Father Gerry writes: “What a sad day for the holy Roman Catholic Church, and indeed for the whole world… the passing into eternity of our beloved Holy Father Pope Francis! A Jesuit by profession, but a Franciscan at heart (he chose his name Francis after St Francis of Assisi) he was a kind and gentle giant as he advocated for the poor and the disenfranchised, the migrants, and for our planet and environment (Laudato Si). He was an agent of change and fought tirelessly for a more inclusive Catholic Church (“who am I to judge?”). In my opinion, he was the epitome of Jesus himself, especially as he told us, his priests, that we should “smell like our sheep,” meaning that our work is with and among the people, not behind desks. Like Jesus, he modeled that exact behavior, visiting prisons, washing the feet of the poorest of the poor, caring for he least among us. There are some big shoes to fill in the Vatican, for the Chief Shepherd of the Catholic Church. Come, Holy Spirit, we seek your guidance, wisdom, and power as we move forward into the future!”

Brian Konkol writes: “The passing of Pope Francis marks the loss of a global leader whose example transcends borders and beliefs. Through his Jesuit commitment to finding God in all things, he reminded the Catholic community and beyond that love for others is a shared and sacred responsibility. While historians will surely debate his legacy, the bold voice and humble presence of Pope Francis will surely be missed, and the influence of his devout life will endure.”

Tao Wen

Fluoride in drinking water has become a highly charged topic in recent weeks. In March, Utah became the first state to the addition of fluoride to the state’s public water systems, a move praised by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy. However, some health groups are raising the alarm. The American Dental Association for water fluoridation, saying a ban on the practice would hurt people, cost money and eventually harm the economy.

is an assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences in ���ϲ�����’s College of Arts and Sciences.�� His research specialities include water sustainability and the connection between energy, agriculture, urbanization and water quality. Professor Wen answered four questions about the use of fluoride in public drinking water, discussing how his research group studies water quality.

His responses can be quoted directly and he is available for interview.

Q: What are some general facts people should know about the use of fluoride in public water?

A: “In general, you don’t want too much or too little fluoride in drinking water including the water provided through the public water system. Too little fluoride in drinking water can cause tooth cavity. Fluoride is added to many public water systems in the U.S. to help prevent tooth decay. This practice, known as community water fluoridation, has been endorsed by numerous health organizations for its dental health benefits. Too much fluoride in drinking water can contribute to dental and skeletal fluorosis. It is important to note that not all drinking water systems are fluoridated. Fluoride in water can come from different sources. Generally, it can occur naturally, particularly in certain geological setting and/or originate from human sources.”

Q:What is considered a “safe” amount of fluoride? What are signs or indicators that there is an unsafe amount in a water source?

A: “The U.S. Public Health Service recommends an optimal fluoride concentration of 0.7 mg/L to balance the benefits of cavity prevention with the risk of dental fluorosis—a cosmetic condition caused by excessive fluoride exposure during tooth development. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets an enforceable Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 4.0 mg/L to protect against skeletal fluorosis, a bone disease that can result from prolonged exposure to high fluoride levels. In addition, the EPA has a secondary (non-enforceable) standard of 2.0 mg/L to reduce the risk of dental fluorosis in children. The only accurate way to determine fluoride levels in water is through laboratory testing. Individuals can have their private well water tested or consult their local public water supplier for current water quality reports. In some cases, signs of fluoride exposure may include cosmetic changes in teeth, such as white streaks or mottling. A recent study (McMahon et al., 2020) identified several key factors that influence fluoride concentrations in groundwater: pH, total dissolved solids, alkalinity, well depth, water temperature, Ca/Na ratio, mean annual precipitation, and aquifer lithology. Understanding these factors can help infer potential fluoride levels in groundwater, particularly in regions where direct testing is not readily available.”

Q: In your own research, what do you study or look for as it relates to fluoride in your water samples?

A: “My research group broadly studies water quality in groundwater and surface water across urban, rural, and natural settings. In one of our recent studies (Nesheim et al., 2024), we monitored surface water quality in an urban watershed in the City of ���ϲ����� to assess the impact of various human infrastructures—including cemeteries—on solute concentrations. Fluoride was among several ions we tracked. Among the 286 stream water samples collected from February 2022 to January 2023, we did not observe any fluoride concentrations exceeding the EPA’s secondary standard of 2 mg/L. Although our primary focus was on nitrate, we found no significant increase in fluoride concentration downstream the cemetery. This suggests that burial decay products, which could potentially contribute fluoride, were not a dominant source in our study area. Instead, the data suggest that fluoride concentrations varied with river flow and may be influenced by natural (geogenic) sources among other possible sources.”

Q: In your academic opinion, why do you think there continues to be this focus on fluoride in drinking water?

A: “Fluoride remains a topic of public interest and debate for several reasons. First and foremost, it is one of the few substances intentionally added to drinking water for health benefits, which raises important discussions about informed consent and public health policy. Second, concerns about fluoride’s safety—especially at elevated levels in natural groundwater—persist in both rural areas that rely on unregulated private wells and urban regions served by public water systems. Third, as new research continues to emerge regarding fluoride’s sources and potential health effects, there is an ongoing need to reassess guidelines and educate the public. In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that the decision to add fluoride to drinking water should be region-specific and science-based. As highlighted in a recent study (McMahon et al., 2020), fluoride concentrations in groundwater vary significantly across the U.S. The study also found that, on a national scale, most groundwater has fluoride concentrations below 0.7 mg/L. Therefore, in many parts of the country, the greater public health concern—if fluoridation is not implemented—may be an increased risk of tooth decay.”

References:

1. Nesheim, S., Yu, Z., Tuttle, S., Klein, J., Wen, T., 2024. Assessing impacts of cemeteries on water quality in an urban headwater watershed with mixed human-built infrastructure. Hydrological Processes 38, e15128. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.15128
2. McMahon, P.B., Brown, C.J., Johnson, T.D., Belitz, K., Lindsey, B.D., 2020. Fluoride occurrence in United States groundwater. Science of The Total Environment 732, 139217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139217

To get in touch with Professor Wen or to get more information, please contact:

Daryl Lovell
Associate Director of Media Relations
University Communications
M��315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu������

Samuel Gorovitz

is a ���ϲ����� professor and a leading figure in the field of bioethics. He says that while this animal may be genetically connected to the dire wolf, no matter what the company does, the dire wolf will remain extinct.

“Only adult dire wolves can raise an authentic dire wolf, and there aren’t any of those. All talk of “de-extinction” is metaphorical and often misleading,” Gorovitz says. “That said, the company’s processes seem adequately respectful of ethical requirements. As their work proceeds, they are learning to refine the techniques and developing more sophisticated understandings of how such techniques of genetic manipulation succeed or fail. That’s a benefit independent of the particulars of the chosen species.”

As their work proceeds, they are learning to refine the techniques and developing more sophisticated understandings of how such techniques of genetic manipulation succeed or fail. That’s a benefit independent of the particulars of the chosen species.

Professor Gorovitz adds that there doesn’t seem to be significant ecological risk at this scale. “It’s unlikely that any of their work will lead to a “rewilding” that repopulates an ecosystem with significant numbers of newly devised creatures – the obstacles to that are numerous and clear. There’s not likely any ecological risk from what they are doing, however. Hybrid and chimerical creatures abound naturally, and if an occasional new one were to be added no substantial harm is probable,” Gorovitz says.

To request interviews or get more information:

Chris Munoz
Media Relations Specialist
cjmunoz@syr.edu

• “Here’s the way all this is likely to go down politically:�� All things being equal and according to Hoyle, the Republicans were likely to lose the House in 2026.�� Now that’s a lock.�� In the next few months, there will be more pressure to pass a tax cut bill, in the hopes that it can stem some of the bleeding, and so that is likely to get through.�� But after that, Republicans will be banished into the political wilderness, perhaps for generations—if the Democrats can change course from 2024 and pivot to an emphasis on real economic issues that appeal to all social groups.�� As opposed 2008 and 2020, when a fundamentally ill-structured mortgage securities market and a pandemic produced worldwide economic downturns, this one was produced by one person, acting unilaterally, ignoring expert consensus, and without a clear goal.�� Democrats will be able to run against the current moment in the same way that Republicans were able to ‘wave the bloody shirt’ for years after the Civil War, Democrats ran against ‘Hoovervilles,’ and Republicans ran against Carter’s ‘malaise,'” said Reeher.

To arrange an interview, please contact media relations executive director Ellen James Mbuqe at ejmbuqe@syr.edu.

• “The United States imports completely assembled vehicles from Mexico, Japan, Canada, S. Korea, Germany, UK, Slovakia, Italy, Sweden, China, Belgium, Austria, Hungary, South Africa, Netherlands. In each of these cases, the US runs a trade deficit in vehicles, (i.e. we import more from that country than we export). If the goal is to bring vehicle manufacturing jobs back to the US, then tariffs would need to be imposed on all these countries, or at least the top volume countries. Otherwise, companies like Toyota can shift imports from Canada to Japan, or BMW can shift imports from Mexico to Germany,” said Lau.
• “It will take time to make these shifts, as many factories are capacity constrained. Automakers like building in the USA because it is a large market. That is why so many plants have opened in the deep south. They didn’t need tariff protection to be convinced to build in the USA. USMCA led to more union jobs in the USA, not less. It created a bigger pie in all 3 countries,” said Lau.

• “The automobile industry is not a zero sum game. It takes many years to build new vehicle factories along with supply chains. A 25% tariff is more than the profit margin on most mass-produced vehicles. Tariffs on Canada and Mexico will impact automakers differently, and will impact products in different segments differently. Therefore, consumers will see some models become more expensive than others. Whenever tariffs are in place and prices rise, domestic producers tend to take advantage of this by also raising their prices, capturing greater profit. Therefore, a 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico is not likely to lead to widespread new investment in auto factories in the US, it will lead to higher vehicle prices, and will make winners and losers out of certain brands overnight, without regard to the competitiveness or attractiveness of a particular product,” said Lau.

is an adjunct professor at ���ϲ�����’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. She has conducted research on myriad topics and issues related to the criminal legal system. As the founder of the Center for Community Alternatives, she led efforts to develop alternative-to-incarceration programs and conducted influential research on the impact of criminal history screening in college admissions. She writes:

“The wildcat strike by prison guards spread quickly across the system, leaving incarcerated people without food, medicine and access to their families and loved ones.�� Governor Hochul was forced to call in the national guard to take care of the basic necessities. Incarcerated persons have in fact welcomed the guard, finding them to be respectful and polite, with one person calling them ‘sweethearts.’

While working conditions inside prisons need to be improved, they are the pretextual for the walkout.�� The strike began on February 17, a mere three days after the guards involved in the beating of Robert Brooks were indicted on murder. Moreover, second only to amnesty, the key demand made by the guards’ union is the suspension of the Halt Solitary Confinement law, action which can only be taken by the state legislature as part of their lawmaking function.”

Lynne Vincent

is an assistant professor of management in ���ϲ�����’s Whitman School of Management with an expertise in labor and industrial relations. She wrote the following:

“This situation is really interesting as the Taylor Law restricts the ability of employees in critical positions such as prison guards to go on strike. The Taylor Law allows public employees to organize the join unions, and it requires public employers to negotiate with unions. It also established procedures for resolving contract disputes. However, the restriction of strikes has been seen as controversial. The penalties for going on strike are steep.��

The prison guards wouldn’t be the first public employee group to go on strike. In 1968, the United Federation of Teachers went on strike as did the Buffalo Teachers Federation in 2000. New York City Transit Authority went on strike in 1980 and 2005. While this is rare, it is not unheard of.”

is a military spouse and research associate at ���ϲ�����’s D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF). She can speak to the impacts on service members and families of the National Guard when instances like this happen. Specifically, she can go into detail about IVMF’s latest research report with Blue Star Families which states approximately 50% of surveyors said the amount of time away from family as a result of military service is a top concern for them, with military pay and impacts of deployment on family being the next top issues ().

For your continuing coverage about the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic and a look back from where we started, here are a few ���ϲ����� public health and geographical experts for consideration:

The impact of wastewater surveillance beyond COVID-19

David Larsen

David Larsen��is Chair of the Department of Public Health in ���ϲ�����’s Falk College. Larsen’s expertise includes global health, large data analysis and spatial statistics, and sanitation.

Not long after COVID-19 was named a global pandemic, Larsen assembled a team of researchers to begin developing the wastewater surveillance technology that would eventually become critical to New York State’s response to the disease. The����tests for COVID in at least one wastewater treatment plant in all 62 of the state’s counties, covering a population of 15.4 million. The����provides the most recent statistics regarding the network.*

Professor Larsen has spoken extensively with news outlets about COVID-19, including , , , and others.

*Information provided by ���ϲ����� U. News stories from August and Sept. 2024.

Vaccines and the enduring work of public health workers

Brittany Kmush

is an associate professor in the Department of Public Health at ���ϲ�����. Her areas of specialization include vaccines, infectious diseases, epidemiology, global health, and immunology and environmental exposures, particularly within the context of risks for infectious diseases.

Kmush has been interviewed by the media multiple times for stories about COVID-19 and anti-vaccination trends including by the , , and .

How COVID-19 will help us approach future health crises

Lisa Olson-Gugerty

is an associate teaching professor in the Department of Public Health at ���ϲ�����. She teaches undergraduate courses that focus on health promotion, health and disease, and healthcare administration. She is a family nurse practitioner and maintains an outside practice as an emergency healthcare provider at a regional community healthcare center.

She can speak to many public health topics on circulating viruses, illnesses and how to treat them. Previous interviews have been with , , (���ϲ�����) and many others.

Understanding environments where viruses spread from animals to humans

Robert Wilson

is an associate professor in the Geography and the Environment Department at ���ϲ�����’s Maxwell School.

His research specialties include environmental history, environmental humanities and animals and society. He contributed to the book “” which explores how the intertwining lives of all animals has impacted the environment, politics, economies and global culture of the 21^st century.

How optimism and pessimism influence well-being

Jeewon Oh

is an assistant professor of psychology in ���ϲ�����’s College of Arts and Sciences.

Professor Oh led a team of researchers from ���ϲ����� and Michigan State University that explored the personal characteristics that help people handle prolonged stressors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The group delved into optimism and pessimism and how those mindsets influence well-being. Their findings appeared in the�� and you can read more in this ���ϲ����� news story.

���ϲ����� has additional experts that can speak to topics connected to the pandemic. For more information or to request an interview with any of these professors, contact:

Daryl Lovell
Associate Director of Media Relations
Division of Communications
M��315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu |

If you’re covering the heightened security in New Orleans for the Super Bowl with President Trump attending, you may want to consider speaking with of ���ϲ�����’s Forensic and National Security Sciences Institute (FNSSI). She shared her insights below. To schedule an interview, please email Vanessa Marquette, media relations specialist, at vrmarque@syr.edu.

