The post-census redistricting process now underway around the country presents an important test for centrists to either live up to fundamental ideals such as fairness and choosing what’s best for the country, or go for the jugular the way the extremists in both parties do. Nice folks who play by the rules tend to finish last in politics, especially when it comes to the kinds of gerrymandering designed to determine election outcomes favorable to the dominant party in power.

As a sociologist who has researched reproduction and reproductive technologies for the last 12 years, I’ve learned that individuals are only one part of the equation. The choices people make are never removed from public policy or the resources — or lack thereof — made available by state and federal government.

While it is nonsensical to try to prescribe a diagnosis to America’s current state of civic discourse — from dumping manure on the White House lawn in the name of climate action to attending the Met Gala to demand we “tax the rich” — we often blame partisan politics. But what if part of the problem is that we literally cannot understand one another? And, perhaps worse than that, the institutions we trust to lead the public have stopped trying to communicate to be understood.

The algorithmic gods in charge of Facebook broke down after the bad news.

Once again, the California coastline is inundated with oil.

Disney+ could never play “Squid Game.”

If you mailed a letter across Dallas on Friday, it might not have reached its destination until Wednesday. That’s because, as of Oct. 1, the U.S. Postal Service has implemented changes that will slow down the mail. While we’re not thrilled about delays, we welcome this news as evidence of reform at an agency that badly needs to adjust to the current economy.

Vaccine mandates work. Just ask New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, whose state gave roughly 600,000 health care workers until this past Monday to get a COVID-19 jab or lose their jobs.

The Orange County coastline has become the latest casualty of the nation’s unhealthy dependence on oil.

The 1619 Project, critical race theory and other approaches to confronting the history and legacy of slavery in schools are in danger of being derailed by a culture war-fueled right-wing grievance industry.