Should senators vote their conscience or vote according to constituents?

Should senators vote their conscience or vote according to constituents?

If senators are not voting according to their constituents, other players can influence them. Lobbyists, for example, can control decisions.

Laura and Tim debate: Should researchers be allowed to develop enhanced viruses?

If some new virus jumps from bird (or pig or whatever) to people, our public health system should be able to control it. But what if it’s genetically engineered to overcome those efforts?

Impeachment rules: Trump versus Clinton

“What was good enough for President Clinton in an impeachment trial should have been good enough for President Trump,” said Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell as Democrats pushed for a guarantee that new witnesses and documents could be admitted in the Senate trial.

The Astros punishment: Tim and Laura debate stripping their title

Fans show up over and over, believing in the game and its outcome, trusting in its integrity. We can’t tell them that those moments they trusted and felt deeply meant nothing.

Should we limit the number of participants in a primary debate?

The Democratic National Committee has rules that intentionally leave some candidates out of the debates. Is it a good idea?

Should we give up beef burgers and switch to eating Impossible?

One way livestock contributes to greenhouse gases by burping and farting methane into the air. Since the concentration of methane in the atmosphere has more than doubled since the Industrial Revolution, and methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, cattle-raising practices are under scrutiny.

Are we headed for WW3?

Iran feels as though it’s facing a threat to its existence. With that, they have, essentially, two choices: back down or attack. So far, they’ve attacked. And the US punched back. Clearly, neither side has been able to get the other to back down.

Should we stop using plastic?

It’s versatile, lightweight, flexible, moisture resistant, and strong. Its probably going to be used more, not less–especially in countries that are the biggest contributors to plastic pollution. We have a plastic problem.

Narcissism in President Trump’s letter

Prescription drug costs: should biologics have longer protection from competition?

Most pharmaceutical drugs are chemically-synthesized, small molecules that are easily copied. We refer to them below as “small-molecule” drugs. On the other hand, biologics are developed from living things.

Investigation of the investigation: does the Inspector General report support or refute the Mueller Investigation?

A year-long investigation by the inspector general based on more than 1 million documents, over 170 interviews with more than 100 witnesses was finally released.

Scholars respond to the question: Is President Trump’s behavior an impeachable offense?

The first three scholars said firmly and decisively that the president’s actions regarding Ukraine were impeachable; the last scholar said the process needed more time and evidence.

Are international education scores (like from PISA tests) worthwhile?

PISA tests are used to support policy arguments, and become part of the national discourse on education and reform. They’re sorta the Olympics of reading, math and science. Should they be?

Cyber Monday takes on Black Friday: which will win?

Black Friday or Cyber Monday, the showdown.

Is it time for tech firms to unionize?

While WeWorkers haven’t unionized, they have banded together similar to other recent collective efforts at other large tech companies like Google and Amazon.

Two narratives emerge for and against impeachment

What arguments remain on each side of the impeachment question?

Is it time to out the whistleblower?

Considering the enormous impact of an impeachment–and the possibility of removing an elected president– do Americans have the right to know who put the process into action? Is it time to give up the whistleblower’s name?

You decide: What was President Trump’s motive for investigating corruption?

Following the decision to turn away from the EU and formalize a trade relationship with Russia, thousands of protestors demanded the Ukraine president’s resignation. He fled the country, and very soon after, Russia took over Crimea, which was a small peninsula in Ukraine, formerly part of the Russia.

Jersey City rejects Airbnb. Should we do the same?

In places like Harlem and Bedford-Stuyvesant–lower-cost neighborhoods in New York City–landlords can make more money by turning affordable apartments into short-term rentals.

As a developing country, is India doomed to suffer from environmental disasters?

One theory suggests that developing nations first destroy their environments until they have enough wealth to develop environmental practices. As India grows is its environment doomed?