In the News
-
May 7, 2025
“We had a system that had a very strong partnership between the federal government and universities. In every state, in every congressional district, federal dollars support research that helps people’s lives. … I think the partnership that we took for granted and that has been so successful in making the U.S. a scientific leader … is being blown up right now,” said Julia Cole, professor of earth and environmental sciences.
WEMU Radio -
May 7, 2025
“Congress controls the federal purse strings and has approved a budget for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The president does not have the power to undo that budget allocation,” said Len Niehoff, professor from practice of law, who believes that Donald Trump’s executive order to defund PBS and NPR is flawed in specifically criticizing the perceived points of view presented on the two public media giants.
The Washington Post -
May 5, 2025
“To really understand how well an AI performs, we need to develop outcome-focused benchmarks that are more relevant for today’s application areas. … We will also need to learn how to better determine, detect and minimize the harmful, unintended consequences of AI before it’s launched to the public,” wrote Lu Wang, associate professor of computer science and engineering, and David Jurgens, associate professor of information and of electrical engineering and computer science.
The Hill -
May 5, 2025
“There’s not as much activity as there has been or should be, and what activity there is suffers from lack of coordination,” said Adam Lauring, professor of microbiology and immunology and of ecology and evolutionary biology, on the lack of progress by the Trump administration in combating bird flu.
The New York Times -
May 5, 2025
“Right now, everybody’s pivoting. Your first thought is, how can I write a (research) proposal that’s not going to have certain keywords in it? And that’s just not a good way to do science,” wrote Brady Thomas West, research professor of survey methodology and biostatistics. “For the immediate future, part of being a scientist in the U.S. is getting a firm understanding of what the (Trump) administration wants to fund.”
The Conversation -
May 5, 2025
Due to concerns about China’s military and economy, the Biden administration considered U.S. economic security issues to be national security issues, says Ann Chih Lin, associate professor of public policy: “But that has not been the language of the Trump administration. I’m not sure whether the connection between national security and economic security will prevent … a deal with China. (But) the negotiation environment between China and the U.S. is quite bad at the moment.”
BBC News Brazil -
May 5, 2025
U.S. governors who publicly oppose the Trump administration are in a particular dilemma, because states often rely on federal government resources for items that are important to a state’s agenda, says Jonathan Hanson, lecturer in public policy: “What they’re finding is that if they don’t line up behind what the president wants, they’re being punished.
Michigan Public -
May 5, 2025
“AI is still in a bit of a Wild West phase. However, over a third of sheriffs and police chiefs… are currently using or (will) soon adopt predictive tools for policing and around half of prosecutors … at least somewhat trust AI or other automated applications for certain applications,” said Debra Horner, senior project manager at the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy.
Michigan Advance -
May 2, 2025
“What this bill would do is make it significantly harder to win the case against the police officer, and, in fact, would essentially take a standard that applies in the criminal context and move it over into the civil context in a way that we don’t do anywhere else in the law,” said Sam Bagenstos, professor of law, about state legislation that would shield police from civil lawsuits if cleared of criminal charges in self-defense cases.
Michigan Public -
May 2, 2025
Many people bash landlords for not providing better housing, but they are also struggling, says Sam Stragand, senior program manager for the Detroit Partnership on Economic Mobility at Poverty Solutions: “There are very few landlords in Detroit that are getting rich. They’re working at the margins, too. What they’re able to get, they’re not necessarily able to put back into the property.”
Detroit Free Press
