'There is no actor who comes close to conveying authority with such humanity'

'Gene Hackman will be remembered as the Hollywood actor's actor'

Will Jeffery at The Conversation

Gene Hackman had a "rugged, dominating and commanding presence on screen, known for his emotionally honest, raw and fierce performances," says Will Jeffery. He "will leave a legacy to be studied and appreciated for years to come." A "man of many talents who played a kaleidoscopic range of authoritative roles, Hackman will almost certainly be remembered mainly for his tough-guy performance in 'The French Connection' — though many will also remember him as the Hollywood actor's actor."

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'What we learned about politics by talking about ... wolves'

Michelle Nijhuis and Callie Hanson at The Washington Post

In the "rural West, where we work as journalists, few issues are more polarizing than the recovery of wolves," say Michelle Nijhuis and Callie Hanson. By "discovering what connected us before addressing what divided us, we had kept affective polarization at bay." Wolves are now "finding a way to survive in a divided state and a divided nation." But "their prospects, and ours, would be far better if we established a patch of common ground."

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'Public nuisance lawsuits over plastics recycling lack legal foundation'

Donald J. Kochan at The Hill

Are "plastics recycling cases the new mega tort fueled by distorted theories of public nuisance law? If attorneys general and municipal officials have their way, they could be," says Donald J. Kochan. These "cases are effectively asking judges to redefine public nuisance." The "law defines a nuisance as the use of one's own property so as to substantially and unreasonably interfere with another's use," but "none of these traditional elements are present in the plastics cases."

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'The US is destroying climate progress. Here's a strategy to win over the right.'

Erin Burns at The Guardian

This "isn't the time to give up on climate action. Instead, it is high time to rethink how it succeeds," says Erin Burns. The United States has "never had a true, comprehensive climate policy." America's "approach has been fragmented, focused on supporting specific technologies rather than tackling climate change holistically." How do we "make progress over the next four years? By acknowledging that climate action is a key consideration in policy, but is never the sole driving force shaping decisions."

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