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 Feb. 6. To subscribe to the daily VUToday newsletter, visit news.vanderbilt.edu/vutoday.
Time: Federal judges are responding to President Trump’s ‘childish tantrum’ with silence
President Donald Trump’s unusually personal criticism of federal judges has drawn rebukes from many quarters, but not from the judges themselves. And that’s not likely to change. Bolstered by lifetime tenure, independent judges should not respond to criticism. Suzanna Sherry, Herman O. Loewenstein Professor of Law, is quoted. The story, which was originally published by the Associated Press, also appeared in U.S. News and World Report.
The Atlantic: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has already affected public education
The Democratic campaign to block DeVos’ confirmation didn’t work. Thanks to a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence, DeVos ultimately made it through the drawn-out process to become President Trump’s education secretary. Her critics are devastated. But in an odd twist, DeVos’s confirmation as secretary could prove itself an unexpected boon for advocates, teachers and parents exasperated with the state of school reform in the country—bringing education policy further into the mainstream. Christopher Loss, associate professor of public policy and higher education and history, is quoted.
The New York Times: How would Republican plans for Medicaid block grants actually work?
Medicaid already reimburses providers at lower rates than other insurance programs. Yet, part of the challenge lies in the way Medicaid was set up in the first place. Many, if not most, Republican plans would like to change that. They are pushing for what many refer to as a block grant program, where the federal government would give a set amount of money to each state for Medicaid. Andrew Goodman-Bacon, assistant professor of economics, is quoted regarding his recent New England Journal of Medicine article that provides some perspective about how block grants might work by looking at what happened before Medicaid was created in 1965.
Vox: Congress is repealing a rule that makes it harder for people with mental illness to buy a gun
Congress is moving to make it a little easier for people with severe mental illness to buy a gun. On Thursday, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted to repeal a last-minute regulation from President Barack Obama’s administration that required the Social Security Administration to disclose to the FBI information about people who are getting disability benefits due to severe mental illness. Jonathan Metzl, Frederick B. Rentschler II Professor of Sociology and Medicine, Health and Society, is quoted.
Newsweek: Music produces pleasure in similar way as drugs, sex
New research suggests that music creates pleasure in part by acting upon the brain’s opioid system. This neurochemical pathway involves the release of substances naturally produced by the brain that are structurally similar to opiates like heroin. These chemicals are also involved in pleasure derived from eating sugary foods and activities like sex and gambling. David Zald, professor of psychology and psychiatry and behavioral sciences, is quoted.