News

Editorial coverage from the Springfield USA Wire newsroom.

Health
Cystic fibrosis patients got their ‘miracle drug’ thanks to federal research funding – new Trump administration rules may cut future miracles short
The hardest disease to care for when I was training as a pediatrician in the late 1970s was cystic fibrosis, a disease in which abnormally thick mucus secretions block the lungs’ airways and make it progressively harder to breathe.
SyndicatedFred D. Ledley, Director, Center for Integration of Science and Industry, Bentley UniversityOct 14, 20264 min read
Environment
Yemen’s Houthis are bringing their war to Saudi Arabia – and reframing the narrative of being an Iranian proxy
A deadly Houthi attack on Riyadh’s international airport has highlighted how the Yemeni group is reframing its perceived “Iran proxy” role and shifting its regional focus to its ongoing battle against Saudi Arabia. The Oct.
SyndicatedLaurent Bonnefoy, CNRS research fellow, Center for International Studies, Sciences PoOct 14, 20266 min read
Government
Philly voters care about local issues, but election integrity fears make them wonder if their vote matters
Less than 30 days ahead of the 2026 midterms and almost nobody I talk to in Philadelphia is excited. Not my neighbors. Not my students or colleagues at Temple University, where I research and teach political communication and public opinion…
SyndicatedHeather LaMarre, Associate Professor of Media and Communication, Temple UniversityOct 14, 20264 min read
Government
Republicans can confirm a Supreme Court justice if Democrats take the Senate, but at what cost?
Democrats are gaining momentum in their bid to retake the Senate in November. This has led Republicans to prepare for the possibility that a conservative Supreme Court justice might announce their retirement before the new Congress is sworn…
SyndicatedPaul M. Collins Jr., Professor of Legal Studies and Political Science, UMass AmherstOct 14, 20264 min read
Government
In newly independent US, Americans debated whether public executions taught a lesson or just showed off the state’s power to destroy
The proposed livestream of Nidal Hasan’s execution by a U.S. military firing squad gives an old question a new audience. Hasan, an Army psychiatrist convicted by a military court of killing 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas in 2009, is schedu…
SyndicatedMaurizio Valsania, Professor of American History, Università di TorinoOct 14, 20266 min read
Business
Religious preschools want public funding, but exemptions from nondiscrimination rules – the Supreme Court will decide if that’s constitutional
When Colorado launched its Universal Preschool Program in 2023, the goal was simple: Give every 4-year-old in the state access to free, publicly funded education.
SyndicatedSuzanne Eckes, Professor of Education Law, Policy and Practice, University of Wisconsin-MadisonOct 14, 20265 min read
Culture
From ‘A Little Princess’ to ‘Black Panther,’ how Hollywood films have reimagined the South Asian epic ‘Ramayana’
American audiences will be able to watch an English-dubbed version of “Ramayana,” a Hindi film based on a South Asian epic tradition, in theaters in November 2026.
SyndicatedSohini Sarah Pillai, Assistant Professor of Religion, Kalamazoo CollegeOct 14, 20265 min read
Government
How Trump’s disaster aid delays and FEMA cuts could galvanize the ‘movable middle’ in the 2026 elections
When Hurricane Isaias hit the Florida Panhandle on Oct. 9, 2026, it was just the latest weather disaster for Americans in a year that continues to break records.
SyndicatedDana R. Fisher, Director of the Center for Environment, Community & Equity and Professor in the School of International Service, American UniversityOct 14, 20265 min read
Health
I’m a pediatrician and a mom - here’s how to treat lice without stigma
Four words that parents in the classroom group chat dread to read: ‘My kid has lice.’
SyndicatedEmily J. C. Wong, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of VirginiaOct 14, 20266 min read
Technology
Companies may be held liable when AI harms their clients and customers
Artificial intelligence has moved quickly from a novelty on the job to a common workplace tool. Gallup found that 52% of U.S. employees and 68% of professional services workers were using AI by February 2026.
SyndicatedSarah Webber, Associate Professor of Accounting, University of DaytonOct 14, 20265 min read
Health
Pope Leo XIV’s lung cancer highlights growing number of nonsmokers diagnosed with the disease – and younger people too
When many people think of an average lung cancer patient, they often imagine an older man smoking. But the face of lung cancer has changed.
SyndicatedEstelamari Rodriguez, Associate Director of Community Outreach in Thoracic Oncology, University of MiamiOct 13, 20265 min read
Health
Social Security benefits are rising again, but probably not enough to offset healthcare costs
The nearly 76 million Americans who receive Social Security benefits are slated to find out on Oct. 14, 2026, how much their monthly check will rise.
SyndicatedPankaj Agrrawal, Professor of Finance, University of MaineOct 13, 20264 min read