• share
• favorite_border

Passive news reporting that doesn’t attempt to resolve factual disputes in politics may have detrimental effects on readers, new research suggests.

• share
• favorite_border

Despite the fears of some, a new study suggests that use of the internet in general does not make people more likely to believe political rumors. But e-mail is a special case. However, one form of internet communication – e-mail – does seem to have troubling consequences for the spread and belief of rumors.

• share
• favorite_border

American Thoracic Society President Dean E. Schraufnagel, MD, expressed his opposition to legislation introduced today by Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) and Representative Fred Upton (R-MI) to prohibit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from issuing rules on carbon pollution and other greenhouse gases.

• share
• favorite_border

The public is on a different page with regard to the federal budget than either the House of Representatives or the Obama Administration, bringing a different set of priorities and a greater willingness to increase some domestic spending and taxes, concludes a new analysis by the University of Maryland’s Program for Public Consultation (PPC).

• share
• favorite_border

Tracy Mitrano, Cornell University’s director of IT Policy and director of Cornell’s Computer Policy and Law Programs, calls on the public to raise its voice in light of the scheduled vote Wednesday by a House subcommittee to rescind the FCC’s December 2010 “Net Neutrality” regulations.

• share
• favorite_border

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s move to strip or significantly narrow his state’s public-sector workers’ collective bargaining rights has significant implications for all unionized workers, both in the public and private sector, says Marion Crain, JD, the Wiley B. Rutledge Professor of Law and director of the Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Work & Social Capital.

• share
• favorite_border

With many Americans concerned about rising gas prices, state budgets and inflation — and with battle lines drawn in several states between governments and unions — the U.S. can expect more social media “wars’ in the near future.

• share
• favorite_border

Despite the decade's reputation as an era of conservatism, a historian from Bryant University says the political left thrived through reinvigorated campus activism that initiated divestment; a pop culture that promoted social conscience; and new technologies like those embraced by ACT UP.

• share
• favorite_border

The Supreme Court should affirm the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, says law professor Greg Magarian, JD, because the act fits comfortably within a proper understanding of the federal-state balance of power. Magarian, a constitutional law expert, weighs in on the challenge to the health care bill.

• share
• favorite_border

A new policy research brief released today by the Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative at The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services examines the characteristics of patients whose access to health center services is at risk because of a potential $1.3 billion in direct spending cuts for community health centers. The cuts were approved by the United States House of Representatives on February 20, 2011, as part of legislation to trim $61 billion in discretionary spending for the remainder of fiscal year 2011.

• share
• favorite_border

New book by Bryant U. professor surveys the mushrooming field of political parody: the parodist news show, the politically motivated satiric documentary, and ironic activism.

• share
• favorite_border

The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) strongly opposes the proposed $1.6 billion reduction to the NIH budget included in the continuing resolution (fiscal year 2011) being debated in the House of Representatives. The nation’s longstanding commitment to better health has established the United States as a world leader in medical research and innovation. This leading position will be endangered should the 5.2 percent decrease in the NIH budget be implemented.

• share
• favorite_border

Mitt Romney is the early frontrunner for the 2012 Republican nomination for president among New Hampshire Republicans. However, the great majority of voters are undecided about who they will eventually support, according to the latest poll by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center.

• share
• favorite_border

In the first published study of its kind, social scientists at Tufts University have found that vitriol is endemic among commentators of all political stripes, but worse on the political right, and is more prevalent than it was even during the turmoil of the war in Viet Nam and the Watergate scandal.

• share
• favorite_border

Edward G. Lengel, editor-in-chief of the Papers of George Washington at the University of Virginia, is available for commentary about the Father of Our Country, whose 279th birthday will be observed Feb. 22. Lengel is the author of "Inventing George Washington: America's Founder in Myth and Memory," published Jan. 18 by Harper.

• share
• favorite_border

Innovation leaders will educate the 112th Congress about innovation at the 2011 Innovation Coalition Fly-In Meeting, February 16, 2011. Lawmakers and their staffs will be briefed about the innovation process and why innovation is so important in creating a thriving economy.

