One is used to hearing crowds yelling, “There´s no money” or something to that effect in the public square. It means that people are angry at their government and want the authorities to remedy their troubles by redistributing the wealth back to them (“back” because the rich have gained their wealth at their expense.) One is not used to hearing the masses chant “There’s no money” to express their deafening approval of an incoming president who has just announced that he will unleash on them the most brutal shock therapy in the country’s history to redress an inherited fiscal and monetary catastrophe. This is precisely what happened on Sunday, December 10th, in front of the Congress of Argentina when Javier Milei, the self-proclaimed libertarian leader, gave his inaugural speech and offered years of the equivalent of “blood, toil, tears, and sweat” in terms of government austerity to arguably the most populist-prone country in the Western hemisphere.

Maddy Smith was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)—an extremely rare but debilitating genetic disorder—as an infant. SMA is a neuromuscular condition that robs victims of the ability to move, swallow, and sometimes breathe without assistance. Shortly before she turned two, Maddy still lacked the strength to crawl or eat solid foods. 

“I think it was President Reagan who said, ‘We’re from the government. We’re here to help!’” That was a recent post from Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, who has it wrong. President Reagan actually said: “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” It’s a funny mistake for an education secretary, but it’s understandable.

The median price of a home in San Francisco today is an astonishing $1.2 million. Those fortunate enough to afford such a home will struggle to find anything less than a century old. For renters, the typical monthly payment will likely be north of $3,000 for a one-bedroom apartment. The cost of housing in the City by the Bay has for decades risen at extraordinary rates. Even within California, San Francisco is simply unique, not only for the scale of its housing crisis, but also for one of the central policies driving it: specifically, discretionary permit review.

The latest statistics from the National Health Institute find about 43 percent of US adults are considered obese. Ten percent of US adults are categorized as severely obese—with BMIs over 40 percent. As alarming as these figures are, childhood and young adult obesity rates aren’t far behind. 

A little over six months ago, William Brangham and Lisa Desjardins presented a short report on the U.S. national debt on PBS News Hour. Pay close attention to the numbers in the video below and how the size of the national debt is described.

In 1941, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) released a short documentary film about homelessness in New York City’s Bowery district. The film, titled “This Is the Bowery,” provides a glimpse into 1940s homelessness, shows how a major nonprofit organization addressed the problem, and emphasizes important truths that must be relearned today.

Unless it is renewed, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is set to expire on December thirty first. In a dramatic departure from past reauthorizations, which were mostly routine rubberstamps, Section 702 of the FISA is facing intense scrutiny this year. Recent revelations suggest that Section 702 is being used as a powerful domestic spying tool extensively utilized by the FBI. A particular area of concern that could be mitigated this time around is the issue of the “backdoor search loophole.”

In the Washington, D.C. political landscape, a time-honored strategy for elected officials seeking to navigate the delicate balance of decision-making without jeopardizing their political standing is the establishment of specialized commissions.

With Thanksgiving upon us once again, we offer a reminder of the economic lesson that made our first Thanksgiving possible: