Get a NEW artist-designed Marketplace sweatshirt when you donate $8/month ... for a limited time! Give Now

Truckers aren't too enthused about an AI revolution

Dec 28, 2022
Autonomous vehicle tech has advanced quite a bit, but we're nowhere close to replacing truck drivers with AI yet ― and we probably don't want to.
AI technology isn't so much being integrated into trucks as it is invading cabs, says Karen Levy.
Photo by Joe Raedle/Newsmakers

Which products — and people — are left out of the FSA bonanza?

Dec 28, 2022
The end-of-year deadline often means a rush to buy eligible items, like thermometers, pain relievers and feminine hygiene products.
Feminine hygiene products, like tampons, became FSA-eligible in 2020.
Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Federal agency that oversees unions will get first funding boost in a decade

Dec 28, 2022
The National Labor Relations Board's resources have been stretched thin at a time when union organizing is surging.
The funding increase for the National Labor Relations Board comes at a time of high-profile labor organizing. Above, Starbucks workers on strike in Brooklyn, New York, in November.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

What to expect from the 2023 Farm Bill

Dec 28, 2022
Advocates for everything from nutrition programs to tribal food sovereignty to climate and sustainability initiatives will be keeping an eye on the bill next year.
Above, a sign alerting customers about SNAP food stamps benefits — which are funded through the Farm Bill — is displayed at a Brooklyn grocery store.
Scott Heins/Getty Images

Can Mediterranean search and rescue NGOs survive in 2023?

Dec 28, 2022
The job of finding and rescuing people in the Mediterranean Sea has been carried out by charities since EU member states stopped their operations. But with spiralling fuel costs and competition for donations with other humanitarian causes, one NGO is concerned for the future of its funding.
BBC

In the West Texas oil patch, a boom in drilling has led to a growing number of earthquakes

Dec 28, 2022
After multiple near-record Texas earthquakes, oil and gas regulators say they’re stepping up efforts to reduce quakes triggered by industry activity.
A truck travels through the West Texas oil patch. Earthquakes that have rocked the region have been tied to the area's booming oil industry.
Mitch Borden

Foreclosures are up, but not raising any red flags yet

Dec 28, 2022
An increase in foreclosures becomes a cause for concern when unemployment is on the rise and home prices are dropping.
A broker associate inspects a foreclosed home in Miami, Florida.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Congress moves to boost rainy day funds for workers

Included in the $1.7 trillion spending bill Congress recently passed are measures to help grow workers’ emergency savings.
Ridofranz via Getty Images

French entrepreneurs look to agriculture and forestry for the future of aviation fuel

Dec 28, 2022
One company says it can make sustainable aviation fuel using beets, sugar cane and forestry waste.
France is Europe's largest producer of sugar beets. Now, a bioenergy company there is using bacteria from the sugar to produce sustainable aviation fuel.
Thierry Zoccolan/AFP via Getty Images

Federal funds for COVID testing and vaccines are running low

Dec 28, 2022
The White House has been asking Congress to allocate more funds, but that hasn't happened.
With universal coverage for COVID vaccines, treatments and tests ending, "we're going back to how the U.S. health care system generally works," said Jen Kates at the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images