| Trust and politics Posted: 25 Aug 2017 01:27 PM PDT ![Trust and politics]( "Trust and politics") Sometimes, as in the tea party summer of 2009, politicians get an earful that they did not expect. The shouts in town hall meetings that summer targeted President Obama's health care reforms but, over time, they settled into a deep resentment of politics as usual. Whether the topic is civil war statues or health care, much of the upheaval reflects a distrust of the political system's capacity or will to act fairly.
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| Meritocracy and the history of the science of biological differences Posted: 25 Aug 2017 12:51 PM PDT ![Meritocracy and the history of the science of biological differences]( "Meritocracy and the history of the science of biological differences") It's an ideal, but many believe that equality is fundamentally an equality of opportunity, not of outcome. The apparent emboldening of divisive – and long debunked – ideas caught many scholars, and Americans, off guard.
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| Free-speech challenge: Can First and Second Amendments be exercised simultaneously? Posted: 25 Aug 2017 12:01 PM PDT ![Free-speech challenge: Can First and Second Amendments be exercised simultaneously?]( "Free-speech challenge: Can First and Second Amendments be exercised simultaneously?") The American Civil Liberties Union successfully argued that the march should be allowed, despite the town's vehement objections. Last week, though, the ACLU decided to change that policy in response to a violent white supremacist protest in Charlottesville, Va. Dozens of protesters marched through the town with guns – some armed better than police, according to state officials – illustrating a troubling new challenge for First Amendment guardians: what to do now when people want to exercise their right to protest at the same time as their right to openly carry guns in public?
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| Eying next generation of patriots, Beijing propaganda tries a new look Posted: 25 Aug 2017 11:35 AM PDT ![Eying next generation of patriots, Beijing propaganda tries a new look]( "Eying next generation of patriots, Beijing propaganda tries a new look") The Chinese teen idol Lu Han appears for only a few seconds in "The Founding of an Army," China's latest propaganda film, but even a little screen time is enough to rev up his biggest fans. Lu is one of at least three xiao xian rou – "little fresh meat," as young stars are called – in "The Founding of an Army," advertised as a war epic with "youthful revolutionary elements." The Chinese government commissioned the film to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army. Recommended: How much do you know about China?
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