New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s controversial early pandemic policy forcing nursing homes to accept COVID-19-positive patients continues to draw scrutiny. And the latest developments are not welcoming news for the three-term governor. Because Cuomo’s mandate prohibited nursing homes from screening residents released from the hospital for COVID-19, many have suspected it needlessly contributed to the…
It is a great irony of politics that many who complain about government incompetence are the first to invite it into every corner of their lives. As Washington flies toward a third COVID stimulus package, it seems the failures of the first two have escaped the public discourse—most of all, perhaps, the little-known story of the…
President Biden has proposed $1.9 trillion in additional COVID-19 spending. He’s asking Congress to authorize another round of checks, more expanded unemployment benefits, a $15 minimum wage, and much, much more. Over the weekend, House Democrats finally released the text of the 600-page bill meant to make Biden’s broad COVID proposals a legislative reality. Critics and…
Andrew Kerr New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for a “full investigation” on Friday of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s handling of nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ocasio-Cortez’s statement follows moves by the Democratic leaders of the state Senate to strip Cuomo of his emergency powers after a top Cuomo aide told state lawmakers that the…
Mary Margaret Olohan A new Tennessee bill would give fathers the ability to protect their unborn baby if the mother decided to obtain an abortion. Republican Tennessee Sen. Mark Pody and Republican Tennessee Rep. Jerry Sexton sponsored SB494/HB1079, legislation that would give the father veto power on an abortion through petitioning a court for an injunction….
Not all millennials and Gen Zers trust the government blindly. Many, a Northwestern Mutual study shows, are actually unsure whether they will ever see a cent from Social Security when they retire. Considering many have seen the little savings they had dry up following the pandemic-related lockdowns, some now wonder if they can catch up…
Jonathan Schulman, Northwestern University No matter the outcome of Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, the Republican Party must now decide whether to maintain or abandon Trump-era policies during the Biden administration. Among them is Trump’s “America First” foreign policy agenda. Trump portrayed the United States as a dominant, self-sufficient world leader that needs little but subservience…
by Luka Ladan Two weeks into his first term, President Biden is redefining “the power of the pen.” As of early February, America’s 46th president has signed 28 executive orders into law, just short of the number that President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed in his first month. (Roosevelt is the record-holder for executive orders signed in a president’s first…
Mark Canada, Indiana University The previous year in the United States was a turbulent one, filled with political strife, protests over racism and a devastating pandemic. Underlying all three has been a pervasive political polarization, made worse by a breakdown in civic – and civil – discourse, not only on Capitol Hill, but around the…
Cate Varney, University of Virginia When researchers began to develop what they hoped would be an effective COVID-19 vaccine, they already knew that H1N1 influenza – a novel virus, like COVID-19 – more severely affected patients with overweight or obesity. Patients with a body mass index of 30 or above had a higher risk of…