Media Relations Office

Amanda Rodewald and Brian Rahm comment on the rollback of the WOTUS rule that expanded protection for U.S. waterways.

Law and Policy

Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future

Energy, Environment & Sustainability

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Next week, Israelis will head to the polls in a snap election, where the incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will face off against Benny Gantz, leader of the centrist Blue and White alliance. Netanyahu, who has failed to form a coalition after a narrow electoral victory in April, has mounted an aggressive campaign ahead of next week’s vote including pledging to annex additional parts of the West Bank.   Uriel Abulof, visiting professor at Cornell University’s Government Department and a senior lecturer of politics at Tel-Aviv University, says that despite Netanyahu’s unlikely chances at the polls next week, his influence as a populist may reach beyond Israel.

International

Arts and Sciences

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The NYPD recently announced they revised their fitness-for-duty policy and will no longer automatically strip police of their badges if they are dealing with mental illness. Bill Sonnenstuhl, associate professor of organizational behavior who specializes in employee assistance programs and workplace culture, says this is a positive step to avoid penalization for those seeking help.

Labor Relations & Human Resources

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Fall is rapidly approaching, and apple harvest season is here. Helping to shed some light on 2019’s apple harvest, Susan Brown, professor of horticulture and world-renowned apple breeder; Kerik Cox, professor of plant pathology who specializes in fungal and bacterial diseases of apples; Arthur Agnello, entomology professor who focuses on tree fruit pests and pest management, weigh in on this year’s crop and growing season.

Food & Agriculture

New York State

Agriculture and Life Sciences

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Labor advocates in New York state are pushing to secure benefits and protection for gig-economy workers by setting a new standard for what qualifies as an ‘independent contractor.’ The proposed law uses an approach called the ‘ABC test’ to determine if a worker is an employee. At an unrelated press conference earlier this week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signaled interest in redefining workers’ status. Maria Figueroa, director of Labor and Policy Research at the Cornell University ILR School’s Worker Institute, says that beyond protecting workers’ rights, the coalition’s approach is also potentially beneficial to state’s tax revenue base.

New York State

Industrial and Labor Relations

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Aaron Rice of Cornell University's Bioacoustics Research Program and John Fitzpatrick of the Lab of Ornithology say that a series of bills proposing to ban oil and gas drilling off the U.S. coastline would protect vulnerable and endangered wildlife.

Energy, Environment & Sustainability

Law and Policy

Lab of Ornithology

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Office-sharing company WeWork is reportedly considering slashing its initial valuation to below $20 billion, a price that falls far short of the firm’s private valuation from January. Drew Pascarella, senior lecturer of finance in the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, says that WeWork’s underwhelming position points to several shortcomings in the firm’s financing and business model.

Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

Economics and Business

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Maria Cristina Garcia says that changes proposed by the White House to U.S. refugee programs are unconscionable given that refugee admissions quota is at its lowest level since 1980.

Law and Policy

Cornell in DC

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As Dorian continues to make its way up the East Coast this week, agriculture producers are warned extreme weather and flooding could devastate crops. Two Cornell University experts – David Wolfe and Harold van Es – explain the impacts Dorian could have on crop harvest and the soil in the Southeast, as well as preventative measures farmers are taking to combat damage from these reoccurring destructive storms.

Food & Agriculture

Agriculture and Life Sciences

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Over the weekend Argentinian President Macri announced the imposition of capital controls in an effort to stabilize the country’s currency and avoid a deepening of the current financial crisis. Cornell University experts weigh in on what to expect as the Latin American country continues to tackle its debt crisis.

International

Arts and Sciences

Law and Policy

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