ELI

May 04 2026POLITICS

How religion quietly shaped America's beginning

The U. S. was built on ideas like freedom and fairness, but religion played a sneaky role in its early days. The founders didn’t set out to create a Christian country despite what some people claim today. Still, many of them grew up in a world where religion was a big deal, and that left its mark on

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May 04 2026RELIGION

What the founders really thought about religion

The debate over whether America was meant to be a Christian nation keeps coming up as the country prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday. Some people strongly believe the founders wanted the U. S. to be a Christian country. Others argue that idea is a misunderstanding of history. The truth is more

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May 04 2026OPINION

Rethinking Healthy Eating: Do New Food Guidelines Actually Help Anyone?

In 2025, a fresh set of dietary rules for Americans arrived with a confusing twist—a food pyramid flipped upside down. The message seems simple at first: eat more whole fruits and vegetables, choose whole grains over refined carbs, and include healthy fats from foods like nuts and fish. But digging

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May 04 2026ENVIRONMENT

Better ways to predict wild river flows

Scientists know that predicting when rivers will swell dangerously helps towns, farmers and water managers prepare. Yet the usual methods often guess too high or too low because rivers don’t always follow simple rules. One tool, called SWAT, mimics the land and water cycles to estimate how much wate

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May 04 2026POLITICS

How Chile’s Elite Divide on Money and Rights

Chile’s top earners and decision-makers don’t all think the same way. Surveys from 2019-2020 with 416 influential people show big gaps between those who grew up rich and those who made their own fortune. The research splits elites into economic (business leaders), political (lawmakers and officials)

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May 04 2026POLITICS

Aid Workers Held as Flotilla Tension Rises

Two activists, one from Spain and another from Brazil, are stuck in Israeli custody after their boat was stopped near Greece. The men were sailing as part of a group trying to bring supplies to Gaza. Instead of reaching shore, they now face serious accusations like working with enemies or supporting

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May 03 2026OPINION

Ibogaine: Hope, Hype and the Need for Careful Science

The buzz around ibogaine, a plant‑derived drug from West Africa, exploded when a U. S. president highlighted its promise at a White House event that celebrated psychedelic research. For the first time, the Food and Drug Administration has cleared a clinical trial to test the substance in people.

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May 03 2026SCIENCE

Psychedelics and the Fight Against Authoritarian Thinking

Research has shown that certain psychedelic drugs can lower people’s tendency to support strict, top‑down authority. However, these studies were small and not always well controlled. Because of that uncertainty, scientists are calling for bigger experiments with stricter designs to see if the eff

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May 03 2026RELIGION

Evangelicals Split Over Immigration: A New Take on a Divided Faith

A recent discussion explores how American evangelical Christians are divided when it comes to enforcing immigration laws. The conversation began with two experts who regularly think about how religion and government should interact. One is a long‑time religion reporter, the other leads a group that

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May 03 2026POLITICS

Trump Family’s Crypto Project Faces New Heat Over Suspected Ties

A recent report put a spotlight on World Liberty Financial (WLF), a cryptocurrency project tied to the Trump family, after it launched a stablecoin on AB Chain—a blockchain network connected to a controversial resort plan in Timor-Leste. That project, meant to promote blockchain adoption and charity

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