Falsehoods, Sandy Hook and suing Alex Jones [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](.
Edition: US
1 June 2018
[[The Conversation]Academic rigor, journalistic flair](
Editor's note
InfoWars host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has long maintained that the murder of children and school staff at Sandy Hook in 2012 was a hoax, and that traumatized families of the victims were “lying … actors.” Several of those families have sued Jones for defamation, but it won’t be an easy win. Legal scholar Enrique Armijo of Elon University explains why [the law will make it tough]( for the families to prevail in court.
USC Dornsife’s Diane Winston recently led a group of journalism students to South Korea. She explains the [role Christianity is playing]( in shaping attitudes toward reunification of the Korean peninsula.
And, as the NFL take-a-knee protest controversy continues, Indiana University sports media scholar Galen Clavio explains how the league’s players, historically losers in struggles against team owners, [could use social media]( to exert their power and connect with the public.
Naomi Schalit
Senior Editor, Politics + Society
Top story
Funeral services took place for Benjamin Andrew Wheeler, one of the students killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, while a hearse with another shooting victim drives by. AP Photo/Julio Cortez
[Falsehoods, Sandy Hook and suing Alex Jones](
Enrique Armijo, Elon University
Family members of Sandy Hook victims sued media personality Alex Jones over his claims that the killings were a hoax they participated in. Current law makes their lawsuit unnecessarily hard to prove.
People pray during a special service to wish for a successful inter-Korean summit and peace on the Korea peninsular at a church in Seoul. AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon
[For many South Korean Christians, reunification with the North is a religious goal](
Diane Winston, University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
With almost 30 percent of South Koreans either Protestant or Catholic, faith plays a big role in how people think about relations with the North.
The power of players extends well beyond on-field actions. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
[For NFL players, social media is key to winning PR battle over anthem protests](
Galen Clavio, Indiana University
NFL players, historically losers in power struggles with team owners, can retake control of the kneeling-protest issue if they use social media to connect with the public.
Environment + Energy
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[Understanding hurricane risks: 5 essential reads](
Jennifer Weeks, The Conversation
The 2018 hurricane season starts on June 1, with some communities still recovering from 2017 storms. Scholars offer insights about where the risks lie and who is most vulnerable during and after hurricanes.
Politics + Society
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[Why Puerto Rico’s death toll from Hurricane Maria is so much higher than officials thought](
Alexis R. Santos-Lozada, Pennsylvania State University
Official reports state that just 64 people died in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. The latest estimates put the real number at 4,645. How did the count go so wrong?
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[Why Florida Democrats can't count on the so-called 'black vote'](
Sharon Austin, University of Florida
Caribbean immigrants in Miami are upending old assumptions about black voters in Florida. Neither party should take them for granted in this November's midterm election.
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[SpongeBob's Bikini Bottom is based on a real-life test site for nuclear weapons](
Holly M. Barker, University of Washington
The cartoon-turned-Broadway sensation is set in a place named after the Bikini islands, which has a dark history of forced removal and exile of native people from their land.
Science + Technology
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[Blood in your veins is not blue – here's why it's always red](
Marisia Fikiet, University at Albany, State University of New York; Igor Lednev, University at Albany, State University of New York
Your blood is red; it's never blue. Because of hemoglobin; and the view through tissue.
Arts + Culture
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[Do bouncers at clubs enforce dress codes equally across races?](
Reuben A. Buford May, Texas A&M University
A sociologist dressed men of different races in the same clothes – and then dispatched them to nightclubs across Texas to see what would happen.
Economy + Business
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[What's behind Italy's crisis and why it matters](
Bruno Pellegrino, University of California, Los Angeles
An economist answers four important questions on what's behind the political turmoil in Italy and what's at stake for Europe and the world.
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[Disappointed donors can't count on getting their charitable money back](
Terri Lynn Helge, Texas A&M University
When conflicts over whether nonprofits have kept their word about how they said they'd use big gifts crop up, donors rarely get everything they demand as reimbursement.
Health + Medicine
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[Juul: Why a trendy e-cig is causing a social – and public health – commotion](
Amy Lauren Fairchild, Texas A&M University
Some experts believe that e-cigarettes can help people stop smoking cigarettes. But do they lead others, especially teens, to start? The question intensifies as teens take up Juul.
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[Teenage depression: If a parent doesn't get treatment for a child, is that abuse?](
Michael Shapiro, University of Florida
Childhood depression, the deadliest illness facing children, often goes untreated. Sometimes, this is because parents do not want their children to be treated. Should this be considered child abuse?
Ethics + Religion
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[Women's higher education was pioneered by evangelical Christian leaders](
Andrea L. Turpin, Baylor University
With controversial Christian educators like Paige Patterson who believe that the Bible teaches women to submit to men, it matters to know today that evangelicals encouraged women's education in the past.
From our International Editions
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[When the poor sponsor the rich: Rwanda and Arsenal FC](
Filip Reyntjens, University of Antwerp
Political ethics and sports don't match well. The recent deal between Rwanda and Arsenal is potentially a case in point.
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[Babchenko’s faked murder will hurt both Ukraine and the wider West](
Adam Swain, University of Nottingham
A stunning feat of security service showmanship speaks volumes about Ukraine's abject state of decay.
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[Less meat, more choice: A look at key food issues in 2018](
Michael von Massow, University of Guelph; Alfons Weersink, University of Guelph; Bruce Gregory McAdams, University of Guelph
Canadians are increasingly invested in their food -- where it comes from, how it's produced, and whether it's healthy. Here are some predicted food trends for 2018.
Today’s chart
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From the article: [Most CEOs aren't abandoning neutrality on Trump – yet](
[Erran Carmel] Erran Carmel
American University Kogod School of Business
[Chris Edelson] Chris Edelson
American University School of Public Affairs
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