UCLA in the News lists selected mentions of UCLA in the world’s news media. Some articles may require registration or a subscription. See more UCLA in the News.

2 UCLA professors are 2023 MacArthur Fellows | KCAL-TV

UCLA law professor and legal scholar E. Tendayi Achiume, 41, was tabbed for her work “reframing foundational concepts of international law at the intersection of racial justice and global migration”… A. Park Williams, a 42-year-old hydroclimatologist, is an associate professor in the UCLA Department of Geography studying the impacts of climate on water systems. (UCLA Chancellor Gene Block was quoted. Achiume was also interviewed by NPR’s “All Things Considered.” Also: City News Service,  LAist and Inside Higher Ed.)

Weak U.S. economy in 2024, but no recession | City News Service

After months of uncertainty that hinged on federal decision-making on interest rates, the U.S. economy appears to have dodged the possibility of slipping into recession, although there are still future potential risks to the financial outlook, according to a UCLA economic forecast released Wednesday. (UCLA’s Jerry Nickelsburg was quoted. Also: KABC-TV, KCRW-FM and LAist 89.3-FM.)

Food insecurity continues to plague Californians | City News Service

An increasing number of low-income, working-age Californians say they’re struggling to access nutritious and affordable food, according to a study released Wednesday by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. The California Health Interview Survey, the largest health survey in the state, found 44% of adults statewide who earn less than 200% of the federal poverty level were unable to afford enough food in 2022, up from 35.8% in 2020.  (UCLA’s Ninez Ponce and Todd Hughes were quoted. Also: LAist, KTTV-TV and Medical Xpress.)

Climate change limiting days for prescribed fires | LAist

A new study led by UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain says climate change will reduce the number of days a prescribed fire can be used in Southern California … “If you have a warmer and sometimes dryer climate, you push yourself above the upper end of that acceptable envelope in these hotter and drier places,” he said. “And therefore, you lose a lot of potential prescribed fire days in these places.”

Kaiser Permanente workers on strike | CNN

“If you join Kaiser Permanente, you are saying, ‘I’m going to see Kaiser doctors, and I’m going to go to Kaiser hospitals,’” said Gerald Kominski, a senior fellow at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research … “One of the reasons that Kaiser has grown over the last few decades is because they offer quality care at an affordable price,” Kominski said.

Antarctic sea ice at lowest ever recorded | New York Times

White ice reflects sunlight, while dark ocean water absorbs it. So the less sea ice there is, the more local sea-surface temperatures are likely to rise and melt the ice further, said Marilyn Raphael, a geography professor and director of the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at University of California, Los Angeles.

New movies being released on TikTok | New York Times

Paramount was probably aware that “Mean Girls” had been uploaded to TikTok, said Alex Alben, a professor of internet and privacy law at the UCLA School of Law. “The calculus appears to be changing,” Mr. Alben said. “Somebody at the studio is doing the calculation that they benefit more from millions of people viewing a snippet of their film than if they tried to shut it down.”

LGBTQ people and conversion therapy | NBC News

That said, Ilan Meyer, a researcher at UCLA’s Williams Institute and the lead author of one of the reviewed studies, said that his team analyzed 2016 to 2017 survey responses from gay Americans born between 1956 and 1997 and found no significant differences between birth cohorts within that period in the proportion reporting conversion therapy exposure. This suggested persistence in conversion therapy practices, Meyer said.  

How discrimination can affect the gut | Healthline

A new study suggests that this link to obesity may be partly due to stressful discrimination changing how people’s brains process food cues and disrupting communication between the gut microbiome and the brain. The gut microbiome, which consists of bacteria and other microbes living in the intestines, plays a role in health and disease, including mental health and may also influence behavior. (UCLA’s Arpana Gupta was quoted. Also: The Hill.)

L.A.’s new gun laws and the the Supreme Court | CalMatters

(Commentary by UCLA’s Jim Newton) There is a dance taking place between the U.S. Supreme Court and state and local governments, with Los Angeles at the forefront. Cities, notably L.A., are looking for ways to curb gun violence, while the court has adopted a standard for reviewing gun regulations that discourages innovation. (UCLA’s Adam Winkler was quoted.)

CAP UCLA: A tone of radical inclusion | Backstage

Fall is only a month old, but UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA) is already making waves … In May, the university appointed Edgar Miramontes as the executive and artistic director of CAP UCLA, a position that includes overseeing programming at the Nimoy and its sibling venues, the Theatre at Ace Hotel and Royce Hall. The Mexican-born Miramontes is the first person of color to helm the program in its 87-year history. (Miramontes was interviewed.)

New rules on corporate climate disclosure | The Hill

(Commentary co-written by UCLA Magali Delmas) The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is expected to finalize a new rule this month to cover required corporate climate disclosures by public-reporting companies. But the bigger news is that Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has announced that he will soon sign into law two climate change disclosure bills passed by California’s legislature.

Post-COVID use of telehealth services remains high | Medical Xpress

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced restrictions and shutdowns, health care providers turned to telehealth. The result was a surge in the use of telehealth by Californians to access care, according to a new study by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. (UCLA’s Sean Tan and Ninez Ponce were quoted.)

A year of labor strikes | KNBC-TV

“Indeed, we have seen unprecedented worker organizing, worker mobilizing and worker strikes … I do think that especially coming out of the three years of the pandemic, we have watched immense profits by corporations who have fared very well under the pandemic. And yet, the essential workers who have been on the front lines throughout the course of the pandemic, who put their lives at risk, have not seen a fair share,” said UCLA’s Kent Wong.