Cuomo's orbit was a classic example of allies protecting the powerful

+ NIMBY and clean energy projects; checkered history of infrastructure spending US Edition - Today's top story: Complicity and silence around sexual harassment are common – Cuomo and his protectors were a textbook example [View in browser]( US Edition | 11 August 2021 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair After 30-plus years covering politics, I should know by now never to make predictions. When four scholars filed a story Tuesday morning about the role witnesses play in helping and protecting harassers – a story related to the sexual harassment scandal threatening the job of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo – I said, “We’ve got time. We don’t need to edit this today.” Boy was I wrong. At 12:13 PM, my cellphone started dinging with news bulletins that Cuomo had resigned. I quickly got in touch with the lead author and said, “We’ve got to move fast and get this story out.” Some of my colleagues pitched in to help move the story, and by 3:15, we had completed two layers of editing, added photos and a headline, the authors had made revisions and the story was ready to be checked for grammar and spelling. Our speed was more like the work of daily news reporters (which I was for a long time), but this story isn’t just a breaking news report. [The scholars’ story]( reflects years of research about sexual harassment in the workplace, showing how important the people around the alleged harasser – in this case, Cuomo – are in creating a culture that denies and suppresses complaints and protects a man who wields enormous power. Also today: - [Massive infrastructure projects in the past have gone badly]( - [How Apple’s controversial encrypted photo-scanning tech works]( - [Conflict zone research sheds some light on Afghanistan’s prospects]( Naomi Schalit Senior Editor, Politics + Society New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, seen here in July 2021, announced on Aug. 10, 2021, that he would resign amid a sexual harassment scandal. Spencer Platt/Getty Images [Complicity and silence around sexual harassment are common – Cuomo and his protectors were a textbook example]( Sandy Hershcovis, University of Calgary; Ivana Vranjes, Tilburg University; Jennifer L. Berdahl, University of British Columbia; Lilia M. Cortina, University of Michigan Four scholars who study the role witnesses play in helping and protecting harassers say the role played by many in Cuomo’s office fit a pattern of silence, complicity and intimidation. Environment + Energy - [Will NIMBYs sink new clean energy projects? The evidence says no – if developers listen to local concerns]( Sanya Carley, Indiana University; David Konisky, Indiana University Most Americans support clean energy in principle, but what will they do when wind turbines or high-voltage transmission lines come to town? Ethics + Religion - [What is the Islamic New Year? A scholar of religion explains]( Iqbal Akhtar, Florida International University The Islamic New Year marks the first day of Muharram, a sacred month of prayer and annual reflection. Economy + Business - [Credit ratings are punishing poorer countries for investing more in health care during the pandemic]( Ramya Vijaya, Stockton University Low-income countries that sought to spend more on health care during the pandemic have been hit with ratings downgrades, while others avoided borrowing entirely. Education - [Millions of kids get suspended or expelled each year – but it doesn’t address the root of the behavior]( Alysse Loomis, University of Utah Abuse, neglect or witnessing violence at home can lead kids to misbehave. Some schools are doing away with expulsions to focus on childhood trauma instead. - [4 ways college students can make the most of their college library]( Carrie M. Macfarlane, Middlebury Headed off to college? A librarian shares four tips for college students ready to hit the books. Politics + Society - [To end war in Afghanistan, Taliban demand Afghan president’s removal]( Madhav Joshi, University of Notre Dame; David Cortright, University of Notre Dame Academic research in conflict zones suggests Ghani’s resignation could actually be Afghanistan’s best chance at peace – but not under the conditions the Taliban is demanding. - [US history shows spending on infrastructure doesn’t always end well]( Richard White, Stanford University The lasting problems of infrastructure aren’t of need or construction, but of overbuilding, delayed costs and the challenges of thinking ahead. Science + Technology - [Melting Mongolian ice reveals fragile artifacts that provide clues about how past people lived]( William Taylor, University of Colorado Boulder From the high Yukon to the mountains of Central Asia, melting ice exposes fragile ancient artifacts that tell the story of the past – and provide hints about how to respond to a changing climate. - [Apple can scan your photos for child abuse and still protect your privacy – if the company keeps its promises]( Mayank Varia, Boston University Apple will scan all photos uploaded to the cloud for child sexual abuse without actually looking at the photos. Privacy experts are concerned by the lack of public accountability. Trending on site - [What is Pegasus? A cybersecurity expert explains how the spyware invades phones and what it does when it gets in]( Bhanukiran Gurijala, West Virginia University A tool made for tracking criminals and terrorists has potentially been used against politicians, dissidents and journalists. Here’s how the spyware works. - [Robots are coming for the lawyers – which may be bad for tomorrow’s attorneys but great for anyone in need of cheap legal assistance]( Elizabeth C. Tippett, University of Oregon; Charlotte Alexander, Georgia State University Lawyers were thought to be mostly immune from the coming AI revolution, but two legal experts explain why jobs that rely on human ingenuity can still be affected. - [Profound changes are underway in Earth’s oceans and ice – a lead author of IPCC climate report explains what the warnings mean]( Robert Kopp, Rutgers University Some of the climate changes will be irreversible for millennia. But some can be slowed and even stopped if countries quickly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, including from burning fossil fuels. --------------------------------------------------------------- Today’s graphic [A chart visualizing how common different COVID-19 variants have been from May to August 2021.]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe](. 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451