Dr. Zoli writes: “A well-known sports fan, President Trump reportedly will be the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl. Public sentiment is predictably polarized, but some of the issues raised define both our historical moment and reveal the priorities of a still-new Administration: this includes Trump’s intention to present himself as a public leader in the style of Andrew Jackson who looks out for and participates in the ordinary and economic interests of regular Americans, distancing himself from cosmopolitan political elites. It also includes his attempts to restore public confidence in law enforcement and security institutions, like the FBI, the Secret Service, and the military, which has just recently seen a recruitment jump of over 10%, after several slim years. Voters had expressed concerns about government security overreach both at home in politicized federal agencies and abroad with US involvement in too many countries, conflicts, and wars. While security coordination at the venue will be challenging, the president’s attendance may also signal confidence in local and federal law enforcement partnerships, from the New Orleans police to the federal Secret Service, given the recent terrorist attack on New Year’s Day by ISIS supporter Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who drove a truck into crowds on Bourbon Street, killing 14 people and injuring over 50. New Orleans conducted an after action review addressing problems in communication and preparedness, noting that some officials left their posts early for the holiday. Critics have decried Trump’s divisiveness and thoughtlessness in creating security challenges by his presence at the Super Bowl, but Trump will likely use the opportunity in his characteristic way of claiming a very large public stage for his agenda.”

Tariffs and the Auto Industry

is Dean of the College of Law at ���ϲ����� and began his career in the Office of the General Counsel at Ford Motor Company in the International Trade and Transactions practice group. His practice focused on ��U.S. law for foreign affiliates and subsidiaries, among other topics. Later he served as Ford’s Director for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Government Affairs.

• “The global automotive industry works best in free markets, free of market distortions such as tariff and non-tariff barriers. Free markets have led to greater consumer choice and lower prices. The industry requires long lead times to adjust to changes in tariff policy. An immediate 25% tariff on automotive parts and finished vehicles from Canada and Mexico will introduce a great deal of uncertainty into the supply chain, and ultimately will lead to higher vehicle prices until the market can adjust,” said Lau.

History of Tariffs

, professor of history in the Maxwell School at ���ϲ�����, is the author of��. The book gives a history lesson of the tariffs used by American governments from the 18^th century until early 20^th century. Early in American history, Congress instituted high tariffs on most imports due to distrust of foreign goods.��But due to demand for things like silk, tobacco, and sugar, a brisk illicit traffic developed to maneuver around those laws. Cohen said:��

• “The US has long used tariffs to collect revenue, aid manufacturing, and exert power.�� But I can’t think of a trade war initiated so randomly in a time of peace and prosperity” said Cohen.
• “Early 20^th Americans replaced tariffs with income taxes because the former generated insufficient revenue to pay for a modern military,” said Cohen. “Reformers also viewed the tariff as a source of corruption, as businesses bribed Congressmen to support taxes giving them monopolies.��Tariffs led to widespread smuggling, which even an extensive network of customhouses could not staunch. Writing a tariff bill became so complicated that Congress gave the president wide discretion to negotiate rates.�� Now, we’re seeing the consequences, as one man can start a trade war.”

��Economic Impact and Tariffs

, assistant professor at ���ϲ�����’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, is an expert in international trade, tariffs, and supply chains. He’s been interviewed by several news outlets about tariffs including a recent interview with Newsweek, “.”

From the article:

• “Ryan Monarch, a professor of economics at ���ϲ�����, told��Newsweek��prices will be driven up not only by the tariffs themselves, but also the increased costs with complying with customs rules.
• There will be added costs both from sellers, who will need to prepare paperwork and calculate the value of each package as well as U.S. customs workers who will be tasked with enforcing the new policy, he said.
• ‘Part of the reason the exemption exists in the first place is that it didn’t seem worth it to try to do all of the work to examine all of these packages and imported things that are of such low value,’ he said.
• In total, a 25 to 30 percent price increase would not be ‘outlandlish,’ Monarch said. It’s difficult to predict the full impact, but companies are unlikely to eat the costs of these fees, he added.
• ‘We should expect that those prices are going to go directly onto American buyers. Research has shown that Chinese suppliers pass on those prices completely.’”

Tariffs and the Supply Chain

is a Professor of Practice – Supply Chain Management and Director of Executive Education at the Whitman School of Management. He is a scholar when it comes to providing insight about how economic policies will impact the national and global supply chains. He’s been interviewed by many outlets on tariffs specifically, including Buffalo’s and the .

Here’s what he’s highlighted:

• The tariff on Chinese goods could impact almost every U.S. industry according to supply chain expert Patrick Penfield.
• “We import a lot of base ingredients from China that’s used in various industries. So you’re talking pharmaceutical, the toy industry, electronics. So almost every industry in the United States would be impacted.”

US-Mexico Relations

, associate professor of history at the Maxwell School at ���ϲ�����, is an expert on Mexico and United States relations. She can discuss trade and tariffs between the US and Mexico, immigration, security and fentanyl.

McCormick, who is the Jay and Debe Moskowitz Endowed Chair in Mexico-U.S. Relations at ���ϲ�����, was interviewed by Insight Crime for the article “.”

• “Tariffs will hurt the Mexican economy, which will further weaken the Mexican system and the rule of law, and that’s going to make Mexico much more vulnerable to further incursions from organized crime,” McCormick told InSight Crime.
• “I don’t see any real concerted, long-term improvements that would come out of this to tackle issues of security and organized crime in Mexico,” McCormick told InSight Crime.

Hamid Ekbia

��is director of the Autonomous Systems Policy Institute at ���ϲ����� and founding director of the��. He took time to answer a few questions about the current state of AI regulation.

Q: How do government regulations shape AI development?

A: The federal government has a decisive role in creating the environment in which different players in the AI space operate.�� This could happen through regulation or in the absence of regulation. In the past, when the federal government was inclined to regulate technology through executive orders (and this included both the first Trump and Biden administrations), companies indicated interest in getting some measure of guidance from the government in establishing guardrails around AI technology in the hope of establishing an even playing field of transparent and ethical AI.

The rescinding of Biden’s executive order is going to unravel the minimal steps taken to regulate AI in the U.S., dampening the momentum that was being built in places such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and putting us behind others, especially the European Union, in this space. This will exacerbate current gaps in regulation even further, putting control in the hands of a small number of big corporations who have shown the ineffectiveness of self-regulation again and again.

The change of direction by Meta is a good example of this. In his testimony to the Senate in September 2023, Mark Zuckerberg, among other executives, endorsed AI regulation. In the last few weeks, in anticipation of the changing administration, Facebook changed course, replacing the internal mechanism for fact-checking, leaving the door open for the spread of even more misinformation to the society. This is just the beginning of a decline in transparency and accountability, the deeper impacts of which we will see down the road.

Practices such as patent shelving clearly show that companies cannot be trusted to prioritize innovation on their own; a regulated environment is much more conducive to innovation than an unregulated market.

Hamid Ekbia, Autonomous Systems Policy Institute Director

Q: Could rescinding the order help spark innovation, as some companies have argued?

A: The idea that less regulation leads to more innovation is a myth propagated by major corporations who currently have a monopolistic position in the AI space. History has shown that these corporations use their position not to expand innovation but to dampen and suppress it in all kinds of ways.

A primary example of this is patent shelving, where big corporations buy out innovations by small players or startups, not to implement the innovation but to protect their own monopolistic position in the market. There are numerous examples of this — for instance, when Google bought Motorola Mobility in 2012 just to shelve a large portion of the 17,000 patents that were included in the purchase.

Practices such as patent shelving clearly show that companies cannot be trusted to prioritize innovation on their own; a regulated environment is much more conducive to innovation than an unregulated market.��

Q: The European Union has imposed stricter regulations on AI than the U.S. What might that mean for the companies behind this technology?

A: The key issue is the regulatory gap that corporations have to navigate between the U.S. and the E.U. Big corporations will each find a way of dealing with this gap by complying differently with different requirements in the two contexts. But whatever they do, the American public will get the shorter end of the bargain in terms of the safety, privacy, trustworthiness, and perhaps even financial cost of technology.

To request interviews or get more information:

Chris Munoz
Media Relations Specialist
cjmunoz@syr.edu

• “Trump will not re-enter the White House for two more weeks, but he has already generated tensions with key European allies by threatening to use military force to acquire Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark. The Western alliance has been united in condemning Russia for its violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty since it invaded in 2014 and again in 2022, but Trump’s comments display no recognition of basic principles of sovereignty and international law. Presidents Putin and Xi are likely watching from the sidelines with popcorn.”

• “Over-interpretating President-elect’s Donald Trump’s statements about the US buying Greenland from Denmark would be a mistake. Trump throws out a lot of ideas for consideration, but most of them are just that, an idea, and in the end may not be workable. Trump is concerned about Arctic security and sees Greenland as gateway to the Arctic – which it is. However, his national security concerns about Russia and China can be easily accommodated by Denmark and Greenland within the NATO context.”

To arrange interviews, please contact Ellen James Mbuqe, executive director of media relations, at ejmbuq

Darwin Han-Lin Tsen

is an assistant teaching professor of Chinese at ���ϲ�����’s College of Arts and Sciences. His fields of study include modern and contemporary Chinese and Japanese literature and culture, critical theory and literary theory, film, Asian and Eastern European postsocialism, as well as Asian American literature.

Darwin answers five questions below. He is available for interview and his answers below can be quoted directly.

Q: Can you explain what encompasses Lunar New Year and what makes it so important?

A: Lunar New Year – or more accurately, the lunisolar new year – celebrates the coming of the first new moon according to a lunar calendar.��This is the most important time of gathering and celebration for Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Tibetan communities in their countries of origin and all around the world. Not to mention, a time to feast!

Q: What is the significance of the Chinese zodiac sign? What should be known about the year of the snake?

A: The Chinese zodiacs developed in parallel to the Babylonian zodiacs, basing itself on the “twelve earthly branches”, with each branch corresponding to the astrological signs one can observe within a month. Those signs were then given a unity in the form of twelve animals. The snake signifies wisdom, elegance, and spirituality; translated into modern terms, it indicates intelligence and strategic prowess. And so hopefully in the year of the snake, humanity will find the smarts to solve our common problems.

Q: What are some of the lesser-known celebrations or traditions associated with this event?

A: There are probably countless lesser-known celebrations, since so many people in so many different regions celebrate Lunar New Year! I can only speak to some traditions of Taiwan, where I’m from. In Taipei, apparently, at the end-of-year company dinner before the New Year, if a whole boiled or roasted chicken’s head is staring at you, it means that you might lose your job soon. In Tainan, to the south of Taiwan, there’s this wild event called the Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival, where folks celebrate the night before Lantern Festival (the 15^th��of the Lunar Calendar’s first month) by setting off massive amounts of fireworks. It’s kind of like a mosh pit. ()

Q: For the first time,��. What are your thoughts around the broader observation of the holiday?

A: That’s very cool, and a “better late than ever” sign of recognition for the Asian American community of New York. Traditionally, Lunar New Years gives 3-7 days off, but hopefully our kids will be able to get some rest and recharge.

Q: For those less familiar with the holiday, what is the one takeaway you’d want them to know about Lunar New Year?

A: I hope everyone knows that it’s a holiday about peace, love, and finding time for oneself and the community. And to not hold back on the eating!

To request interviews or get more information:

Daryl Lovell
Associate Director of Media Relations
Division of Communications

M��315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu |
news.syr.edu |

���ϲ�����

Robert Wilson

is an associate professor in the Geography and the Environment Department at ���ϲ�����. His expertise area includes how animals interact with society and humans.

He is available for interview and his comments below can be quoted directly.

Professor Wilson says:

“This month, a man in Louisiana died from bird flu (H5N1), which he probably got from exposure to wild birds or chickens in his backyard. And in recent months dairy workers have been sickened by the virus. While H5N1 is not yet spreading from person to person, the continued transmission of the virus from animals to people is very worrisome.

“The U.S. raises billions of animals a year, and the virus has travelled quickly among the nation’s chickens, pigs, and dairy cows. In the U.S., each year we raise and slaughter nine billion broiler chickens—the sort of chickens that people eat. At any one time, hundreds of millions of hens are laying eggs. H5N1 has infected many of these birds, leading egg and poultry producers to cull the chickens in an attempt to limit the virus spread. Even so, other domestic animals, such as pigs and dairy cows, are now infected as well.

“Many of these animals are raised in factory-like conditions where they are stuffed close together. In such cramped quarters, viruses can spread easily among the animals and increase the chance of a zoonotic spillover of H5N1 from animals to humans.

“Animal right activists have highlighted the terrible living conditions endured by chickens, pigs, and cows raised under industrial agriculture. But the way we treat these animals places us all at risk. We have, in effect, created incubators for the birth of new, more virulent pathogens while detaining animals in spaces that make virus outbreaks nearly inevitable.

“To protect ourselves, we need to alter the way we raise animals in our modern food system.”

To request interviews or get more information:

Daryl Lovell
Associate Director of Media Relations
Division of Communications

M��315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu |
news.syr.edu |

���ϲ�����

Professor Geuorguiev writes: “While this rumored proposal remains entirely speculative, the possibility should not be dismissed outright. President-elect Trump has indicated a desire for a political resolution to the TikTok dispute, and Elon Musk is uniquely positioned to facilitate such an outcome. His significant financial resources, established business ties in China through Tesla, and prominence in the social media industry via X make him a potential candidate for brokering a deal acceptable to multiple stakeholders. Additionally, Musk’s recognition and favorability in China could render the arrangement more appealing to Beijing. However, such a move would inevitably raise serious concerns among the American public and the U.S. national security establishment. Musk’s growing web of business and political influence, especially as he gains prominence in the incoming Trump administration, could create significant conflicts of interest that warrant close scrutiny.”

Two ���ϲ����� faculty experts weigh in on the historic natural disaster impacting California this week. Their comments below can be quoted directly. They are also available for interviews.

***

Fires burning now cannot be dismissed as anomalous events

Jacob Bendix

is professor emeritus in the Geography and the Environment Department in ���ϲ�����’s Maxwell School. His research areas include impacts of disturbance (principally fire and floods) on plant communities and media coverage of the environment. He has spoken extensively with journalists about the , and the .

Currently, he is available to answer questions via email.

Bendix says:

“The fires currently devastating multiple neighborhoods in the Los Angeles area serve to remind us of the impact of climate change. The fires are driven by the infamous downslope Santa Ana winds that become hotter and drier as they descend, creating particularly incendiary conditions. These winds are strongest in the winter, but historically by winter there was enough rain to soak fuels and limit wildfires. Thus, Santa Ana-driven fires were usually concentrated in the fall, when the winds had begun but fuels were still dry.

“This is where climate change comes in. It is already January, but Southern California remains dry, gripped by drought and high temperatures. Both drought and heat are known to be more likely in the context of human-caused climate change, so the fires burning now cannot be dismissed as anomalous events. We must recognize that such fires are likely to become more common in the future. The news stories each time will fade after a few days or weeks, but the impacts in terms of lost homes and workplaces will last far longer for local residents, and virtually everyone in the region is likely to face escalating insurance costs, or difficulty obtaining insurance at all.”

This is the ‘new reality’ for Southern California communities

Tripti Bhattacharya

is an associate professor in the Earth and Environmental Sciences Department in ���ϲ�����’s College of Arts and Sciences. Her work focuses on understanding the sensitivity of regional rainfall to global climate change.

She is available for interviews by phone, web video conferencing or email.

Bhattacharya says:

“It’s really devastating to see what is unfolding.

