In January, Philip McHarris was driving from New Haven to Boston to visit a friend when he saw a familiar sight in his rearview mirror — flashing police lights. It was late at night, and McHarris pulled into a gas station and waited, as he had done many times before, for the state trooper to approach his window. The problem, the trooper said, was the way McHarris had pulled off at an exit. Then he said that the highway where McHarris had been driving was a drug trafficking route, and asked if he could search the car for drugs.McHarris explained that he was a Ph.D. student in sociology and...…In January, Philip McHarris was driving from New Haven to Boston to visit a friend when he saw a familiar sight in his rearview mirror — flashing police lights. It was late at night, and McHarris pulled into a gas station and waited, as he had done many times before, for the state trooper to approach his window. The problem, the trooper said, was the way McHarris had pulled off at an exit. Then he said that the highway where McHarris had been driving was a drug trafficking route, and asked if he could search the car for drugs.McHarris explained that he was a Ph.D. student in sociology and...WW…

Graphics byWith even hard-hit states like New York allowing businesses to bring their stores back to life, Americans are wrestling with one of COVID-19’s most painful tradeoffs: a damaged economy with millions out of work because of public health measures put in place to slow the spread of the virus.And most Americans do think the public health risks of reopening the economy are still important to weigh. But there is also growing evidence that several months of economic hardship have changed the way some people are evaluating the costs. According to conducted from May 21 to June 5, 41...…Graphics byWith even hard-hit states like New York allowing businesses to bring their stores back to life, Americans are wrestling with one of COVID-19’s most painful tradeoffs: a damaged economy with millions out of work because of public health measures put in place to slow the spread of the virus.And most Americans do think the public health risks of reopening the economy are still important to weigh. But there is also growing evidence that several months of economic hardship have changed the way some people are evaluating the costs. According to conducted from May 21 to June 5, 41...WW…

A pandemic is an expensive thing to weather. The COVID-19 crisis has already prompted a huge drop in state tax dollars, and seems likely to in lost revenue over the upcoming fiscal year. That’s pushed governors to come to the federal government, hat in hand, . But while Democrats in Congress seem eager to oblige — the House on May 15 includes nearly $1 trillion for state, local and tribal governments — congressional Republicans and President Trump .There’s a tinge of moral and political outrage to this debate. Trump has repeatedly suggested that blue-state governors and don’t deserve a...…A pandemic is an expensive thing to weather. The COVID-19 crisis has already prompted a huge drop in state tax dollars, and seems likely to in lost revenue over the upcoming fiscal year. That’s pushed governors to come to the federal government, hat in hand, . But while Democrats in Congress seem eager to oblige — the House on May 15 includes nearly $1 trillion for state, local and tribal governments — congressional Republicans and President Trump .There’s a tinge of moral and political outrage to this debate. Trump has repeatedly suggested that blue-state governors and don’t deserve a...WW…

The Supreme Court just wrapped up its first full term with two of Trump’s nominees on the bench. But the court’s didn’t really happen this year. To be sure, the last few weeks of the term were full of consequential decisions that hinged on just one vote. But even though there were some fierce disagreements among the justices, the court’s final rulings were actually not very controversial at all — at least from the perspective of most Americans.According to by a group of researchers at Stanford, Harvard and the University of Texas, Austin, which asked Americans about central issues facing...…The Supreme Court just wrapped up its first full term with two of Trump’s nominees on the bench. But the court’s didn’t really happen this year. To be sure, the last few weeks of the term were full of consequential decisions that hinged on just one vote. But even though there were some fierce disagreements among the justices, the court’s final rulings were actually not very controversial at all — at least from the perspective of most Americans.According to by a group of researchers at Stanford, Harvard and the University of Texas, Austin, which asked Americans about central issues facing...WW…

Graphics byCongress has less than a month to hammer out a deal on the next round of stimulus before . State and local governments are of budget shortfalls. And while the U.S. in last week’s , which featured an unemployment rate 2.2 percentage points lower in June than it had been in May, the economy has been thrown back into chaos in the meantime, with pulling back on their reopenings amid spiking COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations.Our newest highlights just how consequential governmental decisions over the next month may be: On average, these economists think that a refusal by...…Graphics byCongress has less than a month to hammer out a deal on the next round of stimulus before . State and local governments are of budget shortfalls. And while the U.S. in last week’s , which featured an unemployment rate 2.2 percentage points lower in June than it had been in May, the economy has been thrown back into chaos in the meantime, with pulling back on their reopenings amid spiking COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations.Our newest highlights just how consequential governmental decisions over the next month may be: On average, these economists think that a refusal by...WW…

