Michael Hiltzik says the medically uninsured iin America have become a political football. Opponents and supporters of healthcare reform toss assertions about them back and forth.
The report, which says 46.3 million people lacked coverage as of the end of 2008, makes the case for reform stronger than ever by punching holes in arguments that minimize the plight of the uninsured.
Includes comments by WUSTL social work and public health professor Timothy McBride.

References:

1. Sept. 17, 2009 — U.S. Census Bureau data on the medically uninsured simply can't be denied in the Los Angeles Times

How much is it going to cost to provide health care for all Americans? Until the details are complete, the only honest answer is: no one knows, reports John Schoen. "We know that the underinsured tend to be healthier," said Timothy McBride, associate dean for WUSTL's public health. "So if they were to get insured they would not be as expensive as the rest of us."

References:

1. Sept. 9, 2009 — Elusive price tag for universal health coverage in the MSNBC.com

"There are a lot of mixed messages that are being sent to families," says pediatrician Rachel Moon, who has probed several widely read parenting and women's magazines and found that many photos in articles and advertisements clash with what the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends parents do to keep infants safe while asleep.
WUSTL pediatrics professor Bradley Thach comments.

References:

1. Aug. 17, 2009 — What's Wrong With This Picture? Baby Is in Danger in the U.S. News & World Report online

Should states' rights trump the fed? It seems to be a trend across the country. At least 20 states have introduced resolutions reasserting states' rights because they think that federal government is way too involved in what states do with things like taxes and health care and education. WUSTL law professor David Law comments.

References:

1. July 31, 2009 — Should states' rights trump the fed? in the CNN American Morning

In December 2006, New York City required that artificial trans fats be phased out of restaurant food, and the mandate was in full effect by November 2008. Connie Diekman, director of university nutrition at WUSTL and a past president of the American Dietetic Association, said that banning fats is not enough.

References:

1. July 20, 2009 — In New York City, Trans Fat Ban Is Working in the U.S. News & World Report online

and 7 others.

A new study in The Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry finds that as the drinking age has gone up, binge drinking has gone down -- except among college students. Includes comments by study leader WUSTL psychiatry professor Richard Grucza.

References:

1. June 30, 2009 — Patterns: Drinking Age Affects Bingeing, to a Point in the The New York Times

Around the world, Michael Jackson was celebrated Sunday, but there was a special fervor in black neighborhoods and churches. Jackson is seen as a towering figure with crossover appeal, even if in life some of his black fans wondered if he was as proud of his race as his race was of him. Includes comments by WUSTL AFAS professor Gerald Early.

References:

1. June 29, 2009 — Black Reverence for Jackson Is Now Unreserved in the The New York Times

and 11 others.

Despite the well-advertised healthy lifestyle message, healthy habits are in decline, according to an authoritative national survey on health and nutrition. WUSTL epidemiology professor Ross Brownson, who is a leading expert in chronic disease prevention, comments.

References:

1. June 9, 2009 — Bad Habits Asserting Themselves in the The New York Times

and 3 others.

Public service has been a common theme at college commencement ceremonies around the country this past month. Sunday's CBS Evening News gives a sampling, including WUSTL's commencement speaker Wendy Kopp.

References:

1. May 24, 2009 — 2009 Commencement Address Highlights in the CBS Evening News

Expectations are high that Obama will nominate a woman to the Supreme Court. A recent study by three academics focusing on the votes of federal court of appeals judges bears out the observation that a conservative woman acts more pro-women's rights than a conservative man. The research was conducted by WUSTL law and political science professor Andrew Martin and WUSTL political science doctoral student Christina Boyd, along with Lee Epstein of Northwestern University Law School in Chicago.

References:

1. May 18, 2009 — What another woman would bring to Supreme Court in the The Christian Science Monitor online

The new science of measuring happiness has transformed self-help. Now scholars suggest it could transform society — from tort law to urban planning to medical care. WUSTL law professors Samuel Bagenstos and Margo Schlanger co-wrote a law review article in 2007 suggesting that the emphasis on lost enjoyment of life in jury awards actually makes it harder for the plaintiff to recover.

References:

1. May 10, 2009 — Perfectly Happy in the The Boston Globe

The Supreme Court rejected a favorite tool of prosecutors in immigration cases, ruling unanimously that a federal identity-theft law may not be used against many illegal workers who used false Social Security numbers to get jobs. WUSTL immigration law professor Stephen Legomsky comments.

References:

1. May 5, 2009 — Justices Limit Use of Identity Theft Law in Immigration Cases in the The New York Times

and 3 others.

When it comes to swine flu, Obama is trying to strike the right balance between protecting public and economic health. That's resulted in some doublespeak and spin, evidence of the inextricable ties between a looming epidemic and a listing economy. Includes comments by WUSTL American culture studies director Wayne Fields, who is an expert on presidential rhetoric.

References:

1. May 2, 2009 — Flu control tests Obama balancing skills in the Associated Press

and 47 others.

Greenpeace USA announced the appointment today of its top organizer, Phil Radford, as its new executive director. Radford, 33, is a WUSTL alum (1998). He has been with Greenpeace since 2003 and was behind the launch of the "Frontline" initiative that nearly doubled the organization's annual budget to $30 million.

References:

1. April 14, 2009 — Greenpeace appoints veteran organizer to its top post in the The New York Times

Some defendants with frozen assets are having trouble hiring lawyers. WUSTL law professor Sam Buell, a former federal prosecutor comments.

References:

1. April 2, 2009 — Defendants, With Assets Frozen, Find It Tough to Hire Attorneys in the The Wall Street Journal

Just as California under President Bush asserted itself on issues ranging from gun control to medical marijuana, a motley cohort of states — from South Carolina to New Hampshire — are presenting a foil for President Obama's national ambitions. WUSTL political science professor Steve Smith, who is director of WUSTL's Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government and Public Policy, comments.

References:

1. March 27, 2009 — States rebel against Washington in the The Christian Science Monitor

Gender definitely makes a difference when it comes to stroke, new research shows. WUSTL neurology professor Mark Goldberg comments.

References:

1. Feb. 20, 2009 — Women Less Apt to Get Clot-Buster, Study Finds in the U.S. News & World Report online

and 3 others.

WUSTL political science professor Steve Smith comments on some lessons learned by Obama and his team in the push for the stimulus bill.

References:

1. Feb. 11, 2009 — Stimulus fight gives Obama lessons early in the USA Today

and 1 others.

Obama's election, and this year's 100th anniversary of the NAACP, means there has probably never been more reason to celebrate the annual February observance, black leaders and historians say. Includes comments by WUSTL AFAS professor Gerald Early.

References:

1. Feb. 2, 2009 — Black History Month has added meaning in 2009 in the USA Today

and 3 others.

Barack Obama used his inaugural address Tuesday to sketch a portrait of the nation as it is, and as it should be. Includes comments by WUSTL presidential rhetoric expert Wayne Fields.

References:

1. Jan. 20, 2009 — Obama's speech a quiet call to arms for Americans in the Associated Press

and 37 others.