“It is a combination of several factors: one is drought, as Southern California has seen very little precipitation this winter, resulting in extremely dry vegetation and soils. On top of that, recent days have seen gusts of dry wind, typically known as ‘Santa Ana’ winds. These gusts have the ability to cause fire to propagate quickly.

“We cannot attribute a single event to human-caused climate change per se, but we do know from peer-reviewed scientific literature that the length of the fire season is increasing. Moreover, state of the art models analyzed in peer reviewed studies have shown that climate change is responsible overall for higher temperatures and drier vegetation, amplifying forest fire activity.

“This is the new reality communities in places like Southern California are facing.”

To request interviews or get more information:

Daryl Lovell
Associate Director of Media Relations
Division of Communications

M��315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu |

���ϲ�����

“In the aftermath of Watergate, Jimmy Carter helped to bring decency and honor back to the White House,” said Maxwell History and Political Science Professor Margaret Susan Thompson. She offered this on Carter’s passing at the age of 100. “Perhaps the shining achievement of his presidency were the Camp David Accords, the first notable peace agreement between Israel and one of its powerful Arab neighbors. He was an environmentalist before most people had ever heard of climate change or sustainability, installing solar panels (later removed) at the White House. When President Carter was defeated by Ronald Reagan in 1980—due largely to both economic downturn and the Iranian Hostage Crisis—neither he nor the American people knew that his most notable achievements were yet to come.”

Through the Carter Center, Jimmy Carter continued to fight for democracy and human rights throughout the world. He helped to bring an end to Guinea Worm Disease, as well as River Blindness in both Africa and Latin America. Well into his mid-nineties, Carter quietly worked to build homes in dozens of communities through Habitat For Humanity. A devout Evangelical Christian, Carter left the Southern Baptist Convention but not his faith in his seventies, because among other things he disagreed with its rigid opposition to expanding the roles and opportunities for women. He affiliated with the more progressive Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and continued to teach Sunday School in his local community well into the 21st Century. He and his wife Rosalyn have been happily married for over three-quarters of a century, enjoying the longest-lasting marriage of any first couple.

Jimmy Carter unquestionably earned virtually universal appreciation as the most accomplished former president in US history. Over thirty years after leaving the presidency, he was awarded the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for his lifetime of service on behalf of peace, democracy, and social justice—although he would continue to work on their behalf for another two decades. As he famously said: “I have one life and one chance to make it count for something…. My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.” For nearly a century, there is no doubt that he continued to practice what he preached.”

Additionally, Maxwell Political Science Professor Grant Reeher discussed Carter’s legacy with . Reeher called Carter “the right president and the right person for the times.”

Alex K. Jones

The introduction of , Willow, has sparked excitement both for its performance milestones and the ways it might help advance the commercial viability of quantum computing.

, chair of the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at ���ϲ�����, shared his insights on the announcement and its implications for the future of the field.

Q: How significant is this announcement compared to previous quantum chips?

A: The biggest challenge around superconducting quantum systems has been noise, which limits the size of problems that can be computed. ��If a quantum problem is too large, the noise will overcome the final calculation. ��A popular approach to address the noise problem is to apply an error correction algorithm called the surface code. ��However, noise can also cause problems during error correction, itself. ��For error correction to be useful, the result after error correction must not be worse than if no error correction was attempted.

The excitement from the Google team centers on a . ��The Google team was able to demonstrate using surface code error correction they could decrease the error on their system. ��This capability has been very challenging to demonstrate previously. Successful error correction is an important enabler to make more practical, scalable quantum computers.

The actual hardware in the Google Willow chip does not advance superconducting hardware dramatically over other systems. ��For instance, their qubit device lifetimes are not as good as IBM systems. ��It seems Google has found a “sweet spot” to provide the right parameters to allow error correction to be a net positive.

If the past is prologue, then the advancements in classical computing technologies warrant excitement for commercial quantum computing.

Alex K. Jones

Q: What are some potential implications of quantum computing/real world applications?

A: Quantum computing has the potential to solve certain classes of problems much more efficiently than classical computing.�� This has to do with the exponentially increasing state space possible through entanglement that is not possible using classical approaches.�� An example is determining the prime factorization of extremely large numbers, which is accomplished with Shor’s algorithm and has applications in cryptography.

Quantum computing also has the potential to simulate large physical systems with much higher fidelity than classical approaches, which has applications to better understand our physical world as well as improve our knowledge of chemistry and material science.

There is also a significant thinking that quantum computing will enable further improvement in artificial intelligence (AI) due to the larger datasets involved, but that is much less certain.�� For small to moderate size computing problems, classical computing remains the winner.

Q: Does this push us closer to commercially viable quantum computing?��

A: This datapoint in useful error correction is a boon to the multiple companies that offer commercial quantum solutions.�� This is an important milestone toward advancing problem scale, but it is only one of many steps along the way.�� Google has noted they are limited by the same fidelity improvement floor (factor of 2) no matter how many bits of correction they employ with the surface code.�� They are now promising to join the already substantial amount of research into other error correction algorithms that could be simpler than surface codes and unlock better error correction.

However, the promise of this technology remains quite exciting and having large-scale commercial investment in the area is part of a rich ecosystem that is leading to substantial advancements.�� If the past is prologue, then the advancements in classical computing technologies warrant excitement for commercial quantum computing.

To request interviews or get more information:

Chris Munoz
Media Relations Specialist
Division of Communications
cjmunoz@syr.edu

• Racial and ethnic minorities have a higher prevalence of asthma in part due to poor living circumstances worsened by past housing segregation laws.
• Living next to a major highway increases the risk of asthma, particularly among children, due to greater exposure to pollutants, such as fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ground-level ozone.
• Economic and environmental barriers prevent people of color from receiving asthma care, leading to a disproportionate number of emergency room visits, subpar medical treatment, and increased mortality.

• Asthma is strongly associated with where we live. For example, living near a major highway increases the risk of developing asthma due to motor vehicle pollution. Poor environmental factors, such as pollution and lack of emergency room access, lead to a higher prevalence of asthma among Black individuals than White individuals. This brief highlights Black-White disparities in asthma prevalence and demonstrates how living in unhealthy conditions results in a higher burden of asthma in Black communities.

What was the Battle of the Bulge?
‘The Battle of the Bulge’ is the name given in the English-speaking world to the last great German offensive in western Europe in World War II, which took place from December 16, 1944 to January 28, 1945. The Germans launched a surprise attack on the American front line in the forested Ardennes region of Belgium. Their aim was to break through the line, reach the English Channel coast at the important port of Antwerp, and split the Americans from the British and Canadian forces to their north. Hitler hoped that such a devastating blow would cause friction between the western Allies and persuade them to make peace on terms favorable to the Third Reich (allowing him to then concentrate his remaining military forces against the Soviets in the east).

Thanks to total strategic surprise, bad weather which kept the Allied air forces grounded, and the use of Germany’s last heavy tank units, the offensive was initially very successful and caused the ‘bulge’ in the front line which gives the battle its name. But unexpectedly stubborn resistance in key locations like the crossroads town of Bastogne, and a fast and effective Allied response once the initial shock had worn off, prevented the Germans from breaking through as they had hoped. By Christmas Day, the advance had halted, the skies had cleared, and the American ground forces, aided by devastating Allied air power, were pushing back against Hitler’s tanks, which had anyway mostly run short of gasoline. The German gamble had failed, and they were never again in a position to launch a major attack in the west. The war ended five months later with Hitler’s suicide and Germany’s total defeat.

Why is the Battle of the Bulge important?
‘The Bulge’ was one of the biggest battles of the war and the largest and bloodiest single engagement fought by the United States between Pearl Harbor and V-J Day. The Germans employed 410,000 troops and over 1,400 tanks, including the infamous 70-ton ‘King Tiger’ with its massive 88-mm gun and almost impenetrably thick armor. Almost 700,000 Allied troops took part in the battle, most of them American, and over 8,600 soldiers and airmen were killed in action. It was the last occasion in the war in which the western Allies could have suffered a major defeat at the hands of the Germans, and if this had happened it might have forced Roosevelt and Churchill to consider negotiating with Hitler to end the fighting with less than unconditional German surrender. As it was, the German Army and Air Force was so badly mauled in the Battle of the Bulge that it probably ended up hastening the war’s end, because they were in no position to defend their homeland once the Allies began advancing again in 1945.

How did the battle influence Allied strategy and relationships?
Hitler’s intention was, among other things, to cause friction between the western Allies, and it’s true that the crisis in the Ardennes did at least temporarily intensify disagreements between the British and American high commands which had existed for months. It was an open secret by December 1944 that the supreme Allied commander-in-chief, US general Dwight D. Eisenhower, did not get along well with the senior British commander in Europe, Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. ‘Monty’ did not have a high opinion of ‘Ike,’ nor any of the other American generals he was serving alongside, and after his own Anglo-Canadian forces advanced to support the Americans in Belgium, he gave a press conference which tactlessly suggested that he had rescued ‘the Yanks’ from their own ineptitude. Eisenhower was tempted to sack Montgomery for this tactless insubordination, and it was only thanks to the intervention of cooler heads that a major breakdown in the Allied high command was avoided. Eventually, Monty himself realized he had overstepped the line, and he personally apologized to Eisenhower.

What leadership lessons remain relevant today?
The Battle of the Bulge was ultimately a victory for the Allies, but it also represented a major intelligence failure. The Germans had been able to achieve total strategic surprise despite the ability of the British and Americans to read many of their top-secret communications. The evidence was there for those who wanted to see it that the Germans might be planning something. But a combination of hubris and bad luck (the poor weather preventing proper aerial reconnaissance of the enemy front line) meant the Allies had no idea a crisis was imminent in December 1944. The Bulge reminds us that even the best intelligence sources are useless if the people receiving them have built up a false impression in their minds about what is occurring.

The Bulge also shows how important it is to respond to a crisis with a cool head, flexibility, and creativity. In the first few days following the German attack all was chaos and panic on the Allied side, and it appeared as though Hitler’s troops would be able to break through the Allied line completely. But in fact, the confusion was temporary and once the American commanders had a better appreciation of what was happening, they could see that the advantage still lay with their own side – the bad weather grounding the Allied air forces would not last forever, and the Germans were critically short of the gasoline their tanks would need to get to Antwerp. By remaining calm in the midst of seeming defeat they were able to reestablish control of the battlefield and ultimately deliver a critical blow to the enemy.

Another little-remembered detail about the Bulge is the key role played by African American soldiers in the racially segregated US Army. Black GIs were normally forbidden to serve in front-line combat units in 1944 and relegated to unglamorous support tasks. But African American drivers in the ‘Red Ball Express’ truck convoy system kept Allied forces supplied with the ammunition and food they needed to fight; and Eisenhower even decided to temporarily suspend segregation and allow Black soldiers to fight alongside their white comrades. Over 2,000 African American GIs volunteered to go to the front and 708 of them were killed in action. This incident helped to establish the groundwork for the complete desegregation of the US military after the war.

Goodman writes: “France’s political crisis can be captured by the title of the famous Sartre play – ‘No Exit’. After President Macron’s speech tonight, there appears no escape from the impasse created after he dissolved the National Assembly in June and called for new elections.��Essentially, Macron said tonight that he would not resign – in doing so, acknowledging that this was in fact an open question – and that he would try again to name a prime minister that could set up a government. If you don’t succeed at first, try again …

In the meantime, he tried to reassure the French, saying that, regardless of the political situation, the 2024 budget would be rolled over into 2025, and a new budget adopted in January 2025. In essence, Christmas will be saved, salaries will be paid (but may not get increases for inflation).

Macron reminded viewers of all that the country had faced under his leadership, including COVID, the war in Ukraine, the Paris Olympics, and the rebuilding of Notre-Dame cathedral. But also repeated again and again that he had “30 months” left in his term, as if he himself were counting the days.

France’s crisis is for now still a political crisis. There is no larger unrest. Politics will most likely painfully limp along in the months to come – unless a new variable is introduced and takes the current situation in an even more serious direction.”

• ���ϲ����� researchers from the Center of Reproductive Evolution published a paper that offers insight into the evolution of giant sperm in male fruit flies and the reproductive tracts of female fruit flies.
• Long sperm tails have evolved in fruit flies because they are better equipped than shorter sperm for the battle to fertilize eggs and because female reproductive tracts are designed to bias fertilization in favor of longer sperm.
• In other words, long sperm tails are the cellular, post-mating equivalent of peacock tails.
• The ability to test the foundations of sexual selection theory, and to develop new hypotheses about the evolution of sexual traits, has been hampered by limited information about the genetics underlying such traits.

• “The toll is likely to reduce certain congestion, particularly from daily commuters who could switch to public transportation, which is often more cost-effective. However, essential traffic—like delivery trucks and vehicles traveling to JFK and LaGuardia—will still need to traverse these areas, so the impact on overall congestion may be more nuanced.”

Does this add funds needed for the MTA?

• “Yes. This revenue stream will help the MTA to fund critical infrastructure upgrades, like modernizing signals and adding accessibility features. Given potential uncertainties in federal funding for transportation, this local funding source becomes even more vital.”

Are there examples of cities that have benefited from congestion pricing?

• “London and Stockholm are prominent success stories. Both cities saw significant drops in traffic congestion and improved air quality. They implemented flexible, income-sensitive pricing models, and their gradual rollouts allowed time for public transit adjustments. San Francisco has also utilized congestion pricing, particularly on bridges, to manage traffic flow effectively. This is part of a broader trend often called ‘pay-as-you-go’ funding for infrastructure, which has historical precedence in how NYC’s Bridge and Tunnel Authority funded highway connections. Actually, it is also how the Erie Canal was built.��Tolls generated by early segments paid for the completion and upgrade of the system.”

Osamah F. Khalil

Khalil writes: “Even before the dramatic pictures of Germans taking down the Berlin Wall thirty five years ago, there were significant movements toward ending the Cold War. Almost a year earlier, Mikhail Gorbachev, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, addressed the United Nations in December 1988 about finding a way ‘towards a new world order.’ This was part of a broader effort by Gorbachev to reduce Cold War tensions and eliminate nuclear weapons. However, he encountered skepticism in the Reagan administration that was also mirrored in the U.S. press. Gorbachev’s attempts to reach an international audience was matched by his efforts to institute reforms within the Soviet Union and Soviet-bloc states.

Gorbachev’s economic reforms had intended and unintended consequences. Within the Soviet Union, they were accompanied by calls for greater political reforms and liberalization. Gorbachev also worked to install reformers within the leadership of the Soviet-bloc states. This included forcing East Germany’s hard-line Erich Honecker to step down. In addition, Gorbachev was adamant that unlike previous Soviet leaders, he would not attempt to suppress protests by force or deploy the Soviet military to secure the rule of communist governments in the Warsaw Pact nations. This was brought into stark relief by the Tiananmen Square protests in China in May 1989. Gorbachev was on a state visit to China when the protests occurred, and the harsh crackdown on the protests was only launched after he left. Gorbachev vowed that he would not repeat these actions.

Gorbachev’s determination was tested throughout the summer and fall by protests and a migration crisis in East Germany. In October, Soviet Foreign Minister Edward Shevardnadze declared that Warsaw Pact countries would be allowed to determine their own domestic affairs and ‘go their own way,’ which he referred to as the ‘Sinatra Doctrine.’ By early November, an unfolding economic and political crisis in East Germany as well as Gorbachev’s unwillingness to intervene, helped set the stage for the remarkable events at the Berlin Wall.

