Cornell researchers are working to restore our planet’s natural resources — from the soil to the seas to the skies — and helping to ensure a sustainable future for years to come.
On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 51, a bill that would make the District of Columbia the 51st state. David Bateman, professor of government says that while much of the critique of H.R. 51 is political, the bill represents a decision about whether residents of DC merit equal rights of citizenship.
On Tuesday, Derek Chauvin was convicted by a jury of killing George Floyd in an act of police violence on May 25, 2020. Joe Margulies, professor of law and government, says the verdict in Chauvin’s case underscores that police should only respond to calls requiring an armed officer.
Jennifer Griffin/Unsplash
Chicago artist Mac Blackout's mural encouraging Americans to get out and vote.
On Wednesday, hundreds of companies’ executives joined in a new statement to call out Republican-sponsored voting bills that they say will curtail voting access in several American states. History professor Lawrence Glickman, an expert on consumer activism, comments
Federal health agencies have recommended pausing the use of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine after six people developed blood clots within two weeks of receiving the one-shot vaccine. Government professors Sarah Kreps and Doug Kriner, who have surveyed nearly 2,000 American adults on issues regarding their willingness to get a vaccine, comment.
“These outstanding young scientists are the future of astrophysics, and their impact on our understanding of the cosmos will be felt for decades to come."
The Biden administration is making a pitch this week for new legislation that could provide a combined $3 trillion for infrastructure such as roads, rail lines, electric vehicle charging stations and grid upgrades, while investing in universal pre-kindergarten, paid family leave and free community college. Noliwe Rooks, the W.E.B. Du Bois Professor in Africana studies and an expert on the role of segregation in American society, comments.
On Monday night the city of Evanston, Illinois approved the nation’s first government-run reparations program that would make funds available to Black families for homeownership and mortgage assistance. Olúfémi Táíwò, professor of Africana studies, and Noliwe Rooks, the W.E.B. Du Bois Professor in Africana studies and director of the American Studies Program, comment.
On Tuesday, Israelis will vote in their fourth parliamentary election in two years. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s party is engaged in a tight race that some commentators say will end up rewarding Netanyahu’s management of vaccine distribution in recent months. Uriel Abulof, visiting associate professor of government, comments.
Top officials from the U.S. and China will meet in Anchorage on Thursday and Friday for the first high level summit after President Biden took office. Cornell College of Arts and Sciences faculty experts Allen Carlson discusses the political and economic implications of the summit.
Eight people were shot and killed Tuesday night at Atlanta-area massage parlors, six of whom were of Asian descent. Christine Bacareza Balance, director of the Asian American Studies Program and professor of performing & media arts at Cornell University, says such violent acts are a part of the white supremacist systemic violence against Black, indigenous, and all other communities of color.
The Vatican’s orthodoxy office has issued a formal response to a question about whether Catholic clergy have the authority to bless same-sex unions, saying the Catholic Church won’t bless same-sex unions since God “cannot bless sin.” Professors Landon Schnabel (sociology) and Kim Haines-Eitzen (religious studies) comment.
The Biden administration plans to unveil its comprehensive immigration bill on Thursday alongside Congressional leaders. The following Cornell University experts, including Gustavo Flores-Macias, professor of government and the former Director of Public Affairs in Mexico’s Consumer Protection Agency, speak about the bill.
NASA/JPL-Caltech NASA/JPL-Caltech
NASA’s Perseverance rover fires up its descent stage engines as it nears the Martian surface in this illustration.
NASA’s Perseverance rover has been on a journey to Mars since its launch in July 2020 and is set to land on the red planet on Feb. 18. Alex Hayes, professor of astronomy, is a co-investigator for Perseverance’s Mastcam-Z — a set of stereo cameras that will be the “eyes of the rover.”
Facebook announced on Wednesday that it will begin implementing changes to its algorithm to reduce political content on its users’ news feeds. Doing so, Facebook risks sowing more discord, says Sarah Kreps, professor of government.
Magnus Fiskesjö, professor of anthropology at Cornell University and expert on Southeast Asia, comments on continuing protesters in Myanmar against the military coup that reversed last November’s election.
With support from the National Institutes of Health, Phillip J. Milner, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, is developing metal-organic frameworks—a class of porous, crystalline nanomaterials—that can stabilize volatile fluorine-containing reagents.
After earning an undergraduate degree from New York University, David Dunham, doctoral student in Germanic studies from Springfield, Virginia, chose to pursue further study at Cornell due to the strength of the Germanic studies field and the university’s location in Ithaca.
