Dec. 14, 2016: Alumni Experts Weigh in on Life-Expectancy, Early Childhood Education, Sanctuary Cities, and More

Life-expectancy for Americans declined last year for the first time since 1993, and Princeton economist Anne Case *88 says that is cause for great concern, particularly in the area of heart disease. — The Washington Post

Nobel laureate James Heckman *71 explains his recent findings on the value of investment in early childhood education. — NPR

Judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano ’72 writes that “sanctuary cities” are legal — local governments are not required to help enforce federal law — and the president-elect’s best bet is to address the issue with carrots, not sticks. — Fox News

Peter Slevin ’78 profiles Michelle Obama ’85, a first lady who provided “conviction, savvy, a dose of inspiration” and more. — The Washington Post

Sociologist Hilary Levey Friedman *09 offers her expertise on beauty pageants — a world of appearance and packaging that New York Times senior correspondent Susan Chira argues has parallels to the president-elect’s cabinet selection. — The New York Times

P.W. Singer ’97 tells Politico that Donald Trump’s Twitter account is a rare window into a president’s thought process. But is that bad national security? — Politico

Libertarian commentator John Stossel ’69’s weekly TV show will be finishing its run on the Fox Business Channel Dec. 16. — Mediaite

One of the late astronaut John Glenn’s last letters was a congratulatory message to Jeff Bezos ’86, founder of the commercial aerospace company Blue Origin. — Smithsonian Magazine

Sign up now to receive weekly Alumni in the News updates.