Filtering out PFAS is only the first step. These ‘forever chemicals’ still have to be destroyed, and there are many questions about how to do that safely.
The Biden administration set the amounts of federal funding each state will receive to expand access to broadband internet.
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Every state is poised to receive a large amount of federal money to expand broadband access, but they have a lot of work to do to meet the government’s requirements for distributing it.
It would be a wasted opportunity if our political leaders came back again in six months without a long-term plan about how to fund and improve the system.
Apps for tracking reproductive health are convenient, but the data they collect could be used against you.
Tarik Kizilkaya/iStock via Getty Images
Data privacy is an abstract issue for most people, even though virtually everyone is at risk. Now that abortion may become illegal in some states, digital surveillance could take an even darker turn.
Expanding access to broadband internet in rural communities has long been a challenge.
AP Photo/Charles Krupa
States have widely different track records on expanding broadband internet access. Here are the ones that could struggle to handle the federal funds coming their way.
The U.S. is broken up into 50 states, plus territories like Puerto Rico and Guam, and a federal district, Washington, D.C. Most other countries have smaller parts too.
In some states, getting a COIVD-19 vaccination appointment has felt like winning the lottery.
Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Tinglong Dai, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing
Websites that crash. Appointments that fill up within seconds. Scheduling your COVID-19 vaccine shouldn’t be this hard. A few states have found a better way.
Getting vaccinated often means pre-registering, then registering, then arranging an appointment and standing in line.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
Getting pharmacies more involved could be a game changer, particularly for reaching minorities, older adults without internet access and others left behind.
Palmer has lost his challenge to the closure of the Western Australian border in response to COVID-19. But it still remains unclear whether the border closure was and remains valid.
States have tried shutting down bars and limiting restaurants to outdoor seating to slow the coronavirus’s spread.
Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images
The pandemic isn’t just a health disaster. It’s a disaster for cities and states, where the money to run government that normally comes in every year has evaporated. Congress may or may not help.
Florida cities like Miami have resorted to issuing their own protective rules as coronavirus case numbers climb.
Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images
A close look at Florida’s economy shows just how vulnerable the state and its population are to a pandemic, and some of the reasons state officials hesitate to take action.
Most states struggle to meet pension funding needs – and the pandemic will make it worse.
hudiemm/Getty
Many of the public employee pension plans run by states don’t have enough money in them to make upcoming pension payments to retired state workers. The pandemic could make that problem much worse.