Capitalism
A measure of poverty tracked by the Census Bureau rose in 2022, as COVID era benefits expired and average income fell, according to a Tuesday report. Why it matters: Child poverty saw a sharp increase in 2022 following a record low the year prior. Driving the news: While the official poverty rate (considered an outdated measure) didn’t see a significant change from 2021 to
Abortion Rights
A husband who doesn’t want his wife to get an abortion could sue the friend who offered to drive her, according to this legislation’s own architect. How free can any woman be in a country where her right to control her body and family depends on the jurisdiction where she happens to live? Republicans are
Labor
An NLRB decision delivered late last month substantially lowers the legal hurdles to union recognition. But using that opening will require unions to build strong cultures of shop-floor solidarity in the face of employer intimidation. On August 25, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) handed down a decision in Cemex Construction Materials Pacific, LLC and International
Conservatives
Last week, the Ohio ballot board – led by the Republican secretary of state, Frank LaRose – approved the wording of Issue 1, a November ballot measure that will ask voters if the state constitution should guarantee a right to abortion, contraception, fertility treatment and miscarriage care. The new lawsuit accuses the ballot board’s Republican majority of
Capitalism
The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act introduced modest drug pricing restrictions. In response, big pharma companies — which have seen record profits — are threatening to slow the rollout of a lifesaving drug. A Swiss pharmaceutical company announced this month that it could slow-walk bringing a potentially lifesaving drug to market — in order to reduce
Labor
A new framework for unionizations means that a company must voluntarily recognize a union or demand an election—and can no longer interfere with the election. The National Labor Relations Board issued a ruling on Friday that changes the framework for unionizations, making it easier for workers to organize and harder for companies to fight back against them.