But not so fast. While an almost 11 percent jump in murder rate undeniably sounds concerning, 2015 actually had the third-lowest murder rate of any year since 1991, when the rate stood at 9.8 murders for every 100,000 people. In 2015, 5,696 people were murdered in the US, at a rate of 4.9 per 100,000 […]

There are plenty of drugs on the street, points out Leo Beletsky, a Northeastern University professor of law and health science, and no one there is asking questions. Drug monitoring databases have varying effectiveness While critics say the drug databases impinge on civil liberties, others battling the opioid crisis say their effectiveness varies. Depending on […]

The 1980 presidential race between Jimmy Carterand Ronald Reagan occurred at a time when the nation’s murder rate, as reported by the FBI, was ata record high, yet neither candidate made reference to it during their lone debate. Indeed, matters concerning crime and justice do not ordinarily play a prominent role in presidential campaigns. After […]

Jennifer Bowen of Northeastern University and colleagues have studied microbes in the sediments of salt marshes in the National Science Foundation (NSF) Plum Island Ecosystems Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site in northeastern Massachusetts. They’re working to discover how the marsh — and the microbes in it — change over time when outside influences, such as […]

Social media and online journalism has “added to the groundswell,” in that it “gets the word out” and “allows for collaboration in new sorts of ways,” says Elizabeth Bucar, a professor of religious studies at Northeastern University. The rise of the internet has also led to “a lot more international interest and knowledge” of the […]

“CNN Launches Manhunt After Lester Holt Vanishes From Debate,” The New Yorker declared in a parody piece by the humorist Andy Borowitz, published just halfway into the debate. Many observers on Twitter urged Mr. Holt to “do your job.” Other pundits who had castigated Mr. Lauer seemed pleased with Mr. Holt’s performance. “Totally unobtrusive, but […]

“Sometimes you get all excited about a debate and then it doesn’t play out that way,” cautioned Northeastern University’s Alan Schroeder, a professor at the School of Journalism and the author of “Presidential Debates: Risky Business on the Campaign Trail.” “It is more normal for a debate to have a murky outcome.” He added: “If […]

Lehrer says the candidates should fact-check each other. Alan Schroeder, a Northeastern University journalism professor and author of Presidential Debates: Risky Business on the Campaign Trail, said a debate is not the ideal forum to begin on-the-spot fact-checking. It could create problems.

The key issue in the case was whether police had reasonable suspicion to stop and search Warren, says Northeastern University law professor Daniel Medwed. “Under the 4th Amendment of the constitution, police may not engage in unreasonable searches and seizures. If they do so, then any subsequently obtained evidence is excluded from use at trial.”

Make no mistake: I have no desire to see Clinton in the White House for the next four years. But what worries me just as much is the possibility that Trump will get elected — and prove to be such a disaster in office that he tarnishes the Republican Party and conservatism in a way […]

Patrol officers in other major police departments, including New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Los Angeles, have worn name tags for decades. Massachusetts state troopers also wear name tags. “Most police departments require officers to wear a name tag, some with badge numbers,” said Peter K. Manning, professor of criminology and criminal justice at Northeastern […]

The first 30 minutes of the first presidential debate are the most important time slot in the general election, say historians and politics professionals. As Alan Schroeder, a Northeastern University journalism professor and author of a book about past presidential debates, told me this week, the first half-hour “sets the dynamic of not just how […]