Feb. 9: Sonia Sotomayor ’76 Becomes the Court’s Minority Leader

The timing of Suleika Jaouad ’10’s memoir about recovering mentally and physically from cancer is “just right” during a pandemic that has taught us about “isolation and grief, endurance and healing.” — The Washington Post
 
With the Supreme Court leaning conservative, Sonia Sotomayor ’76 has become the minority leader — “commander of the losers, at least in the short term.” — New York Magazine
 
Former Secretary of State George P. Shultz ’42, a “titan” who worked on Cold War relations with the Soviet Union and peace in the Middle East, died Feb. 6 at age 100. — Associated Press
 
Jeff Bezos ’86 is stepping down as CEO of Amazon to have more time for his Day 1 Fund, the Bezos Earth Fund, Blue Origin, The Washington Post, “and my other passions.” He’ll remain executive chairman. — NPR

“This is not the time to be letting our guards down. Until everybody who wants to get vaccinated can be vaccinated, we really do need to double down on the masking, the social distancing, all of the measures we’ve been talking about for months now.”

— Dr. Celine Gounder ’97, an adviser on President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 task force, warning that improving case numbers could lead to a false sense of security. — Newsweek

 Nicholas Johnson ’20 and Mellody Hobson ’91 were included in a list of “23 Black leaders who are shattering glass ceilings in their wide-ranging roles.” — CNBC
 
Siddharth Chatterjee *11, the new United Nations resident coordinator in China, praised the country for setting a good example with its COVID-19 prevention measures based on science. — China News Service
 
CEO Kathy Roth-Douquet *91 said that in a recent a survey by Blue Star Families, more than half of respondents “did not feel comfortable at this time getting the vaccine, and many remain undecided.” — NBC
 
Rutgers history professor Louis Masur *85 said Bruce Springsteen’s Super Bowl commercial for Jeep is the rocker’s first such ad since 1974, when he jokingly read a promotion for wine while visiting a Philadelphia radio station. Masur teaches a course called “Springsteen’s American Vision.” — Variety