The building and the deconstruction of the Berlin Wall represented two symbols. In constructing the wall in August 1961, the Soviet Union and East Germany hoped to stem the ‘brain drain’ to West Germany and beyond while deescalating tensions with the United States. Instead, it became a symbol of repressive authoritarian rule to be challenged and dismantled. Even if the wall’s destruction wasn’t inevitable – or the way that it occurred – it provided indelible images of the desire for freedom globally that remain more than three decades later.

The end of the Cold War provided an impetus for German unification and European integration. There was movement towards this since the end of the Second World War, including the creation of the Council of Europe (1949) and the European Economic Community (1957). In addition, there were economic ties between East and West Germany that predated the end of the Cold War and unification. Although the establishment of the European Union in 1993 appeared to offer a more hopeful future, the past decade has witnessed tensions within the EU that threaten economic and political stability in Europe. With the election of Donald Trump in the United States and the rising popularity of right-wing parties in Germany and France, those trends may become more pronounced over the next four years. Indeed, the fortieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall may see a different Europe and increasingly strained Euro-American relations.”

In this article, Prof. Germain summarizes the status of all of the cases and discusses what happens next. If you’d like to schedule an interview, please contact Ellen James Mbuqe, executive director of media relations at ejmbuqe@syr.edu.

Criminal Cases

1. Falsifying Business Records, New York Law.�� Trump has been convicted and is scheduled to be sentenced for a Class E felony for falsifying business records in the criminal case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and pending before Judge Juan Merchan.�� He faces potential prison time in the case.
2. Election Interference, Georgia Law.�� Trump has been indicted in Georgia by District Attorney Fani Willis for election interference.�� The case has been mired in controversy following revelations that Willis had an affair with special prosecutor Nathan Wade.�� Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee allowed Willis to continue with the prosecution if Wade resigned, which he did, but the case has been derailed by an appeal from Trump and the other defendants.
3. Classified Documents – Federal Law.�� Trump has been indicted by Special Counsel Jack Smith on federal charges for stealing, retaining, and making false statements about classified documents that he took from the White House after losing the 2020 election.�� The case was assigned to District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was appointed by Trump, and was reversed by the 11^th Circuit Court of Appeals for earlier rulings improperly taking jurisdiction and appointing a special master during the investigation of the document theft.�� Judge Cannon dismissed the charges against Trump on a technicality, by finding that Jack Smith’s appointment under the Department of Justice’s special counsel regulation, and the regulation itself, violated the appointments clause of the Constitution.�� Cannon did not give the government an opportunity to remedy the election clause deficiency, such as by appointing a Senate approved United States Attorney to supervise the case.�� Cannon’s decision is on appeal to the 11^th Circuit Court of Appeals.
4. Election Interference – Federal Law.�� Trump has been indicted by Special Counsel Jack Smith for election interference in the 2020 election.�� The case was delayed because of controversy concerning the standard for presidential immunity.�� The trial court and the D.C. Circuit ruled that a former president has no immunity for crimes committed while in office.�� The Supreme Court reversed that in , ruling that a president has broad immunity for actions taken even in bad faith and for personal gain broadly connected with his official duties.�� Prosecutor Jack Smith has attempted to limit the indictment to address the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling, but serious immunity questions remain.�� The case is pending before Judge Tanja Chutkan, a Barack Obama appointee.

Civil Cases

1. Defamation – New York Law.�� E. Jean Carroll recovered an $83,300,000 civil judgment against Trump in Manhattan for defamation.�� Carroll claimed that Donald Trump sexually attacked her in a department store in the 1990s, and claimed that Trump’s denials and attacks constituted defamation.�� Trump posted a bond and obtained a stay pending appeal, and the case is on appeal.
2. Financial Statement Fraud – New York Law.�� New York Attorney General Letitia James, who campaigned for election on promises to “get Trump,” brought civil claims against Trump for disgorgement of gains realized by using an inflated personal financial statement used when seeking insurance policies and obtaining secured claims for his subsidiary corporations from sophisticated lenders.�� State court judge Arthur F. Engoron awarded the Attorney General $363,800,000 in damages, which now amounts to over $450,000,000 with interest.�� The court also barred Trump and other executives from being officers of a New York corporation, and appointed a receiver to liquidate Trump’s company.�� The Court of Appeals granted a special stay pending appeal upon the posting of a reduced $175,000,000 bond.�� The liberal 1^st Department Appellate Division raised questions about the propriety of the judgment.

There seems little doubt that the federal cases brought by Jack Smith will be terminated.

Gregory Germain

What happens to the Criminal Cases?

The Department of Justice has issued two detailed memorandum opinions, one in 1973 and another in , discussing a sitting president’s scope of immunity from criminal and civil actions.�� In both opinions, the Department determined that a sitting president cannot be indicted, prosecuted or jailed for a criminal claim while in office.�� The Department based both decisions on the principles of separation of powers – holding that the indictment, prosecution or jailing of a sitting president would allow one branch of government (the judiciary) to interfere with another branch of government (the executive).�� No other executive officers (including the Vice President – a matter of contemporaneous concern for Vice President Spiro Agnew in 1973) would enjoy such immunity.�� The opinions apply equally to federal and state prosecutions.

So it’s clear that the federal prosecutions brought by Jack Smith will not continue, even if Trump did not pardon himself or cause Smith to be removed from office and replaced with a loyal alternative.�� And there is every indication from Trump that he will attempt to remove Smith or accept his resignation, or more likely will pardon himself.�� While the Department has another opinion rejecting the President’s power to self-pardon, the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling stated that a President’s pardon power is unlimited – even suggesting that the corrupt sale of pardons would not affect the validity of the pardons.�� So I have no doubt that the Supreme Court majority would uphold a self-pardon.�� So there seems little doubt that the federal cases brought by Jack Smith will be terminated.

The President’s pardon power does not extend to state prosecutions.�� However, the Justice Department’s separation of powers rulings apply to all criminal prosecutions, state and federal.�� Under the Justice Department’s opinion, it seems clear that the state criminal prosecutions must be stayed while President Trump is in office.�� There is even an argument under those opinions that the cases must be dismissed, because the opinions held that an indictment of a sitting president that was stayed from further prosecution while in office would interfere with the functioning of the presidency.�� The same could be argued for a stayed sentence.�� I also have no doubt that the current Supreme Court would agree with the separation of powers arguments made in the Justice Department’s rulings.�� In its immunity decision, the Supreme Court adopted the broadest possible view of presidential immunity, and even the dissenting justices expressed concern about politically-based state prosecutions interfering with the functioning of the president.�� So in all likelihood, the state criminal cases will be put on hold during Trump’s presidency.�� If they try to continue with the prosecutions, or even to impose a stayed sentence, I suspect the decisions will be reversed on appeal.�� It is even possible that the cases will be dismissed.

What Happens to the Civil Cases?

The continuation of the civil cases is far more uncertain.�� There are two important civil precedents from the Supreme Court:�� , and .�� In Nixon v. Fitzgerald, the Court recognized that the sitting president is broadly immune from liability in civil actions for official conduct, both while in office or afterward.�� The case has limited applicability to the three civil actions discussed above, because all of the alleged acts (defamation, falsifying business records, and inflating financial statement) had nothing to do with his official acts, not did the acts occur primarily while he was in office.

The second case, Clinton v Jones, involved civil charges by Paula Jones for alleged misconduct before Clinton was in office and completely unrelated to his official duties.�� The Supreme Court held that the civil charges could continue, but that the court would have to make special arrangements from the president’s participation in the action so as not to interfere with the performance of his presidential duties, suggesting that any depositions would have to be taken in the White House, and that the president could not be compelled to testify live).�� So the Clinton case suggests that the appeals in the civil cases can continue, because they are unlikely to require President Trump’s personal participation.�� If, as I think likely because of legal errors and excessive awards, the civil cases are reversed on appeal and remanded for new trials, the courts on remand would have to be very careful to conduct a fair trial without interfering with the president’s official functions.

If the election shows anything, it shows that the public does not like politically motivated prosecutions and impeachments.

Gregory Germain

Thoughts on the Future of Politically Motivated Prosecutions

The Democratic Party and its politically motivated government prosecutors also need to reconsider their actions.�� If the election shows anything, it shows that the public does not like politically motivated prosecutions and impeachments.�� The argument that Trump was a convicted felon backfired, as the public saw him as a victim of biased and politically motivated prosecutions brought in Democratic strongholds.�� Now the ball is in Trump’s court to see if he will carry through on his threats to “do unto others as they did unto him.”�� If he does carry through on his threats, I suspect his support will quickly fade.

• “The precautionary measures by governors – activating or placing on alert members of their state National Guard – are reasonable in the same way that similar callups would precede a major storm that threatens a state. The governors would order the Guard personnel to quell any violent disturbances, but not to interfere in any way with voting or counting. In some circumstances monitoring that line up to election interference can be challenging, but that’s the task presented,” said Banks.

 
Wilson writes: “Pets are a cultural category not a biological one. We single them out from other types of animals for special care, we give them individual names, and we allow them to live in our homes. We consider them to be friends or nonhuman members of our families.

So it’s not surprising many Americans were outraged when the New York Department of Conservation confiscated and killed “P’Nut” the squirrel. In the years since his owner, Mark Longo, adopted the squirrel, P’Nut had become a social media sensation, garnering thousands of followers on Instagram and TikTok. The confiscation and death even become an issue in the presidential campaign, with Republican vice-presidential candidate J. D. Vance criticized the government’s actions.

Given their personal and cultural importance, politicians and others can also use the specter of pet abuse as a way to antagonize voters. Earlier this year, Vance and former president Donald Trump spread baseless claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, claiming they were killing and eating dogs and cats. There’s no evidence that Haitian residents were eating these animals. But Vance and Trump knew the mere suggestion of Haitians eating people’s beloved pets would foster animosity against immigrants and bolster their view that they did not belong in the country.”

• “I think that there are high levels of anxiety about this election because the stakes of the election are very high. Anxiety comes from the sense of uncertainty about the future and here that anxiety is what is the nature of the US government and society going forward,” said Gadarian.

• “Harris and Trump have very different visions for who has power and who benefits from government in the future. Trump’s vision is of a future where the federal government deports immigrants, takes revenge on enemies foreign and domestic, and keeps ‘America for Americans’. This is a vision that appeals to a part of the electorate who feels left behind, but it is not one that is widely shared even among people who may ultimately support Trump at the ballot box.

• “Harris’s vision is more about using the federal government to broaden who shares in power and who benefits from programs like Medicare. The uncertainty and anxiety that she is focusing on is about Trump’s unique threat to the democratic institutions of government and that the future might bring a diminished democracy or no real democracy under a second Trump term with fewer guardrails than in the first term,” said Gadarian. “Anxiety alone is not a motivator for action, in fact, it can lead to avoidance in very high levels.”

• “But pairing anxiety with a solution and telling people how to resolve it can allow people to feel efficacious. Importantly, the best antidote for anxiety at this point is the same no matter which candidate’s vision you subscribe to and it’s to vote,” said Gadarian.

Margarita Estevez-Abe

She writes: “Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has suffered its worst electoral losses since its defeat in 2009. While much of the news coverage has focused on the LDP’s unpopularity in the face of corruption and the inflation and now will focus on whether Prime Minister Ishiba will be able to hold onto his power, Sunday’s election marks a fundamental change in Japanese society. For much of the postwar period, Japan has been ruled by a small class of male conservative politicians. This ‘Old Japan’ has prevented a ‘New Japan’ from emerging.

The LDP’s defeat brought hopeful news to those who had been wishing for greater political representation of women.�� The record number of female candidates were fielded (342) and elected (73) mostly thanks to the progressive opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), which emerged as a formidable opposition force winning 148 seats relative to the LDP’s 191. The CDP has been promoting female candidates in local elections and has been playing a critical role in making more conservative parties like the LDP field more women in response.

The CDP is one of the successor parties of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), the only opposition party every to unseat the LDP in a general election since its founding in 1955. The breakup of the DPJ in 2017 had paved the way for the LDP’s electoral dominance. Most Lower House seats are allocated by a winner-takes-all rule, which has benefitted the LDP, the only large party, facing a fragmented opposition

There was, however, a silver lining.�� Since the breakup, CDP has shared the support from the organized labor with another successor party to DPJ, the Democratic Party for the People (DPP). CDP has pursued a strategy to cultivate women’s talent becoming much more women-friendly party than its predecessor, DPJ. In this process, it has morphed into a party that resembles European center-left parties—a kind of party that did not exist in Japan before. The CDP has been fielding women in local elections and recruiting competitive female local politicians. It represents the values of a ‘New Japan’ that the long rule by the LDP stifled. In urban Japan, many Japanese voters and politicians are eager to legalize same sex marriage, to let women retain their maiden names after marriage, and to allow Princess Aiko to succeed her father. The local councils in Tokyo reveal the character of this New Japan: women, transgender, and naturalized citizens all serve as elected representatives. The LDP has been like a heavy chain wrapped around the neck of this New Japan not letting it assert itself. The CDP still does not have a majority in the 465-person Lower House, which has the prerogative to elect the next Prime Minister. However, a New Japan finally has a chance to challenge the Old Japan.”

, assistant professor at ���ϲ�����’s Falk College, has studied the intake of added sugar and sugar-sweetened beverage in rural adults and adolescents in southwest Virginia. You can read more about her work by . In regards to the Halloween candy this year, Yuhas writes: “ soaring cocoa prices, which could mean smaller chocolate bars and pricier candy this Halloween. As parents opt for fewer chocolates and more non-chocolate sweets, the risk of high consumption of added sugars remains. To keep things balanced this Halloween, parents can set limits on candy, encourage moderation, and fuel up with a healthy meal before trick-or-treating. For a fun twist, try the “Switch Witch” trick: let kids keep a few favorites, then leave the rest outside their door overnight. In exchange, the witch delivers a small toy or prize. For older kids, you can also try the “Candy Buyback” method. Offer your child the opportunity to “sell” their candy back to you. Set a rate like 10 pieces of candy in exchange for a small toy, book, or special outing. You might also opt to hand out glow sticks or other small, fun trinkets to replace candy when trick-or-treaters come to your door. This not only cuts down on sugar but adds an extra level of fun and safety to Halloween night. These are a few sweet ways to promote healthy habits this Halloween!”��

, professor of supply chain practice at ���ϲ�����, can speak to the supply chain issues and prices of Halloween candy. Recently, he did interviews with , , , and many other outlets about recent supply chain matters. .

While previous research has focused more on lactic acid bacteria and yeast in sourdough bread, acetic acid bacteria (AAB) and its the ecology, genomic diversity, and functional contributions remain largely unknown.

Researchers from ���ϲ����� and Tufts University sequenced 29 acetic acid genomes from a collection of over 500 sourdough starters and constructed synthetic starter communities in the lab to define the ways in which AAB shape emergent properties of sourdough. The team’s work was supported by a����awarded to ���ϲ����� Professor����earlier this year.

