University News and Communications publishes VUToday, a compilation of Vanderbilt mentions in the media, each weekday. Read a selection of Vanderbilt news stories for the week of Nov. 7. To subscribe to the daily VUToday newsletter, visit news.vanderbilt.edu/vutoday.
The Christian Science Monitor: After Trump’s remarkable win, can national reconciliation follow?
Americans are by nature a hopeful people, and for some, the epic election of 2016 has presented an opportunity for learning and growth. Not that the Clinton and Trump camps will be ready to link arms and sing Kumbaya anytime soon. Or ever. Republicans and Democrats, too, face divisions within their own parties—especially the Republicans. Coming to national consensus on any big topics may be a bridge too far for some time to come. Thomas Schwartz, professor of history, is quoted.
The Wall Street Journal: Scientists identify potential Zika treatment for pregnant women, fetuses
Scientists from Vanderbilt University and Washington University in St. Louis have identified a potential treatment for Zika—one that might protect both pregnant women and their fetuses, who are at risk of severe birth defects that the virus can cause. Co-senior author of the study James Crowe Jr., Ann Scott Carell Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology and director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center, is quoted.
The Washington Post: Opinion: 2016 was an ordinary election, not a realignment
Larry Bartels, May Werthan Shayne Professor of Public Policy and Social Science, writes that, while political scientists will be analyzing the bases of Donald Trump’s dramatic victory for a very long time, the search for specific explanations for Trump’s support is probably misguided. He writes, “An extraordinary campaign has produced a remarkably ordinary election outcome, primarily reflecting partisan patterns familiar from previous election cycles.”
The New York Times: Opinion: My deathbed playlist (and yours)
Some people find it meaningful to specify the music they would like to be played at their funeral. But before then—just before then, in fact—many of us will face a time when we are still able to experience music, but can no longer choose it for ourselves. In discussing what to consider when creating a deathbed playlist, or “singing will,” the author quotes Gregory Melchor-Barz, professor of ethnomusicology, who connected with his mother through music in the final days of her life.
The Christian Science Monitor: Will Trump spend his first 100 days in the White House—or in court?
On Jan. 20, the Trump team will move into the White House. One thing Donald Trump will be bringing with him: an unprecedented number of unsettled lawsuits. At least 75 lawsuits against President-elect Trump and his businesses remained open two weeks before the election, a USA Today analysis of state and federal court records found. David Lewis, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Political Science, is quoted.