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Anyone who has filed an insurance claim is familiar with accepted standards of liability in certain situations: When a car is rear-ended, who was in the driver’s seat? When a house has fire damage, who left the stovetop on? While matters of individual liability can be more straightforward, larger-scale societal issues are often inextricable from […]

Scientists, environmental advocacy organizations, and concerned citizens have long made a case for transitioning from a reliance on fossil fuels to clean energy sources like wind, solar, and hydropower to mediate the impacts of climate change. The negative effects of fossil fuels on the environment have been widely documented and occur at every phase of […]

Americans are increasingly borrowing money to cover their expenses as inflation continues to hit household budgets nationwide. Experian analyzed how credit card usage has changed in every state and compared it to regional inflation using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Regional credit card usage was calculated by summing population-weighted state averages. Regions that […]

UFO sightings date back to biblical times. In the Bible’s Book of Ezekiel, a mysterious ship is described as appearing from the sky in Chaldea (modern-day Kuwait). Strange sightings were recorded around Rome in 218 B.C. A wave of mysterious apparitions showed up in fourth-century China when a “moon boat” was documented floating overhead once […]

In 2022, for the first time in history, the number of refugees worldwide reached more than 100 million people. Millions of people are fleeing violence, persecution, and economic instability, and attempting to start a new life in a more tolerant and secure country. Recognizing this global issue, the Biden administration has agreed to accept up […]

The year 2022 was an exciting one for science. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope yielded two major breakthroughs: new infrared images of the universe and the first evidence of carbon dioxide outside of the solar system. The ongoing pandemic spurred the innovative development of a nasal vaccine for the latest variants of the coronavirus and […]

From issues concerning freedom of speech to college admission, many Supreme Court cases that shape the daily lives of U.S. citizens were not decided by a landslide but rather by a single vote. The Supreme Court can decide appeals on all federal or state court rulings dealing with federal law. The Supreme Court hears less […]

2022 was a lavender ceiling-shattering year for LGBTQ+ politicians, athletes, artists, and actors. Queer pop stars topped the charts. LGBTQ+ candidates won their midterms races in record numbers. And historically large swaths of trans and nonbinary people graced the covers of magazines, dominated game shows and reality TV competitions, and won prestigious acting awards, increasing […]

The holidays are on their way, which means gatherings, mountains of food, and other joyful things you’ve been waiting for all year. It’s a temporary yet merry shift in the schedule that your pets will no doubt sense. The extra people in the house might unsettle them, and they may wonder why their family is […]

On Christmas Day in 1914, British and German troops emerged from the trenches of World War I as weeks of bad weather cleared and called a truce. It was spontaneous and not approved by any higher-ups, but many soldiers on both sides ended up taking part. Soccer games were played between the British and German […]

chayanuphol // Shutterstock States that have increased taxes the most in the last four decades Depending on where you live in the U.S., your state and local taxes may have shifted over the last year. The feared decline in American spending at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic never fully materialized as stimulus and pandemic […]

Canva How much do Americans spend on entertainment? From Beyoncé to Netflix to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the United States has long provided the world with entertainment of all kinds. But what role does the average American have as a consumer of entertainment? The act of consuming—enjoying music, movies, books, and other forms of entertainment—has […]

The holiday season is quickly approaching, which heralds a number of enjoyable events and time off for travel. As people make vacation plans, the 7 in 10 U.S. households with pets have to decide whether to take their furry family members along or leave them in the hands of a sitter. Fortunately, there are solutions […]

The number of active hate groups in the U.S. has been declining since 2018, a trend that may be surprising considering the fact that hate crimes are on the rise, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Furthermore, the actions of extremist groups—including those that instigated and participated in the Jan. 6 capitol insurrection—seem more […]

Most U.S. states promise their employees pensions upon retirement, but aren’t saving enough money to be able to deliver on those promises. The fallout could threaten state budgets more broadly. In a pension plan, employees and employers both pay into a system which the employer invests in order to be able to make payouts when […]

michelmond // Shutterstock How the flood risk has changed in your state, according to FEMA In order to update information about property flood risk, the Federal Emergency Management Administration modified the methodology used in its National Flood Insurance Program evaluations for the first time in 50 years. Changes in climatic and urban conditions required a […]

In 2022, the average age of a vehicle on the road in the U.S. surpassed 12 years—a record high. The rising age of American cars is a longtime trend—the average age of automobiles in operation in the U.S. has grown by about 45% since 1995—that gained momentum in the last five years due to a […]

America’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic has been complicated by inflation and climbing interest rates. Emergency federal aid helped ordinary citizens, businesses, and government agencies alike make it through the economic slowdown. But as that dries up, a darker picture is emerging. The poverty rate climbed in 2021, while income inequality grew from 2020 to […]

Even as the Biden administration moves to embrace electric vehicles in its efforts to curb global warming, America continues to guzzle gas. How much gas a state’s residents consume can depend on various circumstances, including how far they travel, what kind of public transportation is available, and how high of a gas tax is imposed. […]

If you drive a car, buy groceries, eat out at restaurants, or have spent money on pretty much anything in the United States in the last 12 months, you’ve likely felt the impact of this period of record-high inflation. Inflation hit its highest point in 40 years in June 2022, with prices for all consumer […]

The holiday season is upon us, which means it’s the perfect time to dive into the history of iconic gifts—and for Americans to gear up accordingly and look out for the best deals. For retailers, it means lining physical and virtual shelves with the most popular toys and newest gadgets. Toy shopping has transformed over […]

It’s that time of year again when travelers start planning for holiday travel, looking for the best maldives packages for couple—if they haven’t already started. After a couple of arduous years of restrictions and continued inflation, Americans are especially determined to get a glimpse of new scenery and travel out of town to visit loved […]

The retirement years are meant to be the golden years—a period in life when your time is truly your own to enjoy. For many retirees in the United States, that means finding the perfect location that meets at the intersection of low cost of living with a high quality of life. By the time people […]

The warm months of the year are often remembered as a time of adventure and excitement but after a long summer of often record-setting high temperatures, many are ready to embrace the cooler weather that autumn and winter typically bring. While not every state gets particularly cold—especially places with notoriously mild winters like Florida and […]

The United States has seen a wide range of winters over the past century—everything from warm, mild years where folks could stroll leisurely through parks in February to turbulent, frigid seasons where people had to hunker down inside. There were years when blizzards swept in unannounced, covering huge swaths of the country in blankets of […]

Your yearly flu vaccine protects you and those around you from the influenza virus, which could be deadly. Getting vaccinated too early could mean you may have reduced immunity by the time the flu virus circulates in your community. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends getting a flu vaccine in September or October […]

Public colleges and universities can come with far less sticker shock than their private sector counterparts, but that isn’t to say they offer a substandard education or even diminished cachet. Coverage of the “Varsity Blues” college admission scandal exposed the underhanded—and illegal—tactics some affluent parents will employ to ensure their child’s acceptance not just to […]

Political corruption has been in the news for as long as politics have existed. In the U.S. people are often critical of the vast amounts of wealth that politicians, especially those at the federal level, are able to accrue. In 2005, the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act was first introduced after an academic study […]