Past Articles
Samples of Published Work By Category
Education
Since 2021
A range of pieces including features and analysis of what's shaping the American education system.
Does Solving Inequality in Education Mean Embracing ‘Birth Equity’?
November 15, 2022
We like to think of education as beginning in early childhood. But what if it starts earlier? Those who argue that inequality in birthing conditions negatively affects educational outcomes would say that education begins in the womb. It’s a challenge that edtech may be beginning to address.
This story won a 2023 Regional Gold Award (Pacific) for enterprise reporting from the American Society of Business Publication Editors.
Will ChatGPT Make Students Turn Away From Homework-Help Services?
February 27, 2023
ADAPT OR DIE: ChatGPT has made headlines recently, fueling debate over academic dishonesty and the “death” of the school essay. But how will this tech affect other homework-help services that students use?
UCLA Life Sciences Revamped How It Teaches Math. Is It an Example Others Should Follow?
January 17, 2023
Math can be grueling for students, who often ask when they’ll ever even use what they learn in classes like calculus. Some professors think they won’t, and they want to change that. At UCLA, this belief led the life sciences department to revamp how they teach math. If you ask them, it’s been a big success.
Can Anti-Plagiarism Tools Detect When AI Chatbots Write Student Essays?
December 21, 2022
ALL TOO HUMAN: When it was released a few weeks ago, ChatGPT stirred up arguments over whether it “killed the college essay.” Having an algorithm that can produce prose on demand, the argument went, changed the nature of writing assignments. It also raised questions about plagiarism detection and originality. Find out what academic integrity experts have to say. about whether detection systems are ready to grapple with new AI tools.
States Are Wrestling Over Whose Learning Loss Is Worst
November 21, 2022
A COMPETITIVE STREAK: The NAEP results revealed a big national decline in math and reading scores. They also caused some jostling for position among states to determine who’d suffered the most learning loss. According to a couple of experts, that’s not an ideal use of the scores.
Surveillance Tools Are Supposed To Keep Students Safe. Are They Harming Student Health?
August 9, 2022
STUDENT SURVEILLANCE: Schools are increasingly expected to keep students safe. A new study shows the digital systems schools use to do that are actually reporting students to the police with “viscerally shocking” frequency.
Inequality
Since 2020
A range of pieces, from deep dives into the data to complicated assessments of historical events.
Tenant Rights in the US: A Modern History
March 29, 2023
Tenant rights have a long and convoluted history in the United States. Curious about the recent history of those rights? Here's a guide.
Is There a Race Gap in Home Equity Loans?
April 27, 2023
Access to home equity isn’t equal, and the data on home equity loans isn’t perfect.
Is My 401(k) Socially Responsible?
March 20, 2023
Most 401(k) retirement plans aren’t automatically engaging in socially responsible investing, and many might not even offer sustainable investing choices at all. Furthermore, there are questions about the contents of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing and other such options.
Financial Assistance for Family Planning
September 21, 2022
A tour of what financial assistance is available for family planning post-Roe.
Experts probe zoning rules' effect on inequality, housing affordability in Tennessee
November 1, 2021
Tennessee Lookout. As zoning experts across the country look for a way to increase affordable housing and to redress historical inequalities, they have turned their attention on single-family zoning, a type of rule that only allows single-family detached homes to be built on a property.
Single-Family Zoning
August 26, 2021
Investopedia. The practice has been connected to both higher rates of segregation and higher pollution practices—in the latter case because it encourages urban sprawl.
Legal Milestones That Fight Inequality
June 14, 2021
Investopedia. Some legal milestones have attempted to combat inequality by promoting equal pay and dealing with other types of bias that promote wealth inequality. Still, inequality persists. An incisive history.
Bias in the Mortgage Approval Process
June 04, 2021
Investopedia. Recent studies have suggested that while the most aggressive forms of home approval discrimination have declined or ceased, racial bias, particularly in the mortgage approval process, continues to entrench racial segregation and influence the racial wealth gap.
