Category: Analysis
The Secret IRS files: Trove of never-before-seen records reveal how the wealthiest avoid income tax
ProPublica has obtained a vast cache of IRS information showing how billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Warren Buffett pay little in income tax compared to their massive wealth — sometimes, even nothing. by Jesse…
Biden faces backlash over ‘shameful’ capitulation to GOP governors as they end unemployment lifelines
“You only take back the lifeline when people aren’t drowning,” said Claire Guzdar of the Groundwork Collaborative. by Jake Johnson, Staff Writer June 5, 2021 Biden administration officials publicly signaled Friday that they have no intention…
GOP Governors’ termination of jobless aid could cost local economies over $12 billion
“If states proceed with their plans to end these critical programs, they will be ripping the rug out from under millions of Americans and further hindering our economic recovery.” by Jake Johnson, staff writer Thursday, June…
Is the Big Lie a ‘test run’ for what comes next?
With Republicans set to block a commission to probe the January 6 attack, progressives warn “the insurrection never actually stopped.” by Jessica Corbett, staff writer Thursday, May 27, 2021 With Senate Republicans expected to use…
As the Palestinian minority takes to the streets, Israel is having its own Black Lives Matter moment
Israeli-arabs gesture and wave Palestinian flags at Israelis in a Jewish community building, during renewed riots in the city of Lod on May 11. Oren Ziv/picture alliance via Getty ImagesJames L. Gelvin, University of California, Los…
Border policy Is getting more and more convoluted. That’s creating false hope for migrants.
The Biden administration and the Mexican government have made the situation at the border so confusing that even seasoned experts can’t always determine who is allowed in and who isn’t. That may be contributing to the…
Another dangerous fire season is looming in the Western U.S., and the drought-stricken region is headed for a water crisis
May 13, 2021 2.17pm EDT Updated May 13, 2021 3.54pm EDT by Mojtaba Sadegh, Boise State University; Amir AghaKouchak, University of California, Irvine, and John Abatzoglou, University of California, Merced Just about every indicator of…
Documents Show Trump Officials Used Secret Terrorism Unit to Question Lawyers at the Border
In newly disclosed records, Trump officials cited conspiracies about Antifa to justify interrogating immigration lawyers with a special terrorism unit. The documents also show that more lawyers were targeted than previously known. by Dara Lind …
Corporations rigged rules to boost pandemic pay of CEOs
“By inflating executive compensation while their workers struggled during a pandemic, corporate boards have strengthened the case for tax penalties on huge CEO-worker pay gaps.” by Jake Johnson, staff writer Tuesday, May 11, 2021 Dozens…
New UN report highlights ‘absolutely critical’ need to dramatically slash global methane emissions
“Reducing human-caused methane emissions is one of the most cost-effective strategies to rapidly reduce the rate of warming and contribute significantly to global efforts to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C.” by Brett Wilkins, staff writer Thursday,…
What the United States can learn from Canada’s cannabis clarity
by Michael J. Armstrong, Brock University and Paul Seaborn, University of Virginia Sunday, May 2 The inherent contradictions of American cannabis laws seem to appear in the news almost every week. At the state level, for…
Ancient Christian thinkers made a case for reparations that has striking relevance today
Particularly notable is the fact that Tertullian makes the case for reparations to be paid to the descendants of the Israelites who had been forcibly enslaved centuries earlier. by David Lincicum, University of Notre Dame Sunday,…
FTC warns the AI industry: Don’t discriminate, or else
The Federal Trade Commission is rattling its saber at the technology industry over growing public concern about biased AI algorithms. Can the agency back up its threats? by Ryan Calo, University of Washington Saturday, May 1,…
Third round of coronavirus relief checks led to largest monthly rise in household income since 1959
“This is what happens when you opt for investing in working people over trickle-down economics.” by Julia Conley, staff writer Friday, April 30, 2021 The third round of coronavirus relief checks, which have been sent…
How Biden’s paid leave proposal would benefit workers, their families and their employers too
by Joya Misra, University of Massachusetts Amherst Friday, April 30, 2021 Making ends meet when you have a newborn is easier with paid family leave. John Moore/Getty Images. The Biden administration is proposing a…
Biden gives Congress his vision to ‘win the 21st century’ – scholars react
President Joe Biden spoke to Congress on April 28, 2021, with a historic duo flanking him: two women, one of them African American. Vice President Kamala Harris called the proceedings to order; Speaker of the House Nancy…
Shhhh, they’re listening – inside the coming voice-profiling revolution
by Joseph Turow, University of Pennsylvania April 29, 2021 Companies could soon tailor what they try to sell you based on the mood conveyed by the sound of your voice. CSA-Printstock via Getty Images …
The climate solution actually adding millions of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere
New research shows that California’s climate policy created up to 39 million carbon credits that aren’t achieving real carbon savings. But companies can buy these forest offsets to justify polluting more anyway. by Lisa Song, ProPublica,…
Get ready for a busy year fighting wildfires, experts in Arizona warn
“We didn’t see as much rain or snow,” said Andrew Deemer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix. “So that proposes the question, how did those plants respond? Going out in the desert, listening…
“No good choices”: HHS Is cutting safety corners to move migrant kids out of overcrowded facilities
After ignoring signs that shelters were filling quickly, agencies are scrambling to get thousands of kids out of Border Patrol jails. But new “emergency” facilities skirt safety standards, while facilities accused of abuse are still getting…
Arizona study examines health risks faced by female firefighters
By Emma Ascott/Cronkite News April 15, 2021 PHOENIX – Nicole Minnick had been a firefighter for seven years when she gave birth in 2008 to her first child, a girl named Kyndal. A few months later,…
With enough political will, all new US car and truck sales can be electric by 2035: study says
“Every year America stalls… we miss the ever-narrowing window to address the climate crisis and ensure a livable planet.” by Jake Johnson, staff writer Thursday, April 15, 2021 A study released Thursday morning by researchers at…
“I felt hate more than anything”: how an active duty airman tried to start a Civil War
The Effort to Overturn the Election Steven Carrillo’s path to the Boogaloo Bois shows the hate group is far more organized and dangerous than previously known. by Gisela Pérez de Acha, Kathryn Hurd and Ellie Lightfoot,…
Vape sellers are using popular music videos to promote e-cigarettes to young people – and it’s working
Teens and young adults spend several hours a day looking at their phones and watching videos, many of which might contain product placements for vaping. Flashpop/Getty Images. by Jon-Patrick Allem, University of Southern California Research that…
