In 2015, when a group of 21 children and teens first sued the US government over climate change, their claim in Juliana v. US was not totally new—youth in Uganda and the Netherlands had filed somewhat similar environmental suits—but it seemed a little strange. Shouldn’t these kids be playing video games or something, doing pretty much anything but litigating to save the planet?
Special operations chief Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher, who is charged with murder of unarmed Iraqi civilians and more, was released from military custody on May 30. For the Americans campaigning to “Free Eddie“—including Fox & Friends host Pete Hegseth, who lobbied US president Donald Trump to pardon Gallagher before his trial—this is a small victory.
Home ownership is an essential element of the classic American Dream. But millions of buyers and sellers who trusted First American Financial (FAF), a major national title insurance company, just discovered a nightmare scenario.
The meaning of life is a question that has plagued philosophers for millennia, and there is no single correct answer. But increasingly, scientists are finding that having a sense of purpose, whatever yours may be, is key to well-being.
The United States prides itself on being the land of the free and the home of the brave, a place that protects individual liberty and prizes privacy. Yet the freedom of women in the US is increasingly being threatened by highly restrictive abortion bans, passed at the state level, which violate the US Constitution. These laws make the legal codes of many Muslim-majority societies in the Middle East and North Africa seem more free, a fact that may surprise freedom-prizing Americans.
On May 24, British prime minister Theresa May announced her resignation. The usually steely leader, who failed to negotiate a deal for Britain’s exit from the European Union, was emotional as she spoke, choking up during her statement.
Mixed martial arts (MMA) have dealt a blow to traditional fighting styles all over the world. In China, however, the relatively new combat sport is facing formidable foes: tradition and the government.
The movie producer Harvey Weinstein may have reached a settlement in a civil suit involving 80 women who accuse him of sexual misconduct, but his legal woes are far from over and he could still end up behind bars.
All the conveniences of postmodern life don’t seem to be relaxing us. Pop songs are increasingly about anxiety and depression. “Burnout” has become the buzzword of 2019. We’ve all got problems and don’t know how to solve them, though there’s surely never been a time in history when more advice, self-help books, mindfulness apps, and wellness gurus were so widely available to so many people.
When US president Donald Trump got the opportunity to appoint two Supreme Court justices in less than two years in office, many commentators predicted that the bench’s conservative majority would start voting as a unified bloc, all in ideological lockstep.
It’s a bittersweet symphony, this life. No one knows that better than the Verve’s Richard Ashcroft, who wrote the band’s most iconic song lamenting this fact, released in 1997, and lost the rights to it to the Rolling Stones.
All is not fair in war. There are laws that military members must follow and courts that enforce these rules. Nonetheless, ahead of Memorial Day on May 27, US president Donald Trump is reportedly considering pardons for American servicemen accused or convicted of war crimes, including civilian murders.
“Dust to dust” just became a much more literal proposition in Washington state, where the legislature approved human composting on May 21.
Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates is a famously voracious reader. He regularly recommends the books he likes best on his blog. On May 20, he released his suggested summer reading list.
For more on voice skins, check out the seventh episode of our Should This Exist? podcast, which debates how emerging technologies will impact humanity.
Today, in a 13-tweet thread, Michigan congressman Justin Amash chided his fellow Republicans for failing to respond appropriately to special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and Donald Trump’s efforts to thwart the investigation. Amash is calling for Trump’s impeachment.
As you surely know, the finale of the HBO series Game of Thrones airs tomorrow (May 19). The event promises to be dramatic and traumatic for characters and fans alike.
Rising sea levels likely spell doom for Miami. Developer Dan Kodsi doesn’t worry about that, and it isn’t why he’s made plans to convert the Paramount Miami Worldcenter’s observatory into a flying-car port. Kodsi, like others across the globe, is excited about these stuff-of-sci-fi vehicles becoming a reality.
The self-help guru Tony Robbins is worth about $500 million. He’s amassed this fortune by coaching others on how to overcome their limiting beliefs and achieve their dreams. Robbins is the original life coach, getting his start in the ’80s and offering this motivational service before that term even existed.
Sky gazing may not be as entertaining as tomorrow’s Game of Thrones finale, but the heavens do offer spectacles now and then. Tonight (May 18) is one of those occasions in North America. A rare blue flower moon will bloom in the skies, shedding its bright light on all who look upward—and it’s free, no HBO subscription necessary.
On May 16, the Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium issued an opinion that will make it possible to imprison parents who enforce a vegan diet on their children.
As of June 1, travelers to Tanzania will have to pack very carefully. The country announced the implementation of the second phase of its plastic bag ban on May 16. Visitors are advised to avoid packing or carrying any plastic bags as they’ll have to leave these at a designated desk in the airport.
Every place has its dangers, and Florida is no exception. What is exceptional here, however, is that the perils include the very strong possibility of running into an alligator almost anywhere. It’s a problem so common that it’s merely considered a “nuisance.”
If you haven’t heard Lil Nas X’s hit single “Old Town Road” by now, you may be living in 1889. That’s the year his new video—a cowboy “movie” starring country music king Billy Ray Cyrus, with an appearance from comedian Chris Rock—begins, before traveling to the present to prove that country and hip hop need not be genres at arms.
