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McCormick speaks to AP about Mexico dropping case against Cienfuegos
Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office announced it was dropping the drug trafficking case against its former defense secretary, retired Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos. Gladys McCormick says the only surprise was that Mexico didn’t make a better show of looking into Cienfuegos. "One would think that they would have at least followed through on some semblance of an investigation, even if it was just to put some window dressing on the illusion that the rule of law exists," McCormick says. Read more in the Associated Press article, "Mexico president accuses DEA of fabricating general’s case."
1/15/2021

Michelmore quoted in LA Times article on Biden's COVID relief proposal
One part of President-elect Joe Biden's plan would in effect create a national family allowance for the first time in the United States. The proposal would temporarily expand the existing federal child tax credit and make it fully refundable, meaning that families that don’t owe taxes would get the money in the form of a government payment. That "would greatly benefit the poorest kids in the United States," reaching about 27 million children who aren’t helped now because their families are too poor to make use of a tax credit, says Katherine Michelmore. "Over half the kids who would benefit are Black and brown children," she says. Read more in the Los Angeles Times article, "Biden proposes $1.9-trillion plan for pandemic and economic crisis."
1/15/2021

Reeher discusses NY's first Senate majority leader, Schumer, with D&C
Professor Grant Reeher says Sen. Chuck Schumer’s rise to the majority leader role would likely have "some beneficial effect" in terms of money flowing to his home state, though he suggests that could be tempered by how closely divided the Senate is. "It’s not going to be a night and day effect because of how the Senate works and how the numbers are arrayed," he says. Reeher was quoted in the Democrat & Chronicle article, "Schumer nears becoming first Senate majority leader from NY: 'It feels like a brand new day'."
1/14/2021

Steinberg provides insight into what to expect globally in 2021 on TVO
University Professor James Steinberg was recently a guest on TVO's "The Agenda" to discus what he witnessed in 2020 and what he expects will play out around the world in 2021. "Unless states recognize that their capacity to deal with problems, not just pandemic disease but nuclear proliferation, climate change, the problems of the global economy, really recognize that each country acting alone is simply not going to be able to solve these kinds of problems," Steinberg says. "Looking forward to 2021, the question is can we step back from this and say this response that we saw in 2020 is inadequate, it's unsuccessful, it won't work, even if you're worried about protecting the interests of your own national population that ultimately, we've just got to find ways to work better together," he says.
1/14/2021

Lovely weighs in on Trump's failed trade war with China in Bloomberg
"China is too big and too important to the world economy to think that you can cut it out like a paper doll," says Professor Mary Lovely. "The Trump administration had a wake-up call." Read more in the Bloomberg article, "How China Won Trump’s Trade War and Got Americans to Foot the Bill."
1/13/2021

Landes comments on vaccine prioritization for people with IDD in WaPo
"To me, it’s unconscionable. We know this is a vulnerable health population. We can show they’re not doing well. I just cannot fathom why states are being allowed to not report," says Scott Landes, associate professor of sociology. If states had a greater focus on the pandemic’s impact on the disabled, he says, "vaccination prioritization would be much clearer. You would have the evidence to tell you what needs to be done." Landes was quoted in the Washington Post article, "People with disabilities desperately need the vaccine. But states disagree on when they’ll get it."
1/13/2021

Banks quoted in USA Today article on use of the Insurrection Act
The Insurrection Act allows the president to dispatch the military or federalize the National Guard in states that are unable to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law. If Trump were plotting to invoke the act in some effort to prevent the transition of power to Biden, he'd have to declare it, as part of the provision in the act requiring essentially a public cease and desist order for the insurrectionists, says Professor Emeritus William C. Banks. "He couldn't do this surreptitiously. He would have to make a public proclamation and that would expose his objectives and partisan rationale," he says. Read more in the USA Today article, "What is the Insurrection Act and how could Trump use it? Here's what to know."
1/13/2021

