The story behind Halloween's creepiest song 👻

3 reasons the House GOP is not any more dysfunctional than the Democrats − even after the prolonged speaker chaos

David R. Jones, Baruch College, CUNY

In the wake of the three-week internal GOP battle to choose a speaker, a scholar of Congress says that what looks like dysfunction is actually something else.

Trump’s violent rhetoric echoes the fascist commitment to a destructive and bloody rebirth of society

Mark R. Reiff, University of California, Davis

Trump’s call for violence is only part of a larger push for social disruption and destruction. For only in the wake of such events can a new, white, Christian, illiberal world arise.

Are journalists serving Virginia’s voters well? Election could offer insights on media on national level

Jeff South, Virginia Commonwealth University

With the balance of political power at stake in the Virginia legislature, voters in this key swing state may reveal clues for the 2024 presidential election.

Young, female voters were the key to defeating populists in Poland’s election – providing a blueprint to reverse democracy’s decline

Patrice McMahon, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

The autocratic Law and Justice Party looks set to be turfed out by a center-left coalition, which gained more than half of all votes.

Language induces an identity crisis for the children and grandchildren of Latino immigrants

Amelia Tseng, American University

Young Latinos in the US often navigate a contradictory landscape: Their parents see them as not Latino enough, while teachers and peers view them as not American enough.

The enduring appeal of Friends, and why so many of us feel we’ve lost a personal friend in Matthew Perry

Adam Gerace, CQUniversity Australia

The death of Matthew Perry has seen old and new fans reflect on the legacy of a television classic.

Workplace discrimination saps everyone’s motivation − even when it works in your favor

Brent Simpson, University of South Carolina

Having a biased manager lowers productivity across the board – even for workers who aren’t targeted.

United Auto Workers union hails strike-ending deals with automakers that would raise top assembly-plant hourly pay to more than $40 as ‘record contracts’

Marick Masters, Wayne State University

Rank-and-file union members employed by the automakers have to ratify the new contracts before they become official.

From India and Taiwan to Tibet, the living assist the dead in their passage

Liz Wilson, Miami University

Across cultures, death rituals give mourners a chance to grieve. But they also offer one last opportunity to help the deceased as they transition to the next stage of existence.

Palestinian Christians and Muslims have lived together in the region for centuries − and several were killed recently while sheltering in the historic Church of Saint Porphyrius

Jewish response to Hamas war criticism comes from deep sense of trauma, active grief and fear

How ‘La Catrina’ became the iconic symbol of Day of the Dead