2020 In the News

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Jessaca Leinaweaver penned this piece explaining the consequences of participating in commercial DNA tests - something that has become predominant amongst adoptees searching for their birth families.

Speaking at the US Commission on International Religious Freedom hearing on citizenship laws and religious freedom in India, Ashutosh Varshney said the implications of CAA are horrendous and put Indian Muslims in danger of being oppressed.

Wendy Schiller appeared on "Bloomberg Surveillance" to discuss the future of the Democratic Party following Joe Biden's Super Tuesday comeback.

In this radio segment, Wendy Schiller discussed the South Carolina primary and the path forward for Democrats.

In this Q&A interview, Ashutosh Varshney details why he believes last week's riots in Delhi bear some of the hallmarks of an organized pogrom and why Muslims are particularly vulnerable to clashes throughout India.

David Kertzer in NPR, "We know [Pius XII] didn't take any public action...He didn't protest to Hitler. But who within the Vatican might have been urging him to do so? Who might have been advising him caution? That's the kind of thing I think we'll find out, or hope to find out about."

David Kertzer, who is in Rome with more than 150 other scholars to sort through the Vatican archives, provided commentary on Pius XII.

Rose McDermott, who has published a volume of research titled "The Evils of Polygyny," appeared on "Live Mic" to discuss a range of harms correlated with polygamy as the Utah state legislature moves to decriminalize it.

In this interview, Adam Levine discusses the recent coronavirus outbreak in Rhode Island.

David Kertzer, who authored "The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe," penned this column on how documents from the papacy of Pius XII may settle some long-debated questions about the role the Vatican played during WWII.

Ashutosh Varshney provided commentary about India's history of riots and Hindu nationalists' opinion of "critical media."

This article references a study co-authored by Robert Blair, which showed how efforts to increase communication between the government and the people helped in the battle against the deadly Ebola virus.

In this audio interview, Dr. Adam Levine discusses the recent and emerging outbreak of the coronavirus.

In this piece, Ashutosh Varshney reviews the history of riots in Delhi while touching upon the political significance of more recent riots in 2020.

Jeff Colgan in Medium, "[Iraq] might have exploited its market power to increase the price of oil, thereby enriching itself at the expense of oil importers."

Ashutosh Varshney in The New York Times, "On the whole, the Delhi riots of this week are now beginning to look like a pogrom, à la Gujarat 2002 and Delhi 1984...mobs unleashing savage violence while the cops look away, or join the mob, instead of neutrally intervening to crush the riot."

In this piece, Peter Andreas draws comparison between the way tobacco was viewed a century ago versus today - while making reference to his new book, Killer High: A History of War in Six Drugs. Andreas specifically highlights the role addiction played throughout times of war - especially during World War I.

This article references figures from the Costs of War project within the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs.

Ashutosh Varshney in The Daily Mail, "BJP leaders, who have sought to demonize Muslim protesters as a threat to India, may see some gain from the violence."

In this piece, Ashutosh Varshney provided commentary on recent violence in Delhi.

Additional news coverage for David Kertzer regarding the March 2020 opening of Vatican archives for controversial wartime papacy of Pope Pius XII.

This column features commentary from Ashutosh Varshney on ethnic violence in Delhi.

Emily Oster penned this article revealing the data behind predicting a child's future height.

Ashutosh Varshney in India Today, "...it's becoming increasingly clear to the scholars, watchers and observers of American politics that even though the Indian American community in the aggregate is small -- it's one per cent -- it's very important in some states."

Michael Kennedy joined Dan Yorke to discuss the presidential election, Bernie Sanders current lead and more.

Wendy Schiller provided commentary on how the balance of power in Washington has tilted towards the executive branch.

Ashutosh Varshney comments on President Trump's upcoming two-day visit to India.

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Ashutosh Varshney is interviewed about the implications of President Trump's upcoming visit to India.

Emily Oster provided commentary on the "baby box," a box filled with free baby items such as snowsuits, booties and mittens, sleeping bags, thermometers, books, toys and bibs, which every new parent in Finland receives after having a baby.

Ashutosh Varshney provided commentary on the diplomatic relationship between America and India.

Stephen Kinzer penned this column endorsing Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard.

David Kertzer in The JC, "Hopefully some of the myths surrounding Pius XII will be dispelled, at least among those who have open minds."

In this excerpt of Peter Andreas' book Killer High: A History of War in Six Drugs, Andreas recounts how a post-war surplus of the drug caused addiction epidemics to unfold on both sides of the Pacific.

David Kertzer in Newsweek, "This is not simply a matter of understanding Church history, but getting a better understanding of European and world history for these eventful years, not only the years of the war, but the political conflicts and dramas of the postwar years."

Wendy Schiller provided commentary about Wednesday's Democratic presidential debate.

Additional news coverage for a new study authored by John Friedman, along with Raj Chetty of Harvard; Emmanuel Saez and Danny Yagan of the University of California, Berkeley; and Nicholas Turner of the Federal Reserve, suggesting that selective colleges would be far less economically stratified if lower-income students had a boost like those for children of alumni.

A new study authored by John Friedman, along with Raj Chetty of Harvard; Emmanuel Saez and Danny Yagan of the University of California, Berkeley; and Nicholas Turner of the Federal Reserve, suggests that selective colleges would be far less economically stratified if lower-income students had a boost like those for children of alumni.

In this piece, David Kertzer offers commentary ahead of his visit to the Vatican for the opening of Pope Pius XII's archives.

David Kertzer in The New York Times, "Much of historical importance will also become clearer for the postwar years, when the pope, among other challenges, worried that the Communist Party would come to power in Italy and played a crucial behind-the-scenes role in blocking it."

David Kertzer in Reuters, "Pius saw his job as protecting the institutional Church and everything else was secondary."

Wendy Schiller spoke about how superdelegates will "play a crucial role" in selecting the Democratic nominee if there is no clear winner on the first ballot.

Peter Andreas penned this article - including an excerpt from his new book, Killer High: A History of War in Six Drugs.

Stephen Kinzer cited in AP News, "Uhlar has spoken publicly about her regret before but says her belief that the gangster was wrongly convicted on the murder charges was reinforced after reading a new book by Brown University professor Stephen Kinzer."

Continuing coverage: A new study authored by John Friedman, along with Raj Chetty of Harvard; Emmanuel Saez and Danny Yagan of the University of California, Berkeley; and Nicholas Turner of the Federal Reserve, suggests that selective colleges would be far less economically stratified if lower-income students had a boost like those for children of alumni.

Peter Andreas was interviewed about his new book, "Killer High: A History of War in Six Drugs" on merryjane.com.

Jeff Colgan penned this analysis of the third phase of climate efforts, in which an informal coalition of technocrats and business elites is taking the lead.