In The News

Trump’s "Withdrawal" From WHO: Just Security

Harold Hongju Koh June 1, 2020
Donald Trump announced his intention to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization, another treaty arrangement, in the midst of a pandemic. The Trump administration may be trying to deflect attention from a disastrous pandemic response, yet Harold Koh of Yale Law School focuses on legal issues: Trump, lacking legal authority, did not actually withdraw the US from WHO, and...

Protests Grow Over US Man’s Death: Washington Post

William Booth and Loveday Morris May 31, 2020
When crisis hits a community, some police officers escalate tensions while others show skill in de-escalation. Protests, some peaceful and others violent riots, broke out after four Minneapolis police officers arrested George Floyd on May 25 for forgery, restraining him next to a police vehicle. With Floyd prone, one officer pressed a knee against the back of his neck for more than 8 minutes....

US Moves to Audit Chinese Firms: WSJ

Dave Michaels and Akane Otani May 28, 2020
Chinese companies listed on US stock exchanges have not been subjected to inspections by US regulators, and the US Senate approved legislation that would require the Chinese firms to meet US standards. “Unlike other countries, China has never given U.S. regulators routine access to audit records needed to review the quality of financial accounting, according to U.S. officials, who have sought a...

Sewage Reveals Covid-19 Totals: New Haven Register

Ed Stannard and Justin Papp May 28, 2020
Analysis of human waste could become a Covid-19 surveillance tool, providing early warnings about increases in cases and hotspots. An analysis of solid waste from a New Haven waste-treatment facility over 40 days shows that the amount of SARS-CoV-2 found in samples correlates with testing totals and hospitalizations, reports a multidisciplinary team of researchers with Yale University and the...

Covid-19 Data Suppression? Florida Today

Alessandro Marazzi Sassoon May 20, 2020
Any attempt to suppress reports of Covid-19 cases by jurisdictions hoping to protect their tourism industry is a nightmare for the world. Data transparency is key in containing the pandemic, especially as nations strive to reopen their economies. Florida removed control of a public dashboard on Covid19 data from the geographic information system manager who developed the website for the Florida...

Democracy Will Survive Pandemic: Atlantic

Tom McTague May 14, 2020
With the Covid-19 pandemic democratic and authoritarian governments alike shut down economies and cracked down on public activities. To protect public health, large majorities in democracies acquiesce on surveillance and other controls that were once unthinkable. “Immunity certificates, mass testing, government surveillance, and a volunteer army of contract-tracing officials are no longer the...

Covid-19 Conspiracy Theories and US Campaign: CNN

Stephen Roach May 11, 2020
US presidential candidates have paused campaigns due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The world learned about the deadly disease in early January, and incumbent Donald Trump repeatedly insisted the United States had Covid-19 under control. Months later the United States represents one third of the world’s confirmed cases and more than one quarter of the deaths, outcomes that expose layers of inequality...