• share
• favorite_border

When average Americans are presented the federal budget in some detail, most can cut the deficit dramatically and solve the Social Security shortfall. "Given information and a chance to sort through their options, most Americans do better than most politicians," says UMD Senior Research Scholar Steven Kull. Try the exercise yourself online.

• share
• favorite_border

R. Richard Geddes, associate professor of policy analysis and management at Cornell University and author of “The Road to Renewal: Private Investment in U.S. Transportation Infrastructure,” raises doubts about President Obama’s call for the development of an intercity high-speed rail network in the United States.

• share
• favorite_border

Obama may be first black president at1600 Pennsylvania Ave, but the black history of the White House traces a black presence back to America’s very first president.

• share
• favorite_border

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) today praised President Obama’s call for a renewed focus on education and innovation issues, as he stated in yesterday’s State of the Union address.

• share
• favorite_border

President Obama is rebooting his administration in the State of the Union Address, “fundamentally resetting” his course, says Donald Kettl, dean of the University of Maryland School of Public Policy and author of “Next Government of the United States.” “This is… a strategy of trying to get to the middle before the Republicans can get there,” Kettl explains.

• share
• favorite_border

Jonathan Adler, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Business Law and Regulation at Case Western Reserve School of Law, testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Commercial, and Administrative Law regarding proposed legislation to assert greater legislative control over regulatory policy.

• share
• favorite_border

Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Representatives Chris Gibson (NY-20) and Timothy J. Walz (MN-1) will deliver keynote addresses at the Feb. 11-12 Workshop.

• share
• favorite_border

President Obama will laud some of his administration's accomplishments in tonight's State of the Union address, but Iowa State University's political science chair reports mixed reviews on the president's foreign policy performance.

• share
• favorite_border

When the Senate convenes Tuesday, Jan. 25, it is expected to weigh a resolution to reform the filibuster rule and eliminate secret holds — protocols that many have blamed for encouraging congressional gridlock. Although the proposal is put forth by members of the Senate’s Democratic majority, it contains a series of relatively modest changes that should hold some appeal to the Senate’s Republican minority, suggests congressional expert Steven S. Smith of Washington University in St. Louis.

• share
• favorite_border

Women in Congress deliver more federal projects to their home districts than men do, even when controlling for such factors as party affiliation and ideology. Congresswomen also sponsor and co–sponsor more legislation than their male counterparts, the authors found. The study has recently been accepted for publication at the American Journal of Political Science.

• share
• favorite_border

The new Maryland legislature significantly under-represents women compared to the general population, though African American membership is less out of balance, finds a new University of Maryland study. “Minority candidates are quite effective at winning elections, but there aren’t enough seeking office,” said UMD researcher Paul Herrnson.

• share
• favorite_border

Nick Cullather's new book 'The Hungry World' examines the central role of food in U.S. foreign policy from World War I to the present day.

• share
• favorite_border

The following health policy experts at the GW Medical Center are available to comment on the State of the Union address.

• share
• favorite_border

This won’t be the first State of the Union address delivered amid economic woes and stiff partisan opposition, UIndy Associate Professor Edward “Ted” Frantz says. Despite parallels to situations faced by Franklin Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama's position most resembles that of Bill Clinton in 1995.

• share
• favorite_border

Ever heard of a chiasmus? Fifty years ago this week, President John F. Kennedy used more than one chiasmus to great effect when he delivered his inaugural address, according to Rowan University Communication Studies Professor Daniel Schowalter.

• share
• favorite_border

Several American University professors are available for comment regarding President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address on Tuesday, January 25.

• share
• favorite_border

Richard V. Riggs, M.D., Medical Director and Chairman of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, is available to discuss rehabilitation after gunshot and other traumatic brain injuries.

• share
• favorite_border

In the wake of the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Neal Naff, M.D., chief of the Department of Neurosurgery at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, can explain this type of brain surgery and the recovery process.

