A federal judge put a hold on the decisions made by a CDC vaccine advisory committee, ruling that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. improperly replaced the entire committee.

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An early heat wave is baking the West in sweltering conditions, with some 39 million people under heat warnings. The following Cornell University experts are available for comment.

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Patricia Campos-Medina, a policy expert on workplace and labor issues at Cornell University,  says the meatpacking industry is marked by high levels of productivity, yet workers have not seen their wages increase or health care benefits improve. 

Industrial and Labor Relations

Economics and Business

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The science fiction novel “Project Hail Mary” hits theaters on March 20. It tells the story of an unlikely astronaut who encounters an alien while trying to save Earth, putting a spotlight on exoplanets and extraterrestrial life.

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According to new reports, the Trump administration is reviewing proposals to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), one of the world’s leading climate and weather laboratories. The National Science Foundation had asked for feedback about how to “restructure” the lab but not said when a decision would be made.

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New York has recently experienced dramatic temperature swings, raising questions about the impacts on trees, plants, and fruit crops across the state. Jason Londo, associate professor of fruit crop physiology and climate adaptation at Cornell AgriTech, says there is no cause for concern about frost damage yet.

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A heat dome will develop near the West Coast, smashing records and sending temperatures into the triple digits through next week. Intense conditions are expected to eat into low snowpack levels, deepening drought concerns.

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Christopher Anderson is a professor of operations, technology and information management,  and an expert in the hospitality and airline industries. He says domestically, the most immediate issue is airport processing.

Business, Economics & Entrepreneurship

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A report from the Energy Information Administration forecasts that developers will add a record 86 gigawatts of new utility-scale electric generating capacity to the U.S. grid in 2026, with 93% coming from renewables such as solar power, battery storage and wind.

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Associate professors Magnus Fiskesjö, anthropology, and Allen Carlson, government, on China’s expected passage of a new law shifting policy away from regional ethnic autonomy.  

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