In the News
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January 17, 2025
“With both increased income inequality and at least a perceived sense of lack of agency around corporate power, people turn to social media expression to vent and engage in a flexible dialogue about societal issues. Through darkly humorous posts, expressions of admiration, sarcasm and other forms of rhetoric, people are rebuilding a sense of agency by reacting to their personal audiences,” said Cliff Lampe, professor of information.
Newsweek -
January 16, 2025
While Europe is a leader in recognizing noise as a health threat — mapping sound from roadways, rail traffic, airports and industry — awareness in the U.S. is still lagging but growing, said Rick Neitzel, professor of environmental health sciences: “I think people are starting to wake up and realize this isn’t just a nuisance. It’s not just a necessary byproduct of modern life. It’s actually bad for us.”
Reasons to Be Cheerful -
January 16, 2025
“The fact that they have represented him in the past is not disqualifying, though it certainly signals a break from the practice in the post-Watergate era, when independence was valued. Trump’s vows to go after his political rivals makes the close affiliation of these lawyers more concerning,” said Barb McQuade, professor from practice of law, about the consideration of two Donald Trump defense attorneys for key Justice Department jobs.
The Washington Post -
January 16, 2025
“Trump is just complaining about it louder. … On the face of it, it’s pretty standard. Biden is not doing anything unusual compared to other presidents. It’s the normal course of things for decades,” said Jonathan Hanson, lecturer in public policy, on Donald Trump’s claims that Joe Biden is blocking the president-elect’s agenda by implementing a series of executive orders and rules before he leaves office.
ABC News -
January 15, 2025
“The Southwest U.S. has been in megadrought since 1999. This is the primary reason we’re seeing so much more wildfire in the region,” said Jonathan Overpeck, dean of the School for Environment and Sustainability. Then there’s the powerful Santa Ana winds, which move through narrow channels in the mountains, “resulting in an increase in the speed of the winds,” said Frank Marsik, associate research scientist in climate and space sciences and engineering. “A good analogy … would be the way that you can increase the speed of water flowing out of a garden hose by putting your thumb over the end, causing the water to flow through a much smaller area.”
TIME -
January 15, 2025
“If you really want people to care about climate change, put a dollar sign on it and then it hits them personally because the typical line among scientists (is) people will deny climate change. Either it will happen to somebody else, someplace else, or in the future. And it remains abstract,” said Andy Hoffman, professor of sustainable enterprise, on the impact of climate change on property insurance costs.
Michigan Public -
January 15, 2025
The U.S. Supreme Court opinion that overturned a school integration plan in Detroit in 1972 was “grounded in white innocence. … There was no acknowledgment of how Blacks were locked in specific Detroit neighborhoods and mostly Black schools, and then into an ever-expanding urban core that was hermetically sealed off from the suburbs,” wrote Michelle Adams, professor of law.
The New York Times -
January 14, 2025
“We have people that are basically not literate or don’t have basic literacy, and it’s a pretty large percentage of the state of Michigan who isn’t even at basic, certainly not at proficient,” said Pamela Davis-Kean, professor of psychology and director of the Survey Research Center at the Institute for Social Research, on the effects of the pandemic learning loss.
WDIV Detroit -
January 14, 2025
“How can we not regulate it if little kids are not only being exposed to it but actually are becoming walking billboards for some of those sports betting companies,” said Michal Lorenc, clinical assistant professor of kinesiology, who believes that backlash to widespread sports betting advertising might lead to regulation.
WCMU Radio -
January 14, 2025
“Exposure to wildfire smoke can contribute to chronic lung disease and cardiovascular disease. It can even increase the risk of dementia,” said MeiLan Han, professor of internal medicine, who advises people to limit outdoor activity when air quality is poor, or at least wear an N95 mask if going outside is necessary.
The Wall Street Journal
