AP FACT CHECK: Trump’s illusory claims of gains from tariffs
MSN – Aug. 26
President Donald Trump is painting a false picture of a U.S. economy unaffected by his trade war with China and other countries. He describes a blue-sky world in which rapidly escalating tariffs have no impact on American consumers even as a raft of businesses and economists say otherwise, chastising those who caution of potential weakness in the economy as partisans. A country’s rate of gun ownership is a far better predictor of public mass shootings than indicators of mental illness, said Adam Lankford, a University of Alabama criminologist who published a 2016 analysis of data from 171 countries.
Bonner County Daily Bee
PressFrom
NBC (Portland, Ore.) – Aug. 25
ABC (Sacramento, Calif.) – Aug. 25
MSN
Reading Eagle
NBC (Washington D.C.)
…and many more
FYE builds bridges with incoming male students of color
Crimson White – Aug. 26
When it comes to retaining students from underrepresented groups on campus, one program has a strategy: building bridges. With the help of a committee of faculty and staff at The University of Alabama, First Year Experience’s BRIDGE program is striving to foster a sense of community with incoming male freshmen of color while also broadening their knowledge of campus. … Nationally, the enrollment and graduation rates of men of color in higher education lag behind not only those of white male students but also those of women of color. According to research by the Postsecondary National Policy Institute, in 2014 only 38% of African-American students, 43% of Latino students, 40% of Native American students and 48% of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students were men.
At Least 30 Arrested for Mass Shooting Threats in Past 3 Weeks
Campus Safety – Aug. 26
More than half of the arrests involved mass shooting threats against schools, universities or hospitals and were made through social media. Since 31 people were killed earlier this month in two mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, police say at least 30 individuals have been detained on threats of mass shootings. Of those arrested, more than half of the threats were made against schools, universities or hospitals. While not all of the threats involved social media, its presence in the majority of these incidents raises concern about the contagion effect of mass shootings through social media. “It’s possible that members of the public are doing better at reporting warning signs to law enforcement,’’ said University of Alabama criminology professor Adam Lankford.
Hollywood Unlocked – Aug. 23
21st annual Sidewalk fest is filled with UA filmmakers
Crimson White – Aug. 26
One film that was awarded an encore was “Druid City Strong.” Directed by UA senior Blake Hudson, “Druid City Strong” is a documentary about the heroic efforts of health care workers as they braved the EF-4 tornado that ripped through Tuscaloosa in 2011 to provide care for those who needed it most. “It’s really cool to see students that you work with and pieces that you worked on show in front of a large audience and get a great reception,” Hudson said. But Hudson was far from the only University student in attendance; Nick Stellon, also a senior, produced a short shown at Sidewalk called “Losing Face.” Written and directed by University of Alabama student Magdalene Kennedy, “Losing Face” was a short film entailing misadventure, paper mache and fire.
Gazette opinion: Bust Trump’s stigma on mental illness
The Billings Gazette – Aug. 26
Words matter when uttered or tweeted by the president of the United States. Lately, President Trump’s words have scapegoated mentally ill Americans in the aftermath of massacres in El Paso and Dayton. He has suggested reverting to punitive, counter-productive policy of locking up people simply because they are ill. At any given time, one in five adults has a diagnosable mental illness, yet fewer than half of us who are ill get treatment. If Trump’s going to lock us all up, he is talking about millions of Americans. A country’s rate of gun ownership is a far better predictor of public mass shootings than indicators of mental illness, Adam Lankford, a University of Alabama criminologist who published a 2016 analysis of data from 171 countries, told The Associated Press.
BYU tapped as ‘most Instagrammed college campus’ in Utah
Deseret News – Aug. 25
New data from All Home Connections found that Brigham Young University is the “most Instagrammed” college in the state of Utah. The first annual report researched hashtag data from around the country to find the most Instagrammed campus in each of the states. Meanwhile, #rolltide led the way for the University of Alabama. The report found 60% of the school’s students have used the hashtag in the past.
UA, Auburn team up to promote safe driving using grant
The Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 25
The University of Alabama and Auburn University will team up in a project designed to make the state’s highways safer. UA’s Center for…
How the new 6 cent gas tax increase will affect Alabama
AL.com – Aug. 25
Erik Johnson, an assistant professor of economics at the University of Alabama, provided an interesting example of the impact: Assuming someone travels 12,000 miles in a vehicle that averages 22 miles per gallon, the 6-cent increase results in a $32.72 additional cost per vehicle per year, or $2.72 per month. Presently, Alabama’s fuel tax is among the 10 lowest in the nation. The full 10-cent increase is likely to put the state in the middle of the pack, at around 28 cents per gallon. Meanwhile, the federal government hasn’t approved a gas tax increase since 1993. The federal gas tax remains at 18.4 cents per gallon and 24.4 cents per gallon for diesel.
