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New York Times
Higher education reporter for the New York Times
PROFILE
Richard Perez-Pena
Guest
FROM Richard Perez-Pena
The Mixer
A Tale of Two Cities and Their Email Threats LAUSD closed all of its campuses and facilities this week because of an emailed terror threat which claimed bombs, nerve gas and automatic weapons were stashed at several schools, and an attack – the threat said – was imminent. Public school officials in New York City received a similar threat, but quickly deemed it a hoax.
To the Point
Where Are the Poor Students at Elite Universities? For 30 years or more, America’s elite colleges and universities have promised to open their doors to more high-school seniors from low-income families. There are large numbers of poor kids with grades and test scores high enough for admission, but those elite institutions are still bastions of privilege. That’s according to a recent story in the New York Times by Richard Perez-Pena.
Which Way, L.A.?
Black and Outnumbered at UCLA A spoken word video made at UCLA has gone viral. With 12 black students behind him on the steps of a university building, third year student Sy Stokes provides facts and figures and recounts what it's like to be one of so few African Americans on a campus supposedly pledged to diversity. There are 25,000 undergraduates at UCLA. This year's freshman class includes just 75 African Americans. University officials declined to appear on our program, but a written statement says the video "eloquently and powerfully expresse[s] their frustration and disappointment."
To the Point
Is the Newspaper Industry Stumbling? Crumbling? Newspapers are shedding staff and reducing services, just like other industries, but even if the economy picks up, they may not bounce back. Tumbling ad revenues and stockholders hungry for profit are creating a familiar scenario, but the Internet is what's making things different. Major papers in New York, Washington and Los Angeles give readers national and international perspective. Local papers keep watch on business interests and City Hall. Will technology lead to the erosion of institutional memory and professional standards?
Recommended
To the Point
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.
To the Point
What is Trump's plan for Middle East peace? On his first foreign tour, President Trump has promised "peace" between Israel and the Palestinians. Are there any details for re-starting talks that have been stalled for the past three years?
To the Point
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
To the Point
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?