In the News

The Washington Post

People have begun using animal ivermectin to treat COVID-19. Gillian Perkins, associate director of the Cornell University Hospital for Animals, explains that animal ivermectin is commonly used as a dewormer and notes that “Animal products are not tested in humans,” so by using them, “You may put yourself in a worse situation than you really were otherwise.”  

The Hill

In this op-ed, Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Benjamin Houlton argues that our food supply is facing a critical and worsening risk as a result of weather extremes and that Congress must prioritize funding for agricultural research and climate adaptation in budget reconciliation legislation.

Reuters

“There’s much debate within academia, within the legal community and within the judiciary generally as to exactly what’s required in order to punish someone for speaking or writing a threat,” says Jared Carter, associate director of the Cornell Law School First Amendment Clinic. “We really need clarity from the U.S. Supreme Court on this topic.” 

US News and World Report

“When the government does not ensure that people have access to paid sick leave, people go to work sick,” says study author Nicolas Ziebarth, associate professor at the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy. “And when you have a virus going on – it could be the flu or coronavirus, it doesn't really matter – then the sick people at work infect coworkers who go on to infect other people.” 

CNN Business

“US unions are in a much weaker position than they were in the 50s, 60s, 70s,” says Alexander Colvin, dean of the ILR School. “There's opportunities now to revitalize, but it's an opportunity, not a reality yet.” 

Associated Press

“If you want to make space for water, that means making space for water by moving people out of those places,” says Linda Shi, assistant professor in the department of city and regional planning, noting that infrastructure improvements can only buy time. 

NPR

Ileen DeVault, professor in the ILR School, says that employers seemed to respect the National Labor Relations Act well into the 1970s. “At the time, it was pretty unheard of to fire strikers and bring on strikebreakers instead.” 

NPR

Michael Dorf comments on the public-enforcement provision of the new Texas abortion law. Dorf likens the provision to formation of the Stasi, the communist-era secret police in East Germany. He says it will be “An East German-type society in which everybody is informing on everybody else.” 

Reuters

“I think it's a reasonable decision in the midst of the pandemic, but yes, the elimination of unvaccinated people is likely to affect the makeup of the jury pool,” says Valerie Hans, professor of law. 

Sinclair Broadcast Group

“Some of what he’s [Biden’s] doing has less to do with raw political calculations than it does with the fact that he thinks someone has to tear off the bandaid,” says David Silbey, adjunct associate professor of history and associate director of Cornell in Washington. “I don’t know politically sensible that is, but I do think that he believes it’s time to wrap this up and he’s willing to take the hit to do it.” 

The New York Times

“What is being built right now is almost impossible to take apart, in ways that support high-quality recycling and reuse,” says Felix Heisel, assistant professor of architecture. “The use cycles of buildings are getting shorter and shorter. So every building at some point will either be remodeled or taken down. We should be planning for the disassembly and reutilization of all in advance.” 

Quartz

“Workers have more power to demand more rights, and unions have more power to demand more from employers like Nabisco,” says Patricia Campos-Medina, the executive director at The Worker Institute. “So, in a tight labor market, when society is more acutely aware of the value of essential workers, unions and workers have the power to demand more.”