Eliza Gallo
Stories by Eliza Gallo:
Sizing Up Elena Kagan
President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee may nudge
the court right instead of left, says Daria Roithmayr of the USC Gould School.
Voters Soften on Immigration
Poll finds Californians almost evenly divided on whether to deny social services to illegal immigrants. Also, a majority support same-sex marriage.
California Races: Whitman & Boxer Lead
A USC/L.A. Times poll finds that voters favor Republican gubernatorial contender Meg Whitman, partly due to her record campaign spending. In the battle for U.S. Senate, incumbent Democrat Barbara Boxer is besting Republican challengers, but there are signs that she might be losing ground. Click for video.
Sunny State in Dark Mood
Californians feel pessimistic about their state. But a majority are happy about the new health care law, which could help candidates in the midterms.
In Charge of Charters
Federal standards should govern the creation of charter schools, according to panelists at a USC Rossier School briefing in D.C.
Local News Too Fluffy
A new USC Annenberg School study finds that TV newscasts in Los Angeles cover crime, sports and trivia at the expense of local government.
Press in Distress
A USC report shows that government support for the news media, long a tradition in the United States, has declined with the press’ fortunes.
High-Speed Rail: Track To Nowhere?
President Obama recently gave $8 billion of stimulus money to high-speed rail projects across the country. These included grants to create 13 major rail corridors, with California receiving the top prize of $2.25 billion. USC transit experts describe the efforts as everything from a white elephant to an inevitability.
Health Reform = Jobs
As Congress wrangles its way to the finish line, a new study finds that health care reform could create 2.5 million to 4 million jobs in the next decade.
Progress Report: Obama’s First Year
It’s been one year since Barack Obama was inaugurated on the steps of the Capitol building. USC professors Ange-Marie Hancock and Jane Junn review his 2009 obstacles and achievements — both symbolic and concrete — and consider what lies ahead for him in 2010.
A Longer Life Span
New study finds that government life expectancy projections for Americans are too low. Implications for Medicare, Social Security, workforce.
Ballot Initiative Results
On November 3, voters decided on a range
of issues in various states, delivering defeats and victories
for gay rights, and rejecting tax limits.
Technology Links Young and Old
Work by USC social work expert Maryalice Jordan-Marsh suggests that video games and cell phones can bridge generational gaps for senior citizens.
Swine Flu and Pregnancy
Why expectant mothers should get the swine flu shot — a study shows that the 1918 H1N1 pandemic affected the subsequent health of babies in utero.
Look Ahead: The Next Supreme Court Session
At an October event, law scholars from USC and elsewhere will assess the court’s dynamics and the role of new Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
Health Care Proposals: Pros and Cons
What’s right and what’s wrong about the health care plans currently before Congress? Three USC medical experts take the legislation’s temperature.
Honduras and the Obama Approach
The military coup in Honduras is a real test of the administration’s Latin American strategy, says USC professor Abraham Lowenthal.
Reviving the Republicans: What the GOP Must Do To Take Back the Presidency
Conventional wisdom has the Grand Old Party on life support, its image dominated not by ideas but by infidelity distractions and the prospect of a conservative revival tour by the soon-to-be-former governor
of Alaska. USC’s Dan Schnur, who led communications for McCain 2000, points the way out of the wilderness.
Uighur vs. Han: China’s Ethnic Violence
The role the Internet played in the rioting, how the Chinese government practiced moderation, and
other lessons from Xinjiang.
Giving Up Foreign Oil
With a combination of funding and willpower, Obama has the ability to steer America away from dependence on oil imports and toward green energy, a new-fuels expert says.
Obama’s Choice for the Supremes
Will it be Sotomayor, Granholm, Wood, Sears? In a decision expected soon, the president will name his successor for Supreme Court Justice David Souter. Obama’s pick, almost certainly a woman, is not likely to shift the balance of power, say Supreme Court experts Howard Gillman and Daria Roithmayr.
In Dark Times, Enterprise Zones Shine
A weak economy and hotly contested state budgets may prompt lawmakers to put enterprise zone programs on the chopping block, but that’s the last thing they should do, USC professors say. New research shows that, in California and other states, enterprise zones are bright spots of economic development and employment.
Scant Stimulus Money for the Arts
Why has the Obama administration given so much to the money-losing financial
and auto industries, and so little to the profitable business of creating art? Elizabeth Currid of the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development breaks down the stimulus plan’s $50 million allotment to the NEA.
Popular Imagination Shapes the Presidency
When it comes to how we see presidents, fiction often trumps fact, according to a
new book by Jeff Smith of the USC Marshall School.