Gadsden Times
FRANK SHYONG: Deny them fame
Arkansas Democrat Gazette – Aug. 25
But every time a mass shooting is in the news–as in recent weeks when shooters attacked the Gilroy Garlic Festival, a Walmart in El Paso and a nightlife area in Dayton, Ohio, and left more than 30 dead–he tells the story as many times as he can stand. “These perpetrators are specifically seeking a legacy,” said Adam Lankford, a professor of criminology at the University of Alabama.
Alabama, Michigan researchers to study heat waves
NBC (Birmingham) – Aug. 25
A University of Alabama researcher and scientists at Michigan State University will study the relationship between the size of heat waves and what causes them across the United States. David Keellings, an assistant professor of geography at the University of Alabama, was recently awarded a three-year, $340,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. The goal of the grant is to develop models to help predict when and where heat waves will occur.
Al.com
CBS (Kalamazoo, Mich.)
Business Breaking News
CBS (Saginaw, Mich.)
ABC (Duluth, Minn.)
Times Union
NBC (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
Midland Daily News
AP
…and many more
USA professor sets ambitious goal to improve wastewater infrastructure in rural Alabama
Yellowhammer – Aug. 24
For years – 13, to be exact – Dr. Kevin White has been on a mission to improve wastewater management infrastructure in portions of rural Alabama. He’s discovered that, in some areas, more than half of the households have raw sewage in their yards, the result of either a failed septic system or having no system at all. The $755,761 grant came about largely because of a summary paper White and co-author Dr. Mark Elliott, assistant professor in the University of Alabama department of civil, construction and environmental engineering, submitted last year to numerous government officials and agencies, including the EPA.
Broadcast bosses admit Islamophobia biases exist but accuse print of being ‘far worse’
The Drum – Aug. 24
Senior broadcast journalists from the BBC, Channel 4 and ITV have acknowledged that there are problems in how newsrooms reflect stereotypes and race (in particular regarding Muslims) but have said the issues are more prominent in print which is not governed by Ofcom. In 2018, the University of Alabama said terrorist attacks committed by Muslim extremists receive 357% more US press coverage than those committed by non-Muslims. This can broadly shape attitudes towards the group, earlier this year 35% third of Brits said they thought Islam was “generally a threat to the British way of life.”
Legal Experts Worry Trump Doesn’t Understand His Own Threat to China’
Law & Crime – Aug. 24
President Donald Trump defended his order demanding American companies to start looking for alternatives to China by citing the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA). Former U.S. Attorney and current professor at the University of Alabama Law School Joyce White Vance responded to Trump by stating that the IEEPA does not allow the President to do what he appears to think it does; she warned about the long-term ramifications of what may happen if the Act is invoked.
LEND A HAND: University of Alabama police to hold community event
The Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 24
Daniel Mosley, a University of Alabama police officer, says police departments are really like what viewers see on television on shows like…
Kristjan Jarvi, Dudana Mazmanishvili among headlining artists of Tbilisi Piano Fest
Agenda.ge – Aug. 23
World-class artists including Kristjan Jarvi, Dudana Mazmanishvili and Edisher Savitski will join the opening of the traditional fall season of festivals and concerts in Georgia’s capital through the Tbilisi Piano Fest launching next week. . . . Pianist and teacher Savitski, born in Tbilisi, is the winner of the International Piano-E-Competition and the Hilton Head International Piano Competition, among other honours. Praised for his performances by music critics including for South Bend Tribune and Yediot Ahronot, he teaches as assistant professor at the University of Alabama School of Music.
Women outnumber men for first time in first-year class at UA law school
Al.com – Aug. 23
Women make up the majority of The University of Alabama School of Law’s incoming class for the first time in the school’s history. The school accepted 137 from nearly 1,500 students who applied. Of those accepted, 53 percent are women.
Chasing ‘Choir Boy:’ off-Broadway show gives a voice to black, queer males
Crimson White – Aug. 26
Despite repeated bullying throughout the play, Young stayed focused on his personal goals in the choir and maintained an unwavering humor. In a scene between Young and Anthony ‘AJ’ James, a cis-gendered, heterosexual baseball player and choir member played by UA student Christian Hatcher, the two bonded while James gave Young a haircut.
Campus News
Marietta (Georgia) Journal – Aug. 25
University of Alabama student Myah Martin of Marietta will participate in UA’s Cooperative Education Program for fall 2019. Martin will be working at Brasfield & Gorrie. In the Cooperative Education Program, more than 220 students alternate periods of full-time study with periods of full-time employment. This program offers work related to the academic major or career interests of each student.
Wicked Local (Westwood, Massachusetts) – Aug. 25
Herald Chronicle (Winchester, Tennessee) – Aug. 25
‘Cats’ musical tests ACT cast’s strength, endurance
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 26
Bethany Knight, who grew up in Hamilton and is now a sophomore vocal performance major at the University of Alabama, said rehearsals have been challenging but fulfilling. “The best thing has been watching myself and the rest of the cast slowly learn to move their bodies like cats, and then as their specific character on top of that” Knight said. “The unscripted moments in this show are everywhere and many of them are simply each actor losing themselves in their character and creating art with their bodies.”