Bias In The Home Appraisal Process
October 7, 2021
Investopedia. Racist policies have affected the historical development of homeownership in the country. Recent studies have indicated that the persistent devaluation of Black and other minority-owned homes is consistent with continued discrimination, constituting a significant factor in the growing racial wealth gap.
What Was The Tulsa Race Massacre?
May 28, 2021
Investopedia. In the smoldering aftermath, thousands of people were left homeless and as many as 300 were dead. There may have been mass graves used to quickly bury the bodies.
What's in Biden's American Families Plan?
April 29, 2021
Investopedia. A rundown of the plan and how it would get funded.
LGBTQ+ Pay Gap and Unemployment
April 19, 2021
Investopedia. LGBTQ+ communities continue to face discrimination and disparities in income and unemployment.
The Racial Gap in Financial Literacy
April 05, 2021
Investopedia. There’s a disparity in the rates of financial literacy across different racial and ethnic groups in the United States, with Black, Hispanic, and Native American populations tending to have lower rates of financial literacy and White and Asian populations tending to have higher rates.
How Are Police Departments Funded?
March 15, 2021
Investopedia. Police spending at the local level varies enormously by place and has become more reliant on federal money in recent years.
Small Business Contract Discrimination
March 03, 2021
Investopedia. Barriers that affect small business discrimination involve the actual procurement of contracts, but also access to financing, as well as court decisions that have narrowed the scope of minority contracting.
What is 'Defund the Police'?
February 26, 2021
Investopedia. The rallying cry encompasses a range of ideas for law enforcement change.
Race and Income Inequality
February 24, 2021
Investopedia. A stark gap exists in the wealth of Americans across race and ethnicity. Here's what the data says.
The Economy and Climate
Since 2014
Pieces that showcase a range of styles and formats, including hard news pieces and deeper dives.
How Industrialization Affects Wages
October 7, 2021
Investopedia. The relationship between growth in wages and productivity is more complicated than it might appear, and modern efforts to encourage industrialization face challenges such as a reliance on foreign capital and concerns about the impact on climate change. In recent years, questions about deindustrialization and wage stagnation have also arisen.
US Federal Attempts to Protect Workers’ Rights and Status in the Face of Big Tech
July 22, 2021
Platforms-Intelligence. A collection of regulatory proposals are trying to shape the relationship between platform companies and the workers who make money on them – reflecting a continued struggle by lawmakers and regulators to catch up with the ways the digital economy has shifted the nature of work in the US.
How Immigration Affects the Economy
June 04, 2021
Investopedia. A 2019 study that looked at the imposition of the 1920s immigrant quotas showed, using U.S. Census data, that restricting immigration did not lead to higher wages for native-born workers.
Emission Reductions Due to COVID Could Encourage Green Energy Investment
March 04, 2021
The Well News. The widespread disruptions of COVID led to an unprecedented drop in global greenhouse emissions. However, many post-coronavirus investments are fossil fuel heavy, including those in the U.S., emphasizing the policy commitments that need to be made to capitalize on these emission reductions...
Legislative Window For Vital Public Infrastructure Improvements Exists
April 19, 2021
The Well News. Public infrastructure researchers are saying the U.S. needs a new infrastructure vision, pointing to the Texas power grid failure in February as just the latest example of how vulnerable our long ignored and outdated systems have become.
White House Economics Advisor Spells Out 'Bidenomics'
July 30, 2021
The Well News. The success of President Joe Biden’s promise to breathe new life into the American working and middle class will hang on the administration’s ability to build up the power of workers, according to a group of economic experts. They say to be successful it will need to counteract decades of American policy and economic policy.
SEC Commissioner Says Mandating Climate Disclosures Could Violate Their ‘Historically Agnostic Approach’
July 21, 2021
The Well News. Environmental disclosures are “inherently political” and are “unabashedly” designed to favor certain industries by feeding capital to green uses, SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce said.
