01/13/2025
Without power and adequate water pressure in fire hydrants, the Palisades wildfires have raised concerns about the reliability of LA's aging infrastructure. Multiple failures created a “perfect storm,” leaving areas deserted and without resources during the disaster. Major improvements require political will and extensive financial resources—which Los Angeles City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley has repeatedly said she doesn’t have.
With public distrust growing in city authorities, more local communities must take measures to stay safe. Professor Daniel Aldrich in the Northeastern University School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs told CNN, “Changing neighborhood designs and enacting policies that require residents to clear brush and debris” are some of the few “things we can control right now.” Some utility companies in the state are already moving to bury power lines in fire-prone areas, although the process can cost millions of dollars per mile and disrupt communities. Read the full story at CNN International.
No ‘water system in the world’ could have handled the LA fires. How the region could have minimized the damage | CNN
Widespread destruction from the L.A. fires was inevitable, given the drought and winds. Still, the region could have been better prepared.
12/12/2024
The fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO Brian Thompson last week has all the hallmarks of a revenge killing, says Northeastern University School of Criminology and Criminal Justice Professor James Alan Fox. Upon examining the bullet casings, authorities discovered the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose” written in permanent marker. The message closely resembles the phrase “delay, deny, defend,” which refers to a set of common tactics by insurers to avoid paying claims.
“The inscription on the ammunition, the fact that he stalked this person down–and apparently knew that this conference was going on in New York City–says to me that this is likely an act of revenge,” Professor Fox told Northeastern Global News. “The getaway plan, use of the silencer, the fact that he was wearing a hood–these are done as a means to get away with the crime.” Read more on Northeastern Global News.
Killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO ‘likely an act of revenge,’ says Northeastern criminologist
A shooting that resulted in the death of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive officer has all the hallmarks of a revenge killing.
11/26/2024
Northeastern University School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs' Professor Maria Ivanova is leading a delegation that is taking part in the fifth round of negotiations on an international treaty on plastic pollution authorized by the United Nations in March 2022.
“The more we produce, the more pollution there will be. So we have to balance out our production with our consumption, and then innovate in the ways of disposal,” Professor Ivanova says. “We need collective action. We don’t need federal policies to be able to make our own decisions.” Read more on Northeastern Global News.
Northeastern delegation taking part in pivotal UN plastic pollution treaty talks in South Korea
Maria Ivanova, professor of public policy, urges cities, companies and universities to lead the fight against the plastic pollution crisis.
11/21/2024
In the wake of ’s presidential election win, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the new Trump administration will make removing fluoride from public water in the US a day one priority, claiming that fluoride is connected to arthritis, bone fractures, cancer, IQ loss, among other illnesses. But are these ideas founded in fact?
Sociology Professor Phil Brown observes that Kennedy has misdiagnosed the problem. Fluoride, in excess, can come with some health risks, but removing it entirely from public drinking water would cause more harm than good, he says. “All medical treatments have some adverse effects for a small number of people. However, the overall benefits are so great to so many more people that we accept them.” Read more on Northeastern Global News.
RFK Jr says he wants to get rid of fluoride in water. What would that mean for our health?
Excess fluoride poses some risks, but RFK Jr's day one priority for the Trump administration would cause more harm than good, experts say.
11/13/2024
North Korean combatants are reportedly aiding Russia in recent days and weeks in its war against Ukraine in what one Northeastern University international relations scholar calls “a serious development.” And it’s one coming on the heels of a potentially dramatic shift in US foreign policy in Europe.
“It’s definitely an escalation of the war,” says Northeastern University Political Science and International Affairs Professor Mai’a Cross. “Once Trump takes office, if he does what he said he will do, US military support for Ukraine, and by extension Europe, is over. The question is whether NATO can continue to support Ukraine in some form without the US.” Read more at Northeastern Global News:
North Korean troops are reportedly aiding Russia. What kind of effect could they have on the battlefield?
North Korean troops are reportedly aiding Russia in the war against Ukraine. What kind of effect could they have on the battlefield?
11/05/2024
When the Founding Fathers argued over how the newly formed United States would elect a president, they compromised and forged a unique system, which came to be known as the Electoral College. 236 years later, it is one of the most controversial aspects of American democracy.
Although polls show most voters don’t like the Electoral College, there is no easy alternative. “I think that it’s hard to reach a consensus about what would be a better alternative,” says Northeastern University Political Science Professor Costas Panagopoulos. “Each of those alternatives is going to create biases in favor or against certain types of places.” Read more on Daily Mail.
How the Electoral College works - and why it's used to decide who wins
When the founding fathers argued about how the newly-formed United States would elect a president, they compromised on a unique system known as the Electoral College.
10/23/2024
A court-ordered break-up of Google would be unprecedented in modern American corporate history, delivering a big blow to the Big Tech company that even Microsoft ultimately dodged when it lost its own US antitrust case two decades ago.
Google is “a complicated company that has an awful lot of operating levers to achieve what it wants, and so it needs to be matched with an equally wide set of complementary remedies,” comments Northeastern University - Department of Economics Professor John Kwoka. Read more on The Irish Times:
Competition and the clock: how Google plans to deflect and delay a historic break-up threat
Search group claims regulators are overreaching just as foreign and domestic rivals are gaining ground
10/10/2024
What are ’ and ’s paths to victory in the upcoming election? “There are multiple paths for both campaigns, and there will likely be some mixing and matching,” says Northeastern University Political Science and Northeastern Department of Cultures, Societies, and Global Studies Professor David Lazer. Read more on Northeastern Global News.
With less than 30 days before Election Day, what are Harris’ and Trump’s paths to victory?
“When you’re getting down to such tiny margins, it’s really a flip of the coin,” says political scientist David Lazer.
09/17/2024
Starting Thursday!
Arts, Humanities, and Tech Weeks at Northeastern is a collaboration featuring an exciting series of participatory events—experiences, conversations, hands-on activities, performances, exhibitions, and installations—taking place across the Boston, London, and Oakland campuses. For six weeks this fall, AHTWeeks at Northeastern celebrates the power of the arts and humanities, their interfaces with technologies, and draws connections across our university’s diverse colleges, campuses, and cityscapes.
https://ahtweeks.sites.northeastern.edu/
08/01/2025
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