Valerie Richardson
Articles by Valerie Richardson
Dana Canedy, Pulitzer Prizes chief, defends New York Times Project 1619 honor
Pulitzer Prizes Administrator Dana Canedy defended Tuesday the decision to honor the widely disputed 1619 Project, which reframes the American Revolution as a battle to protect slavery, even as she acknowledged that "perhaps most historians" would disagree with its premise. Published May 5, 2020
Harvard backtracks on air pollution-coronavirus deaths link
Harvard researchers publicly walked back Monday a key finding in a highly touted but hotly contested paper linking air pollution exposure to deaths from the novel coronavirus, slashing the estimated mortality rate in half. Published May 4, 2020
Anti-Kavanaugh Women’s March commends Joe Biden for ‘addressing this issue head-on’
Less than two years ago, the Women's March led the charge against then-Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh with its "Believe Survivors" protests, but the feminist group took an entirely different tone Friday with presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joseph R. Biden. Published May 1, 2020
University of Washington coronavirus model lowers U.S. death estimate as Americans social distance
The standard-setting University of Washington has lowered its estimate of U.S. novel coronavirus mortality by 1,640 deaths as Americans surpass expectations on social distancing. Published April 30, 2020
Rose McGowan, Tara Reade defender, says she’s lost faith in Democrats, media
MeToo champion Rose McGowan posted a heartfelt message late Wednesday saying that she has lost faith in the Democrats and the media as she advocates for Biden accuser Tara Reade. Published April 29, 2020
Jason D. Hill, conservative professor sues DePaul for ‘harassment’
A DePaul professor who was vilified on campus for his pro-Israel views has sued the university for waging an "unfair campaign of harassment" against him, arguing that he was targeted because he is black and gay. Published April 29, 2020
Bill de Blasio, New York City mayor, blunders his way through coronavirus crisis
First he encouraged New Yorkers to go out on the town in the early days of coronavirus pandemic. Then he urged them to snitch on each other for getting too close to one another. Published April 29, 2020
Bill de Blasio slammed for singling out ‘Jewish community’ after breaking up rabbi’s crowded funeral
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is under fire for singling out the "Jewish community" with threats of arrest after breaking up a crowded funeral gathering for a prominent rabbi who died of the novel coronavirus. Published April 29, 2020
Coronavirus shutdown skeptics challenge establishment over ‘mistake’
As the statistical models on deaths are revised downward, and the economic and social costs of the stay-at-home strategy grow more dire, contrarians are diving into the data and asking whether the lockdown pain was worth the gain -- or if the COVID-19 reaction was overblown. Published April 28, 2020
WHO walks back ‘no evidence’ claim on coronavirus immunity from reinfection
The World Health Organization has retreated from its claim last week that there is "no evidence" that recovered coronavirus patients will be resistant to future infections, saying that most will enjoy some level of immunity. Published April 27, 2020
Trump administration plans to reopen national parks ‘as rapidly as possible’
Interior Secretary David Bernhardt announced Sunday that the department plans to reopen the national parks, most of which were shuttered at least partially for the coronavirus lockdown, "as rapidly as possible." Published April 27, 2020
Jared Polis defends decision to reopen Colorado despite Denver refusal
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis defended Sunday his decision to begin gradually reopening the state beginning Monday, even as some of the largest localities opted to extend their novel coronavirus restrictions. Published April 26, 2020
Michael Moore turns on climate left with film skewering green energy
Left-wing filmmaker Michael Moore is under attack from his putative climate allies with a newly released documentary taking on one of the sacred cows of the environmental movement: green energy. Published April 24, 2020
Vernon Jones, pro-Trump Georgia Democrat, reverses decision to resign after ‘overwhelming support’
Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones has changed his mind about resigning from the state legislature, announcing Thursday that he would "remain on the battlefield" despite the Democratic outcry over his endorsement of President Trump. Published April 23, 2020
EPA urges Facebook, eBay to remove sellers of phony coronavirus disinfectants
The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday urged eight tech companies, including Facebook and eBay, to stop unscrupulous retailers from selling fake coronavirus disinfectants on their platforms. Published April 23, 2020
Houston police balk at enforcing county’s ‘idiotic’ mask order with $1,000 fines
Houston police are balking at enforcing a Harris County official's order requiring everyone over age 10 to wear face masks in public, calling the measure "idiotic." Published April 23, 2020
Earth Day climate activists: Treat climate like coronavirus crisis
Climate activists point to the reorder of society and the economy to resolve the coronavirus crisis and say the same thing can be done to fight global warming. Published April 22, 2020
Greta Thunberg compares coronavirus to global warming: ‘We need to tackle two crises at once’
Battling the novel coronavirus has become the world's top priority, but teen climate activist Greta Thunberg on Wednesday compared the pandemic to the "climate crisis" and insisted that "we need to be able to tackle two crises at once." Published April 22, 2020
Harvard refuses to divest from fossil fuels, seeks to reach net-zero emissions by 2050
Harvard University has agreed to go carbon-neutral while refusing to budge from its longstanding opposition to divesting from fossil fuels, despite years of pressure from students, faculty and climate activists. Published April 22, 2020
NIH: Don’t use hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin to treat coronavirus
The National Institutes of Health on Tuesday recommended against using hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, a drug combination touted by President Trump, together to treat the novel coronavirus, citing the "potential for toxicities." Published April 21, 2020