Remember last month, when ? Those were the days. The most recent jobs report is a stunning picture of how the pandemic has reshaped the country’s labor market. Overall, 20.5 million fewer people were employed last month . And the unemployment rate has skyrocketed to 14.7 percent — by far the worst we’ve seen in more than seven decades of economic data.But the speed of the crisis also means that these numbers are already out of date. The jobs report is based on surveys of businesses and households taken during the middle of April, but the economic situation likely worsened as the month went...…Remember last month, when ? Those were the days. The most recent jobs report is a stunning picture of how the pandemic has reshaped the country’s labor market. Overall, 20.5 million fewer people were employed last month . And the unemployment rate has skyrocketed to 14.7 percent — by far the worst we’ve seen in more than seven decades of economic data.But the speed of the crisis also means that these numbers are already out of date. The jobs report is based on surveys of businesses and households taken during the middle of April, but the economic situation likely worsened as the month went...WW…

Recent predictions about the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis are certainly helping the “dismal science” live up to its name. Last Tuesday, said that the world is hurtling toward the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Economists at big investment banks have warned more or less the same: Goldman Sachs that U.S. GDP would shrink by 34 percent in the second quarter of 2020, compared to the first quarter of the year, and that this year, we could see the steepest drop in annual GDP growth since 1946.But here’s the thing: Economists at predicting recessions. In this...…Recent predictions about the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis are certainly helping the “dismal science” live up to its name. Last Tuesday, said that the world is hurtling toward the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Economists at big investment banks have warned more or less the same: Goldman Sachs that U.S. GDP would shrink by 34 percent in the second quarter of 2020, compared to the first quarter of the year, and that this year, we could see the steepest drop in annual GDP growth since 1946.But here’s the thing: Economists at predicting recessions. In this...WW…

Graphics byAll across the country, the gears of the economy are grinding slowly and creakily into motion. for in-person shopping in California. It’s possible in Alabama. And in Alaska, — albeit with strict capacity and spacing limits.The reopening of the economy might seem like a promising sign. After all, as shuttered stores and restaurants reopen, workers can return to their jobs or look for new positions, and industries that have seen slowdowns can resume operations. Some politicians — including President Trump — have .But how quickly will the economy really be able to bounce back? How...…Graphics byAll across the country, the gears of the economy are grinding slowly and creakily into motion. for in-person shopping in California. It’s possible in Alabama. And in Alaska, — albeit with strict capacity and spacing limits.The reopening of the economy might seem like a promising sign. After all, as shuttered stores and restaurants reopen, workers can return to their jobs or look for new positions, and industries that have seen slowdowns can resume operations. Some politicians — including President Trump — have .But how quickly will the economy really be able to bounce back? How...WW…

By , and Illustration by The 2020 election might have been a battle between two white male septuagenarians, but it also contained two major political milestones for women of color. The first is that on Wednesday, Sen. Kamala Harris will be sworn in as — the first woman and first woman of color to serve in that role.The second is that — 49 in total, according to data collected by the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University — will serve in the 117th Congress, including the first three Korean American women elected to Congress and to represent Washington state and...…By , and Illustration by The 2020 election might have been a battle between two white male septuagenarians, but it also contained two major political milestones for women of color. The first is that on Wednesday, Sen. Kamala Harris will be sworn in as — the first woman and first woman of color to serve in that role.The second is that — 49 in total, according to data collected by the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University — will serve in the 117th Congress, including the first three Korean American women elected to Congress and to represent Washington state and...WW…

As President Donald Trump heads into his last few weeks in the White House, there are signs that a slew of high-profile pardons , including those for close allies like Trump’s personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani, Trump’s family members or even Trump himself. These pardons, if they happen, could be quite expansive — granting blanket immunity for crimes for which Trump’s allies and family members haven’t even been charged, much less convicted. At the very least, they would almost certainly be controversial, as many of Trump’s pardons already have been.Trump wouldn’t be the first president to...…As President Donald Trump heads into his last few weeks in the White House, there are signs that a slew of high-profile pardons , including those for close allies like Trump’s personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani, Trump’s family members or even Trump himself. These pardons, if they happen, could be quite expansive — granting blanket immunity for crimes for which Trump’s allies and family members haven’t even been charged, much less convicted. At the very least, they would almost certainly be controversial, as many of Trump’s pardons already have been.Trump wouldn’t be the first president to...WW…