“While not as common in sourdough as lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria are better known for their dominant roles in other fermented foods like vinegar and kombucha,” says Beryl Rappaport, a Ph.D. student at ���ϲ����� and lead author of the report along with Oliverio. “For this study, we were interested in following up on previous findings which stated that when present in sourdough, AAB seems to have a strong impact on key properties including scent profile and metabolite production, which shape overall flavor formation.”

To assess the consequences of AAB on the emergent function of sourdough starter microbiomes, their team tested 10 strains of AAB, some distantly related and some very closely related. They set up manipulative experiments with these 10 strains, adding each one to a community of yeast and lactic acid bacteria.

“Since we can manipulate what microbes and what concentrations of microbes go into these synthetic sourdough communities, we could see the direct effects of adding each strain of AAB to sourdough,” says Rappaport. “As we expected, every strain of AAB lowered the pH of the synthetic sourdough (associated with increasing sourness) since they release acetic acid and other acids as byproducts of their metabolic processes. Unexpectedly, however, AAB that were more closely related did not release more similar compounds. In fact, there was high variation in metabolites, many related to flavor formation, even between strains of the same species.”

According to Rappaport, strain diversity is often overlooked in microbial communities, in part because it is difficult to identify and manipulate levels of diversity due to the vastness of microorganisms within a given community. By zooming into the diversity among closer relatives in the lab, researchers can start to understand key interactions in the microbiome.

The impact of this research is two-fold. ��When it comes to baking, she says their findings offer bread makers a new direction to shape sourdough flavor and texture.

“Since AAB reliably acidified the starters we worked with and released a large variety of flavor compounds, bakers who want their sourdough to be more sour or to create new flavors may try sourcing a starter with AAB or attempt to capture AAB themselves,” says Rappaport. “We hope that this study helps to shine a light on the diversity of microbes found in sourdough and their important functional roles.”

Their research could also have implications on the health benefits of sourdough bread.

During the fermentation process, AAB generates acetic acid, which significantly aids in breaking down gluten and complex carbohydrates, enhancing the digestibility of sourdough. By examining the genetic diversity of AAB and its influence on acetic acid production, researchers can develop strains that optimize this process.

The team uses sourdough primarily for its use as a model system because the sourdough microbiome is relatively simple to culture and use for repeated experiments in the lab. But their results stretch far beyond baking.

“Our findings will be relevant to people interested in more complex microbial communities, like the human gut or soil,” says Rappaport. This is because the sourdough system can be used to ask questions about ecology and evolution which would be more difficult to ask with more complex systems.

When it comes to the human gut, microbial communities can help build resilience to infections and improve efficiency in breaking down complex carbohydrates, fiber, proteins and fats. In the case of soil, microbes help to break down organic matter and maintain overall soil ecosystem stability. There are many unknowns, however, about how multiple levels of genetic diversity impact these processes.

By recognizing how strain diversity can have community-wide consequences on a microbiome, the team’s insights could have wide-ranging benefits for human health, wellness and environmental sustainability.

To arrange interviews with the researchers, please contact executive director of media relations Ellen James Mbuqe, ejmbuqe@syr.edu.

1. “Focus on what you can control – the antidote to helplessness is taking action. Channel your energy into constructive activities that can provide a sense of accomplishment.
2. Practice self-care – adequate sleep, regular physical activity and healthy eating habits are important for all of us, yet especially important during stressful times.
3. Obtain adequate social support offline – online discussions can become flame wars and unproductive. Meaningfully connect with others offline daily. Set boundaries around news consumption and social media use.
4. Stay grounded and keep your perspective – try to not allow dark feelings and events to take up all your mental space. Make room to see the good and experiences that give you hope and purpose.”

• “The current state of aviation, even in the wealthiest countries in the world, is too often punishing to passengers who rely on mobility devices or have disabilities. Air travel remains unique in its inaccessibility, as it still requires wheelchair users to forfeit their mobility devices in order to board planes, unlike, bus, subway, trains, boats or taxi transport. Airlines have not invested sufficiently in ensuring the safety of disabled passengers,” said True-Frost.

Please contact Ellen James Mbuqe, executive director of media relations, at ejmbuqe@syr.edu to schedule an interview.

Tetiana Hranchak, Ph.D. is a visiting assistant teaching professor in the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs at ���ϲ�����’s Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs. Hranchak’s research interests include issues related to political and cultural communication, libraries’ participation in the implementation of the politics of memory, preservation and transmission of historical memory, formation of critical media literacy and countering information manipulation and propaganda. She writes: “North Korean troops in Ukraine would be another confirmation that the Russian war in Ukraine is not a local or regional conflict. Along with the intensification of military operations in the Middle East using the terrorist group Hamas, this is an additional confirmation of the anti-Western axis formed by Russia, which includes China and Iran in addition to North Korea. For now. The rhetoric of the heads of government of Slovakia Robert Fico and of Hungary Viktor Orban, the strengthening of pro-Russian right-wing radical sentiments in a number of European countries and the visit of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to Russia do not add confidence in the impossibility of extending this axis to the European space in the future. This is an evidence of the ineffectiveness of the chosen by the West strategy to delay the solution of the ‘Russian problem,’ which increasingly opens up space for the corrosion of the entire security system established after the Second World War. In the current conditions, the acceptance of Ukraine into NATO and thus the strict limitation of Russian expectations regarding Ukraine could become a safeguard against the further destruction of the world order.”

, political science professor at Syacuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs, studies Russia politics. Much of his research has focused on the development of the Russian state, with particular attention to state coercive organizations, such as the military and the police. He is the author of the book The Code of Putinism. He did an interview with about this topic.

, adjunct professor at ���ϲ�����’s Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs, is an expert on 21st century war and changing international relations. McFate is one of the world’s leading expert on mercenaries.��He wrote the book The New Rules of War: How America Can Win—Against Russia, China, and Other Threats. Yesterday, McFate talked about and said “This is a worrisome development, if true, because it would internationalize the Korean conflict and lower the threshold for direct conflict between the two Koreans in Ukraine, which could go nuclear. A problem of war is unintended consequences. This seems like an unnecessary risk by South Korea.”

, retired Vice Admiral and currently a professor of practice at ���ϲ�����’s Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs, has expertise in national security, international relations, and military and defense strategy. He is also the deputy director of the Institute for Security Policy and Law at ���ϲ�����. Murrett was a guest on and about this story.

• “An estimated 2.2 million Americans live in long-term care facilities in the United States. Many of these Americans—perhaps the majority—would vote if voting were accessible to them. Unfortunately, as we show, long-term care residents face systemic disenfranchisement. Specifically, based on our systematic review of nursing home investigation reports, we present disturbing new empirical evidence that demonstrates how burdensome election procedures, profound isolation, and widespread failure by facilities to provide required assistance prevent long-term care residents from voting. Noting that entities traditionally enforcing voting rights have largely ignored these problems, we call for a new wave of voting rights litigation aimed at dismantling barriers to long-term care voter participation and provide a roadmap for how existing law could be employed in such litigation. Finally, continued disenfranchisement of long-term care residents has profound implications not only for older adults and people with disabilities but also for democratic legitimacy.”

Elizabeth Carter

, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at ���ϲ�����’s College of Engineering and Computer Science, and her research team have received a water resource grant from the U.S. Geological Survey to develop a sensor network that measures flooding. This sensor network will help predict different types of flooding caused by natural disasters, particularly flooding in areas where people live, which is referred to as urban flooding. This project is known as the Urban Flood Observing Network, and you can learn more about it here.

Related to Hurricane Milton specifically, she writes: “We design flood control infrastructure, like storm sewers, reservoirs, floodwalls, and levees, to handle a storm that we think has a 1% chance of happening every year. The primary physical driver of these 1% flood events in the eastern and central United States are tropical cyclones (tropical depressions, storms, and hurricanes). More hurricanes directly translates to more frequent infrastructure failure. More intense hurricanes means more catastrophic infrastructure failure. In 1970, the most intense storm we’d see in an average year was a category 3. In 2010, it was a category 4. If these trends continue into 2050, we could expect at least one category 5 storm annually. We are not prepared.��Flood control infrastructure upgrades in the eastern United States are urgently required, and a critical public health and equity issue.”

Sarah Pralle

, associate professor of political science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at ���ϲ�����, specializes in environmental politics and policy, climate change and energy, flood mapping, flood insurance, and more. Pralle also serves as a senior research associate for the Campbell Public Affairs Institute. She was recently quoted in The Atlantic story ““:

“Many people assume that they face little risk if they aren’t living in an area included in high-risk zones on FEMA’s flood maps, Sarah Pralle, a political-science professor at the Maxwell School at ���ϲ�����, told me. But FEMA’s maps don’t capture the full picture of flood risk. They are drawn ‘based on the assumption that the past will help us predict the future. In a rapidly changing climate, that’s not the case.’ The maps can quickly become outdated as climate risks evolve, she noted, and don’t take into account pluvial flooding, or flooding from heavy-rain events, which is what North Carolina saw last week. Even people who have personally experienced flooding sometimes drop their policies, Pralle said, adding that ‘if people have lived in a place where it hasn’t flooded in decades, they lose that memory of what can happen and what kind of losses they might suffer. Those who do buy flood insurance usually live in areas prone to flooding. The result is a system in which the risk is not evenly spread out, making flood-insurance premiums hugely pricey—Pralle likened it to a health-insurance system in which only the sick buy coverage.'”

And then: “So much of the response following disasters can feel piecemeal and reactive, Pralle said. Insurance is important—but not the full story. ‘Every dollar we put into prevention is going to be a lot more efficiently spent,’ she explained. In a world reshaped by climate change, ‘this idea that there’s safe places you can go hide is unrealistic.’”

Robert Wilson

, associate professor at ���ϲ�����’s Maxwell School, studies animals and society, climate change, geography, and more. He can speak to human-pet relationships and the need to prepare for your pets ahead of natural disasters.

Wilson writes: “As Hurricane Milton barrels ashore in Florida, we’re reminded of how owning pets can complicate evacuations during natural disasters. When asked, most pet owners say they consider their cats and dogs to be like family. This affection for pets can complicate evacuation decisions during emergencies.

Pet owners often face a difficult choice. They can evacuate to a hotel or shelter that doesn’t accept pets, potentially leaving their animals behind. Or they can remain in place, facing the worst of a hurricane to stay with their pets. This dilemma underscores the need for emergency planning that considers the needs of pets as well as people.

In areas prone to hurricanes, wildfires, or other natural disasters, pet owners should develop evacuation plans that include their animals. This could involve plans that identify hotels and shelters that accept pets, preparing an emergency kit with supplies for people and animals, and making sure pets have proper identification. Being prepared can help save the lives of people and the pets they love.”

Patrick Penfield

, professor of supply chain practice at ���ϲ����� Univeristy’s Whitman School of Management, can speak to supply chain issues related to Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.

Penfield writes: “Hurricane Helene and Milton will adversely impact US supply chains. Unfortunately, we have a high concentration of critical manufacturing facilities in the South such as IV plants (North Carolina and Florida) and quartz factories (used in the electronics industry) which could be shut down for several months because of the hurricanes. In addition to southern manufacturing plant and distribution centers being closed, we will see a significant loss of vegetable and fruits which will impact availability and drive-up prices. Penfield further stated that significant infrastructure will need to also be rebuilt such as roads, bridges and ports which could further impact the ability of other companies in the South to function.”

Derek Seward

is an associate professor at ���ϲ�����’s School of Education. Dr. Seward’s scholarly interests focus primarily on the multicultural and social justice development of mental health professionals, with a particular interest in professionals of color.

Seward writes: “Repeated exposure to hurricane disasters can be devasting as the opportunity for hurricane survivors to have sustained psychological recovery time is disrupted. Hurricane survivors can experience a range of short-term psychological struggles including immense anxiety as their lives are threatened, intense feelings of helplessness as they deal with uncertainty regarding potential loss of life (i.e., family, friends, pets) and belongings, and increased stress from physical displacement. The impact on families can be particularly profound as children may lack psychological preparedness and resilience to handle acute unexpected adversities. Physical clinginess, refusal to be separated from parents or guardians, and nightmares or other sleep disruptions are behavioral responses children may display. During disasters, children struggle with experiencing that their world is not stable, secure, and safe. To protect their children, parents may withhold expressing their fears and anxieties which can be problematic as they are not attending to their own mental health needs. Parents and guardians should reassure their children they are being protected. Limiting children’s exposure to media coverage of hurricanes can help to avoid elevating their anxiety. Parents should consider seeking mental health support to deal with any symptoms of stress and anxiety they experience. Longer-term psychological struggles for hurricane survivors include increased substance use and post-traumatic stress symptoms such as having intrusive and distressing thoughts that interfere with concentration mood, irritability, avoidant behavior, and depression.”

Jennifer Genovese

is an assistant teaching professor in the School of Social Work at ���ϲ�����’s Falk College. She can speak to mental health and trauma related to natural disasters; and, specifically in this case, back-to-back hurricanes. She was recently interviewed for the ABC News story “

Murrett

If you need an expert to discuss U.S. military presence in the Middle East, you may want to consider retired Vice Admiral . Murrett is currently a professor of practice at ���ϲ�����’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and deputy director of ���ϲ�����’s Institute for Security Policy and Law. He’s recently been interviewed by , , , and others on the news.

McFate

Additionally, , adjunct professor at ���ϲ�����’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in D.C., is also available for interviews. McFate is an expert in international relations, military warfare, national security, and more. He was recently interviewed by () on the subject.

By��, Professor of Law, ���ϲ����� College of Law.

Donald Trump’s legal woes have been the center of international attention throughout this 2024 presidential election year. In less than two months before the Presidential election, here is a summary of where all those cases currently stand.

The E. Jean Carroll Defamation Case.�� Trump’s year of litigation started in January with author E. Jean Carroll recovering�� an $83.3 million judgment for defamation against Trump for accusing Carroll of lying when she claimed publicly in 2019 that Trump had sexually assaulted her in a department store dressing room more than 20 years earlier, in 1995 or 1996.�� Trump posted a bond to obtain a stay while he appeals the judgment.

The NY Attorney General Financial Statement Fraud Case.�� In February, New York Attorney General Letitia James’ civil fraud case against Trump for overstating the current market value of his properties in the personal financial statements he had submitted to lenders and insurance companies, came to trial without a jury before Judge Arthur Engeron.�� Normally, civil fraud requires a plaintiff to prove that a victim believed and relied on the truth of the statements, and suffered damages as a result.�� But the Attorney General successfully argued that a special anti-fraud statute, New York Executive Law § 63(12), allows her to recover disgorgement of benefits received without showing that anyone relied on or was harmed by the false statements.�� Judge Arthur Engeron entered a judgment against Trump in February for $354 million in disgorgement, plus interest, which would have required him to post a $464 million bond to obtain a stay pending appeal.�� The appellate division allowed Trump to post a reduced bond of $175 million to stay enforcement of the judgment pending appeal.

The Georgia Election Interference Case.�� On June 5, the Georgia Court of Appeals issued an order staying District Attorney Fani Willis’s election interference case against Trump to consider Trump’s motion to disqualify the District Attorney for having an undisclosed relationship with her special prosecutor, Nathan Wade.�� The trial judge, Scott McAffee, had previously allowed the case to continue if Nathan Wade resigned to prevent the appearance of impropriety.�� The defendants appealed McAffee’s well reasoned order, and the case has been on hold by the appellate court since that time.�� Frankly, I thought McAffee’s opinion was sound, and I never understood why Willis’s relationship with Wade in any way harmed Trump or the other defendants.

