On Our Radar

New York Times, June 20, 2023, Federal Policy on Homelessness Becomes New Target of the Right The approach known as Housing First has long enjoyed bipartisan support. But conservatives are pushing efforts to replace it with programs that put more emphasis on sobriety and employment. Republican lawmakers, backed by conservative think tanks and programs denied […]

Washington Post, June 23, 2023, 3M to pay $10.3 billion to settle lawsuits over ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water Manufacturing giant 3M announced late Thursday that it has reached a sweeping settlement with U.S. cities and towns over claims that the company contaminated water supplies with “forever chemicals,” long-lasting compounds that can harm human health. The company,

BBC, June 14, 2023, Using AI for loans and mortgages is big risk, warns EU boss Ms Vestager, who is the European Commission’s executive vice president, said AI regulation needs to be a “global affair”. Ms Vestager said AI’s potential to amplify bias or discrimination, which can be contained in the vast amounts of data

New York Times, June 21, 2023, Maxine Waters Proposes Billions to Expand Low-Income Housing Representative Maxine Waters of California introduced a package of three bills on Wednesday aimed at narrowing the country’s racial wealth gap. Ms. Waters is seeking $100 billion in direct assistance to first-time home buyers; more than $150 billion in fair and

USA Today, June 20, 2023, Supreme Court declines appeal from Christian school fighting transgender housing The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear an appeal from a Christian college in Missouri that sued the Biden administration over its decision to shield transgender people from housing discrimination. At issue was a 2021 memo from the Department

Marketplace, June 19, 2023, Water contamination in Black communities doesn’t stop at Flint or Jackson In a lot of ways, the water crises in Flint, Michigan and Jackson, Mississippi, put lead-poisoned water on the map. And while the Biden administration has since earmarked more than $50 billion to replace lead pipes and build water treatment plants, a 2018 report by the Environmental

Axios, June 12, 2023, Exclusive: EPA administrator talks AI, environmental justice Driving the news: Before heading to a Silicon Valley clean energy summit Thursday, Regan stopped by Google’s campus to talk with chief sustainability officer Kate Brandt about tech innovation and how the private sector is pushing the envelope on equity and climate action. He spoke with Axios after the

Quartz, June 13, 2023, Could instituting a four-day workweek be a feminist act? Reception has been largely favorable. Workers report improved work-life balance, less stress and burnout, and higher productivity. But evidence has pointed to one other surprising outcome: The four-day workweek may also improve gender parity. Men with a four-day week reported spending 22%

Brookings, May 18, 2023, What Community Factors Are Helping—Or Hurting—Black Health And Well-Being? We Want To Hear From You. Based on existing data, Brookings has plotted the locations of some of the community assets3 in Howard County and Baltimore County in Maryland and Spalding County and Forsyth County in Georgia. If you live in one of these counties, we would like to hear from

NP, May 31, 2023, Making Policy Work For Rural Communities: The Value Of Community Voice Public funding programs often include conditions that exceed the capabilities of high-poverty areas, such as requiring matching funds that these areas do not have. Philanthropy often relies on large, national intermediaries that lack local knowledge and relationships. The private sector

American Banker, May 21, 2023, Banks Now Offer Payday-Loan Alternatives. How Many People Use Them? Over the last few years, several large and regional banks have started offering small-dollar loans to their cash-strapped customers. Now the question is: How many Americans are using the products? A new survey — conducted by the Online Lenders Alliance,

American Banker, May 12, 2023, Fed Nominees Include First Latina Pick And Jefferson For Vice Chair A former administrator at Davidson College, Jefferson has held several prominent positions in academia, served as a staff economist for the Fed and served on the advisory board of the Opportunity and Inclusive Growth Institute at the Federal Reserve

The Washington Post, May 7, 2023, City Planners Targeted A Black Community For Heavy Pollution. Can The Damage Be Undone? This Black enclave — not far from the stately Bay Bridge and just downslope from the mansions of the East Bay hills — is sandwiched by three major freeways. Each day, the trucks and cars

Vox, May 1, 2023, The Fight To Make It Harder For Landlords To Evict Their Tenants In most US communities, renters have very little assurance of staying in their homes long term if they’d like to. Landlords can hike rents, evict tenants through court with little difficulty, or simply choose to not renew their lease.

WBAL News, April 23, 2023, Maryland Housing Market Causing Stress For Buyers And Sellers Miller said monthly payments for buyers have doubled. The Housing Report shows homes under contract fell 22% to $6,804. Active inventory dropped 8.6% to 7,445 units, while the number of new listings entering the market dropped by 34% to 6,855. All