🖤 Donations of all sizes power our public service journalism Give Now

Pacific Rim nations ring in new year with a trade deal shutting out U.S. farmers

Jan 2, 2019
As of this week, there are some tariffs around the world that are falling. Six Pacific Rim nations, including Japan, Australia and Mexico, are lowering tariffs for a number of products and services, with five other countries set to join in once their governments formally ratify the deal. Notably absent from the party? The United […]
RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP/Getty Images

NYC traffic fatalities fall to an all-time low

Jan 2, 2019
The city's Vision Zero program has cut road deaths by a third over five years
Traffic moves across the Brooklyn Bridge, Aug. 2, 2018 in New York City. 
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Dollar could slide in 2019

Jan 2, 2019
The U.S. dollar had a pretty hot year in 2018: The Wall Street Journal’s Dollar Index put it up 4.3 percent last year against a basket of 16 other currencies. But up in 2018 may mean down in 2019, as many currency analysts predicting a weakening for the dollar in year ahead. Click the audio […]
A close up shot shows a one US dollar bill placed on a table in Tehran on April 10, 2018. 
ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images

Brexit differences extend to no-deal scenario

Jan 2, 2019
Fear is the dominant emotion as the U.K. risks crashing out of the European Union without a deal.
British exporters and businesses fear that a no-deal Brexit would create massive disruption at ports of entry such as the Port of Dover, above.
Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Images

As box office sags, Netflix reports an online hit with "Bird Box"

Jan 2, 2019
While moviegoers were busy saying “meh” to a couple of new Hollywood offerings (“Vice” and “Holmes & Watson”), at least 45 million of them caught most of Netflix’s “Bird Box.” (That’s how many users the streaming service reports watched at least 70 percent of the horror film.) How is Netflix doing in the battle for our […]
Courtesy of Netflix

Ever wondered what the dark web looks like?

Jan 2, 2019
A cybersecurity researcher gave us a guided tour.
Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images

In Virginia, a new coalition tries to tackle the high eviction rate

Jan 2, 2019
One in 10 renters in Richmond, Virginia lose their homes to eviction every year
The Richmond skyline is viewed from across the James River on July 23, 2014 in Richmond, Virginia.
Photo by Jay Paul/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

The proposed merger of Sprint and T-Mobile could mean big changes for Sprint’s home town

Jan 2, 2019
Employees at Sprint’s suburban campus say they’ve weathered many rounds of lay-offs over the last 20 years, so change is the norm.
DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images (left) and JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images (right)

U.S. space economy set to blast off in 2019

Jan 2, 2019
Will America be leading the way?
Virgin Galactic's SpaceshipTwo takes off for a suborbital test flight of the VSS Unity on December 13, 2018, in Mojave, California. 
GENE BLEVINS/AFP/Getty Images

Why online product reviews are both flawed and useful

Early retail data suggests 2018 was a strong year for retail, particularly online. According to Mastercard, online sales through November and December were up 5.1 percent over the same period last year. And as Americans buy more online, they also encounter more and more online product reviews.  According to Gaby Del Valle, a reporter at […]
KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images