• TRUTH DECAYNew Study Explains Why People Fall for Fake News

    In a world where misinformation spreads faster than fact, a new study is offering insight into why so many people fall for fake news, even when they suspect it’s false.

  • IMMIGRATIONHow Does Immigration Affect the U.S. Economy?

    By Diana Roy

    Immigrants have long played a critical role in the U.S. economy, filling labor gaps, driving innovation, and exercising consumer spending power. But political debate over their economic contributions has ramped up under the second Trump administration.

  • NATIONAL DEBTThe U.S. Got Out from Crippling Levels of Federal Debt Before, and It Can Do It Again

    By Vegard M. Nygaard, Carter C. Price, and Akshaya Suresh

    The total federal debt of the United States passed a new milestone on October 21, 2025, reaching $38 trillion for the first time. But we’ve been here before – after borrowing heavily to fund our World War II efforts and the efforts of the Allies — and we got out of it.

  • GUNSGun Dealers Are Major Source of Trafficked Firearms

    By Amanda Watford

    Licensed gun dealers are a major source of firearms that end up illegally trafficked, according to a new analysis using federal data. The report estimates that 1.27 million guns will have been trafficked nationwide by 2026.

  • IMMIGRATIONMore Industries Want Trump’s Help Hiring Immigrant Labor After Farms Get a Break

    By Tim Henderson

    Restaurants, construction and landscaping businesses have lost the most workers, a Stateline analysis found. Now, industries with large immigrant workforces are asking for relief as they combat labor shortages and raids.

  • CRITICAL MINERALSAustralia Must Make the Most of the U.S. Critical-Minerals Pivot

    By John Coyne

    For the first time in years, the US conversation on critical minerals has matured beyond broad rhetoric. What was once a generic discussion about “critical minerals” has shifted decisively to developing supply chains for specific minerals. And perhaps most importantly, the dialogue is no longer confined to government-to-government statements: it now involves dozens of mining and refining.

  • POWER GRIDWhat’s the Best Way to Expand the U.S. Electricity Grid?

    By Peter Dizikes

    Growing energy demand means the U.S. will almost certainly have to expand its electricity grid in coming years. What’s the best way to do this? A study by MIT researchers illuminates choices about reliability, cost, and emissions.

  • DHSLawmakers Call for Probe of How Firm Tied to Kristi Noem Got Piece of $220 Million DHS Ad Contracts

    By Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott, and Alex Mierjeski

    The demands for an investigation come after a ProPublica story revealed that the Noem-connected Strategy Group was secretly a subcontractor on the ad campaign.

  • CHINA WATCHChina: An Emerging Software Power

    By Rafiq Dossani and Shanshan Mei

    China’s early success in global AI competition, bolstered by continued massive state investment and other advantages, could help it extend its dominance in international markets for manufactured goods to the software realm.

  • COST OF EXCLUSION The Effects of the 1942 Japanese Exclusion on US Agriculture

    By Peter Zhixian Lin and Giovanni Peri

    The U.S. government’s 1942 Japanese relocation program removed the advantage that high-skilled Japanese farmers had given to local agriculture on the West Coast. Whether the forced evacuation contributed to national security is open to question, but it was certainly costly.

  • MANUFACTURINGU.S. Can’t Overcome Manufacturing Gap with China

    By Samir Tata

    The United States should not kid itself. It will not recover its manufacturing position from China in any foreseeable future. Assuming zero growth of China’s manufacturing sector for the next 20 years, closing the manufacturing gap would require U.S. manufacturing to grow at a torrid rate of 6 percent per year. That’s just implausible.

  • CRITICAL MINERALSG20 Johannesburg Endorses Critical Minerals Framework

    By Ajey Lele

    The Trump administration is trying to diversify critical minerals supply chains and reduce dependence on China, but this goal cannot be achieved without broad and deep cooperation with other countries. The U.S. absence from the 2025 G20 discussions on critical minerals weakens collective efforts to counterbalance China’s influence.

  • CHINA WATCHEconomic Deterrence in a China Contingency

    Deterring China from launching an attack on Taiwan is a central focus of U.S. and allied security planning. A new report explores a scenario involving a Chinese blockade of Taiwan, followed by an invasion of the Island, and discusses what economic measures the United States and its allies might employ to deter such aggression.

  • IMMIGRATIONTrump Allows More Foreign Ag Workers, Eases Off ICE Raids on Farms

    By Tim Henderson

    In a tacit admission that U.S. food production requires foreign labor, the Trump administration is making it easier for farmers to employ guest workers from other countries. The shifts come as many Americans are concerned about the rising cost of food.

  • ENERGY SECURITYData Centers’ Insatiable Demand for Electricity Will Change the Entire Energy Sector

    By Sølvi Normannsen

    When the first large language models were unleashed, it triggered a headache for authorities around the world as they tried to figure out how to satisfy data centers’ endless demand for electricity.