It’s day four of the West Virginia teachers’ strike, in which nearly 20,000 teachers across the state are demanding higher pay and better health insurance. On Tuesday, union leaders finally secured a meeting with Republican Governor Jim Justice—meaning the strike could end today if demands are met. The teachers, coordinated by the American Federation of […]
Kalena Thomhave
Kalena Thomhave is a freelance journalist and researcher based in Pittsburgh. She is a former Prospect writing fellow.
Posted inEconomic Policy
Food and Nutrition Service Administrator Booed Over ‘Harvest Box’ Idea
The Trump administration’s controversial proposal to transform some Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps) benefits into “America’s Harvest Box,” did not go over well at a national meeting of anti-hunger advocates. “As with any innovative idea,” said Food and Nutrition Service Administrator Brandon Lipps, speaking at the Anti-Hunger Policy Conference in Washington on Monday, “there […]
Posted inEconomic Policy
Washington State Shifts into New Ways of Thinking About Welfare and Transportation
Travel woes for low-income people lead to pilot program that expands transportation access—and opportunities.
Posted inEconomic Policy
Reforming Welfare and Controlling the Poor
The president’s budget proposal punishes the poor for their poverty.
Posted inEconomic Policy
Why Are Uber Drivers Working 12-Hour Shifts?
In a bid to combat drowsy driving, Uber recently announced a new policy limiting drivers to 12-hour shifts without breaks. After 12 hours, the app will go offline, and drivers must take at least a six-hour break. While the effort to encourage safer driving is laudable, one must ask: Uber drivers sometimes work nonstop for […]
Posted inCivil Rights in America
Tipping Has Long Reinforced Inequality—and Trump’s DOL Wants to Make It Worse
A proposed Department of Labor rule would allow employers to pocket their employees’ tips. The proposed rule in no way requires that these pocketed tips are distributed among employees—employers could simply take them (a fact the DOL tried hard to cover up). The Economic Policy Institute estimates that the rule would cause workers to lose […]
Posted inEconomic Policy
Indiana to Join Kentucky in Tying Medicaid to Work
The new Secretary of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar, will announce today that Indiana will follow Kentucky’s lead and receive approval to implement work requirements in the state’s Medicaid program, according to a Politico report. Last month, the Trump administration signaled they’d allow requiring work for low-income people seeking health-care assistance, and Kentucky quickly […]
Posted inHealth and Social Policy
The Poverty on Disney’s Doorstep
TAP Goes to the Oscars: The Florida Project is a film about life as a poor kid. It doesn’t erase the innocence of childhood—or the harshness of poverty.
Posted inBooks, Arts and Culture
Baseball’s Chief Wahoo Is Out on Strike Four (Sort Of)
Under pressure from Major League Baseball, the Cleveland Indians announced this week that beginning in 2019, they’ll retire the Chief Wahoo mascot—the cartoonish, red-faced figure that’s meant to depict a Native American chief—but only from on-field team uniforms. “We have consistently maintained that we are cognizant and sensitive to both sides of the discussion,” said […]
Posted inEconomic Policy
Bank of Whose America?
By eliminating a popular free checking account, Bank of America only reminds us that traditional banking is for everyone—except the poor.