Top Stories Additional Features Faculty Authors Expertise
AU Newsmakers 1.13 - 1.20, 2017
Top Stories
Trump Transition and Inauguration Coverage
Director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies Director James Thurber provided live commentary of Inauguration Day for NBC4. Anita McBride, executive-in-residence at the School of Public Affairs, spoke to CNN about the Trump family's transition into the White House. Journalism Professor Richard Benedetto talked with Fox News about President Obama's controversial last- minute decisions and provided live commentary on Inauguration Day for WTOP. Allan Lichtman, history professor, provided live commentary of the inauguration for CBS News. Robert Lehrman, professor of communication, spoke with USA Today about Trump's inaugural address and provided live commentary on Inauguration Day for BBC Radio. WTTG spoke with Jordan Tama, professor in the School of International Service, about the top priorities for the administration. (1/18, 1/14, 1/20, 1/17, 1/19)
Undoing Obama
NPR's Planet Money spoke with American University President Neil Kerwin about the process of rulemaking. Kerwin explained, “It is the most important source of law in America. Rulemaking is the kind of activity that gets you really into the guts and details of how public policies and programs work.” (1/18)

Additional Features
Specialized Coatings Help Detect Gravitational Waves
Chemical and Engineering News featured research by physics Professor Gregg Harry. Gregg's research contributed to the discovery of gravitational waves, or ripples in the fabric of space-time. “There was very little room for doubt we actually detected gravitational waves. I could not believe this was really happening,” Harry said. (1/18)
Q&A with Pamela Nadell: 'Still Talking About Anti-Semitism' | Hadassah Magazine
Pamela Nadell, history professor, talked with Hadassah Magazine about the uptick in anti-semitic incidents worldwide and provided historical context. Nadell said, “I turn to the past to look for lessons in the present. I like to think of a line from a poem by Muriel Rukeyser: “I am in the world/ to change the world,” and that's what I like my students to consider. They are here because we hope they are going to learn how to change the world for the better.” (1/20)

Faculty Authors
The Role of the Pentagon in the Trump Administration
For War on the Rocks, Nora Bensahel, distinguished scholar-in-residence at the School of International Service, authored an opinion article about the Pentagon's role in the Trump administration. Bensahel wrote, “The Pentagon and its military and civilian leaders always play a large role in shaping national security and foreign policy.” (1/17)
The Real Forgotten Americans
Public Communication Professor Leonard Steinhorn wrote an article for BillMoyers.com about President Trump's claim to be the voice of “the forgotten Americans.” Steinhorn wrote, “When the forgotten Americans are working class, white and from battleground states, they get labeled “forgotten” and everyone pays attention to them. But when the forgotten Americans are poor and black with no electoral clout, they are, simply, forgotten.” (1/19)
Do Trump's Simplistic Speeches Respect or Insult Americans?
Robert Lehrman, public communication professor, wrote an opinion piece about President Trump's colloquial speaking style. (1/15)

Expertise
'Operational Mistake' Kills Dozens in Nigerian Safe Haven
School of International Service Professor Carl LeVan spoke with The Washington Post about the Nigerian air force strike that killed 50 civilians. LeVan stated, “Alongside widespread and serious human rights abuses by the military over the last several years, this incident validates skeptical views of the pending sale.” (1/17)
Venezuela's Meltdown Could Be Trump's First Nightmare, Too
Matthew Taylor, professor in the School of International Service, spoke with Foreign Policy about Venezuela. Speaking about the Maduro government, Taylor said, “He's fearful of being kicked out by moderates so he's promoting hard-liners who are involved in the underworld.” (1/12)
Threats Against Mexico Could Impact Consumers
Economics Professor Robert Blecker talked with Salon about Donald Trump's threats against Mexico and the impact on consumers on both sides of the border. “For both the U.S. and Mexico, it's challenging because if you start putting tariffs on imports from the other country, you're essentially putting tariffs on some of the inputs of many of the things you want to make,” Blecker said. (1/20)
Who's minding the East Wing? So far, nobody knows.
Director of the Women and Politics Institute Jennifer Lawless spoke with The Washington Post about the Office of The First Lady. Lawless said, “The thing that has been consistent across contemporary politics is the first lady really is still a pretty symbolic role where it's just an extension of the president.” (1/17)
Just Feet From U.S. Border, Cubans Ponder the End of Their Dream
School of Public Affairs Professor William LeoGrande spoke with McClatchy about the U.S. government decision to end “the so-called “wet foot, dry foot” policy. LeoGrande stated, “I would guess that most of these Cubans would not be able to show such fears.” (1/13)
Obama's Post-Presidential Life Beginning to Take Shape
Director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies James Thurber spoke with The Chicago Tribune about President Obama's transition out of the White House. Thurber said, "He's young, he's healthy, he's smart, he's charismatic and he wants to improve our democracy." (1/16)
Old Confronts New In A Gentrifying D.C. Neighborhood
For Wisconsin Public Radio, School of Public Affairs Professor Derek Hyra discussed the process of gentrification in Shaw, an old D.C. neighborhood. (1/16)
Future Shines Bright for Solar Energy Use in India
Claire Brunel, professor in the School of International Service, spoke with Voice of America about the future of solar energy in India. Brunel said, “They're building an incredible amount of solar and they're fast becoming one of the biggest – the countries with the biggest solar capacity and definitely the biggest added solar capacity.” (1/16)
Experts Defend School Staffer Fired After Correcting Student's Spelling on Twitter
WJLA-ABC7 spoke with Scott Talan, professor of communication, about a Maryland school staffer being fired after correcting a student's spelling on Twitter. Talan said, “I think she didn't mean anything mean-spirited but she probably could have handled this privately.” (1/17)
Why Trump is Having Such a Hard Time Finding Celebrities to Attend His Inauguration
Aram Sinnreich, professor of communication, spoke with MarketWatch about Trump's challenge of finding celebrities to attend the inauguration. Sinnreich stated, “Boycotts reinforce the power of the marketplace by making companies and celebrities the focus of political action rather than the legislator.” (1/18)
Amid Plagiarism Scandal, Monica Crowley Bows Out of National Security Job
Law Professor Michael Carroll spoke with The Christian Science Monitor about former Fox News commentator Monica Crowley. Carroll said, “In politics, it's not clear that we have an agreed-upon code of conduct, so the ethics almost blend sort of directly into the politics.” (1/17)
The Potential Upside to Shutting Down Military Bases
Anthropology Professor David Vine spoke with Time Magazine about the positive impact of shutting down military bases. Vine stated, “Our bases in the Philippines and Japan today risk sucking us into a clash with China because of territorial and maritime disputes between the countries along the South China Sea.” (1/14)
Developing Countries Ease Doing Business
International Business Professor Ghiyath Nakshbendi spoke with Global Finance Magazine about developing countries improving their business climates. Nakshbendi stated, “Countries like the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain strongly advocate improving their score on the ‘Doing Business' platform.” (12/8/16)



Online, consumer news refers to online news outlets and blogs such as Huffington Post, NY Times
Online, consumer news refers to online news outlets and blogs such as Huffington Post, NY Times
Both charts are based on the week's Newsmakers highlights only, not total AU mentions for the week
Both charts are based on the week's Newsmakers highlights only, not total AU mentions for the week

Prepared by University Communications

American University's faculty, staff, students and programs appear in regional, national and international print, online and broadcast media regularly. Each week, AU Newsmakers provides highlights of AU in the news. For prior weeks, go to: http://www.american.edu/media/inthemedia.cfm

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