Author: Lance Garrison
Homelessness is a more nuanced story. According to an authoritative annual report published in December by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the number of Americans experiencing unsheltered homelessness was 256,000 in 2023, up from 226,000 just before the pandemic — an increase of about 13 percent. The lowest number in recent history, according to H.U.D., was 173,000 in 2015; the highest was 255,000 in 2007. The recent increases are tragic and demand public attention, but also are gradual; for every 10 unsheltered Americans on the eve of the pandemic, there are now 11.The bulk of the homelessness is…
When Jerome Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve, appeared on “60 Minutes” this past weekend, he said he wasn’t super-worried about the risk of a banking crisis triggered by defaults on office buildings and downtown retail. While acknowledging that the future is uncertain, he said that “it appears to be a manageable problem” for the biggest banks. He said “we’re working” with some smaller and regional banks that have “concentrated exposures in these areas that are challenged.”As usual when it comes to the Fed, one has to decide whether to be reassured by its reassurances or worried that the…
To the Editor:Re “A Jury Convicts a Teen’s Mother in His Rampage” (front page, Feb. 7):As a retired law enforcement officer and just someone with common sense, I am heartened by this verdict. The parents’ dereliction of their responsibilities was beyond inexcusable.I was raised around firearms. I was given my first rifle at age 6. But my father’s training and supervision were, to say the very least, strict in the extreme. We wouldn’t dare even make a joke about a gun.But the infatuation with guns in this country will continue to wreak havoc until, somehow, we learn to care more…
Feb. 7, 2024 — Atkins, keto, the Zone, the paleo diet – it seems like low-carb diets have been around forever, and they’ve only grown in popularity over the years. But despite their renown, it remains unclear what exactly “low carb” really means. A study recently published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition analyzed over 500 articles about low-carb diets and found that, among the scientific community, there remains a real discrepancy about what “low carb” means. The study’s principal investigator, Taylor Wallace, PhD, CEO of Think Healthy Group and an adjunct professor of nutrition and food studies at George…
The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Thursday about whether Colorado may keep Donald Trump off the presidential ballot because of the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The justices should seek a ruling that is originalist, modest and respectful of America’s democratic federalism.In particular, they should focus on two phrases: “the first insurrection of the 1860s” and “the fifty-state solution.”The first phrase explains why Mr. Trump’s conduct squarely falls under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bars from any “office, civil or military, under the United States” any important public servant who, after swearing an oath…
I read through all 274 responses to a questionnaire I put out about how politics affects the dating lives of Americans under 30, and I took note of the fact that quite a few respondents used economic terminology when describing their romantic experiences. The term “scarcity,” in particular, came up more than once as a factor in dating experiences.A very liberal man in New York who said he doesn’t even consider dating people who put “moderate” in their dating profiles said, “It’s probably unfair, but with such a deep left-leaning dating pool, there’s no scarcity mind-set forcing us to interact…
C5 commercial districts, for example, like Madison Avenue, were intended for the wealthy; that meant high fashion was permitted, but service businesses, like catering and appliance repair shops, were banned. By contrast, C6 commercial districts, like the area around Herald Square, were intended for the working class and permitted a broader range of uses, like billiards and wholesale retail.A whopping 426 uses of space are defined in the zoning, as varied as taxidermy specialists, typewriter repair shops and travel bureaus. All were assigned areas where they could operate. Existing businesses that did not conform with the new list of permitted…
Donald Trump’s popularity has long confounded those opposed to him — he lost after his first presidential term, has been accused of sexual harassment and assault multiple times and faces 91 felony counts in four criminal cases. Despite this, he continues to captivate millions. In this audio essay, Anna Marks, an Opinion staff editor, argues that we have it all wrong — to understand Trump’s appeal, we need to see him not as a politician, but as a pop star.(A full transcript of this audio essay will be available within 24 hours of publication, and can be found in the…
In normal times, thousands of people would have poured into the streets to celebrate the Israeli Supreme Court’s decision to strike down a central piece of the Netanyahu government’s plan to cripple democracy. The so called reform had triggered immense, constant protests for months.Alas, since the horrific Hamas attack on Oct. 7 and the ensuing war in Gaza, celebration would have felt grotesque. But the all-consuming conflict should not be allowed to obscure the fact that the struggle for democracy in Israel continues.In a single decision handed down on Jan. 1, the court ruled on two issues. The first concerned…
What does President Biden have to do to catch up to Donald Trump?According to Michael Podhorzer, former political director of the AFL-CIO, exposing and clarifying Trump’s 2025 agenda will be crucial to Biden’s success or failure:Donald Trump will lose the election to the extent that voters accurately understand what his plans for a second term would be. Not only are most voters now not paying attention to Trump’s legal troubles, they know next to nothing about what he’s said on the campaign trail about what he will do if elected again, let alone the very specific and chilling agenda Trump…