Hours before President Biden visited Pittsburgh in January 2022 to speak on infrastructure reform, one of the city’s major bridges collapsed—sending a bus and several cars down in the wreckage. The collapse injured at least ten people that morning, but Pittsbu... More »
The United Nations (UN) held two flagship conferences of the parties (COP) at the end of 2022 to discuss a wide range of environment-related issues. The UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) engaged stakeholders from different areas in government, academia, NGOs,... More »
Americans have both celebrated and denounced immigration since the country’s founding. George Washington wrote in 1788: “I had always hoped that this land might become a safe & agreeable Asylum to the virtuous & persecuted part of mankind, to whatever nation t... More »
Each new military paradigm and technological development promises new legal and policy questions. Every innovation in weaponry brings new range, cost, and training while impacting civilian life, posing new questions to the leaders of the day. The Constitution ... More »
In the past two years, the Biden Administration has enacted major policies to increase the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in the United States. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocates $7.5 billion to develop and improve domestic EV charging infrastruc... More »
Isabeau Dasho is the Assistant director of the Harris Writing Workshop and new mom.Co-authored by Megan Sanders.Recently I attended the “Death: Life’s Greatest Mystery” exhibit at the Chicago Field Museum. It was deft, approachable, and well handled. The curat... More »
Shannon Vallor is the Baillie Gifford Chair in the Ethics of Data and Artificial Intelligence at the Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI) at the University of Edinburgh, where she is also appointed in Philosophy. Professor Vallor’s research explores how new techn... More »
As each subsequent state legalizes marijuana for recreational and medical use, its inclusion in the already ineffective drug war becomes increasingly redundant. The American public agrees, with about 88% of respondents favoring some form of legalization, and 5... More »
Beto O’Rourke has held many political titles but would center each on his identity as a Texan. After serving as an El Paso City Council member, O’Rourke served as the U.S. Representative to Texas’ 16th Congressional District from 2013 to 2019. O’Rourke ran for... More »
The calamitous earthquake that rocked Syria and Turkey killed over 46,000 people. As host to more Syrian asylum seekers than every other country combined, the disaster has thrust the refugee crisis back into the news. While more effective government could have... More »
“The only thing certain about the United States is it remains an experiment that requires our serious and sustained attention to thrive.” -Thomas E. RicksWhile the 117th Congress may have passed multiple significant bipartisan bills with potentially enormous i... More »
In January 2023, Illinois became the first state in the nation to completely abolish the cash bail system. Governor Pritzker signed the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act, abbreviated as the SAFE-T Act, into law in February 2021 after a 32-2... More »