Bruce Springsteen boycotts NC as clash between religious liberty, gay rights heats up

Edition: US - Today's top story: Does the First Amendment protect religious freedom laws? [Click here to view this message in your web-browser]. Edition: US 12 April 2016 [[The Conversation]Academic rigor, journalistic flair] Editor's note Bruce Springsteen canceled a concert in Greensboro over the weekend in solidarity with people protesting a new North Carolina law which bars local governments from protecting LGBT individuals against discrimination. The law has much in common with religious liberty laws recently passed by other state legislatures. Georgia State Law scholar Lauren Sudeall Lucas [looks to the Constitution] to answer the question: How far should religious liberty go? The Panama Papers, which exposed perhaps the largest financial crime scandal of our lifetimes, have already forced one prime minister to resign and put many other leaders around the world under pressure, including the UK’s David Cameron. But so far, there have there been few Americans named within the treasure trove of documents. Why? One reason is [because it’s just as easy to set up a shell company] in the U.S. as in Panama, writes the University of Utah’s Shima Baradaran Baughman, who personally reviewed some of the files. Terrorist organizations have taken note. Emily Costello Politics + Society Editor Top story The Boss canceled a concert in North Carolina. Mario Anzuoni/Reuters [Does the First Amendment protect religious freedom laws?] Lauren Sudeall Lucas, Georgia State University Georgia State law scholar looks to the Constitution for limits. Economy + Business - [Panama Papers show how easy it is to finance terror using U.S. shell companies] Shima Baradaran Baughman, University of Utah Terrorist groups don't need to go to Panama to create a shell company. They can easily hide their money in many U.S. states. Education - [Simply punishing students for bullying will not address the problem] Emily Suski, Georgia State University All states have anti-bullying laws in place. Here's why they don't work. Environment + Energy - [Has China's coal use peaked? Here's how to read the tea leaves] Valerie J. Karplus, MIT Sloan School of Management It's a transition the rest of the world is watching: How can we know whether coal use in China – the world's largest emitter – is going up or down? Science + Technology - [U.S. companies may need to beef up data privacy – but only for Europeans] Wade M. Chumney, California State University, Northridge A new agreement between the European Union and the U.S. would provide more protection of Europeans' data against American mass surveillance than was required before. [The Conversation on Twitter] [The Conversation on Facebook] 3 million unique visitors a month You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation]. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe instantly]. We’ll miss you. 745 Atlantic Ave. 8th Floor Boston, MA 02111