First Street: “Since the middle of the last century, the United States has witnessed significant changes in air quality, driven by industrialization, technological advancements, regulatory measures, and public awareness. The most important of these interventions was the Clean Air Act of 1963, which served as the first federal legislation addressing air quality concerns. While air… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Economy
Captive Labor: Exploitation of Incarcerated Workers
“Our nation incarcerates more than 1.2 million people in state and federal prisons, and two out of three of these incarcerated people are also workers. In most instances, the jobs these nearly 800,000 incarcerated workers have look similar to those of millions of people working on the outside. But there are two crucial differences: Incarcerated… Continue Reading
These States Are Basically Begging You to Get a Heat Pump
Wired [read free]: “You need a heat pump, ASAP. Now nine states are teaming up to accelerate the adoption of this climate superhero. Nine states have signed a memorandum of understanding that says that heat pumps should make up at least 65 percent of residential heating, air conditioning, and water-heating shipments by 2030. (“Shipments” here… Continue Reading
Biden invested big in more tax audits. A new IRS analysis claims it’s working.
Vox: “In 2021, Americans owed about $625 billion in taxes that they never paid. This number, called the “tax gap,” represented some 13.7 percent of all taxes due, and, had it been collected, it would have reduced the deficit by nearly one-quarter. Getting more of that number collected is naturally an obsession of many tax… Continue Reading
Cellphone Use Is Biggest Cause of Distracted Driving
“Cellphone use by individuals operating a motor vehicle continues to be the largest contributor to distracted driving in the U.S., according to the latest Issues Brief from the Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I). “As drivers returned to the roads following the pandemic, distracted driving surged, causing higher rates of accidents, injuries, and deaths. This high-risk behavior… Continue Reading
Data Index Tool Offers Glimpse at School Success Boundaries
GovTech: “Federal data can be difficult to wrangle, but a new tool created by a nonprofit aims to remove some of the heavy lifting to help create a clear picture of communities socioeconomic needs — specifically within school attendance boundaries. The National Academy Foundation (NAF), an education nonprofit, collaborated with the NYU Marron Institute of… Continue Reading
From Businesses and Banks to Colleges and Churches: Americans’ Views of U.S. Institutions
“Continued partisan divides on schools, unions, churches 0 How we did this – Americans overwhelmingly see small businesses as having a positive effect on the way things are going in the country. By contrast, their views of large corporations are broadly negative. Most people – including identical shares in both parties – also are critical… Continue Reading
AI-powered robocalls soon to be illegal
“FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel today proposed that the FCC recognize calls made with AI-generated voices are “artificial” voices under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), which would make voice cloning technology used in common robocalls scams targeting consumers illegal. The rise of these types of calls has escalated during the last few years as this… Continue Reading
AI in Banking and Finance, January 31, 2024
Via LLRX – AI in Banking and Finance, January 31, 2024 – This semi-monthly column by Sabrina I. Pacifici highlights news, government documents, NGO/IGO papers, industry white papers, academic papers and speeches on the subject of AI’s fast paced impact on the banking and finance sectors. The chronological links provided are to the primary sources,… Continue Reading
The thorny push to put body cameras in hospitals and stores
Fast Company: “Once, body cameras were attached only to cops, part of an effort to produce more evidence, de-escalate tense situations, and reduce force and abuse. The jury is still out on how effective they are, but the technology is spreading fast, and not just within policing. Increasingly, other sectors have adopted the cameras, and… Continue Reading
Every Awful Thing Trump Has Promised to Do in a Second Term
Rolling Stone: “Donald Trump reportedly did not expect to win the presidency in 2016, which isn’t surprising considering how ill-prepared he and his team were to take control of the country. He appointed established conservatives to key positions before learning some had personal principles that extended beyond indulging the president’s ego. Trump wreaked havoc on… Continue Reading
Telsa, Musk – The Bill Comes Due
Ann Lipton – Business Law Prof Blog: “On Tuesday, Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick of the Delaware Court of Chancery issued her long-awaited opinion in Tornetta v. Musk, where she took the extraordinary step of holding that Elon Musk’s Tesla pay package from 2018 was not “entirely fair” to Tesla investors, and ordered that it be rescinded. In… Continue Reading
