The Los Angeles Times spoke with Ahilan Arulanantham, faculty co-director of UCLA’s Miñana Family Center for Immigration Law and Policy, about President Donald Trump’s appointment of Stephen Miller as White House chief of staff. Arulanantham said the promotion is unlikely to change the administration’s approach to immigration enforcement, but a Democratic-controlled Congress could have greater leverage to challenge its policies. Read more about UCLA in today’s New York Times, CNN and other outlets.

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More highlights from UCLA in the News: November 9, 2026

UCLA graduates lead veterans’ health research at LA VA | Santa Monica Daily Press

Graduates of UCLA’s [Fielding School of Public Health] have taken a leading role in research into veterans’ health, from lung disease and cancer to homelessness and mental health, through a partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs in Los Angeles that dates back more than six decades. (UCLA’s Dr. Russell Buhr, Dr. Fola May, and Dr. Carlos Oronce were quoted.)

Outrage over data centers helped drive blue wave in midterms | CNN

“Data centers weren’t the biggest issue driving midterm election results. But exit polls show us that they were definitely on the minds of many voters. The issue just reinforced this perception, this narrative that President Trump is out of touch with the concerns of regular Americans,” said UCLA’s Megan Mullin.

Public transit issues expected to be high priority under Raman | Los Angeles Times

“I do think we’ll see a considerable amount of action on transit and multimodal transportation in the short run on a timeline that puts this work in the context of preparation for the summer of 2028,” said Juan Matute, deputy director of UCLA’s Institute of Transportation Studies.

Nithya Raman leads way as city’s progressives make their mark | The Guardian

“If there hadn’t been the Palisades fire in January of last year, I don’t think Nithya would have run. And I don’t think Karen Bass would have been defeated,” said Zev Yaroslavsky, the director of the Los Angeles initiative at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. “The majority of the people of the city, a significant majority, think that the city is on the wrong track. And the Palisades fire was really the poster child for all that people are unhappy about.”

What will policing in LA look like under Nithya Raman? | LAist’s “AirTalk”

As Nithya Raman officially becomes Los Angeles’ next mayor, a lot of folks will be looking at what’s next for the Los Angeles Police Department. She’s said she would like to maintain the size of the workforce and it’s unclear where she stands on firing LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell. Today on AirTalk, we dig into what Mayor-elect Raman has proposed and what might come to fruition with Jim Newton, lecturer of public policy at UCLA.

UN climate summit opens in Turkey with modest goals | Christian Science Monitor

“It’s not a coincidence that at the moment climate harms are affecting communities in really real ways, and affecting governments’ budgets in really real ways, it becomes harder to make progress on climate mitigation,” says Cara Horowitz, executive director of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the UCLA School of Law, who will be in Turkey for her 10th COP.

Trump taps Stephen Miller as chief of staff | Los Angeles Times

Chris Zepeda-Millán, an associate professor of public policy, Chicana/o studies and political science at UCLA, said Miller always has been at the center of Trump’s anti-immigrant actions and policies, and his elevation should be understood as a threat to immigrant communities.

Is there a progressive tide playing out in LA? | Southern California News Group

Progressives are indeed having a moment in politics, said Chris Zepeda-Millán, a public policy professor at UCLA with expertise in racial and ethnic politics, political activism and social movements. But today’s progressive candidates are focused on issues different than those of the past, he said.

Even the right is debating whether MAGA face has gone too far | Washington Post

Trump’s second administration has brought even more scrutiny to the appearance of the women with which he surrounds himself, said Juliet Williams, a professor of gender studies at UCLA. “He has conspicuously made it a practice to elevate and appreciate women who have a very particular look and style, and the messaging there has been very clear that, from the standpoint of his administration, a woman’s value is very closely indexed to her appearance,” Williams said. “If you don’t look the part, you’re not going to get the part.”  

Long wait for state high-speed rail | Los Angeles Business Journal

“Right now, it’s hard to see this train carving out a space in our infrastructure firmament,” said Michael Manville, professor of urban planning at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.

A promising new heart medicine fails unexpectedly | NPR’s “Weekend Edition Sunday”

“The take-home message is the story’s not over,” says Karol Watson, a cardiologist at the University of California, Los Angeles. “It’s kind of just starting.” (Watson was also quoted by CNN, NBC News, and The New York Times.)

Are women more sensitive to the effects of cannabis than men? | Medical Xpress

Men who use cannabis occasionally reacted more strongly to smoked cannabis than women with similar use habits, even though the amount of THC in their blood was about the same, according to a new study from UCLA Health. The findings run counter to earlier research suggesting that women are more sensitive to cannabis. (UCLA’s Ziva Cooper and Stephanie Lake were quoted.)

A simple supplement may help clear brain fog after cancer | ScienceDaily

For some breast cancer survivors, the effects of treatment can linger long after their cancer care ends. Memory lapses, difficulty concentrating, and persistent exhaustion can interfere with everyday life, sometimes for years. Now, researchers at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have found promising early evidence that a supplement containing a naturally occurring molecule could help relieve these symptoms. (UCLA’s Dr. Patricia Ganz was quoted.)

Mysterious request scrambles major Supreme Court gun case | New York Times

“This is a very big surprise,” said Adam Winkler, a law professor at UCLA and the author of “Gunfight: The Battle Over the Right to Bear Arms in America.” “It’s just kind of bizarre when he’s about to win and become the face of the gun rights movement.”