Flint, Michigan, has become a cautionary tale about America's decaying infrastructure. But it's more than that: it's a cautionary tale about the loss of democracy; it's a celebration of the scientific method; and it's the story of dedicated doctors and public health officials, like Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, who made the story known.

Since 1976, nearly 1500 Americans have been executed in the name of justice. Sister Helen Prejean, though, cautions about the human cost of the death penalty and the innocent victims wrongfully put to death.

Local journalism is one of the keys to American democracy. There's no substitute for an experienced, local reporter who can share a story with the insight and perspective that comes from living in the community in which they report. Alexandra Watts is part of a new movement to put reporters on the ground in communities across America.

Former Secretary of State and Democratic Senator of Massachusetts John Kerry is interviewed.

The super-heated rhetoric over immigration and border security in the United States is part of a long tradition of anti-immigration hysteria. Julie Keller puts our recent panic in a sociological context-exploring changes in who works on American dairy farms, and how they traveled from Mexico to farms in the upper-Mid-West.

Domestic political and economic considerations influence nations' foreign policies and how they wage conflict. Rosella Cappella Zielinski has analyzed the costs of war dating back almost two centuries and shared her insights about the enormous cost of war.

Even for the devout, questions about the earliest history of Christianity can seem lost behind a shroud of history and official church teachings. Karen King traces the power of stories told and untold in the growth of the early church.

Recently, the Trump administration proposed defining gender as an individual's assigned sex at birth. But the medical community-including Dr. Jason Rafferty-tells us gender is not so simply expressed.

Mikhail Gorbachev is one of the most important figures of the 20th century. A child of the Soviet Union, and a fast rising star in the Communist Party, Gorbachev was also a democratizer whose reforms led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. William Taubman authored the definitive biography of the last Soviet leader.

Poets, rock stars, authors-and even mere mortals-all share a nightly sojourn-a temporary stay-in the land of dreams. Alice Robb argues they are not just flights of fancy, but critical to health and happiness in our waking hours too.

Stories are sometimes told with a particular message for their audiences. Other times, they are just stories. And in some cases, you can't tell the difference. Enter the playwright, songwriter and novelist Jeff Jackson, who explores the intersection of fame and violence in a remarkable new novel.

Democracy relies on facts, accurately reported and commonly understood-and journalists play an essential role in building that shared body of knowledge. Llewellyn King argues that technological change is placing great strain on our democratic societies.

Students don't fail nearly as often as society fails students-especially students of color. The amount of research supporting the link between educational outcomes and socio-economic factors is staggering. Darnisa Amante develops strategies to help organization dismantle racism and build equity in communities, classrooms, and schools.