Federal officials allocated $42.45 billion to close the rural broadband gap three years ago. As of this month, most of that money still hasn’t built a single mile of new fiber. All 56 states and territories have submitted final proposals for the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, and 55 have received approval from the… Continue reading The Government Promised Rural America Broadband in 2021. Most of It Still Won’t Have Service Until 2027.
Category: national
America Has 25% Fewer Air Traffic Controllers Than It Did in 1981. Airports Are Now Capping Flights to Cope.
The country’s air traffic control system is running roughly 3,000 controllers short of its own staffing targets, and airports are starting to cap how many flights they’ll allow rather than pretend the shortage isn’t there. The United States has about 25% fewer air traffic controllers today than it did in 1981, even as the number… Continue reading America Has 25% Fewer Air Traffic Controllers Than It Did in 1981. Airports Are Now Capping Flights to Cope.
Trump Ordered the MMR Vaccine Split Into Three Shots. The Shots Don’t Exist Yet.
The president signed an executive order this week rewriting how American children get vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella — except the standalone shots it calls for aren’t licensed, aren’t manufactured, and according to pediatricians, aren’t backed by any evidence they’d help. President Trump signed an executive order August 10 directing Health and Human Services… Continue reading Trump Ordered the MMR Vaccine Split Into Three Shots. The Shots Don’t Exist Yet.
A Federal Judge Just Blocked Trump’s Mail Ballot Order Nationwide. It’s Her Second Ruling Against It This Year.
Less than three months before the midterms decide control of Congress, a federal judge in Boston has barred the U.S. Postal Service from enforcing any part of the president’s order restricting mail-in ballots — not just in the two dozen states that sued, but everywhere. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani issued a preliminary injunction Tuesday… Continue reading A Federal Judge Just Blocked Trump’s Mail Ballot Order Nationwide. It’s Her Second Ruling Against It This Year.
ICE Is Spending Up to $20 Million on Gloves That Shock People. No One Had to Bid for the Contract.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents may soon carry gloves built to deliver a painful electric jolt on contact — a purchase the agency plans to award without competitive bidding, as scrutiny mounts over how ICE already uses force in the field. The Department of Homeland Security published a notice this week outlining plans to buy… Continue reading ICE Is Spending Up to $20 Million on Gloves That Shock People. No One Had to Bid for the Contract.
Prices Rose Again in July. Wages Didn’t Keep Up.
Inflation cooled slightly last month, but Americans’ paychecks are still losing ground to it, and a weakening job market is giving the Federal Reserve one more reason to hold off on raising interest rates. The Consumer Price Index rose 0.1% in July and 3.4% over the past year, down slightly from June’s 3.5% annual rate,… Continue reading Prices Rose Again in July. Wages Didn’t Keep Up.
Nebraska Becomes the First State to Take Away Medicaid Over Work Requirements
Nebraska will remove roughly 200 people from Medicaid this weekend for failing to meet new federally mandated work requirements — the first coverage losses of their kind in the country, months ahead of the national deadline. Nebraska becomes the first state in the nation to strip Medicaid coverage from enrollees for failing to meet new… Continue reading Nebraska Becomes the First State to Take Away Medicaid Over Work Requirements
The Senate Has Voted Against Ending the Iran War 13 Times. One Democrat Keeps Making the Difference.
For the thirteenth time since February, the Senate rejected a measure that would have forced President Trump to seek congressional authorization for the war with Iran — and for at least the third time, one Democratic senator provided a deciding vote against his own party. The Senate voted 50-49 on Thursday to reject a War… Continue reading The Senate Has Voted Against Ending the Iran War 13 Times. One Democrat Keeps Making the Difference.
The Economy Grew 1.5% Last Quarter. Economists Expected 2.1%.
The U.S. economy slowed sharply in the second quarter, falling short of forecasts as a wider trade gap and softer government spending outweighed resilient consumer demand. Real gross domestic product grew at an annualized rate of 1.5% in the second quarter of 2026, down from 2.1% in the first quarter and below the 2.1% pace… Continue reading The Economy Grew 1.5% Last Quarter. Economists Expected 2.1%.
An AI Tool Made Every Country on This Map of Africa Wrong. The State Department Presented It Anyway.
A slide built with generative AI placed Nigeria in the middle of the Sahara Desert and moved Mozambique to the opposite end of the continent — and no one on the U.S. delegation caught the errors before showing it to African health officials. The State Department apologized this week after a presentation at the AIDS… Continue reading An AI Tool Made Every Country on This Map of Africa Wrong. The State Department Presented It Anyway.
