginia; Bridget J. Crawford, Pace University ; Emily Gold Waldman, Pace University

Three scholars who are writing a book about menopause and the law suggest ways to protect women experiencing it.

Drawing, making music and writing poetry can support healing and bring more humanity to health care in US hospitals

Marlaine Figueroa Gray, University of Washington

Art, music and poetry therapy can help patients feel more optimistic and less isolated as well as to embrace the uncertainty that comes with illness.

Never mind Cleopatra – what about the forgotten queens of ancient Nubia?

Yasmin Moll, University of Michigan

The way many Americans think about racial identity today is hard to map onto the complex history of ancient Egypt and ancient Nubia.

Pat Robertson’s lasting influence on American politics: 3 essential reads

Kalpana Jain, The Conversation

Pat Robertson, founder of the global Christian Broadcasting Network, blended religion into American politics and played an important role in the Republican Party.

Beauty procedures from manicures to cosmetic surgery carry risk — and the reward of a better life

Nehal El-Hadi, The Conversation; Daniel Merino, The Conversation

Being beautiful can improve a person’s quality of life and emotional wellbeing. But sometimes, there is a risk of harm — from exposure to cancer-causing UV light, to cheap cosmetic procedures.

What Ukraine dam breach means for the country’s counteroffensive and aid deployment

South Africa’s power crisis will continue until 2025 - and blackouts will take 5 years to phase out

Friday essay: ‘All I am is literature’ – Franz Kafka’s diaries were the forge of his writing