In the News
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March 10, 2026
“The weaponization of the DoJ has been truly breathtaking,” said Barbara McQuade, professor from practice of law. “They are looking for crimes to pin on their political rivals. Investigations against Jerome Powell, Tim Walz and others seem to be efforts to intimidate them into submission. DoJ prohibits this kind of fishing expeditions to smear people without factual predication that a crime has been committed.”
The Guardian (U.K.) -
March 10, 2026
“One of the most immediate public health impacts of intensive immigration enforcement is that it makes people hesitant to seek health care,” said William Lopez, clinical assistant professor of health behavior and health equity. “Perhaps most painfully, experiencing family separations, missing work or avoiding public space leaves people socially isolated, resulting in fewer emotional resources to cope with these stresses as well as risks to health.”
U.S. News & World Report -
March 10, 2026
“To actually have a ballet centered on a queer woman — that’s a really radical shift,” said Clare Croft, professor of American culture and dramaturg for “Gentleman Jack,” based on the life of Anne Lister, a 19th-century English landowner known as one of the first modern lesbians. “It’s probably telling that I’m trying to catch myself from tearing up. It’s rare you get to do something that you never imagined would happen.”
The New York Times -
March 9, 2026
“The failure to investigate and pinning the crime on the wrong person only exacerbated and prolonged harm. No court order can return the years that were taken from him,” said law student Ruben Piñuelas of the Michigan Innocence Clinic, who helped secure the freedom of a 56-year-old Detroit man 27 years after being wrongfully convicted of a murder he didn’t commit.
The Detroit News -
March 9, 2026
After a year of cuts to federal agencies that oversee security, the U.S. faces a heightened threat level, said Javed Ali, associate professor of practice of public policy: “It’s unclear how deep of an impact that has had on the nation’s ability to continue to stay upstream with respect to identifying plots and identifying individuals and disrupting them before they conduct the attacks.”
CBC -
March 9, 2026
Sleep scientists used to focus on how much sleep people got and how many times they woke up overnight. Now, attention is shifting to “sleep regularity,” or sticking to a consistent wake-up schedule. Keeping your wake time steady helps ensure that “all your underlying circadian rhythms are nice and stable. Everything’s occurring at the right time. And that’s a huge positive for our health,” said Helen Burgess, professor of psychiatry and co-director of the Sleep and Circadian Research Laboratory.
TIME -
February 27, 2026
The latest results from the U-M National Poll on Healthy Aging show that pet ownership for nearly a third of people over 50 comes with financial stress, while another third of people in this age range cite costs as the main reason for not having a pet. “Some of the people who could potentially get the most benefit from having a pet may also be the ones who have cost-related challenges to pet ownership,” said poll researcher Preeti Malani, professor of internal medicine.
WWJ Radio -
February 27, 2026
Scores of refill stores have opened in recent years as retailers and customers seek fresh ways to reduce waste. But if refilling requires a special trip, the added transportation emissions can cancel out the benefits, said Shelie Miller, professor of environment and sustainability: “If you are making dedicated trips just to reduce packaging, it actually can be worse for the environment than if you use the single-use product.”
The Associated Press -
February 27, 2026
“If blue-state governors and mayors want to get serious about delivering excellent public services … they will have to push back against a core constituency within the Democratic Party that often makes government deliver less and cost more: unions representing teachers, police officers and transit workers,” co-wrote Nicholas Bagley, professor of law. “Democrats need a new bargain with public-sector unions — one that respects their voices and livelihoods but puts public services first.”
The New York Times -
February 26, 2026
Proposed statewide zoning reforms are a “vital step” in addressing the growing housing affordability crisis in Michigan cities, said Lan Deng, professor of urban and regional planning. Under current economic conditions “new development can only be justified for higher-end development. … The state must diversify its housing stock to ensure young households and first-time homebuyers aren’t priced out of the market. The proposed reform represents a crucial effort to expand those options,” she said.
The Detroit News
