As trust in the Food and Drug Administration wavers, several states have vowed to conduct independent reviews of any COVID-19 vaccine the federal agency authorizes. But top health experts say such vetting may be misguided, even if it reflects a well-founded lack of confidence in the Trump administration — especially now that the FDA has...
An analysis by a University at Buffalo-led team using two estimates of undocumented immigration suggests that, on average, this population reduced or had no effect on crime in 154 U.S. metropolitan areas studied, including places such as New York City, Chicago and Las Vegas. “Even after estimating the undocumented immigrant population in U.S. metropolitan areas...
Physics-inspired mathematical model simulates societal influences on political opinions Model breaks opinion change into perceptions and reactions Framework incorporates biases, such as tribalism and ‘media bubbles’ Model could simulate various interventions to explore how they may impact polarization and foster unity Northwestern University researchers have developed the first quantitative model that captures how politicized environments...
German Americans paved Donald Trump’s road into the White House in 2016 through Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. This ethnic group barely receives attention in American media and politics. The Midwest, home to many German Americans, is a battleground for the 2020 presidential election. Will this inconspicuous group yet again cast the deciding votes...
Before the pandemic, there wasn’t any difference in the rates at which Democratic and Republican voters actually cast their ballots by mail or in-person. That may change now. Based on nationally representative surveys conducted in the spring of 2020 and through the summer, researchers report a significantly greater preference for mail, or absentee, ballots among...
Text messages and emails from political campaigns are pouring into Americans’ phones and inboxes right now. It’s happening to political junkies, to people who gave their phone numbers to campaigns, and even to people who try to keep their contact information off mass mailing lists. I study political campaigns, including how they use social media...
Imagine the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020. Given the unprecedented number of mail-in votes this election, Americans may wake up and still not know who won the presidential contest between Republican President Donald J. Trump and Democratic challenger Joseph Biden. The contest could be so close that a result can’t be known until mail-in...
People who own guns and those living with gun owners are substantially less worried about the risk of firearm injuries than individuals living in homes without guns, says a new study by violence prevention experts at UC Davis Health. The research team said that with the rise in gun purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic, this difference in...
Coach, Kate Spade, and Stuart Weitzman’s parent company Tapestry revealed on Tuesday that its chairman and chief executive Jide Zeitlin would resign for “personal reasons.” The announcement seemed suspiciously abrupt given that the 56-year old former Goldman Sachs executive had been in the dual role for less than a year (after first joining the company’s board...
States can force members of the Electoral College to vote for the winner of the popular vote in their state’s presidential primary, the Supreme Court recently ruled. The July 6 decision removed one of the two reasons why the framers of the U.S. Constitution created this election system: to empower political elites who may know...