The New York Falsified Business Records Case.�� Next came New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s convoluted criminal case against Trump for falsifying his business records to hide a $175,000 hush money payment made to Stormy Daniels through Trump’s then attorney Michael Cohen in the waning days of the 2016 election.�� I have .�� On May 30, 2024, the jury found Trump guilty under NYPL § 175.10 of falsifying business records to commit fraud and to conceal another crime, although the jury did not have to indicate who was defrauded or what other crime Trump was trying to conceal.�� Trump was supposed to be sentenced on September 18, but Judge Merchan granted Trump’s request to postpone sentencing until after the election.�� Sentencing is currently scheduled for November 26.

The Federal Cases.�� The two federal court cases brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith are the most serious cases Trump faces, and both cases have been stuck in the mud for months.

The Federal Election Interference Case.�� The federal election interference case before District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington DC has been delayed by questions about presidential immunity, and now also by technical issues around special prosecutor Jack Smith appointment.�� These preliminary issues will need to be resolved before the case can proceed on the merits.

On July 1, 2024, the Judge Chutkan’s and the DC Circuit Court’s rulings that Donald Trump, as a former president, had no immunity from prosecution.

Frankly, I expected that the Supreme Court would reverse those decisions, and recognize that a president has immunity from criminal prosecution for “core” presidential activities.�� In fact, at the hearing before the Supreme Court, both the government and Trump’s lawyers agreed that an ex president is immune from prosecution for “official” presidential matters, and that there is no immunity for “private” matters.�� Trump’s team even agreed that many matters alleged in Smith’s complaint sounded like “private” not “official” matters.�� The disagreement was on how far “official” matters would go.

I was fairly confident that the Supreme Court would draw the official /private distinction by focusing on the president’s motives – was the president acting to further what he believed to be in the interests of the country, or did he have personal, corrupt, motives to benefit himself at the expense of the country?

I was wrong. Chief Justice Roberts’ majority opinion granted immunity far beyond what the Trump lawyers sought at the hearing. The Court held, first, that a president’s motives are entirely irrelevant to whether his activities are “official” and subject to immunity, or “private” and not subject to immunity.�� Under the Court’s ruling, a president has absolute immunity for anything plausibly connected to his presidential functions, including the most blatant kinds of corruption (such as selling presidential pardons to the highest bidder, or directing the military to assassinate a political rival).�� While it is difficult to imagine that the founders intended the Constitution to provide broad immunity from prosecution to a President Benedict Arnold, who sold out his country for personal gain, that was essentially the Court’s holding.

In an attempt to redraw the official/private distinction, Prosecutor Jack Smith has filed a superseding indictment eliminating the allegations that Trump conspired with his governmental advisors, and has labeled his allegations that Trump conspired with non-governmental advisors to be “private.”�� But the labels do not matter.�� Under the Supreme Court’s ruling, Trump is immune from activities that fall within a very broad sphere of presidential activity, even if he had false, improper and corrupt motives for his actions. Given the extremely broad way that the Supreme Court defined “official” activities and rejected motive, it is difficult to see how any of Trump’s attempts to overturn the election would qualify as purely “private” activities.

Nevertheless, Judge Chutkan and the DC Circuit will likely try to read the immunity ruling more narrowly than the Supreme Court wrote it, and allow the case to proceed.�� And if the case does proceed, and Jack Smith is able to prove his allegations that Trump knew he lost the election, knew that his election interference claims were false, and nevertheless sought corrupt motives to overturn the election, then surely a jury would convict him. ��But would the case survive another visit to the Supreme Court?�� Judge Chutkan set a briefing schedule for the parties to argue the immunity question, with Trump’s reply brief due on October 29.�� Since the case cannot move forward before the court rules on the immunity question, the only thing that could happen before the election is the filing by Jack Smith of evidence that support his arguments that Trump’s activities were “private” and not immune.

The second preliminary issue is whether Jack Smith’s appointment as special prosecutor was constitutional, and if not whether the case should be dismissed.�� As discussed below, Judge Eileen Cannon dismissed the classified documents case against Trump on the grounds that Smith’s appointment was unconstitutional.�� That decision is currently on appeal, and Chutkan stated on the record that she did not find Judge Cannon’s ruling to be “very persuasive.”�� Judge Chutkan will likely decide that special prosecutor Jack Smith can proceed with the prosecution, but the process may be delayed further for briefing on that issue, and the ultimate ruling on Judge Cannon’s dismissal could derail the election interference case.

The Classified Documents Case.

In my view, the strongest case against Donald Trump is the classified documents case, which has been stymied at every turn by Judge Eileen Cannon.�� Cannon, a Trump appointee, was previously and harshly , in an unusual unanimous per curium opinion, for improperly exercising equitable jurisdiction over the government’s investigation into the classified documents taken by Trump while leaving office.

After months of slow walking the case, on July 15, 2024, Judge Cannon , determining that the Justice Department regulation under which Special Prosecutor Jack Smith was appointed was unconstitutional under the appointments clause of the Constitution.

The Constitution’s appointments clause requires the President to appoint, and the Senate to confirm, all “Officers of the United States,” except for “inferior Officers” who can be appointed by Officers without Senate approval if the Officers are authorized by law to make the appointment.�� .�� The courts have recognized that mere “officials” and “employees” can be hired without authorizing legislation, presidential appointment, Senate approval, or direct appointment by authorized Officers.�� The distinctions between “Officers,” “Inferior Officers,” “Officials” and “Employees” is not defined in the Constitution, and depends on factors like power, authority, control, and permanency.�� By tradition, cabinet officers and the heads of agencies are Senate-approved “Officers,” including the Attorney General and all 93 US Attorneys running the district offices of the Justice Department.�� The thousands of assistant US Attorneys and all of their staff are inferior officers, officials or employees, and are not appointed by the President or confirmed by the Senate.

The technical issue is whether Special Counsel Jack Smith, appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland under the Department of Justice’s special counsel regulation, is an “Officer” who must be appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, an inferior officer who was appointed by an authorized Officer, or an official or employee who could be hired without Senate approval or congressional authorization.

The legal firepower behind Judge Canon’s decision comes from a law review article by Professors Steven G. Calabresi and Gary Lawson, Why Robert Mueller’s Appointment As Special Counsel Was Unlawful, 95 Notre Dame L. Rev. 87,115–16 (2019).�� Calabresi and Lawson also filed amicus briefs with the Supreme Court in the Trump immunity case, and before Judge Cannon.�� Even though it was not an issue the Supreme Court agreed to hear, Justice Thomas wrote a concurring opinion in the election interference case throwing his support behind questioning Jack Smith’s appointment.

While Calabresi and Lawson’s technical legal arguments, and Judge Cannon’s adoption of those arguments, are plausible, they fly in the face of 50 years of practice, including the Supreme Court’s famous Watergate tapes decision in , brought by special counsel Leon Jaworski, who was appointed under a similar justice department regulation, and whose appointment was not questioned by the Supreme Court.

There are legitimate criticisms of the Special Counsel Regulations.�� If the Justice Department has a conflict of interest, should they be the ones to select the special counsel?�� In 1978, after Watergate, Congress created a Special Prosecutor Act, later called the Independent Counsel Act, which allowed majorities of either party within the House or Senate Judiciary Committee to request that the Attorney General appoint a special prosecutor.�� If the Attorney General made the appointment, a three judge panel of appellate judges, rather than the conflicted Attorney General, would select the special prosecutor.�� This process provided some assurance that the special prosecutor would be independent from the conflicted justice department.�� The Supreme Court upheld the Act in , but the Clinton administration did not seek its renewal, preferring instead to control the process through agency regulation, which has created the issue.

There is really no way to know if the current Special Counsel Regulations are constitutional until the Supreme Court rules on them.�� But even if they are not constitutional, there is no reason for dismissing the indictment against Trump.�� Instead, the courts should allow the government to fix the problem by appointing a senate-approved “Officer,” such as the Attorney General or another United States Attorney to supervise the prosecution.�� Professors Calabresi and Lawson have recognized that this is a technical constitutional issue that can be cured by appointing an approved “Officer” to supervise the case.�� The technical defect in Smith’s appointment, which is easily curable, did not prejudice the defendants.�� There is no reason that a United States Attorney appointed to supervise the case now could not ratify Smith’s past work, and allow Smith to proceed with the prosecution under supervision.�� A case prosecuted by Jack Smith under the supervision of the United States Attorney would be like the thousands of cases brought by Assistant United States Attorneys every day in every jurisdiction.

What Happens Next?

The presidential election will take place on November 5, 2024.

If Trump wins the election, there is little doubt that he will cause the federal election interference and classified documents cases to be dismissed, either by appointing loyalists to take over the prosecution in the Justice Department, or by issuing himself a presidential pardon.�� The Supreme Court has signaled in its immunity decision that a self-pardon is within the President’s absolute authority.

However, a presidential pardon only applies to federal crimes, so it would not prevent any of the state prosecutions or cases from continuing.�� It is not clear whether a state prison sentence could be implemented against a sitting president, or how it could be implemented, or whether some sort of federal supremacy would prevent the states from interfering with the activities of an elected president.�� Another constitutional crisis is likely if either of the state criminal cases results in a prison sentence.

If Trump loses the election, he will likely face years of trials and appeals before the legal issues will be finally determined.

• “Former Governor Cuomo has been much criticized for directing nursing homes to accept COVID-19 positive patients.��While, especially in retrospect this was a bad policy decision, it is unclear to what extent it had an impact on resident deaths.��The reality is many facilities would have accepted these individuals without a mandate because it was financially advantageous to do so,” said Kohn.

• “Nevertheless, the direction signaled a lack of concern for the fate of nursing home residents—which was made even more evident by the breathtaking immunity the Governor supported for nursing homes and their owners.��Under Cuomo’s leadership, nursing homes and their corporate owners were granted immunity from liability for harm to residents amid the pandemic.��While many states provided some immunity for healthcare providers at the height of the pandemic, none were more expansive than New York.��Indeed, New York’s measure was so extreme that it even limited the ability of the state’s Attorney General to hold institutions and executives liable for false or fraudulent claims, or from prosecuting certain acts that could otherwise result in criminal charges,” said Kohn.

• ��(Georgetown Law Journal)
• ��(William and Mary Law Review).

Professor Ueda-Ballmer writes: “Suicide has traditionally been viewed as solely a mental health issue. However, it’s crucial to shift this narrative – social factors significantly influence an individual’s decision to contemplate suicide. These factors include poverty, addiction, discrimination, social isolation, and the impact of media. The findings from , developed by the world’s leading suicide prevention experts, emphasize the need to promote upstream measures that address these social determinants alongside clinical treatment for mental illness. The Series suggests potential interventions such as economic policies to reduce poverty and regulations on alcohol consumption and social media platforms.”

Katherine Kidd

is an English Studies professor at ���ϲ����� who organizes a banned book read-out event each year. She took time to answer some questions about the new law and how this and other book bans can have far-reaching effects.

Q: Is there anything in particular about this latest banning effort that stands out to you?��

A: It’s hard not to think of it as part and parcel to the broader trend toward censorship and suppression of information, and the repression of marginalized identities, especially the aims of Project 2025, which seeks to create a conservative Christian social order by way of government restructuring.

The fact that almost all of Utah’s book bans this go-around are written by women and are about women’s experiences in the world, makes it pretty clear that there’s a correlation between the book bans and the ideology that drives Project 2025, as well as a correlation with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, etc. That it’s happening statewide in Utah is not entirely surprising, but I worry that Utah’s reputation with regard to its unique religious demographics can obscure the details of the actual law that passed and what it entails for the rest of the US.

The law passed there that has allowed for this banning is actually bananas. According to the law, a book can be banned if at least three of the state’s school boards determine the content is pornographic or otherwise offensive. That’s only 3 of over 40 statewide school districts in Utah. So, in Utah, if fewer than 10% of the districts deem a text inappropriate, the other 90%+ don’t have a choice in the matter. That kind of thing can happen anywhere, there are people actively working to make it happen everywhere, and those people have an agenda that goes well beyond books.

A silver lining is that for some authors and books, a banning or contestation can amplify the message. A book can become a best-seller and a cultural touchstone that people talk about for a long time because of a banning.

Katherine Kidd

Q: What kind of impact might it have on young readers and their teachers?��

A: As an English professor, book banning is a personal affront to the values that I hold dear. However, I teach young adults, so I have more freedom (as of now) to share texts that aren’t likely to be taught in elementary, middle, and high schools, regardless of whether there’s a ban.

I feel sad for the kids who won’t have access to certain books. It will be more difficult for some kids to find books in which they see themselves, or books that answer real and valid questions about life. Since even textbooks are susceptible to being deemed pornographic, I also worry that young people – especially young girls, gender nonconforming people, and racial and ethnic minorities – will be deprived of crucial lessons about themselves, the working and care of their bodies, and their histories. It is antithetical to education.

A silver lining is that for some authors and books, a banning or contestation can amplify the message. A book can become a best-seller and a cultural touchstone that people talk about for a long time because of a banning. I think Gender Queer��by Maia Kobabe is such a book. Without the backlash about one particular scene/set of panels, the book would be just one of many queer coming-of-age stories that came out that year. Now it’s everywhere, and loads of people have heard of it and read it. I teach it in one of my classes because of its cultural significance as well as its content. It is a success because it was deemed a problem. Still, that’s only the case with some books on some topics.

I read everything under the sun as a child and introduced myself to all sorts of texts that challenged my mind and offered alternative perspectives, and I wonder what my life and trajectory might have been if I had not had access to all those books.

P.S. Banning books by angel-person Judy Blume just makes you look like a cartoon villain.

Q: What can people do to push back on banning efforts that might be happening in their own community?

A: Keep yourself informed on local politics, especially those related to education. Read all the time and share what you’ve read with others. Support and use the public library. Hug a librarian (but ask permission first).

To request interviews or get more information:

Chris Munoz
Media Relations Specialist
Division of Communications
cjmunoz@syr.edu

• “This propaganda, pervasive and multipronged, has spread across social media platforms since (President) Hasina fled. The false narratives have been so widespread that international media, pundits, intellectuals, influencers, and the general public have unwittingly propagated them.”
• “One of the primary focuses of this campaign has been����and����claims of widespread persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh. While there have been��, many of those targeted were affiliated with Hasina’s now-disgraced Awami League party, suggesting a political, not communal, motive. Specific instances of supposed attacks on Hindu homes and temples have been��.”

Tetiana Hranchak��became a visiting assistant teaching professor at ���ϲ�����’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs after she fled Ukraine in 2022.

Hranchak writes: “The Kursk operation showed the effectiveness of a proactive approach and strategic initiative. The Russians turned out to be unprepared for the Ukrainians’ non-standard actions and unable to react effectively to them. We can confidently talk about a certain political, informational, and military ‘spinning wheel’ in response to the challenge created by the Ukrainian side and the Kremlin’s image losses. Additional lessons are the conclusions regarding the ability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to conduct successful military operations and win under the conditions of the necessary military support and planning, as well as regarding the conventionality of the so called “red lines” declared by the Kremlin. Unconditional bonuses became strengthening the fighting spirit of Ukrainians and improving Ukraine’s potential negotiating position.”

