Jennifer L. Steele explains how the Trump administration’s shifting loan forgiveness policies are reshaping student debt relief. While some income-driven and public service forgiveness programs are resuming, new restrictions on which nonprofit workers qualify and looming 2026 tax changes mean borrowers must navigate a more uncertain, politically charged system.
Robin Lin Miller warns that the Trump administration’s America First Global Health Strategy undermines decades of progress against HIV by cutting PEPFAR funding and excluding vulnerable groups. The shift to faith-based and limited maternal programs risks millions of lives worldwide – and threatens U.S. health and security in a globalized world.
Millions of Americans struggle to afford rising energy bills as the government shutdown delays federal aid. Conor Harrison and colleagues warn that cuts to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) threaten lives, forcing vulnerable households to choose between heat, food, and medicine amid growing energy insecurity.
Daniel Radcliffe returns to Broadway in Every Brilliant Thing, a heartfelt one-person play about joy, love, and resilience, opening February 2026.
Sylvie Magerstaedt explores how Disney’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms reflects a growing trend of darker fairy tale retellings. From Snow White and the Huntsman to The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, these modern adaptations reveal how timeless myths evolve to mirror today’s fears, complexities, and hopes.
Glenn Fosbraey highlights ten songs under one minute that prove brevity can be brilliant – from The Beach Boys’ tender Meant for You to Tierra Whack’s playful Black Nails and Eminem’s intense Trouble. Each track shows how even the shortest pieces of music can leave a lasting impact.
aylor Swift’s Look What You Made Me Do marks a dark rebirth, shedding her “nice girl” image to embrace power and vengeance. Eleanor Spencer-Regan explores how Swift mirrors Sylvia Plath’s themes of death, rebirth, and self-reinvention – turning media scrutiny into art and reclaiming control of her narrative.
Lily Allen’s West End Girl turns heartbreak into powerful storytelling, blending reality and fiction as she processes the end of her marriage. Elaine Gregersen explores how Allen’s confessional album mirrors autoethnography – using personal experience to reveal deeper truths while questioning the ethics of sharing intimate stories.
The Supreme Court’s tariff case tests the balance between executive power and democratic accountability in shaping US and global trade policy.
Control over rare earth metals is now central to the US-China trade battle, shaping the future of global clean energy and technology supply chains.