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Amid legal attack on key health-law provision, uncertainty and uproarThe latest legal battle over "Obamacare" pits the Trump administration against Republicans in Congress, highlighting a value that spans partisan divides: concern for helping people with "preexisting conditions."
Online matchmaker pairs donors with charities in GreeceDesmos鈥檚 platform has connected donations 鈥� from computers to playground equipment 鈥� to hundreds of organizations, and has also launched a service for employers and job-seekers. Five women launched the nonprofit during the Greek debt crisis.聽
Seattle's tax test: big employers and the social costs of wealthSeattle just dropped a controversial plan to ease homelessness by taxing large local firms like Amazon. But the underlying question lingers:聽Should big employers be tasked with helping to reduce inequality?
First LookUS charitable giving (by the wealthy) sets record at more than $400 billionJust last year alone Americans donated $410 billion dollars toward charity, making this the first time the United States has topped the $400 billion mark, thanks to large gifts by major philanthropists. But overall, American generosity hasn't increased in decades.
First LookAT&T-Time Warner deal could open floodgates for megamergersDespite government resistance, the recent approval of the AT&T-Time Warner merger could bring more media conglomerates in the future as聽cable, satellite, and phone companies strive to grow to compete with Amazon, Google, and Netflix.聽
Is world using US as a 'piggy bank'? The tensions behind a Trump comment.Coming out of the Group of Seven summit, the rift between the United States and key trade partners seemed to deepen amid unusually harsh rhetoric. Key to the clash is Trump's worldview on trade.
First LookQatar Airways emphasizes commitment to gender parity after sexist commentsOff-handed sexist remarks by Qatar Airways CEO draws criticism and prompts discussion on lack of diversity in upper ranks of aviation. Currently there are only six female chief executives, or 2 percent, in the 280-member airlines group International Air Transport Association.
First LookAdding more women to workforce could extend bull market, study findsMore women entering the workforce could add $2.87 trillion dollars to the US market capitalization for the next 10 years, according to聽S&P Global,聽but issues around childcare and maternity leave still need to be addressed in order for women to enter and remain in jobs long term.
Trump tightens screws on trade, raising risks for economy 鈥� and himselfTalk of a potential truce has given way to a ratcheting up of tensions between the US and key trading partners. Even supporters of tougher US policies say this holds hazards.
First LookEmployers attract Millennial workers with student loan benefitsNow that unemployment is at an 18-year low, US companies are implementing student loan repayment programs as a way to recruit younger workers and help relieve them of student debt.
First LookCalifornia city mayor proposes to combat poverty with guaranteed incomeMayor Michael Tubbs of Stockton, Calif., has planned an 18-month experiment to provide citizens living in poverty with $500 a month to see how they use the cash. The initiative will be privately funded by Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes' philanthropic network.
First Look US economy shows firm footing with unemployment at 18-year lowAfter a slow economic start to 2018 in the United States,聽the unemployment rate reached a recent low of 3.8 percent, with record lows for black Americans and high school graduates.
First LookChina cuts tariffs again to boost consumer spending on local productsWith its third tariff reduction in six months, China wants its citizens to buy avocados, cosmetics shoes, and other goods from home instead of abroad in efforts聽to nurture self-sustaining economic growth based on consumer spending instead of trade and investment.聽
Is ditching fossil fuels entirely a reasonable goal?California and New York are leading the nation in a transition to cleaner energy. But even these states are finding聽it鈥檚 a lot easier to get to a 50 percent reduction in emissions than get to complete 鈥渄ecarbonization.鈥�
Dodd-Frank 'rollback'? What bipartisan easing of bank rules could mean.Banks are a fulcrum of the economy, either fueling growth or sometimes stifling it when their condition turns sour. So it's worth a closer look when some Democrats join Republicans to ease their regulatory boundaries.
Why the US and China settled for a trade truceTrump's threat of a US-China trade war has abated, but underlying tensions are likely to deepen over China's drive to catch up with the US on technology.聽
First LookWyoming tries to attract blockchain businessWyoming has passed several laws to make it a more friendly state for blockchain companies, the much-hyped decentralized database that records digital currency transactions. The state, dependent on fossil fuels, hopes to diversity its economy by attracting tech businesses.聽
Setback for workers: What fallout as Supreme Court OKs forced arbitration?Some employers have faced allegations of widespread workplace discrimination or cheating workers on their pay. Yet increasingly workers are asked to waive any right to class-action lawsuits in order to be hired. A Supreme Court ruling now gives employers added leverage.
Labor shortage? Employers tap foreign workers, visas permitting.Temporary visas are a small part of the politically fraught issue of immigration. But recent restrictions and a tight job market are putting fresh focus on the role foreign workers play in the US economy 鈥� and on issues such as fairness and openness.
One cost of trade tensions: economic uncertaintyOn trade issues, as in other arenas, President Trump has shown an eagerness to swing for the fences. That makes us wonder: Is聽an aggressive and unpredictable style backfiring or about to bear fruit?聽