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State leaders frustrated by Department of Education’s ESSA critiques
Bambi Majumdar EducationBetsy DeVos' controversial appointment to head the Department of Education turned many heads, but one thing that state governments found positive at the time was her announcement that states will retain autonomous control over key education policies. However, just a few months into the new administration, the Department of Education is already facing friction with the states due to its critiques of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
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North Korea joins long list of travel warnings
Bambi Majumdar Recreation & LeisureWhen the U.S. Department of State detects a threat to Americans traveling abroad, officials issue warnings and alerts. The countries on this list change as per their latest crime and violence rates, and at times by natural disasters.
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Does Apple play by different rules in China?
Ross Lancaster Science & TechnologyIn early 2016, Apple won plaudits from internet privacy advocates and civil libertarians when it refused the FBI's request and a judge's order to unlock the iPhone of San Bernardino, California, shooter Syed Farook. The tech giant claimed the government order amounted to hacking its own users and would require Apple to create software that doesn't exist.
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The secret life of cities: Buskers
Lucy Wallwork Civil & GovernmentFor each person who sees buskers as a nuisance and noise pollutant, many more see them instead as a welcome interruption from urban routine. Whichever position we take, buskers have a powerful impact on our day-to-day experience of a city — from the half-hearted accordion players on bridges across Europe, to the exquisite performances in New Orleans' French Quarter.
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McCain’s surprise vote kills ACA ‘skinny repeal’
Seth Sandronsky Healthcare AdministrationThe Republican Party's bid to overturn the Affordable Care Act ended with a whimper early Friday morning when Sen. John McCain cast the key no vote.
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Senate clears hurdle to open debate on healthcare
Seth Sandronsky Healthcare AdministrationSenators voted, 51-50, Tuesday afternoon on a motion to proceed with debate on a healthcare bill when Vice President Mike Pence broke a tie with the decisive vote. Along with all 48 Democrats, Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) voted against the motion to proceed with debate. The duo's dissent from Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) illustrates the tip of a GOP iceberg that is rife with splits between conservative and moderate lawmakers.
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How government contractors can grow in today’s market
Brenda Crist Civil & GovernmentFor the past several years, government spending on contracts has been stagnant or decreased. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) Contracting Data Analysis Assessment of Government-wide Trends Report (March 2017) found "that while defense obligations to buy products and services decreased by almost 31 percent from fiscal year 2011 through 2015, from $399 billion to $274 billion, civilian obligations remained fairly steady" at an average $128.3 billion.
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Court ruling may have huge impact on marijuana and the workplace
Dr. Denise A. Valenti Civil & GovernmentThe Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court recently ruled that the use of legally-prescribed marijuana is potentially a protected medical activity under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). This ruling allows the lawsuit of Christina Barbuto, who had been terminated from her job for testing positive for marijuana, to move forward.
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Will Senate’s healthcare failure open the door to bipartisanship?
Seth Sandronsky Healthcare AdministrationA week ago, the Republican Party's efforts to overturn the Affordable Care Act came to a crashing halt when two key Senators refused to back the repeal-and-replace plan. But in Washington, D.C., the GOP's efforts to end Obamacare — due in part to its insurance mandates, prices and taxes — continue.
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How to retro-fit a post-Soviet city
Lucy Wallwork EngineeringAs any visitor to the former Soviet Union will notice, every city touched by the Soviet authorities has an unmistakable flavor. The Soviets did not seek to incrementally change cities but to entirely reinvent them, making for dramatic transformations. The period of wild, laissez faire urbanism that followed independence in the 1990s injected chaos into the Soviet blueprint, leaving a further layer of challenges for planners today.
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