The “deep state,” an alleged shadowy network of powerful entrenched federal and military interests, has increasingly become the focus of Republicans who accuse such forces of trying to undermine the new president. Political scientist Peter Feaver, who served on the National Security Council staff under Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush, talks about the concept.
Listen on NPR’s Truth, Politics & Power
“The best evidence shows that the average morbidity benefit, or reduction of the incidence or severity of disease, associated with gaining health insurance coverage for one year would equal 3.7 to 6.8 days of healthy life,” states a 2014 commentary written by Christopher Conover, a research scholar at Duke’s Center for Health Policy and Inequalities Research, that’s cited in this column.
Read More in the Chicago Sun-Times
This week on the podcast “On Security,” public policy professor David Schanzer discusses the growing threat of North Korea, the increasing authoritarianism of NATO ally Turkey, and the value and necessity of soft power and foreign aid for American security and influence abroad.
Listen at On Security
To ensure the brightest minds are tackling the world’s biggest problems, Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering Dean Ravi Bellamkonda explains why he feels U.S. immigration reform should not prevent foreign nationals from attending American universities. These students and faculty are an integral part of Duke Engineering’s work, which ranges from advancing quantum computing to designing new therapies for cancer and other diseases, he says. Tomorrow, in part 2 of the interview, Bellamkonda will discuss confronting and overcoming biases.
Watch on Duke Today
“There will be much to debate about the details of President Trump’s first budget attempt. And there’s a lot more work to be done before we will see a complete budget document from the Trump White House. But, for now, two cheers for governance and transparency,” writes Douglas Brook, a visiting professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy.
Read More in The Hill
“Of course, it’s too much to ask these days for a reasoned discussion of the underlying economics of health care in Washington. However, without such a discussion, the most likely result will increase the cost of health care to you and your family. Real reform will require a hard look at the economics of our health care system — its strengths and its failings,” writes Dr. Kevin Schulman, a professor of medicine.
Read More in The Plain Dealer
“I think (the racial distribution of wealth and reparations) are very much connected,” says public policy professor William “Sandy” Darity. “I think that the growing interest on my part in reparations is actually what propelled me to pay closer and closer attention to racial wealth inequality. I certainly think that one of the objectives of a sound reparations program should be closing the racial wealth gap. In fact, I think that’s an important objective.”
Read More on The Next System Project
President Donald Trump’s proposed federal budget includes cuts to two federal agencies that could make a noticeable dent in the Triangle economy if it wins congressional approval. Dr. Nancy C. Andrews, dean of the School of Medicine, says in a statement she hopes Congress rejects any reduction of NIH funding and funding for other programs critical to people’s health and well-being. “Everywhere you turn, there is clear evidence of the impact of science and biomedical research on human lives,” she says.
Read More in The News & Observer
” … If the UN is serious about change, it should consider adopting an equal opportunity peacekeeping model, a model that focuses on larger gender inequalities in missions as a way to ensure that the overall quality of peacekeeping missions improve,” writes political scientist Kyle Beardsley. “Only then might the reduction of sexual exploitation and abuse in peacekeeping missions be possible.”
Read More on Council on Foreign Relations Blog
The White House has released what it calls a “Budget Blueprint” for fiscal year 2018. It would be wrong to construe this document as a budget, says Douglas Brook, a visiting professor at the Sanford School of Public Policy who has served in four presidentially appointed positions. “The blueprint contains no economic assumption, nothing about tax revenues, and no projections for mandatory spending programs like Social Security and Medicare. These are promised in a fuller budget document expected in May. If Congress were to try to act on this blueprint, it would be doing so with huge information gaps.”
Read More on Duke Today
“During the campaign, Donald Trump promised to repeal and replace Obamacare with something “terrific,” something that would cover “everybody.” This new proposal is opposite. In the service of cutting taxes for a few, it will shorten lives for many. America must reject it,” writes Mark Paul, postdoctoral associate at the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity, and a colleague.
Read More on Inside Sources
Military commanders have welcomed President Trump’s moves to delegate decisions to commanders, but unfilled senior civilian positions and turmoil in the White House have led some officers to ask whether the latitude is a sign of trust or a product of chaos at the highest levels of government. The military has been spared some of that tumult. “The Pentagon is a comparative oasis,” says political scientist Peter Feaver, a former Bush administration official.
Read More in The Washington Post
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