The big news this week was the coup-that-wasn’t-a-coup in Egypt. We wrote about what this news might mean for US-Egypt relations and for the spread of democracy in an essay: It’s likely that the non-coup will lure some Egyptian money back into the country, but if violence continues and Islamist terrorists foment disorder and attack, […]

The American surveillance apparatus has come under more scrutiny than ever before in the wake of the Edward Snowden revelations. On Saturday, the New York Times expanded on this theme with a new piece arguing that the FISA courts, which review the constitutionality of the government’s data collection programs, have effectively become a “parallel Supreme Court” with little […]

In the modern era, great popes must know how to use the media effectively, and Francis so far seems to be mastering his trade. After a brief period out of the headlines, he re-emerged this week with some razzle-dazzle moves, using the unique powers of the papacy to communicate his message through a sometimes hostile […]

Bård Harstad was recently awarded about $15,000 for a paper suggesting that the best way to combat climate change is to pay countries not to extract fossil fuels. The European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (EAERE) awarded the money to the Norwegian, impressed by his alternative approach towards curbing global greenhouse gas emissions.As part of […]

One result of the Obamacare employer mandate delay is increased pressure on the exchanges: if employers drop coverage of their employees, or even simply don’t offer coverage to currently uninsured employees, more people will have to migrate to the exchanges to fulfill the individual mandate. But the delay isn’t the only unexpected new influx into […]

Postponing college to surf. That’s what Deborah Dunham intends to encourage her son to do after he graduates from high school. She writes in Forbes: When the topic of college comes up, I always tell my son, “If you’re not ready, don’t waste your time or our money.” Because the College Board places the price […]

Prescription painkiller overdoses are causing more deaths in America than heroin and cocaine combined, and the problem is getting worse. The WSJ reports that our culture’s addiction to legalized opiates is resulting in thousands of unintentional deaths and suicides per year. All the numbers from the CDC got worse, not better, over the course of […]

A new analysis by the Brookings Institute has discovered this eye-popping statistic: in the last ten years, the US health care industry has created jobs at a rate ten times faster than the entire rest of the economy.Those worried about the future of employment in America—for themselves or for the country as a whole—should look to […]

Public schools have forgotten their purpose. And John White, state superintendent of education for Louisiana, aims to remind them. In a piece penned for The Advertiser, White argues that the education system has moved away from preparing students for work. His department will release a blueprint in the fall tying education to career-readiness: An earnest […]

The IMF agreed to fork over a big pile of dough to keep Pakistan from collapse—for now. The New York Times has the story: The I.M.F. has an unhappy history with Pakistanis, some of whom are likely to see the package negatively. The last government failed to meet the terms of the previous I.M.F. package six […]