People with outstanding student debt are less likely to own a home, says Vox. Since more people than ever are going into debt to pay for college, that’s a bad sign for the American economy.

A mid-week round-up of our favorite stories.

Energy efficiency can help the planet and save us money at the same time, but a bill to push through such measures failed in the Senate yesterday.

TAI board member Eliot A. Cohen takes the Obama Administration—along with the whole political establishment—to task for its adolescent posturing.

MOOCs have only begun to drive innovation in higher education, say researchers. Even if the technology is still in its early stages, the demand for flexible and cheap higher education will only grow.

To avoid being infected by the deadly MERS virus, Saudi Arabians should wear face masks and gloves when handling camels, say the kingdom’s officials. In other news, MERS travels to Florida (but not by camel).

Elon Musk and his electric car company Tesla are unlikely to build their next job-creating venture in the Golden State, where the company is based. California’s environmental review laws are so cumbersome that the green company is considering several red states as potential hosts for its new factory.

Over 30,000 Participants in Detroit’s pension funds are preparing to vote on whether to accept the city’s bankruptcy deal or to take their chances in bankruptcy court.

China’s toxic smog may grab all the headlines, but the country is wrangling with another insidious enemy: soil pollution. Nearly 20 percent of the country’s arable land is polluted, threatening the country’s food supply.

Protestors in the scenic tourist city of Yuhang clashed with police over the weekend, demonstrating against the construction of a new waste incinerator plant. This probably isn’t what China’s leadership had in mind when it declared a “war on pollution.”