Abelardo de la Espriella, May 25, 2026 -- Abelardo de la Espriella, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons By Laura Violeta Devia López There are just over three weeks left before Abelardo De La Espriella takes office as Colombia’s new president, despite the numerous allegations that cast a shadow over his election and, as usual, discredit the Colombian electoral system. The announcements already being made by Abelardo and his designated cabinet mark a significant change of course, not o

Humanitarian organizations invest in education to promote safety, resilience, and social cohesion, but researchers continue to debate its long-term impact on conflict and human well-being. By Chloe Bruce Humanitarian education refers to educational initiatives developed or supported by humanitarian organizations to reduce suffering, protect vulnerable populations, and help communities recover from conflict and disaster. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees define

From war and environmental disaster to poverty and public policy, children face systemic harm that societies often fail to recognize—and can choose to change. Representational image By Colin Greer and Reynard Loki Few ideas command more universal agreement than the belief that children must be protected. Across cultures, religions, and political traditions, they are regarded as uniquely deserving of care, safety, and opportunity. Yet a glaring contradiction emerges when we lo

Around the nation, citizens are resisting the mass warehousing of immigrants—and finding some success. Alligator Alcatraz detention center, July 2025 -- SovNAT, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Sonali Kolhatkar As the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency rapidly expands its carceral powers, immigrant detention centers around the United States have been facing relentless public scrutiny. It appears the pressure campaigns are finally having an impact as some cent

Women and girls are disproportionately affected by the climate crisis, yet women’s leadership and local knowledge are critical to building more resilient communities. Two women navigating flood waters (representational image) -- Djuulume, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Ruhi Bhasin The climate crisis is worsening many of the economic and social inequalities already faced by women and girls, making it harder to access health care, education, employment, and other necess

Image via Facebook By Molly Dhlamini South Africa witnessed a historic Conference of the Left convened by the South African Communist Party (SACP) from 29–31 May 2026. The gathering brought together communist parties, socialist organisations, trade unions, community formations, women’s organisations, youth movements, progressive intellectuals and academics, progressive traditional leadership, faith based organisations and international solidarity partners in what can confiden

From vaccine hesitancy to conflict-zone rumors, false information is making it harder for humanitarian organizations to build trust, protect civilians, and save lives. mikemacmarketing, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Chloe Bruce In today’s post-truth era, where “objective truth” has lost influence in the public sphere, it is becoming increasingly difficult for humanitarians, who seek to preserve human life, to carry out their work. “The post-truth era has dramatic reper­

The Republican Party’s crusade to cap or abolish local property taxes is the latest tactic in their effort to drain funding from public education. By Jeff Bryant In what is being touted as the “Golden Age of School Choice,” the option that is most popular with American families—to fund and attend their local public schools—is gradually being made less viable. Take North Carolina, for instance. For years, the Republican-dominated state legislature has chosen to cut the state’s

Trump is flouting regulations to reap billions for himself, as ordinary Americans teeter on the edge of economic ruin. Trump on May 19 -- public domain image By Sonali Kolhatkar President Donald Trump has brazenly engaged in what appears to be insider trading. A bombshell story published in Bloomberg on May 14, 2026, revealed that Trump made thousands of stock trades in the first quarter of this year with companies connected to the government. This isn’t fake news. Bloomberg

Rally for Iván Cepeda and Aida Quilcué on May 15 -- image via X By Laura Capote This May, which began with International Workers’ Day, has seen us navigate one of the most defining moments in the regional landscape: the presidential elections in Colombia have entered their final phase. With four intense weeks shaping the scenario that will be fully unveiled on 31 May, when the elections take place, we will find out what the balance of power will really be in a country that t

Often promoted as sustainable, fish farming can increase pressure on wild fisheries, deepen global food inequities, and damage marine ecosystems. Asc1733, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Laura Lee Cascada Fish farming, a form of aquaculture, is now the fastest-growing form of factory farming worldwide. This rapid expansion can be attributed to the industry’s emphasis on buzzwords such as “climate,” “conservation,” and “sustainability.” While discussions about land-base

Human ecology offers a framework for understanding how social systems in Nordic countries and New York shape participation, trust, and collective well-being. Skogn folkehøgskole folk high school, Norway -- Ragnhild Lovli, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Sandra Ericson The United States is a nation of extraordinary wealth and extraordinary contradiction. Tens of millions of Americans live in material insecurity, while aggregate wealth continues to expand. Institutional

A dangerous right-wing solution to homelessness is to hide the unhoused in out-of-sight detention camps. Image via X By Sonali Kolhatkar A 2024 Treasury Department report articulated the leading cause of homelessness in the United States: “For the past two decades, rents and house prices have been rising faster than incomes across most regions of the United States.” The logic of this claim—based on documented evidence—is straightforward. People aren’t earning enough to pay re

Coup president Jorge Rafael Videla assuming power in 1976 -- public domain image By Julián Bokser It has been fifty years since the coup d’état of 24 March 1976, one of the most tragic chapters in Argentina’s recent history: a dictatorship that combined state terrorism with a structural transformation of its economy. Throughout the 20th century, the country experienced six interruptions of its democratic order—in 1930, 1943, 1955, 1962, 1966, and 1976—but the last coup ushere

The American Southern accent reveals how linguistic prejudice reinforces classism, regionalism, and subconscious bias across generations. Plate with a quote from the film Forrest Gump at Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurant in Hollywood, California, USA. -- Prayitno, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Madeline VanArsdale [Author’s note: IPA stands for International Phonetic Alphabet. It is an alphabet of symbols, not entirely unlike the Latin alphabet, which is used to guide pronunc

Sharing caregiving experiences helps people feel less alone, builds community, and strengthens the movement for better support and policy. Caregiver Seth Rogan testifies Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., before a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee in 2014 -- image via video screenshot By Birgitta Vaivai-Soderberg Caregiving is often a silent act of devotion—unseen, unacknowledged, and isolating. Millions of informal caregivers in the United States spend their time and energy

Griselda Lobo Silva -- image via news video interview screenshot By Taroa Zuñiga Silva and Vijay Prashad You must imagine what it must have been for Griselda Lobo Silva, who was born and raised in a farm in La Paz (Colombia), to have seen these young people walk through her land when she was a young girl. Her mother had fallen ill, and Griselda was the one who had to leave school to take her care of her seventeen brothers and sisters. The farm was modest and their lives were

Mamdani speaking on January 5, 2026 -- Metropolitan Transportation Authority, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Sonali Kolhatkar As part of his proposed city budget for 2026, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani just canceled the NYPD’s plan to hire 5,000 more police officers, undoing a key component of his predecessor Eric Adams’s initiatives. The move aligns with Mamdani’s campaign promise to keep police budgets and hiring in check. The young mayor also promised to creat

Representational image By Laura Capote The constant insistence of the US discourse on the war on drugs seems to reflect a moral crusade by successive US administrations to rid their country of drug use. However, the truth is far removed from this simplistic idea that is often perpetuated by the mass media. In reality, what the so-called ‘War on Drugs’ seeks to achieve, as demonstrated by our region’s history, is a facade for the development of various mechanisms of imperialis

“Every day, there’s yet another abuse.” The wanton attack on public schools is one of America’s biggest tragedies. Image via video screenshot By Jeff Bryant Chicago schoolteacher Claudia Morales may have been reflecting the feelings of most Americans about life under the Trump presidential administration when she told Our Schools, “Every day, there’s yet another abuse. It’s scary. And it’s coming from our own government.” In her work as a bilingual program teacher and bilingu