What Does ‘Buying American’ Even Mean?
In a globalized economy, the definition of “buying American” is becoming quite cloudy—and so are the consequences of policies designed to encourage it.
Policy
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TWEET ABOUT THIS, AOC
How A Lawsuit Could Reveal Secrets About Silicon Valley's Favorite Philanthropic Loophole
Today's "working robber barons" have used a tax break to create a $110 billion charity stockpile, called donor-advised funds. It isn't getting any smaller.
CONDO MINIMUM
Oregon Is Adopting The Most Important Housing Reform In America
The apartment has been banned in far too many places, deepening racial divides and driving up rents. Oregon is set to be the first state to fix that — and it won't be the last.
RIDE DANGEROUS
Another Dead Cyclist In The City
The driver continued for a few blocks, until someone ran him down and got him to return to the scene. He said he never saw the cyclist he just struck with his truck. NYPD issued him five citations, all related to truck maintenance, and let him go with a conciliatory pat on the shoulder. Presumably, he went and finished his deliveries.
Oregon’s Tsunami Risk: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Why are the state’s lawmakers encouraging development in its tsunami inundation zone?
'WE HAVEN'T CREATED A UTOPIA'
The Surprising Legacy Of The Place Where Legal Weed Began
Colorado's first-in-the-nation experiment with legalized marijuana has infused the drug into almost every corner of life.
AWFUL
Border Detainees Are Fed 'Appalling' Menu Of Slimy Sandwiches And Unhealthy Ramen
Immigrants housed in a federal detention center in Texas were fed frozen sandwiches, cold burritos and potato chips, and detained children and young mothers have complained of hunger to visiting attorneys.
TRAFFICKING IN HUNCHES
The White Mom's Burden
For years, Cindy McCain warned of dangerous men coming to enslave American women and girls. Now Trump is running with it.
GONE IN A SNAP
Hike In Minimum Wage Is Net Loss For Those Whose Public Benefits Collapse
Nonprofit officials have sounded the alarm in recent months about a phenomenon known as a "benefits cliff" — which is knocking some workers out of eligibility for benefits that are worth more than their new pay rates.
CALL ME DATA
Data Brokers Are Selling Your Secrets. States Are Trying — And Failing — To Stop Them
Vermont's new data broker registry highlights the difficulties of regulating dozens of secretive firms that buy and sell the personal information of millions of Americans.
THEY OWE IT TO EACH OTHER
The Difference Between Bernie Sanders's And Elizabeth Warren's Student Debt Plans
The Vermont senator's once-fringe ideas about student debt reform are now part of the Democratic mainstream.
'IT REALLY IS WINNER-TAKE-ALL'
Bill Gates Accidentally Makes The Case To Regulate The Hell Out Of Platform Companies
There's a reason so many tech markets tend toward monopoly or duopoly, like Android and iOS, or Google search, or Facebook, or Uber and Lyft — the network effect makes it basically impossible to build a competitor because you can't populate the network.
SPEAKING OUT OF TURN
Their Father Speaks Spanish. Their Foster Parents Raised Them To Speak Slovak
For generations, Illinois' child welfare agency has failed to adequately serve Spanish-speaking families with children in its care.
THE CONTINUING CASE FOR REPARATIONS
Ta-Nehisi Coates Responds To Mitch McConnell's Claims That America Should Not Be Held Liable For Slavery As It Happened 150 Years Ago
"While emancipation deadbolted the door against the bandits of America, Jim Crow wedged the windows wide open."
A STROLL AGAINST THE CLOCK
A Norwegian Island Wants To Completely Erase The Concept Of Time
Citizens of Sommaroy in West Tromso, north of the Arctic Circle, argue that normal business hours should not apply to them because they do not experience time like the majority of the rest of the world.
DOSE OF REALITY
Just How Did Insulin Get So Expensive?
How on earth did insulin become so expensive that Americans are forced to effectively do cross-border drug runs?
POWER TO THE PEOPLE
Federal Bill Would Allow Clean Energy Companies To Structure Like Oil Companies
In the meantime, IEA says value of subsidies for fossil fuels has increased.
THE PLOT TO SAVE THE WORLD
Exactly What Policies Are In The 'Green New Deal' Bill
The Green New Deal has become one of the buzziest bills on the hill since... well, maybe the New Deal. But what exactly would the plan put forth by Senator Edward Markey and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez do?
'GET DISCOVERED, AND YOU'RE OUT'
The Trans Military Members Living In Fear Under Trump's Ban
Two months into the ban's imposition, the full chilling effects are only now becoming apparent. Under its terms, trans people seeking to enlist in the military are subject to an almost total exclusion unless they keep their gender identity hidden.
IF WE COULD DO IT ANYWHERE...
The Hot Mess Of Hawaii's Renewable Power Push
Can the small Hawaiian island of Moloka'i and its utility get along well enough to teach the rest of the world how to get off fossil-fueled electricity?
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