Mosquitoes drawn by lingering hurricane waters could boost West Nile cases

Sep 11, 2017
After a hurricane, mosquitoes, drawn to standing water, can be a big problem. The accelerated spread of Zika isn’t likely, but cases of West Nile could spike. Click the audio player above to hear the full story. 

Equifax hack calls into question its core competency. Will it recover?

Sep 8, 2017
Credit-rating agency Equifax has announced its computer systems were hacked from mid-May to late July and that personal data on as many as 143 million American consumers was compromised, including names, Social Security numbers, birth dates and addresses. CEO Richard F. Smith said in a press release that the data breach “strikes at the heart […]

Cost of Irma ranges from $20 billion to $200 billion

Sep 8, 2017
As Florida faces the uncertainty of Hurricane Irma’s path, it is clear that losses will be in the tens of billions of dollars. Most of the damage is expected to be directly storm related, meaning largely from the strong, over 100 mph winds, rather than from floodwaters like Harvey. The costs of Irma are not […]

Will Trump's deal with Democrats affect tax reform?

Sep 8, 2017
The deal on the debt ceiling and the budget also begs the question if there will be more bipartisanship in the future.
President Donald Trump speaks about the need for tax reform at Andeavor Refinery in Mandan, North Dakota, on Wednesday.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images

Tax reform this year just got a lot less likely

Sep 7, 2017
The Senate today passed a bill with the first dose of Hurricane Harvey money. It also happens to fund the government for the next three months and raise the debt limit. The bill is the outcome of the shocker of a deal negotiated between President Donald Trump and Democratic congressional leaders yesterday. This version of […]

Western wildfire season is getting longer and costlier

Sep 7, 2017
The costs are mounting for battling dozens of wildfires now burning in the Western United States, including some threatening popular national parks. Specifically, Glacier National Park in Montana and Yosemite National Park in California.  Click the audio player above to hear the full story.

South Korea may buy billions of dollars’ worth of U.S. weaponry

Sep 5, 2017
The White House said President Donald Trump has given “conceptual approval” to South Korean plans to buy billions of dollars of U.S. military equipment. And today, the president tweeted that he’s “allowing Japan and South Korea to buy a substantially increased” amount of U.S. weaponry.  So, what U.S. defense contractors stand to benefit from these […]

For public good, not for profit.

First Harvey aid package for immediate needs, not long-term recovery

Sep 5, 2017
Congress is expected to vote tomorrow on a $7.8 billion package for aid to those hit by Hurricane Harvey. It’s a first round of funding that almost entirely goes to shoring up FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund. That money helps reimburse local search and rescue efforts, and clean up and re-open some public services like schools […]

Are Dreamers job stealers?

Sep 5, 2017
The fate of 800,000 so-called Dreamers is in question today after Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced an end to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program put in place under President Obama. The program gives undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children the ability to study and work here while protecting them from […]

Harvey aftermath: Chemical plants still down

Sep 5, 2017
Chemicals plants that are needed to make many of the things that we use every day are still offline. It could get expensive. Click the audio player above to hear the full story.