Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla, blindsided competitors, suppliers and his own employees this week by reversing course on his aggressive push to build electric vehicle chargers in the United States, a major priority of the Biden administration. Mr. Musk’s decision to lay off the 500-member team responsible for installing charging stations, and to […]
Read MoreTag: Infrastructure (Public Works)
Biden Appeals to North Carolina With Program to Replace Lead Pipes
President Biden traveled on Thursday to North Carolina, a possible swing state in the fall election, to promote his efforts to replace toxic lead pipes as part of his administration’s program to expand and upgrade the nation’s network of roads, airports and other critical infrastructure. During a stop in Wilmington, the president announced $3 billion […]
Read MoreFederal Money Is All Over Milwaukee. Biden Hopes Voters Will Notice.
Across Milwaukee, residents can see evidence of federal money from laws passed under the Biden administration, if they know where to look. It shows up in a growing array of solar panels near the airport. Ramshackle houses rehabilitated and sold to first-time buyers. The removal of lead paint and pipes. The demolition of a derelict […]
Read MoreA Close Examination of the Most Infamous Public Toilet in America
On a recent sunny Sunday, residents of San Francisco’s Noe Valley gathered to celebrate the opening of a toilet. But not just any toilet. This was the nation’s most infamous public toilet. In 2022, my colleague Heather Knight, then at The San Francisco Chronicle, noticed the projected price tag on the commode: $1.7 million, which […]
Read MoreEven With Gaza Under Siege, Some Are Imagining Its Reconstruction
On a December morning in central London, more than two dozen people drawn from influential institutions across the Middle East, Europe and the United States gathered in a conference room to pursue an aspiration that, at that moment, verged on preposterous. They were there to plan for the reconstruction and long-term economic development of Gaza. […]
Read MoreSkip the Traffic: Commuters Turn to Ferries to Get Around
As remote work reshapes the way people live and travel around cities, Americans are taking to the waterways not only as part of their commute but also as part of their daily lives. Some coastal cities are seeing ferry ridership bounce back after a decline during the pandemic, and growing interest in water transit is […]
Read MoreIs New York City Overdue for a Major Earthquake?
The earthquake that hit the Northeast on Friday morning rattled nerves but did not do much damage. Still, it left many New Yorkers wondering how afraid they should be of a bigger one hitting closer to the city. The answer? It’s hard to say. Some news reports suggest that a large earthquake is “due” in […]
Read MoreBiden and Corporate America? It’s ‘Complicated.’
In the hours before delivering his State of the Union speech last month, President Biden called the chief executives of General Motors and Cisco Systems to ask their advice on the state of the American economy and share how he planned to talk about it. Then he rode to Capitol Hill and, in his address, […]
Read MoreWill MAGA Republicans Block Baltimore’s Rebuilding?
Soon after a huge container ship struck Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, bringing it down, President Biden pledged that the federal government would “pay the entire cost of reconstructing” the bridge. This would clearly be the right thing to do, not just to help the state of Maryland but also to limit the economic damage […]
Read MoreIndia Election: What 10 Years of Modi Has Meant for the Economy
As Narendra Modi was storming to victory in the election of 2014, he said that “acchhe din aane waale hain” — good times are coming. Now as Mr. Modi stands set to secure another term as prime minister in elections starting on April 19, the value of India’s stock market has grown threefold since he […]
Read More5 Things to Know About India’s Economy Under Modi
Narendra Modi has big money behind him as he appears set to win a third term as India’s prime minister. His party has collected more political cash than the others combined, and the country’s richest business leaders support him. The campaign is fueled partly by a winning story Mr. Modi tells about India’s economy, some […]
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