Politics
What Research Says About How Bad Information Spreads Online
"A 2017 study in the Journal of Economic Perspectives examined the consumption of false news in the US during the months leading up to the 2016 presidential election. In a survey of 1,208 U.S. adults, 15 percent said they remembered seeing false news stories, and 8 percent acknowledged seeing one of these stories and believing it. The study’s authors — Hunt Allcott, an associate economics professor at New York University, and Matthew Gentzkow, an economics professor at Stanford University — estimated that US adults, on average, 'read and remembered on the order of one or perhaps several fake news articles during the election period.'" more »
The Impact of Trade and Tariffs on the United States Key Findings From the Tax Foundation; Steve Rattner Charts
"The Trump administration has enacted tariffs on imported solar panels, washing machines, steel, and aluminum, plans to impose tariffs on Chinese imports, and is investigating further tariffs on Chinese imports and automobile imports. • The effects of each tariff will be lower GDP, wages, and employment in the long run. The tariffs will also make the US tax code less progressive because the increased tax burden would fall hardest on lower- and middle-income households. • Rather than erect barriers to trade that will have negative economic consequences, policymakers should promote free trade and the economic benefits it brings." more »
Rosenstein Announces Indictment of Twelve Russian Intelligence Officers for Conspiring to Interfere in the 2016 Presidential Election Through Computer Hacking; Read the Indictment
"The Internet allows foreign adversaries to attack America in new and unexpected ways. Free and fair elections are hard-fought and contentious. There will always be adversaries who work to exacerbate domestic differences and try to confuse, divide, and conquer us. So long as we are united in our commitment to the values enshrined in the Constitution, they will not succeed. The partisan warfare fueled by modern technology does not fairly reflect the grace and dignity of the American people. The blame for election interference belongs to the criminals who committed election interference. We need to work together to hold the perpetrators accountable and keep moving forward to preserve our values, protect against future interference, and defend America." more »
HHS Secretary Unable to Say How Many Parents Know of Migrant Children Whereabouts as of June 28th Senate Hearing: "So I Believe We Have Had a High of Over 2,300 Children ..."
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar (on June 28th) pushes back against questioning from Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden over his agency's handling of over 2,000 migrant children placed in its custody as a result of the Trump administration's family-separation policy. Secretary Azar declines to provide specific numbers on how many parents know the whereabouts of their children, but says they can find the information at agency portals and with the help of case workers. more »