Retired Vice Admiral��is a professor of practice at ���ϲ�����’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and deputy director of ���ϲ�����’s Institute for Security Policy and Law.

Murrett writes: “The Ukrainian operations across the border in the Kursk and (possibly) Belgorod regions have been of longer duration and reach than either the Russians or Ukrainians initially expected. Moreover, there is reporting today that Russia has had to divert units fighting in southern Ukraine to deal with the offensive operations in Russia. This latter dynamic is likely the stretch goal of Kyiv; that is, to diminish Russian capability inside Ukraine by resetting conditions across the border in Russia.

The situation is still highly fluid, but with clear signs that the Russian command and control of responding units is still coming together, with all-important unity of command not yet achieved. The next 2-3 days will be critical for both sides as this “Battle of Kursk” takes on additional significance.”

You can view previous video interviews of both Hranchak and Murrett by��clicking here.

Yaejin Moon

What can those most vulnerable to falls do to better protect themselves?

, assistant professor of exercise science in ���ϲ�����’s Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, is working to answer this question.

Moon’s research focuses on improving mobility and reducing fall-related injuries in people with neurological disorders and older adults. It aims to understand and prevent these injuries by analyzing real-life fall videos using artificial intelligence, and will soon be further explored in publication in the journal Scientific Reports, currently under review.

Moon answers five questions below about why the elderly are more at risk of fall-related injuries and shares tips for safe-falling techniques. She is available for interviews. Video resources are also available demonstrating various types of falls and protection techniques.

Why are falls so dangerous for the elderly?

Falls are particularly dangerous for the elderly due to their high frequency and severe consequences. The dangers of falling for older adults include serious injuries like hip and hand fractures, head trauma and even death.

The combined effects of loss of muscle, bone density, flexibility, and sensory and cognitive function pose a significant threat of falling for older adults. Specifically, the loss of balance due to a trip or slip can often be recovered by quick corrective actions that require fast and powerful muscle responses. However, weaker muscles make it harder to stay balanced and to perform these corrective actions in a timely manner.

Personally, I lost two of my grandparents due to fall incidents—one suffered a hip fracture, and the other sustained head trauma. Both passed away after a year of hospitalization following their falls. Additionally, falls often lead to decreased mobility, loss of independence and a significant decline in overall quality of life. The constant fear and risk of falling can also result in anxiety and reduced activity levels, impacting the well-being of even those who haven’t experienced a fall or have recovered from one.

What are you attempting to find with your research on falls by older and mobility-vulnerable populations?

My research aims to deepen our understanding of daily movements—how we walk, stand and fall—specifically focusing on falls experienced by older adults in real-world scenarios. Traditionally, falls in older adults have been studied through recollection methods such as questionnaires or interviews, as it is not feasible to safely replicate fall accidents. However, just as investigators analyze the black box data from car or airplane accidents to understand the causes and develop preventive measures, my goal is to analyze real-life fall videos captured by security cameras in a long-term care facility.

With advancements in artificial intelligence, we can now automatically identify and analyze human movements captured in these videos. This approach allows us to move beyond the limitations of memory-based data collection, enabling us to develop fall prevention programs grounded in real accident evidence. By comprehending the causes and mechanics of falls as they occur in everyday situations, I plan to create more effective interventions to prevent injuries from falls in older and mobility-vulnerable populations.

What have been the most interesting aspects you’ve discovered in doing your research?

I have interacted with diverse populations with movement disorders, including people with multiple sclerosis and stroke survivors. While falls are a major concern for these populations, a few participants mentioned that they are not afraid of falling because they know how to fall safely. I have also practiced martial arts for the past decade and learned safe falling strategies. Rather than dismissing this as anecdotal, I designed a study to investigate whether older adults could learn a safe falling technique, specifically the ‘tuck-and-roll’ strategy. This technique involves tucking the chin to prevent head injury and rolling along the back to dissipate impact energy.

To start the study, I measured how hard older adults hit the ground when they fell to the side on a crash mat. Then, participants learned the tuck-and-roll strategy for 30 minutes. Surprisingly, after this short training, older adults were able to learn the technique and reduced the impact force by 33 percent. Additionally, even though they were only trained to fall on their right side, they could also perform the technique during left-side falls, an untrained direction. Remarkably, they retained this ability to land softly one week after the training.

Though your work is ongoing, how can this research help caregivers better protect or teach their loved ones about safe falling practices?

First, it is crucial to prevent falls from occurring. Falls happen due to a combination of environmental, behavioral and physical factors. Creating a safe environment is essential. It’s important to take necessary precautions like securing rugs and carpet edges with tape, placing handrails on both sides of staircases and installing grab bars in bathrooms next to toilets and bathtubs. Additionally, ensuring all areas of the home (including hallways and staircases) are well-lit, wearing appropriate footwear and using mobility aids such as canes and walkers can help with fall prevention.

Regular exercise is vital for improving balance, strength and flexibility. Activities such as tai chi, yoga and strength training can be particularly beneficial. In the ���ϲ����� community, several martial arts centers offer senior classes that teach safe falling techniques, which can be an excellent resource for older adults.

Considering the use of fall detection devices could be beneficial as well. Long periods of lying on the floor after a fall can increase the fatality of fall incidents. It’s important for caregivers to be notified immediately if a fall occurs. Wearable devices or smart home systems can detect falls and alert emergency services or family members promptly.

Do you have a few tips or recommendations to better protect oneself if about to fall?

In general, when you begin to fall, don’t resist it by trying to stay rigid, as this can cause you to fall like a stick, which is the riskiest position. Instead, go with the fall by lowering your body into a squat position to reduce the distance to the ground and help control the fall. , published in Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, safe falling techniques vary depending on the direction of the fall:

1. Backward Falls: If you are falling backward, tuck your chin to your chest to prevent hitting your head and roll along your back with the fall.
2. Forward Falls: If you are falling forward, use your arms and knees to break the fall. Try to land on your hands and knees to distribute the impact and protect your face and head.
3. Sideways Falls: If you are falling sideways, rotate your body to land on the back of your body and roll with the fall. Remember to tuck your chin in to protect your head.

To get more information on this work or to schedule an interview, please contact:

Keith Kobland
Associate Director of Media Relations
University Communications
M��315.415.8095
kkobland@syr.edu

• Anthony D’Angelo (Newhouse):
• Lindsey Darvin (Falk): I
• Sylvia Sierra (VPA):
• Farhana Sultana (Maxwell):
• Charles Driscoll (Engineering and Computer Science):
• Margaret Talev (Newhouse/Maxwell): () | (NPR) |
• Kevin Antshel (Arts & Sciences):
• Shubha Ghosh (Law):
• Melinda Dermody (Libraries):
• Dessa Bergen-Cico (Falk): ,
• Margaret Thompson (Maxwell): | (Oakland, CA)
• Mona Bhan, (Maxwell):
• Roy Gutterman (Law/Newhouse):
• Brian Taylor (Maxwell): I�� I
• Lynne Vincent (Whitman):
• Natalie Koch (Maxwell):
• Eric Kingson (Falk):
• Jennifer Stromer-Galley (iSchool): |
• Grant Reeher (Maxwell): | | | again | (Spain) | ��
• Natalie Koch (Maxwell): |
• Joel Kaplan (Newhouse):
• Rick Burton (Falk):
• Gregory Germain (Law): | | | (UK) |
• Jessica Garay (Falk):
• Jacob Bendix (Maxwell):
• Patrick Penfield (Whitman): I��
• Jack Graves (Law):
• Robert Thompson (Newhouse): | | | I I ��I I I
• Jon Ryan (Information Technology Services):
• Katherine Macfarlane (Law):
• J. Christopher Hamilton (Newhouse): |
• Matt Huber (Maxwell): I
• Ken Marfilius (Falk): Podcast –
• Keith Doss (Office of Veterans and Military Affairs):
• Dwayne Murray (Office of Veterans and Military Affairs):
• Tetiana Hranchak (Maxwell): |
• Kivanc Avrenli (Whitman) :
• Traci Geisler (Blackstone LaunchPad): ��
• Bhavneet Walia (Falk):
• Latha Ramalingam (Falk):
• Gary Engelhardt (Maxwell):
• Makana Chock (Newhouse):
• William Banks (Law): (UK) | |
• Bernard Appiah (Falk):
• Milena Petrova (Whitman):
• Kathleen Corrado (Arts & Sciences):

To get in touch and learn more about ���ϲ����� faculty members available for interviews, please contact��media@syr.edu.

• “Just like with a Nikki Haley or Hillary Clinton at the top of the ticket, I don’t think that we are likely to see women voters cross over to vote for Kamala Harris because of her gender. Partisanship remains the strongest determinant of vote choice among those who have a partisan identity or lean toward a party,” said Gadarian. “That doesn’t mean that gender does not matter at all and that it won’t affect the Harris campaign. The first way that gender is already reshaping the race is that Harris is already advocating for women’s health, reproductive freedom and abortion access more vocally and more powerfully than Biden did and than the Trump/Vance ticket is. She ties access to reproductive care to a theme of progress and freedom in ways that Biden did not.”

• “Harris is also energizing young women and women of color in ways that are going to make these important constituencies of the Democratic party easier to mobilize in the fall. Harris’s connection to Black Greek life has already won support and significant fundraising dollars from members of the Divine Nine who are a group that can be activated themselves and have strong community connections to help rally others. Last night, there was a Zoom meeting of 9,000 South Asian Women for Harris that raised $250,000,” said Gadarian.

• “Harris is also leaning into young culture on social media with a neon green banner on her social media paying homage to the ‘brat summer’ and amassing significant views on TikTok with memes,” said Gadarian. “This embrace of feminine, fun ways to talk about serious policy issues makes space for young women to participate in politics and shows them that they have a stake in this election.

• “The last way that gender matters here is that having a woman of color at the top of the ticket further normalizes that women belong in politics, can be trusted with the highest responsibility and are to be taken seriously,” said Gadarian.

• “Brat is comprised of memetic qualities such as authenticity and a fun persona. Even if you don’t like her you can’t deny that she can take up and create new space in politics which is clearly needed and brings fresh viral memes,” said Grygiel.

Please contact Ellen James Mbuqe at ejmbuqe@syr.edu to arrange an interview with any of them.

Associate Professor of Political Science :

• “A political party’s job is to win elections. Joe Biden became the nominee in 2020 because Democratic voters, Democratic officials and liberal activist groups thought he was the best candidate to beat Trump now they don’t – electability giveth and electability taketh away.”
• “Democratic voters, not party elites, drove Biden’s exit. Polls showed it, constituents demanded it at townhalls, and representatives listened. Biden told voters this is the most important election of our lifetimes, voters believed him and acted like it in demanding a change – this wasn’t top-down – it was a grassroots revolt against Joe Biden.”
• “Nancy Pelosi, Harold Jeffries, and Chuck Schumer coordinated this change because Biden’s presence at the top of the ticket was becoming too dangerous for down-ballot Democrats. Safe seats turned shaky, toss-ups tipped Republican – both House and Senate control were slipping away and making a Republican trifecta more likely.”

• “Biden’s age issue was insurmountable. A majority of voters, including many Democrats, believe he’s too old for a second term. This perception can’t be fixed through campaign strategies or messaging and increased public appearances risk deepening that perception among voters. Democrats hope that Vice President Harris or another candidate can appeal to voters who dislike both major party options.”

���ϲ����� Associate Professor of Communications Joshua Darr commented on the timing of the announcement:

• “It certainly pushes back on some traditional press logic, but it makes sure the next week launches with a discussion entirely about Democrats – which is probably not what Republicans wanted after their week-long convention united around Trump. We’re in uncharted territory – I don’t think there is a “right” time to do something that monumental,” said Darr.

Please contact Ellen James Mbuqe, executive director of media relations, via ejmbuqe@syr.edu to arrange interviews with any of these experts.

Political Science Professor�� researches and teaches about American politics and political theory, democracy and citizenship. Reeher said the Democrats would need to replace President Biden very soon if they hope to regain ground.

• “In order to give the new candidate enough time to generate enthusiasm, and for the party’s national campaign to adjust its strategy and messaging.��The problem for the Democrats is, how do they avoid what appears to be a somewhat weak national candidacy by Kamala Harris without spilling a lot of internal party blood and creating deep internal divisions.��They’d have to step over a woman of color.��Not a good look for the Democrats.��There are some other prominent Democrats who might be more appealing in a national general election; I just don’t see how the Democrats get to them without creating a lot of chaos and bitterness,” said Reeher.

How can this current unrest in the Democratic Party impact congressional races?

• “If enthusiasm among Democrats drops, either through dissatisfaction with Biden and concerns over his health, or concerns about a Harris presidency, that could lead some potential voters to just sit it out,” said Reeher. “And on the other side, sensing a victory, it could energize the Republicans. So, while the issue at the top of the ticket won’t change a lot of minds about who to choose in a congressional race, it could have impact on who is voting in the first place.”

���ϲ����� Associate Professor of Communications����teaches about political communication in the Newhouse School. His comments below reference Biden’s press conference after attending NATO meeting.

• “It’s hard for me to see how tonight’s press conference at the NATO meeting could reverse Biden’s slide – his campaign clearly hopes it can, since they’ve been promoting it relentlessly. Combined with the Republican National Convention next week, this might be the most critical 10 days in the entire campaign,” said Darr.

• “The murmurs against Biden in the party are becoming a roar, just days after it seemed like Biden had his support secured. Nancy Pelosi’s appearance on Morning Joe on Wednesday very clearly left the door open for Democrats to continue to voice their desire for Biden to step aside,” said Darr.

���ϲ����� political science professor����is the author of��“”��and��“.” She studies political psychology and American politics. She has commented that the issue of abortion has been a powerful motivator for voters.

• “In every state where abortion has been on the ballot since the end of Roe v. Wade, abortion access has won with significant majorities even in conservative states. This means that there are voters in places like Kansas, Ohio, and Kentucky who normally support Republican candidates who turned out in off-year elections to support abortion access as a single issue,” said Gadarian.

Donald Trump and his associates were charged with stealing, mishandling, concealing, and lying about classified government documents taken by Trump on his way out of the White House.�� Judge Eileen Cannon dismissed the case, claiming that Special Prosecutor Jack Smith’s appointment was unconstitutional.�� Cannon may well be right in holding that Smith’s appointment was unconstitutional, but she was not right to dismiss the case.

Jack Smith was appointed to be Special Prosecutor by Attorney General Merrick Garland under a Justice Department regulation that has been in effect since 1999, and is substantively identical to regulations that were in effect for decades and during the Nixon Watergate case, which was prosecuted by outside Special Prosecutor Leon Jaworski.�� The Supreme Court affirmed the trial court’s decision in United States v. Nixon, 418 U.S. 683, 694 (1974), noting that Jaworski had been appointed under the DOJ’s regulation.�� No prior court has taken seriously a challenge to a special counsel’s appointment under the special counsel regulations.

