In The News

What America Needs to Know About Trump and Russia

Evelyn Farkas December 13, 2016
In the United States, the CIA, the Department of Homeland Security and director of National Intelligence have concluded that Russia hacked email accounts, selectively releasing messages, to help Donald Trump win the presidency. “The American public doesn't have access to the data the intelligence community – all 16 agencies combined –have on the Russian government, its banks and oligarchs,...

Trump, CIA on Collision Course: Washington Post

David Nakamura and Greg Miller December 12, 2016
US President-elect Donald Trump and his supporters, intent on overturning some longstanding policies, have shown a penchant for not trusting scientific, government or intelligence experts. The CIA is responsible for providing national-security intelligence to the president and policymakers – and in a report suggests that Russian operatives intervened in the election by releasing hacked US...

What the Latest Standardized School Tests Tell Us

Karin Klein December 9, 2016
Strong education systems contribute to strong economies. Every three years the Programme for International Student Assessment, PISA, tests the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students in math, reading and science. More than 80 countries have participated, and many obsess about rankings. Comparisons based on raw scores can be tricky, warns Karin Klein for the Los Angeles Times. Researchers...

OPEC Cobbles a Deal, But Cannot Hide Decline of Saudi Power

Chris Miller December 8, 2016
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries was created by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela in 1960. OPEC now has 13 members. During the 1970s, oil prices quadrupled, but OPEC's ability to set strict production limits and influence prices has slipped away in recent years. It took more than two years after the crash in oil prices for the oil producers, along with Russia,...

How Important Is NASA's Earth Science Program That Trump Wants to Abolish?

Brenda Ekwurzel December 5, 2016
US President-elect Donald Trump campaigned to reduce debt and the size of US government and also dismissed concerns about climate change. Analysts anticipate he will eliminate NASA climate programs including the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment satellite, GRACE, and funding for university earth science research. Such programs are multi-functional and ultimately apply science for the...

US Fossil Fuel Projects Around the World

Sonali Prasad, Jason Burke, Michael Slezak and Oliver Milman December 2, 2016
The United States claims to lead on climate change yet fossil fuels make up the bulk of the country’s energy consumption. The country also supports fossil-fuel use around the globe: “Through the US Export-Import Bank, Barack Obama’s administration has spent nearly $34bn supporting 70 fossil fuel projects around the world, work by Columbia Journalism School’s Energy and Environment Reporting...

The Problem with Abandoning the Paris Agreement

Robinson Meyer November 30, 2016
If the United States unilaterally withdraws from the Paris climate agreement, the nation can expect immediate diplomatic consequences. Foreign policy experts warn that such a move could create an opening for China to take leadership on climate-related issues and perhaps even profit from development of alternative energies. Observers cannot anticipate the Trump administration’s foreign policy, but...