Mar-a-Lago mash-up + Biden's BFD | Top 10

+ the art of the sandcastle US Edition - Today's top story: You don't have to be a spy to violate the Espionage Act – and other crucial facts about the law Trump may have broken [View in browser]( US Edition | 21 August 2022 [The Conversation]( Welcome to Sunday. The top 5 most-read stories of the week are displayed below, followed by five editors’ selections that we want to make sure you don’t miss. You can also get the most-read stories in [a magazine-style e-book.]( Readers this week were especially attuned to stories offering context on the FBI raid of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. Clark Cunningham, an expert on search warrants at Georgia State University, [explains what agents were looking for]( and which laws the Department of Justice thinks Trump violated. One of those is the Espionage Act. While its name conjures images of furtive spies stealing secrets, [it actually applies to any unauthorized gathering](, possessing or transmitting of sensitive government information, write national security legal scholars Joseph Ferguson and Thomas A. Durkin. Jeffrey Fields of USC Dornsife [explains how the U.S. classifies such information]( and tries to keep it safe. The week’s other big news was the passage of a law that would spend an estimated $490 billion over 10 years primarily on policies intended to fight climate change. One editor’s pick explored a group that’s looking to influence policies meant to move economies away from fossil fuels: Big Oil. Robert Brecha and Gaurav Ganti describe their research showing the decarbonization road maps BP, Shell and other oil companies have come up with actually [won’t help the U.S. meet its Paris climate goals](. The law also has some health care measures, including a push to drive down prescription drug prices for Medicare. Texas A&M University health policy scholar Simon F. Haeder [considers whether it will cut costs]( for seniors or anyone else. And with summer winding down, don’t miss Joseph Scalia’s piece on [sandcastle engineering](. Next week, we’ll have stories on cell tower anxiety, dolphin whistles and wormholes. Bryan Keogh Deputy Managing Editor Readers' picks Former President Donald Trump, at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Aug. 6, 2022, in Dallas. Brandon Bell/Getty Images [You don’t have to be a spy to violate the Espionage Act – and other crucial facts about the law Trump may have broken]( Joseph Ferguson, Loyola University Chicago; Thomas A. Durkin, Loyola University Chicago Two national security law experts explain how the Espionage Act isn’t only about international intrigue, and share other important points about the law that was invoked in a search of Trump’s estate. - [The Soviet Union once hunted endangered whales to the brink of extinction – but its scientists opposed whaling and secretly tracked its toll]( Ryan Jones, University of Oregon The Soviet Union was a latecomer to industrial whaling, but it slaughtered whales by the thousands once it started and radically under-reported its take to international monitors. - [Which microbes live in your gut? A microbiologist tries at-home test kits to see what they reveal about the microbiome]( Benjamin Wolfe, Tufts University The types of microbes residing in your gut can affect your mental and physical health. Home microbiome tests promise to help consumers improve the composition of their gut microbes. - [Here’s how government documents are classified to keep sensitive information safe]( Jeffrey Fields, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences What are classified documents? Who gets to see them? What happens if they are released? - [Unsealed court documents show the FBI was looking for evidence Trump violated the Espionage Act and other laws – here’s how the documents seized show possible wrongdoing]( Clark D. Cunningham, Georgia State University A legal scholar analyzes the unsealed warrant for the FBI’s recent search of Donald Trump’s home and the list of materials seized there. The implications for Trump are potentially grave. Editors' picks BP, Shell and Equinor all produce widely used scenarios of energy’s future. Christopher Furlong/Getty Images [Influential oil company scenarios for combating climate change don’t actually meet the Paris Agreement goals, our new analysis shows]( Robert Brecha, University of Dayton; Gaurav Ganti, Humboldt University of Berlin Most claiming to be compatible with the climate agreement show a strong continuing reliance on natural gas and coal. - [Why letting Medicare negotiate drug prices won’t be the game-changer for health care Democrats hope it will be]( Simon F. Haeder, Texas A&M University A new law will let Medicare bargain for the first time. But a health policy scholar explains why it’s unlikely to make much of a difference in how much seniors – or anyone else – pays for their meds. - [Sandcastle engineering – a geotechnical engineer explains how water, air and sand create solid structures]( Joseph Scalia, Colorado State University From capillary forces to sand grain shape, the simple mix of sand and water hides the of complexity within. - [How gay rodeos upend assumptions about life in rural America]( Rebecca Scofield, University of Idaho; Elyssa Ford, Northwest Missouri State University Young queer people growing up in rural areas don’t necessarily need to flee their communities to find safety and acceptance. - [A year after the fall of Kabul, Taliban’s false commitments on terrorism have been fully exposed]( Andrew Mines, George Washington University; Amira Jadoon, Clemson University The Taliban promised not to allow Afghanistan to be used by groups seeking to attack the US, yet terrorist groups have only become more emboldened under its rule. Download the new e-book edition We are providing a magazine version of five stories in this newsletter to read on a tablet, e-reader or on paper. [Try it out]( and reply to this email to tell us what you think. Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our other weekly emails: [Science Editors' Picks]( • [This Week in Religion]( • [Politics Weekly]( About The Conversation: We're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to [helping academic experts share ideas with the public](. We can give away our articles thanks to the help of foundations, universities and readers like you. [Donate now to support research-based journalism]( [The Conversation]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation]( 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451 [Forward to a friend]( • [Unsubscribe](