Williams contributes piece on the future of NATO to Atlantic Council
"Christen a carrier strike group," written by Associate Professor of Public Administration and International Affairs Michael John Williams, was included in the Atlantic Council's "NATO 20/2020: Twenty bold ideas to reimagine the Alliance after the 2020 US election." "Now is the perfect time for European militaries to work together and no better opportunity exists than to use HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales as hubs for a NATO carrier strike group (CSG)," writes Williams. "A NATO CSG would be a powerful symbol of Alliance unity and would bolster the Alliance’s force posture and interoperability."
1/12/2021

Lovely talks to Marketplace about Capitol riot, foreign investors
Professor Mary Lovely sees the nation in uncharted territory and is focused on the question of how much uncertainty was added into the system Wednesday. "In the world of research on foreign direct investment, we know that foreign investors like certainty," Lovely explains. "So, for example, even though China’s an authoritarian state, we see lots of foreign investment flowing into China. Investment flows to democracies and non-democracies as well." Lovely was interviewed for the Marketplace article, "Will the riot in Washington deter foreign investment in the U.S.?"
1/11/2021

Banks discusses the National Guard monitoring protests with NBC News
The use of National Guard units in June during the nationwide demonstrations following George Floyd’s death was "fundamentally exceptional and different from the way civilians and the military have ordinarily worked together," says Professor Emeritus William Banks. He fears that the new use of military surveillance technology for domestic protesters presents deeply troubling implications. "The civilian-military relationship, which is critical to the success of our society, has broken down." Read more in the NBC News article, "Who decides when there are helicopters? Experts weigh in on National Guard monitoring protests."
1/11/2021

Thorson quoted in National Geographic article on conspiracy theories
Once people believe something, it can be almost impossible to dissuade them. Emily Thorson, assistant professor of political science, refers to this psychological phenomenon as belief echoes—an "obsessive, emotional response to information that can linger even after we know it’s false." Thorson was quoted in the National Geographic article, "Why people latch on to conspiracy theories, according to science."
1/11/2021

Keck weighs in on Trump impeachment in Al Jazeera
An important constitutional question surrounding a Senate impeachment trial is whether or not it can proceed after a president has already left the White House. "The constitutional text is not clear on that point,” says Thomas Keck, Michael O. Sawyer Chair of Constitutional Law and Politics, adding though, that "most constitutional scholars who study impeachment agree that the trial and conviction can happen after he leaves office." Read more in the Al Jazeera article, "'Toothless tiger': Impeachment could bar Trump from future office."
1/11/2021

Gadarian discusses Rep. Stefanik's loyalty to Trump with NCPR
On Monday, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who represents New York's 21st congressional district, announced her plans to object during the electoral count on Wednesday. Shana Gadarian, associate professor of political science, spoke with North Country Public Radio (NCPR) about the significance of Stefanik's objection to the electoral count and her loyalty to Trump. "I think she's [Stefanik] really kind of set her course as being part of this kind of Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz part of the Republican party at this point, and it will be harder to say, 'I work in a bipartisan way,'" says Gadarian. "That doesn't necessarily mean you'll be voted out, but it will mean that you have chosen sides at this point."
1/8/2021

Lovely predicts what 2021 will bring for China in Politico
"China pushed the boundaries of acceptable international behavior during the Trump years, exploiting the absence of consistent American leadership," says Professor Mary Lovely. "With a new administration committed to rebuilding alliances taking the reins in Washington, China will pause its more aggressive actions in a bid to stave off broader export controls," she says. Lovely was quoted in the Politico article, "China 2021: Experts make their one big prediction."
1/8/2021

Radcliffe piece on Sen. Cruz, electoral process published in The Hill
In his article, "The one question Sen. Cruz must answer," Dana Radcliffe, adjunct professor of public administration and international affairs, says Cruz and the refractory senators who object to counting the votes in certain states need to answer this question in detail: "How does your forcing votes in which you know Congress will defeat your objections and dismiss your proposal in any way serve your express goals of 'supporting election integrity' and 'restoring faith in our democracy,' which you grant are necessary to protect the legitimacy of future administrations?"
1/8/2021

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