In 2019, two law professors published a law review article arguing that it was unconstitutional under the appointments clause for the Attorney General to appoint an outside special counsel, in that case Robert Muller, who had not been confirmed by the Senate.�� See Steven G. Calabresi and Gary Lawson, Why Robert Mueller’s Appointment as Special Counsel was Unlawful, 95 Notre Dame L. Rev. 87, 115–16 (2019).�� These law professors gave Judge Cannon the legal firepower to argue that Jack Smith’s appointment violated the appointments clause of the Constitution.

Is Judge Cannon right that Jack Smith’s appointment was unconstitutional when so many other courts have turned a blind eye to the argument?�� Calabresi, Lawson and Cannon have a colorable argument that Smith’s appointment violated the appointments clause of the Constitution.�� The appointments clause requires the President to appoint, and the Senate to confirm, all “Officers of the United States,” except for “inferior Officers” who can be appointed by others without Senate approval if they are authorized by law to make the appointment.�� .��

The Courts have recognized, however, that mere “officials” and “employees” can be hired without authorizing legislation, presidential appointment or Senate approval.�� The distinctions between “Officers,” “Inferior Officers,” “Officials” and “Employees” is not defined in the Constitution, and depends on factors like power, authority, control, and permanency.

Jack Smith claimed to be an “Inferior Officer” appointed under law by Attorney General Garland, who is an Officer appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.�� Judge Cannon held that the legislation cited for Smith’s appointment does not apply, and suggests that the broad unsupervised powers given to the Special Counsel might make him a “Superior Officer” who must be appointed by the President and approved by the Senate.�� The legality of Smith’s appointment turns on the uncertain characterization of his role, and the application of the laws authorizing his employment as an “inferior officer.”

So will the appellate courts agree with Judge Cannon’s determination that Smith’s appointment was unconstitutional?�� Ultimately, until the Supreme Court decides the case there is no way to know.�� There are good arguments on both sides, and the issues are clouded by vague language and a long and inconsistent practice history.

However, there is good reason to suspect that the current Supreme Court will affirm Judge Cannon’s conclusion that Special Counsel Jack Smith’s appointment was unconstitutional.�� Justice Clarence Thomas asserted as much in his concurrence in the presidential immunity case, , and the breath of that immunity decision suggests that this Court will take an extremely broad view in separation of powers cases, and will likely demand Senate approval for government agents, like the Special Counsel, who are given broad unsupervised authority to exercise government power.

If the Court accepts Judge Cannon’s argument, does that mean all of the prior special counsel cases will now be invalid?������ While it would mean that all of those decisions brought by outside special counsel were wrongly decided, it does not mean that those wrongly decided cases are now invalid.�� In general, court decisions that become final (by not being appealed, or by affirmance on appeal) are valid and enforceable, even if the decisions are later proved to have been wrong.�� Court decisions must be attacked on appeal, and can generally not be “collaterally attacked” in another court, even if the decisions were wrong.�� See .

An exception to the rule prohibiting collateral attacks applies when the court lacked jurisdiction to issue the decision, but the problem here is not the court’s lack of jurisdiction but the prosecutor’s lack of authority.�� The jurisdiction exception should not apply.�� So no, Richard Nixon would not be able to get his Watergate tapes back if Judge Cannon’s decision is affirmed.�� Sorry Richard.

But even if Judge Cannon’s reasoning is upheld, her disposition of the case was wrong.�� Dismissal is an extreme remedy that should not be used when well-settled law, that has been reasonably relied on for decades, is overturned, and where the defendants’ rights would not be materially harmed by the technical deficiency that previously occurred.�� Rather than dismissing the case, the Court should allow the Justice Department to fix the technical problem.

Professors Calabresi and Lawson argued in their law review article that the appointments clause defect could be easily cured by appointing another “Officer,” like one of the United States Attorneys, who has been appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, to supervise Jack Smith’s work on the case.

If that was done, dismissal would only be appropriate if the defendants were somehow prejudiced by Smith’s wrongful appointment.�� Everything that was done by Jack Smith in the case could have been done by Jack Smith under the supervision of a United States Attorney.�� The technical defect in Smith’s appointment, which was easily curable, did not prejudice the defendants.�� There is no reason that a United States Attorney appointed to supervise the case now could not ratify Smith’s past work, and allow Smith to proceed with the prosecution.�� A case prosecuted by Jack Smith under the supervision of the United States Attorney would be like the thousands of cases brought by Assistant United States Attorneys every day in every jurisdiction.�� Without proof that the defendants were severely prejudiced by this technical appointments issue, the extreme remedy of dismissal was totally unwarranted and should be reversed on appeal.

If you are looking for an expert to discuss about the War in Ukraine, Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs professors and are available for interviews. Please see their comments below regarding NATO and China. If you’d like to schedule an interview, you can reach out to Vanessa Marquette, media relations specialist, at vrmarque@syr.edu.

Robert Murrett

Murrett writes: “The Chinese Foreign Ministry provided a statement in response to actions at the NATO Summit Meeting this week that probably overstated their concerns over resistance to Chinese support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.�� At the same time, the reaction was likely spurred as much by the high-level participation of Japan, the R.O.K., Australia and New Zealand at the NATO meeting, cementing the Alliance’s role as a player in East Asia.�� In any event, we can say with certainty that Beijing is paying close attention as the Alliance, as it marked it’s 75^th��year of impact across the globe.”

Sean McFate

McFate writes: “One of Biden’s chief jobs at NATO is to make them care more about China. For Washington, the US’s #1 adversary is China. For NATO, it’s Russia. It’s been a tug-of-war across the Atlantic for years, and will not be resolved this July beyond rhetoric.”

Farhana Sultana

is a professor in ���ϲ�����’s Maxwell School. Her areas of expertise include environmental justice, sustainability and political ecology. Professor Sultana co-wrote this about the Cop28 climate conference. She comments below on the sustainability measures around the upcoming Paris games and is available for interview.

Professor Sultana says:

“The Paris Summer Olympics has created a buzz around sustainability, with the goal to half the emissions of prior games. Planners stated goals to reduce carbon footprint and emissions across sectors such as transportation, construction, and operations. Historical lack of transparency, accountability, greenwashing, and tweaking at the margins of sustainability have plagued such massive events.

“What’s often overlooked are justice implications locally and globally, in terms of local social and environmental impacts long-term, as well as global climate injustices via rise in greenhouse emissions, problematic carbon offset programs, resource extraction issues, waste dumping, and ecosystems impacts. Whether Paris offers significant changes remain to be seen.”

To request interviews or get more information:

Daryl Lovell
Associate Director of Media Relations
Division of Communications

M��315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu |
news.syr.edu |

���ϲ�����

• “The bans would pose an immediate risk to people with disabilities who need to wear masks to protect themselves—from airborne illnesses like COVID-19, for example. It is difficult to imagine how a disabled person would be able to convincingly defend their mask-wearing to a police officer,” said Macfarlane. “Even if an exception to the bans were created for people with disabilities, the bans would still��force people to disclose a disability they would rather keep confidential. And if an officer doesn’t believe them (as so often happens to people with invisible disabilities), what happens—they’re arrested?”

, professor of geography and the environment at ���ϲ�����’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, shared his thoughts below. If you’d like to schedule an interview with him, please reach out to Vanessa Marquette, media relations specialist, at vrmarque@syr.edu.

Huber writes: “As long as well-meaning ‘green’ policies continue to foreground taking away modern comforts, they will generate angry backlash (and in this case the opposite effect of more emissions as countries inefficiently seek to keep their athletes cool in a uncoordinated fashion). This is not unrelated to the electoral losses Greens endured in the recent EU elections (and could hit France itself soon).”

Matthew Mulvaney

is an associate professor in Human Development and Family Science at ���ϲ�����’s Falk College. Dr. Mulvaney’s research focus examines the determinants and outcomes of parenting processes. He specifically focuses on informal educational practices by parents, parental discipline, and parenting beliefs.

He provides comments below that can be quoted directly. He is also available for interview.

Mulvaney says:

“The considerations by the Los Angeles Unified School District are a positive step forward to improving the academic success and mental health of its students. It indicates that educational policymakers are beginning to respond to the emerging scientific consensus that the use of cellphones (particularly social media on cell phones) is producing negative attentional and educational outcomes for young people. When the surgeon general of the United States is recommending that warning labels be affixed to social media, it is critical that all youth-serving contexts take notice and that school districts, in particular, take into account this emerging challenge to young people’s mental health and schooling success in structuring their schools.

“What is so beneficial about school district approaches is the recognition that individual-level interventions to reduce cell phone use are so challenging. Reducing smartphone usage among individual youth when their friends still have them and use them regularly is near impossible. It really requires intervention at the broader level to produce an environment in which the overall use of social media is reduced and so schools represent perhaps the best context to address this challenge to youth well-being in a unique way.

“While schools can take the lead in reducing screentime, which will have broad-based benefits in terms of mental health, the benefits are even more specific to the classroom learning context. The link between attention and learning is so clear from the research and I would daresay research isn’t even really needed to demonstrate just how reduced attention to the present social context is when people are using their cell phones. As a teacher myself, I see on a day to day basis the challenges that students have in learning when distracted by phones and computers. Education requires being in the present and engaging with complex material and phones work directly against that. Getting them out of schools and classrooms will help our students to engage with the difficult task of learning complex material and being part of an educational community.

“One of the perhaps underappreciated implications of this approach is the potential to reduce ethnic and class disparities in educational outcomes. As noted by Pamela Paul in the New York Times (), African American and Hispanic teens spend much more time on social media and so a wide spread ban may disproportionately serve to support those students who will benefit most from a focus on in-person schooling. Given the diverse student population that the LA Unified School District serves, this may be not only an important step forward in improving education outcomes broadly but in producing a more equitable schooling environment for all. Interestingly, in terms of equity, I think it may also be the students with hidden disabilities that might also benefit the most from the reduction in cell phone usage in school environments and so would go further and suggest that they only include very narrow exceptions to the policy and do so based on research-based work on cell phones and disabilities.

“As with any broad-based change that affects a wide number of students and families, there are likely to be challenges. Parent and student resistance will exist and potentially for very important reasons- that smartphones have become so integrated into our lives that it will require adjusting on some levels and that will be easier for some families. I also think it will be a lot like vaping where there is simply widespread disregard for school rules, which leads to a general pattern of disciplinary elevation (which is also bad for learning environments) and broad-based disregard for school rules.

“On the whole though, this intervention may potentially have long-lasting and substantial beneficial impacts on LA Unified School District students, and particularly among the students who are experiencing the greatest challenges withs schooling. Removing these substantial barriers to education may be a critical intervention that will improve the well-being of the students generally and of more vulnerable students broadly.”

To request interviews or get more information:

Daryl Lovell
Associate Director of Media Relations
Division of Communications

M��315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu |

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, professor of political science at the Maxwell School at ���ϲ�����, said he will be evaluating how Biden and Trump can overcome perceptions around age and mental acuity.

• “For the debate, I’ll be looking for whether former President Trump tries to become more ‘presidential’ in any respect, though the campaign trail would suggest the answer to that is no.��I’ll also be looking, as will every media source, for some indication on the age and mental competence issue, as it concerns both of them,” said Reeher.

• “I’d be interested in which candidate will use humor most effectively. This is not an election that the country is excited about; neither candidate is particularly popular; both candidates are older. The classic similar moment is Reagan in 1984 saying that he when the moderator brought up age. Can Biden get in some good lines? Will Trump be willing to say some of the trash talk he says at his rallies to Biden’s face, and can Biden come back if he does? Humor—intentional or not (see Romney/Obama 2012)—often defines how these debates are perceived and what sticks with people,” said Darr.

• Robert Thompson (Newhouse): ��, , , ,
• Carl Schramm (iSchool):
• Osamah Khalil, (Maxwell): |
• Gregory Germain (Law): |
• Cameron Miller (Whitman):
• Dennis Deninger (Falk):
• Bill Werde (Newhouse):
• Hamid Ekbia (Maxwell):
• Thomas Constable and John Dean (Whitman): ����
• Jun Li (Maxwell):
• Alan Allport (Maxwell): I ��
• Vanessa Marquette (University Communications):
• Emily Thorson (Maxwell):
• David Driesen (Law):
• Lee McKnight (iSchool):
• Jack Graves (Law):
• J. Christopher Hamilton (Newhouse):
• Lindsey Darvin (Falk):
• George Theoharis (Education):
• Austin Kocher (TRAC): ,
• Jeffrey Karson (Arts & Sciences) and Robert Wysocki (Visual and Performing Arts):
• Ryan Griffiths (Maxwell): ��
• Robert Murrett (Law/Maxwell):
• Pat Penfield (Whitman) : , , , ,����
• Sylvia Sierra (VPA) :
• Lisa Manning (Arts & Sciences): ��
• Roy Gutterman (Newhouse): , , I I
• Jacob Bendix (Maxwell):
• Jing Lei (Education):
• Lauryn Gouldin (Law):
• Dean Cole Smith (Engineering and Computer Science):

To get in touch and learn more about ���ϲ����� faculty members available for interviews, please contact��media@syr.edu.

• “The decision by the Southern Baptist Convention may hurt Donald Trump’s campaign for a second term. Democrats will paint conservative Christians, and by extension Trump, as out of step with a strong majority of Americans who support IVF access. But what is bad for Trump’s electoral prospects may be good for the SBC, and good for the movement that successfully overturned nationwide access to abortion. Contrary to common perception, the SBC did not come out against abortion until the mid-1970s. Their position against abortion, like their position against IVF, has little to do with deep-rooted religious theology and is instead a strategic move to leverage an important issue for political and social gain. It creates a false history and false fundamentalism around the abortion issue, making the SBC look like the protectors of ‘traditional Christian values’ and American morality. It is this invented moral authority that is at the heart of Trump’s appeal inside and outside of the SBC, even in the face of his waning popularity with some religious leaders who previously supported him. Trump’s perceived position as the defender of American morality and Christianity may supersede the IVF and abortion issue to deliver him the presidency in 2024.”

In the video, ���ϲ����� Vice Chancellor , who is also the executive director and founder of the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families, speaks about the GI Bill’s origins and the University’s role in its inception. He also discusses the importance of other universities welcoming veterans, highlighting the positive impact they have on campuses.

If you’d like to schedule an interview with him, please reach out to Vanessa Marquette, media relations specialist, at .

McConville writes: “Frequent military moves often place financial hardships on service members (SM) and their families. For a spouse like me, 23 moves over my SM’s 42-year Army career, caused many challenging pivots in my own career. The new policy authorizing reimbursement of moving costs – up to $1,000 – associated with a spouse’s business is crucial in helping mitigate those financial hardships, in encouraging career sustainment and growth, and in enhancing SM retention.” Also, please view her .

Maury writes: “The new policy reimbursing military spouses up to $1,000 for business costs during moves addresses significant challenges highlighted in our latest data brief on . Our research shows that 46% of military spouses feel their status negatively affects their career prospects, driving many toward entrepreneurship. Despite 74% of military spouse entrepreneurs reporting that entrepreneurship positively impacts their professional lives, only 28% can fully support themselves or their families through their businesses. This reimbursement provides essential financial relief, supporting their resilience and entrepreneurial spirit, and helping them sustain and grow their ventures.”