Suing Over Climate Change is a Win No Matter the Verdict On June 24, 2015, a Dutch district court in the Hague handed down a decision binding the Netherlands to reduce its total climate warming greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by the year 2020. The case marked the first time any country had ever … Read more
Operation Triton rescue mission, 2015 In today’s era of globalization, migration affects virtually every country, rich or poor. Much of the migration discourse, however, is predominantly focused on how immigration affects rich countries, while emigration’s effect on poor, migrant-sending countries has received very little attention. While there is now a widespread agreement amongst economists on … Read more
Gone are the days when dominance of American higher education by religious institutions sowed tension on campuses around the country, but debate about political ideology in the hallowed halls of the nation’s flagship universities is far from over. As high school seniors continue to weigh college options, few will be able to avoid the national … Read more
When many people hear the words “The American Dream”, the image of “Main Street” comes to mind: Small mom-and-pop shops line a road surrounded by crops and kids chase each other into candy stores. John Norris used to be a boy walking down the equivalent of Main Street in Red Oak, Iowa, a town with … Read more
Prison Reform in the Bayou State In the summer of 2017, Governor John Bel Edwards signed the most comprehensive prison reform package in the Louisiana’s history. At the time that legislation was passed, Louisiana had the highest incarceration rate in the United States—the country with an incarceration rate higher than that of any country in … Read more
Joaquín Castro is the congressman for the 20th District of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives. He won election as a Democrat in 2013. HPR: With the midterm elections coming up, what would you say is the Democratic Party’s core message to voters? Joaquin Castro: That ours is a party of opportunity for everybody, no … Read more
The musty scent of old paperback. The groan of a creaky, carpeted floor. The sight of endless shelves filled with unread volumes. But when one steps through the marble columns into the Reading Room of Harvard’s flagship Widener Library today, they find a very different scene. Rows of tables host students consumed by laptops, not … Read more
It was a rainy May afternoon when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau strolled across the stage in Yankee Stadium to headline New York University’s 2018 Commencement. Besides introducing Trudeau, the university lauded the Canadian leader for his commitment to “fostering strength out of Canada’s rich diversity, fighting climate change, and achieving reconciliation with indigenous peoples.” … Read more
A recently filed lawsuit alleges that Harvard University’s affirmative action policy discriminates against Asian-American applicants in college admissions. This lawsuit cites the lower “personal ratings” given to Asian applicants relative to students of other races, as well as Asian applicants’ higher grades, test scores, and extracurricular ratings as proof. However, the arguments put forth by … Read more
On September 14, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford publicly accused Judge Brett Kavanaugh of attempted rape in the summer of 1982. After Ford came forward, two other women — Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick — also made sexual assault claims against the Supreme Court nominee. Although these accusations against Kavanaugh do not presently overcome the beyond … Read more