The Conversation - PA’s red wave explained

What Trump can do to reverse US climate policy − and what he probably can’t change

Gautam Jain, Columbia University

While he hasn’t released an official plan, Trump’s playbook the last time he was in office and his frequent complaints about clean energy offer clues to what’s ahead.

Disaster survivors want to rebuild safer, more sustainable homes, but cost misperceptions often stand in the way

Susan Ostermann, University of Notre Dame; Abbie B. Liel, University of Colorado Boulder

In interviews with residents and builders after disasters from Hawaii to Colorado to Puerto Rico, an engineer and policy specialist found people often overestimating the cost of building back better.

Trump’s plans to extend tax cuts and slash red tape will likely spur economic growth − but there’s a cost

John W. Diamond, Rice University

Much of Trump’s 2017 tax law is set to expire at the end of 2025 – failing to extend it would hurt households and the economy.

What’s the ‘standard deduction’? An accounting expert explains how it simplifies tax filing and saves most Americans money

Ryan Polk, Clemson University

In 2025, Congress will need to decide whether to extend the higher standard deduction, which has been in place since 2018.

Compassion amid chaos − how one of America’s greatest poets became a lifeline for wounded soldiers

Richard Gunderman, Indiana University

Lacking formal training in medicine or nursing, Walt Whitman nonetheless realized ‘the simple matter of personal presence, and emanating ordinary cheer and magnetism’ could go a long way.

10 states had abortion measures on the ballot – where they passed, where they failed, and what it all means

Katherine Drabiak, University of South Florida

Seven measures passed, three failed. What’s left behind is a mosaic of laws that can be hard to understand.

Strength training early in life can set up kids and adolescents for a lifetime of health and well-being

Zachary Gillen, Mississippi State University

Strength training programs for young people can improve muscle tone, prevent obesity and develop good exercise habits that last into adulthood.

How Trump might target DACA recipients and other immigrant groups

Jean Lantz Reisz, University of Southern California

Trump focused on illegal immigration in his campaign and pledged to make a range of sweeping changes – some of which his administration could do without congressional approval.

The election is over − but what is a ‘lame duck’ anyway?

Jordan Cash, Michigan State University

The lame-duck period in the US is longer than in other Western democracies, which tend to make the transition over a period of just days.

New Apostolic Reformation evangelicals see Trump as God’s warrior in their battle to win America from satanic forces and Christianize it

Art Jipson, University of Dayton

Many followers of the New Apostolic Reformation − a Christian religious movement − claim they receive divine guidance in reconstructing modern society based on Christian spiritual beliefs.

Is AI dominance inevitable? A technology ethicist says no, actually

Nir Eisikovits, UMass Boston

AI is already widespread and garnering billions of dollars in investment. But that doesn’t mean its ubiquity is predetermined. Society can decide when and how it’s used.

Microplastics promote cloud formation, with likely effects on weather and climate

Iran’s currency was already tumbling − and then news of Trump’s victory broke

Trump’s comeback victory, after reshaping his party and national politics, looks a lot like Andrew Jackson’s in 1828

The Conversation U.S. weekly news quiz

Fritz Holznagel, The Conversation

Here’s the first question of this week’s edition:

Donald Trump was elected U.S. president on Nov. 5, beating Kamala Harris by over 4 million votes. Which of these formerly Democratic "blue wall" states is the only one Trump did NOT carry?

1. A. Michigan
2. B. Minnesota
3. C. Pennsylvania
4. D. Wisconsin

Test your knowledge