The Conversation Daily — July 11, 2026
10 stories · July 11, 2026
In this issue
- 1
How redefining one word strips the Endangered Species Act’s ability to protect vital habitat
theconversation.com · Mariah Meek, Associate Professor of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University · Karrigan Börk, Professor of Law, University of California, Davis
Northern spotted owls living in old growth forests in the Pacific Northwest were listed as threatened species because of habitat loss. Kyle Sullivan/Bureau of Land Management, CC BY It wouldn’t make…
- 2
A rare bipartisan housing bill just became law – but Americans will still struggle with affordability
theconversation.com · Kirk McClure, Professor Emeritus of Urban Planning, University of Kansas · Alex Schwartz, Emeritus Professor of Urban Policy, The New School
As sweeping as the bill is, its impact is likely to be modest. Ilia Yefimovich/Picture Alliance via Getty Images A sweeping housing measure, which became law on July 11, 2026, is being widely…
- 3
For Haitian women in Florida, the loss of TPS is more than an immigration law issue
theconversation.com · Ammcise Apply, Ph.D. Candidate in Community and Public Affairs, Binghamton University, State University of New York
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 25, 2026, that the Trump administration may revoke the temporary protected status of 350,000 Haitians. This is not the first time a legal challenge to TPS has held…
- 4
Venezuela’s deadly earthquakes happened on a fault similar to the San Andreas, and the risks aren’t over yet – a geophysicist explains
theconversation.com · Sylvain Barbot, Professor of Earth Sciences, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
A June 24, 2026, earthquake shook buildings to the ground, trapping and killing people in Caracas, Venezuela, and nearby communities. Manaure Quintero/AFP via Getty Images Venezuela and its capital,…
- 5
College is unaffordable for many Americans – but don’t just blame rising tuition
theconversation.com · Thomas Adam, Professor of Political Science, University of Arkansas
Private U.S. colleges and universities are charging an average of $44,961 in tuition for the 2025-26 school year. Catherine Lane/Moment via Getty Images As more Americans consider whether a college…
- 6
Summer camps remain a battleground over what it means to be American
theconversation.com · Seth T. Kannarr, Ph.D. Graduate in Geography, University of Tennessee · Derek H. Alderman, Chancellor's Professor of Geography, University of Tennessee
A camper blows a bugle at Camp Nathan Hale in upstate New York in 1943. Gordon Parks/Heritage Images/via Getty Images Imagine tall trees across the lake, a calm breeze, children laughing in the…
- 7
Techno tourism in Detroit – what do visitors owe the city that created the music?
theconversation.com · Carla Vecchiola, Lecturer in History, University of Michigan-Dearborn
In 1997, I was one of relatively few tourists in Detroit. Well before #vanlife was a hashtag, I left my home state of California and drove around the country for five months living in a 1982…
- 8
When your local reflecting pool or pond turns green with algae, don’t reach for chemicals – nature has better solutions
theconversation.com · Eric Palkovacs, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz
A National Park Service employee uses a vacuum to clean the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on June 20, 2026. AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein When the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool turned green with…
- 9
Why rural healthcare fund’s $50B focus on tech upgrades may not help vulnerable hospitals and providers
theconversation.com · Kevin J. Bennett, Professor of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of South Carolina
Southwest Georgia Regional Medical Center in Cuthbert is one of close to 200 rural hospitals that have closed in the past two decades. AP Photo/Jeff Amy Healthcare across rural America is in crisis.…
- 10
What are supermassive black holes? Everything you need to know – and what astronomers are still learning – about these mysterious objects
theconversation.com · Mary Ogborn, Astrophysics PhD Candidate, Penn State
An artist's impression of the black hole in the M87 galaxy and its powerful jet. S. Dagnello (NRAO/AUI/NSF), CC BY-NC-SA Nearly every massive galaxy observed hosts a supermassive black hole at its…