UCLA in the News lists selected mentions of UCLA in the world’s news media. Some articles may require registration or a subscription.
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Is Elon skirting election law? | Associated Press
Rick Hasen, a prominent election law expert at the UCLA School of Law, noted that the legal issues raised this week echoed concerns about Musk’s tactics ahead of last year’s presidential election. “During the 2024 elections, there was a question whether Elon Musk was breaking federal law in offering various incentives only to registered voters, including what was essentially a lottery open only to registered voters,” he wrote. “He’s up to similar gimmicks in the upcoming, very expensive Wisconsin Supreme Court race.”
Oakland’s most vulnerable neighborhoods struggling | Oakland Post
According to data from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, about 1 in 10 adults in East Oakland neighborhoods experience food insecurity. That’s twice as many people as in most other parts of the city.
Trump’s order on museums sparks debate | Reuters
Kyle Mays, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, called Trump’s executive order a “fascist move” to erase the history of racism and sexism that shaped the United States. “The truth in American history requires honesty based on evidence, not ideology rooted in erasing what happened,” said Mays, professor of African American Studies, American Indian Studies and History at UCLA.
Avoid costly environmental regulations by emailing EPA | CBS News
Environmental law experts believe the policy will be challenged in court. “I’ve never seen anything like this before,” said Mary Nichols, a distinguished counsel for the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at UCLA Law School. Nichols says because the statute is so broad, it is subject to abuse. “I think the likely first lawsuit is a blanket challenge to the entire procedure,” she said.
A tiny rainforest country is growing into a petrostate | CNN
“That foreign money and that sudden rush of opportunities, combined with very limited manpower and government capacities, does often result in a lot of corruption,” said Michael Ross, a political science professor at UCLA.
Wu worried about backsliding of diversity | NBC News
The latest annual UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report showed that the white share of all film roles increased from almost 60% in 2023 to 67% the next year, while other race groups and ethnicities were still underrepresented. For example, Asians make up only 5.5% and Latinos 3.6%.
Trump faces crucial week on the economy | The Hill
“The first term, I think there was a lot more bluster than action on many fronts, including on tariffs,” said Kimberly Clausing, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and former Treasury Department official in the Biden administration. (Clausing was also featured by ABC News.)
Oprah’s ‘Menopause Revolution’ offers new solutions | KABC-TV
“Age 48 to 52 is the average age. Perimenopause can begin as early as 45 to 46,” said Dr. Rhonda Voskuhl, a neurologist with the UCLA Comprehensive Menopause Care Program. Symptoms like hot flashes, bone loss and heart palpitations are huge concerns, but what interests her most is the effect menopause has on brain function.
Chewing gum puts microplastics in mouth | Neoscope
Not to burst your perfectly blown bubble, but it turns out that chewing gum may be flooding your mouth with microplastics. As detailed in a pilot study, which is awaiting peer review, a team of UCLA researchers found that chomping down on just one stick of the rubbery candy releases up to thousands of microplastic shards into your saliva. (UCLA’s Sanjay Mohanty and Lisa Lowe were quoted. Also: Earth.com.)
U.S. Weather Service merges units | Bloomberg
“Ultimately there is no indication this is a good-faith effort to improve efficiency or cut waste,” said Daniel Swain, a climatologist at the University of California Los Angeles. The cuts so far prompted by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, have been “indiscriminate” and are causing “collateral damage in every federal agency.”
Plummeting diversity at medical schools | KFF Health News
Utibe Essien, a physician and UCLA assistant professor, said he has heard from some students who fear they won’t be considered for admission under the new policies. Essien, who co-authored a study on the effect of affirmative action bans on medical schools, also said students are worried medical schools will not be as supportive toward students of color as in the past.
In the ashes | Science
After wildfires burned houses and brush alike in Los Angeles, researchers have mobilized to understand the health risks posed by urban conflagrations. “It’s a big team,” proclaimed Yifang Zhu, an air pollution expert at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), as she stood in the driveway one day in February. “It’s great that everyone came.”
We asked dietitians: Soy or almond milk | Prevention
“Plant-based milks are a great alternative and ought to be considered as part of a healthy diet,” says Dana Hunnes, Ph.D, M.P.H., R.D., an assistant professor at UCLA and senior dietitian at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
New planets may host combinations of H and H2O | Scienmag
The birth of planets is a tumultuous process characterized by extreme temperatures and pressures that challenge our understanding of planetary formation and evolution. Recent research conducted by scientists at UCLA and Princeton sheds light on the intricate dynamics occurring within the atmospheres of young planets, particularly those between the sizes of Earth and Neptune.
Elon Musk says he sold X to his A.I. start-up | New York Times
But even with that precedent, Mr. Musk’s version stands out, said Andrew Verstein, a professor at UCLA School of Law. “The Elon version really does seem to say: I have a company — maybe not bankrupt, just not my crown jewel,” Mr. Verstein said. “I will buy it in a way that makes it look like a success using one of my other companies.”
How Trump supercharged distrust | New York Times
“Trust is difficult to create and easy to lose,” said Deborah Welch Larson, a political scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, who wrote a book about mistrust’s Cold War role. She added, “Mistrust of the United States’ intentions and motives is growing day by day.”
HHS plans to cut 10,000 jobs | LAist KPCC-FM’s “AirTalk”
“I think we also need to mention that they’re clawing back $11.4 billion in pandemic (spending). And I think the combination of those two things, the cuts in the funding and the cuts in people, will significantly impact public health at the local level,” said UCLA’s Dr. Timothy Brewer (approx. 5:15 mark).
Dangers of rebuilding Malibu coastline | LAist KPCC-FM’s “AirTalk”
“I think it depends on which stretch you’re talking about. So, the Santa Monica area is relatively wide in terms of its beaches. It’s more of the Malibu coastline where you see the narrowing of its beaches,” said UCLA’s Timu Gallien (approx. 1:35 mark).
Now or never | MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show”
“This idea of an autocratic legal playbook says basically, if you’re a leader who wants to consolidate absolute power, the most effective way to do that is not through force, but through law,” said UCLA’s Scott Cummings (approx. 1:00 mark).