Unemployment Insurance Needs Federal Changes, Says Economic Policy Institute
July 8, 2021
The Well News. A recent report from the Economic Policy Institute outlines structural reforms for unemployment insurance in the U.S., including a stronger role for the federal government in providing that insurance.
Global Economy To See Multi-Speed Recovery
March 30, 2021
The Well News. The pandemic has caused profound and long-lasting changes to the global economy. However, the world also has a narrow window to avoid throwing lots of people into more uncertainty, insecurity, and poverty...
Politics and International Affairs
Since 2013
Pieces that showcase a range of styles and formats, including hard news pieces and opinions.
The Collapse of the UN?
August 25, 2018
International Policy Digest. Whatever noise particular organs of the UN may make about any of these actions, the constituent structure makes it almost impossible, and not merely improbable, that some of the truly tough issues will be solved at the moment. Whatever the muscle and will of the UN to advance its agenda, however golden its ends, it ultimately serves at the pleasure of certain members.
Big Tech Faces Calls For Revenue Sharing
June 18, 2021
The Well News. In the latest call for regulators to limit the power of big tech companies, a group of Canadian news media publications has asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to force revenue-sharing negotiations among tech behemoths Google and Facebook and Canadian news outlets.
Carnegie Endowment Urges Biden To Reverse Trump’s Israel-Palestine Policies
April 22, 2021
The Well News. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a think tank based in Washington, D.C., says the U.S. should discard the Trump-era Israel-Palestine policies as a first step to break the status quo.
Team America's Cognitive Dissonance
July 27, 2020
The Stringer/International Policy Digest. In the face of these immensely complex problems, the police are not able to handle the emotional impact that failure to solve these problems can bring. And cops themselves appear to be conflicted, struggling under the weight of a kind of cognitive dissonance about Floyd’s killing and their larger role in American life.
U.S. Helps War Criminals Escape Justice
May 10, 2019
International Policy Digest. Lobbying disclosures have revealed that former U.S. diplomats were contracted to shield the South Sudanese government from the creation of a war crimes court through the African Union.
The Fall of Omar Al-Bashir Doesn't Guarantee Democracy
May 02, 2019
Diplomatic Courier. Last Thursday, Sudan’s National Defense Minister Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf said that Omar al-Bashir, who had ruled Sudan since rising to power in an Islamic coup in 1989, was under house arrest...
Sudan's Botched Facelift
November 23, 2018
International Policy Digest. North Sudan tries to exchange one face for another.
Congress Should Reform 'Standing Doctrine'
March 17, 2021
The Well News. A legal barrier meant to protect the separation of powers is delaying and preventing justice by keeping legitimate lawsuits from being decided on their merits, a panel of legal practitioners said on Wednesday, adding Congress should step in to address this issue.
U.S. Political System Is Broken, Democracy In Peril
March 31, 2021
The Well News. The declining levels of social cohesion and the inability to get things done are some of the biggest threats to the U.S., agreed a group of political scholars...
America Pledges $80 Million in Aid for Sahel Crisis
March 24, 2021
The Well News. The Sahel region of Africa, which spans Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, is suffering a humanitarian crisis that has been described as one of the world’s worst and fastest-growing catastrophes.
Portland Mayor Supports 'Kettling' Even After Civil Liberties Complaints
March 16, 2021
The Well News. A mayor-led press conference that prominently featured law enforcement on Monday afternoon condemned the “violence and intimidation tactics” of groups operating in Portland which they described as lawless, prone to property damage, and bad for the community.
Trump's Yemen Vengeance
April 19, 2019
International Policy Digest. There is no question as to the moral capital of America on the world scene. It has taken a swan dive into an unfilled pool.
The Ghost of Franco: How the Catalan Bid for Independence Entered Purgatory
January 11, 2018
Diplomatic Courier. On December 21, a rather undemocratic election was held in Barcelona.
