AU Newsmakers 9.4-9.11, 2020

Top Story

At Least 37 Million People Have Been Displaced by America's War on Terror

The New York Times featured research by David Vine, professor of anthropology, about the toll of U.S. counterterrorism efforts post 9/11. The research was also featured in Politico, Washington Post and Axios. (9/8)

Faculty Authors

Think the Trump Tapes Are Worse Than the Nixon Tapes? Think Again.

Professor of Communication Leonard Steinhorn wrote an article for The Washington Post about President Trump's taped admission that he undermined the national COVID-19 response. Steinhorn wrote, “While Trump can and should be assessed on his record, his presidency is no reason to reassess Nixon's positively.” Steinhorn also appeared on WUSA9 to discuss the Trump tapes. Distinguished Professor of History Allan Lichtman discussed the tapes with CTV News. (9/9, 9/10)

What The New 'Mulan' Movie Gets Right About Women in Combat

Jessica Trisko-Darden, assistant professor in the School of International Service, wrote an article for The Washington Post about what Disney's new ‘Mulan' movie gets right about portraying women in combat. Trisko-Darden wrote, “For understanding women and war, ‘Mulan' goes a long way towards reflecting what we know about why and how women fight.” (9/11)

Expertise

White Nationalism Upsurge in U.S. Echoes Historical Pattern, Say Scholars

Cynthia Miller-Idriss, director of the Polarization and Extremism Innovation and Research Lab, spoke to Reuters about the rise of white nationalism groups in America. Miller-Idriss said, “Each wave of civil rights progress brings us a little closer to real equity, but there will always be backlash from those who feel threatened by that progress.” The article appeared in 36 outlets, including The New York Times and U.S. News & World Report. Miller-Idriss also wrote articles about violence by right-wing groups for The Hill and The Conversation. (9/4, 9/8)

TSA Pilots 'Self-Service' ID Checks at Reagan National Airport

Washington College of Law Professor Andrew Ferguson spoke to The Washington Post about a new TSA program that uses facial scanners to verify passangers' IDs. Ferguson said, “The path to the surveillance state is paved with good intentions.” (9/5)

Pandemic Childcare; Plus Mukbang Meets True Crime

Taryn Morrissey, associate professor of public affairs, spoke to NPR's It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders, about the pandemic's impact on working mothers. Morrissey said, “I think the economic return, so to speak, of investing in early childhood has been recognized.” Morrissey and Associate Professor of Public Affairs Bradley Hardy spoke to the Deseret News about Donald Trump and Joe Biden's family policies. (9/4, 9/6)

How German Military Scientists Likely Identified the Nerve Agent Used to Attack Alexei Navalny

Associate Professor of Chemistry Stefano Costanzi spoke to Science Magazine about how German military scientists identified the nerve agent used against Alexei Navalny, an opposition leader in Russia.

America Is Trapped in a Pandemic Spiral

Lindsey Wiley, professor in the Washington College of Law, spoke to The Atlantic about the spiral of errors defining the American pandemic response. Wiley said, “The term lockdown has done a lot of damage.” (9/9)

U.S.-China Showdown Over Big Data to Leave Decades-Long Impact

Fiona Alexander, distinguished policy strategist in the School of International Service, spoke to Bloomberg News about U.S.-China tensions over big data. Alexander said that President Trump is trying to out-manuever China. (9/8)

The Pandemic Further Weakens Latin America's Underperforming Schools

The Economist featured research from the Center for Latino and Latin American studies that found the COVID-19 pandemic is negatively impacting schools and universities in Latin America. *Story requires a subscription to read (9/11)

Prepared by University Communications

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