• share
• favorite_border

Kennedy scholar Ellen Fitzpatrick, professor of history at the University of New Hampshire, is available to discuss the Kennedy legacy as the nation marks the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of John F. Kennedy Thursday, Jan. 20, 2011.

• share
• favorite_border

This commentary by renowned social scientist Dennis Embry emphasizes the severity of mental health issues facing our nation's youth. Dr. Embry advocates for the use of "behavioral vaccines" to improve mental health and reduce the problems it causes.

• share
• favorite_border

Baylor University professor says violent metaphors are nothing new in American politics, but the 24-hour news cycle and anonymity of the Internet "open the floodgates" for extremists who have no way of being held accountable.

• share
• favorite_border

University at Buffalo faculty experts are available to comment on the Arizona shootings and their relationship to recent political rhetoric from a historical and legal perspective. For example, recent rhetoric is similar to that during the Reconstruction period and appears to legitimize violence. And that while the vast majority of mentally ill will never commit a violent crime, commentators who preach hatred should shoulder some of the blame for this violent attack.

• share
• favorite_border

A Washington and Lee University journalism professor who studies the impact of social media points to the Arizona shooting as illustrative of a change in the way breaking news is reported.

• share
• favorite_border

Binghamton University faculty members are available to discuss a range of issues related to the tragic shootings that took place on Saturday, January 8, 2011, in Arizona. Topics include the dangers that public officials face, the recent magnification of public anger and the dangers of inflammatory rhetoric. To arrange interviews, please contact Gail Glover or Ryan Yarosh at 607-759-7445.

• share
• favorite_border

Professors are available to comment on various topics surrounding this weekend's shootings in Arizona, including how the press handled the news with advent of social media, America's increasingly heated political rhetoric, and brain injuries and recovery.

• share
• favorite_border

Bruce Mallory, professor of education at the University of New Hampshire and director of New Hampshire Listens, is available to discuss violence and civility following the shootings in Arizona Saturday, Jan. 8, 2011.

• share
• favorite_border

UTHealth Trauma Experts are available for interviews to discuss trauma surgery and recovery in the wake of the near-fatal shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) at an event in Tucson.

• share
• favorite_border

In the wake of the near-fatal shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) at an event in Tucson, Kansas Statue University communication studies expert Dr. David Procter is available to discuss U.S. politics and civil discourse.

• share
• favorite_border

One expert on electoral politics is throwing a little cold water on pundit predictions that Republicans are the big winners from the 2010 census, which will see “red” states picking up House seats and “blue” states losing representation as a result of the once-a-decade reapportionment.

• share
• favorite_border

Two experts from the University of New Hampshire are available to discuss the demographic trends and political implications of the 2010 U.S. Census, the first data counts of which are scheduled to be released Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2010. The 2010 Census data to be released include the resident population for the nation and the states as well as the congressional apportionment totals for each state.

• share
• favorite_border

John D. Graham, a dean at Indiana University and an official in the Bush administration, says the Obama-GOP tax-cut deal is "remarkably creative and practical," especially given the polarized state of the two-party politics.

• share
• favorite_border

Cheryl Block, JD, federal budget and tax expert and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis, weighs in on tax cut extensions. “Finger pointing aside, both parties have been at the helm at various times since 2001,” Block says, “both standing watch over the growing imbalance between revenues and spending and both aware of threats to the nation’s future fiscal health in light of the aging population, escalating health care costs, and growing government commitments under entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicaid.”

• share
• favorite_border

Despite reporters’ goal of objectivity, some broadcast accounts and articles about rumors that President Barack Obama is Muslim suggest that being an Arab or a Muslim automatically is “a sinister accusation,” according to a study by Baylor University researchers published online in the American Communication Journal.

• share
• favorite_border

George W. Bush’s decision to invade Iraq following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, arguably was the most important decision of his presidency. That momentous decision also is central to understanding the psychological makeup of one of the most polarizing figures in American history, according to a new book by Dan McAdams, chair and professor of psychology in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University.