Prof. Jack Pitney was quoted in a piece on the emergence of Gov. Gavin Newsom as a major defender of President Biden’s reelection. Prof. Pitney shared in reference to the alliance, “It works to their mutual benefit. Biden takes a potential party critic and turns him into an ally, and Newsom gets abundant national exposure. So it’s a win-win.”

Prof. Jonathan Petropoulos was quoted in a piece around claims that Carnegie Museum of Art’s $1M drawing by Egon Schiele was plundered by Nazis. He stated, “The Carnegie Institute could have asked Otto Kallir [the art dealer who sold the painting to the Carnegie] where the Artwork came from, collected appropriate documents and interviewed relevant witnesses, but, through its own willful blindness, chose not to do so.”

Prof. Jack Pitney was quoted in a piece on how California transformed from Reagan’s red state to Newsom’s blue state. Prof. Pitney cited that the Democratic political surge in the state the past half century is due to “a combination of things—economics, demographics, Prop 187. The end of the Cold War meant the defense industry downsized. The defense industry was always a bulwark in California of the Republican Party.”

Prof. Andrew Sinclair was quoted in an article about the U.S.’s ‘primary problem,’ in which advocates call for new election systems. Advocates say that the current system favors polarized candidates. Prof. Sinclair said that the effect of nonpartisan primaries on voter engagement and satisfaction is somewhat mixed so far. He explained, “…the argument for moderation is that possibly the more moderate Democrat would have an advantage in that election, or perhaps the more competent or the more pragmatic [candidate].” However, Prof.

In an op-ed, Prof. Manfred Keil examined whether or not the Inland Empire will experience a hard or soft landing in the looming economic downturn. 

Prof. Jack Pitney was quoted in a piece surrounding the recent layoffs at Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research, run by scholar, activist and author Ibram X. Kendi. Conservatives were hailing this as a culture war victory. Prof. Pitney commented, “…conservatives will celebrate anything that looks like a setback for Kendi.”