Europe's Death Dance
October 26, 2017
Diplomatic Courier. The Catalan referendum, international politics, and the U.S.
State Impotence and Gender Inequality in South Sudan
March 26, 2015
Diplomatic Courier. The promises of the South Sudanese constitution and the auspices of the UN have not been enough to ensure gender equality in the region.
Trump Wrecks The South Sudan Peace Deal
May 18, 2018
International Policy Digest. Last week, the White House issued a statement on the prolonged civil war in South Sudan, threatening to pull the ripcord on US assistance because of the “non-inclusiveness” of the South Sudanese leadership. These threats must register with irony to the South Sudanese, who have responded with a finger-wagging claim that it is the US that is hindering the peace process.
Health Policy, Gene Editing, Cannabis, and Vaping
Since 2017
Commentaries, analysis, and straight news.
Tracking the Anti-Science Wave: Commentary on the Roots of Distrust
July 31, 2020
The Christian Science Monitor. A commentary on the roots of anti-science sentiment and conspiracy theory.
New Studies Stress Importance of Environment in Cognitive Performance
February 4, 2021
The Well News. Two new studies paint a clear picture of the long-lasting, corrosive effects of poor sleep on the brain by linking neighborhood conditions to memory loss and cognitive performance in adolescents.
Lancet Report Slams Trump Administration Policies as ‘Virulently Racist’ and Lethal
February 16, 2021
The Well News. A report in a major peer-reviewed journal described the effects of the Trump administration’s policies on public health in the US as devastating, virulently racist, and lethally bad for public health.
FDA Readies to Regulate AI and Machine Learning in Medical Devices
May 27, 2021
The Well News. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has set its sights on the issue of artificial intelligence and machine learning in medical devices.
Food Labeling and Delivery Platforms: A Topic of Contention in the US
August 19, 2021
Platforms-Intelligence. Prominent health and consumer advocates in the US have alleged that delivery companies are being allowed to dodge food labeling laws designed to protect public health...
FDA Greenlights Record Number of Medical Devices
February 18, 2021
The Well News. The U.S. FDA has taken a more relaxed approach to regulations in general since the coronavirus. Observers warn that this situation will need to be revisited after the coronavirus crisis is over.
Nonprescription COVID-19 Test Approved by FDA
March 8, 2021
The Well News. The Food and Drug Administration issued emergency authorization for a non-prescription, over-the-counter nostril test for coronavirus...
CDC Report Shows LGBTQ More at Risk From COVID-19
February 5, 2021
The Well News. According to the CDC study, which is based on self-reported information, members of the LGBTQ community have a higher rate of diseases that are associated with an increased risk of severe cases of coronavirus, including health conditions such as asthma, and factors like higher rates of smoking.
Brookings Institution Explores Connections Between Race, Social Capital, and Vanishing Economic Mobility
January 14, 2021
The Well News. The Brookings Institution’s How We Rise project last week presented the results from its study on the role of social networks and geography in economic mobility, offering data on this important factor for those attempting to understand or improve opportunities for social advancement in the US.
Could Oregon State Bill Show a Way Out of US Cannabis and CBD Banking Troubles?
March 30, 2021
CBD-Intel. State-legal cannabis businesses exist on a knife-edge in the US, with tangled regulatory enforcement and a lack of banking access making operation much harder and more dangerous. The Oregon bill–assuming state senator Golden is correct–could lead to a solution to the banking problem, though the feasibility study for California does raise some valid points against its prospects.
US Hemp Crops Rot and Waste for Lack of Processing
November 25, 2019
CBD-Intel. US hemp farmers are facing devastating crop rot due to a lack of processing capability and limited access to financial measures, according to an industry expert...
Confusion Abounds in the Tangle of US States’ CBD Enforcement
February 26, 2019
CBD-Intel. Momentum in the American CBD market continues to build, but a confusing patchwork of differing interpretations by various state authorities has led to local officials starting to clamp down on retailers...
