“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:
Between September 2021 and February 2022, the Food and Drug Administration received complaints that infants became ill and perished after consuming powdered baby formula. These formulas were eventually traced back to a large manufacturer in Sturgis, Michigan. After a stern warning from the FDA, the plant shut down and issued significant recalls. Other producers quickly followed their lead.
“With the memory of the Marshall plan in mind, what we’re talking about is not only about how we fund immediate needs and support their ability to maintain the war effort, but how we support the ability of Ukraine to be economically viable and generate a sustainable future for themselves, even as they’re under attack.” That was Transportation Secretary and former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, in a recent interview with the Guardian.