On Wednesday, former Senator and Vice President Joe Biden will be inaugurated as President of the United States. His inauguration takes place amid continued challenges presented by COVID-19 and the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
U.S. Capitol Police failed to stop a mob of Trump supporters from breaching the Capitol building on Wednesday and disrupting Congress’ final electoral count.
The results of the November 2020 elections are schedule to be certified by Congress this week, as allies of President Trump seek to delegitimize the election and the president was revealed to have pressured Georgia’s Secretary of State to “find more votes” for him.
The first mention of the word “coronavirus” in a Cornell Chronicle story in 2020 came on Jan. 29, when the university designated mainland China as an elevated-risk destination, and imposed travel restrictions on students, faculty and staff.
The White House issued an executive order this week requiring state and local governments to issue occupational licenses to workers who have received a similar license in another jurisdiction — as long as they are in good standing. The goal of the new order is to increase economic and geographic mobility.
Today, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced major changes to the way the city’s middle and high schools admit their students. Those changes include eliminating all admissions screens for middle schools for at least one year; eliminating a policy that allows some high schools to give students who live nearby first claim at spots in the school; and issuing grants to be used by schools to develop diversity and integration plans.
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the country, federal data shows more than a third of Americans live in areas where hospitals are running critically short on intensive care beds. The data has caused some panic about the possibility of health care rationing over the coming months.
Today New York City Councilman Daniel Dromm is set to introduce a bill that prohibits solitary confinement as a means of punishment. On Friday, the New York City council will hold a hearing on the proposed bill, fast-tracking the process to stop the controversial practice.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro claimed victory after congressional elections this week, consolidating power in the National Assembly, Venezuela’s last remaining independent political institution. Many influential opposition leaders boycotted the election.
Lawmakers in Israel passed a preliminary measure on Wednesday to dissolve the coalition government, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu. If negotiations between parties does not stall the dissolution, it would result in a fourth election in just two years.
Protesters in Thailand are accelerating their campaigns against the government by planning a rally in front of a key agency building on Wednesday.
Tamara Loos, professor of history and Thai studies at Cornell University, says that by picking this specific location protesters want to strike a blow to the financial basis for the king’s power and wealth.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey are testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday about actions their companies have taken to stem the spread of misinformation in the lead up to and following the U.S. election.
With the weekend’s resignation of its interim president, Peru plunged into a constitutional crisis that Kenneth Roberts, professor of comparative and Latin American politics at Cornell University, says is much more than just another cycle of political instability for the country.
Pro-democracy lawmakers in Hong Kong resigned en masse on Wednesday in protest against Beijing’s interference in the city’s legislature. The move marks a crescendo in tensions between Beijing-leaning authorities and their pro-democracy counterparts, who have been denouncing China’s stifling approach towards opposition and dissent.
On Wednesday, Armenian demonstrators demanded Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan resign following a ceasefire agreement that is considered a victory for Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh, following the worst fighting in the region in decades.
Bitter fighting continues in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, even as President-elect Joe Biden urged unity in his victory speech Saturday night.
On Monday, Pfizer and BioNTech SE announced that Phase III data is pointing to 90% efficacy of its COVID-19 vaccine, exceeding expectations that a vaccine might only reduce symptomatic COVID-19 in 60-70% of cases.
Former Vice President Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election on Saturday, sparking questions of how he will approach governing after taking the oath of office in January.
Anticipation is mounting around the possible spread of disinformation on social media channels in the lead up to Tuesday’s presidential election and following the closing of polls.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday parents whose children are currently enrolled in all-remote classes will now have until Nov. 15 to opt back into in-person classes – a shift from the previous plan which allowed parents numerous opportunities to choose to enroll for in-person education.
A forensic team in Tulsa, Oklahoma has unearthed 11 coffins while searching for victims of the 1921 massacre in which hundreds of Black residents were killed.
The first literary festival featuring multiple African languages will take place virtually from Oct. 26 to Nov. 2 as part of Afrolit Sans Frontières, a series of virtual literary festivals for writers of African origin. The festival will take place simultaneously on the Afrolit Sans Frontiéres Facebook page, YouTube and on Twitter via the handle AfrolitSansFro1.
The Trump administration has accused Iran of targeting Democratic voters in an e-mail intimidation campaign seemingly designed to create uncertainty around the U.S. election.