Congress Passes US 'Farm Bill' with Hemp Farming Act Intact
December 14, 2018
CBD-Intel. The US Congress has approved a compromise version of the 2018 Farm Bill which will remove industrial hemp from the federal narcotics Schedule 1 list...
Tobacco Giant Looks to the Future with $1.8bn Stake in Cannabis Company
December 12, 2018
CBD-Intel. Altria has turned its theoretical exploration of the cannabis sector into reality with a $1.8bn investment in the Cronos Group, a vertically integrated cannabis company. US tobacco giant Altria has bought a 45% stake in the Canadian company with the option to take a majority 55% stake within the next four years if it chooses – essentially making the deal a potential acquisition rather than simply an investment...
Exit Sessions – Could the Departure of the AG Be Good News for Cannabis?
November 15, 2018
CBD-Intel. With the ousting of attorney general Jeff Sessions from the Trump administration, members of the US cannabis industry have perked up, hoping the anti-cannabis agenda will exit with him...
Legal CBD Firms Face Cash Chaos as US Bank Cancels Their Card Accounts
May 14, 2019
CBD-Intel. Elavon Inc, a subsidiary of US Bank that processes card transactions, will cancel payment services for CBD businesses this week, documents seen by CBD-Intel reveal...
Bank Associations Pressure US Congress for Cannabis Banking Reform
May 29, 2019
CBD-Intel. Banking associations from all across the US have written to the Senate to advocate for a hearing on cannabis banking reform.
‘4/20’ Celebration Goes Online As CBD Marketing Adapts to Lockdown
April 20, 2020
CBD-Intel. CBD companies have had to adapt marketing strategies as the COVID-19 pandemic has developed.
‘Cannabis With Nicotine Affects Brain Differently Than Either on Its Own’
September 11, 2018
CBD-Intel. Cannabis and nicotine together have notably different effects on the brain than either of them taken on their own. That’s the conclusion of US researchers who noted that cannabis is commonly consumed in conjunction with tobacco.
Potentially Deadly Rat Poison Found in Synthetic Cannabinoids, Says FDA
July 30, 2018
CBD-Intel. Synthetic cannabinoid products being sold in convenience stores and gas stations across the US are contaminated with an ingredient commonly found in rat poison, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says.
Is PMI Preparing for a Future Move into the Cannabis Business?
March 13, 2018
CBD-Intel. Even as it’s moving into the US tobacco alternatives market, Philip Morris International (PMI) may be setting itself up for a future move into the cannabis industry. The company has reportedly purchased a patent for a genetically modified cannabis plant, and is said to have invested $20m in an Israeli company that makes cannabis inhalers.
Vape Startups Turning to Cannabis in Face of Attorney General’s Opposition
January 25, 2018
ECigIntelligence. Scrapping the old “for tobacco only” message, companies developing vaping gear have found it easier to raise capital for cannabis-based ventures than for those based on e-cigarettes or tobacco...
Science Panel Grills PMI Over Dual Use and Menthol in IQOS Modified Risk Hearing
January 25, 2018
ECigIntelligence. Questions over dual use and whether menthol flavours would attract at-risk groups led the start of the long-awaited Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hearing for Philip Morris International (PMI)’s modified risk claim for its IQOS heated-tobacco product...
Research Projects
Since 2014
I moonlight as a researcher, often covering policy proposals, regulatory research, and research of economic sectors.
Human and Agriculture Gene Editing:
Regulations and Index
2019-2020
Genetic Literacy Project. A global regulatory tracker I had a hand in building.
Policy Proposal: Promoting Strong Property Rights via the South Sudan Diaspora
September 18, 2018
WonkTonk. To overcome the degradations of civil war and climate change on the pastoralist economy of South Sudan, the internationalist community should encourage the development of a rural market economy.
Plympton Literary Fellow for Short Story Atlas
Since 2020
Plympton. I have been a Plympton Literary Fellow for their Short Story Atlas since 2020.