Tag: policy

The U.S. Is Past The Point Of No Return With Iran—The Regime Must Go

Kharg Island Oil Terminal in Iran. (Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) Getty Images America is past the point of no return regarding Iran. Iran’s. Otherwise, the U.S. will look even more pitiful than it did after Joe Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021; Russia’s attack on Ukraine was the result. President Trump must […]

Read More

Positioning Massachusetts as a hub for climate tech and economic development

Massachusetts is uniquely positioned to become a leader in climate tech, said Emily Reichert MBA ’12, the CEO of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) and former CEO of Greentown Labs, to members of the MIT community at a seminar in November.  Reichert outlined the interconnectedness of economic development and clean energy innovation in MassCEC’s […]

Read More

MIT in the media: 2025 in review

“At MIT, innovation ranges from awe-inspiring technology to down-to-Earth creativity,” noted Chronicle, during a campus visit this year for an episode of the program. In 2025, MIT researchers made headlines across print publications, podcasts, and video platforms for key scientific advances, from breakthroughs in quantum and artificial intelligence to new efforts aimed at improving pediatric health […]

Read More

Who Really Removed Swastikas From Coast Guard’s Hate Symbols List?

Shareholders from each company will own 50 percent of the new entity as a result of the deal, which the companies say will be completed in mid-2026. TAE is backed by Google and oil giant Chevron, while Trump Media continues to struggle to make money. The social media venture reported sales of $927,900 from June […]

Read More

Dems Block Admiral’s Promotion Until He Explains Swastika Policy

Shareholders from each company will own 50 percent of the new entity as a result of the deal, which the companies say will be completed in mid-2026. TAE is backed by Google and oil giant Chevron, while Trump Media continues to struggle to make money. The social media venture reported sales of $927,900 from June […]

Read More

Calls For A Moratorium On New Data Centers Get Louder

Current Climate brings you the latest news about the business of sustainability every Monday. Sign up to get it in your inbox. UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images The rapid growth and impact of massive data centers, especially for AI and cryptocurrency companies, this year has had big economic benefits, especially for construction and design […]

Read More

IRS Issues Guidance For Expanded Health Savings Accounts Under New Tax Law

A health savings account (HSA) can be used to cover out-of-pocket costs with tax-advantaged savings. getty The IRS has released new guidance on updates to Health Savings Account (HSA) as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). OBBBA expanded eligibility for HSAs and updated high-deductible health plan (HDHP) rules. The guidance explains the […]

Read More

MIT’s Science Policy Initiative holds 15th annual Executive Visit Days

“To really understand science policy, you have to step outside the lab and see it in action,” says Jack Fletcher, an MIT PhD student in nuclear science and engineering and chair of the 15th annual Executive Visit Days (ExVD).  Inspired by this mindset, ExVD — jointly organized by the MIT Science Policy Initiative (SPI) and the MIT Washington […]

Read More

NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya visits MIT

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya visited MIT on Friday, engaging in a wide-ranging discussion about policy issues and research aims at an event also featuring Rep. Jake Auchincloss MBA ’16 of Massachusetts. The forum consisted of a dialogue between Auchincloss and Bhattacharya, followed by a question-and-answer session with an audience that included […]

Read More

Weak Mileage Rules Put U.S. On The Road To An Automotive Jurassic Park

Current Climate brings you the latest news about the business of sustainability every Monday. Sign up to get it in your inbox. The Trump administration’s plan to weaken U.S. fuel economy rules, claiming it will make new cars about $1,000 cheaper for consumers – presumably because automakers can use less sophisticated powertrains – ignores a […]

Read More

What’s the best way to expand the US electricity grid?

Growing energy demand means the U.S. will almost certainly have to expand its electricity grid in coming years. What’s the best way to do this? A new study by MIT researchers examines legislation introduced in Congress and identifies relative tradeoffs involving reliability, cost, and emissions, depending on the proposed approach. The researchers evaluated two policy […]

Read More

Latest Step In The Disturbing Decline Of The Once Great U.K.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. (Photo by Benjamin Cremel – WPA Pool/Getty Images) Getty Images Given how much our political, legal and economic institutions owe to the influence of Great Britain, the startling degeneration of our mother country takes on special significance—and worry. The government’s just-unveiled budget is the latest example of how this once […]

Read More

Populism’s Doom Loop: When Feelings Replace Facts, Americans Lose

(Original Caption) Caricature of William Bryan (1860-1925), Presidential Candidate, populist in a “mighty risky experiment”. Undated engraving showing Bryan trying to split a gold dollar on the back of a man’s neck without injuring the man. Bettmann Archive Over the holiday, I caught the furious online debate over whether the poverty threshold in the United […]

Read More

The Garfield’s Presidency’s Resurgence In National Memory

He should have read Hawthorne (Photo by Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images) Heritage Images via Getty Images The President James A. Garfield assassination is back, thanks to the Netflix series Death by Lightning. Garfield’s character foil is Charles Guiteau, who shot Garfield in 1881, four months into his presidency, after failing to get a […]

Read More

Celebrating the advancement of technology leadership through policy analysis and guidance

In 1965, after completing his PhD in civil engineering at MIT, Professor Richard de Neufville joined the first class of White House Fellows, one of the nation’s most prestigious programs for leadership and public service, through which he spent an intensive year working full-time at the highest levels of government. Soon after, de Neufville joined […]

Read More

Ukraine Must Win

KHARKIV OBLAST, UKRAINE – SEPTEMBER 24: Ukrainian soldiers prepare the UAV ‘Evanger’ for launch on September 24, 2025 in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. (Photo by Yevhen Titov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images) Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images The big security issue President Trump will have to grapple with in the new year will be the […]

Read More

MIT Energy Initiative conference spotlights research priorities amidst a changing energy landscape

“We’re here to talk about really substantive changes, and we want you to be a participant in that,” said Desirée Plata, the School of Engineering Distinguished Professor of Climate and Energy in MIT’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, at Energizing@MIT: the MIT Energy Initiative’s (MITEI) Annual Research Conference that was held on Sept. 9-10. […]

Read More

Trump Reverses Tariffs On Coffee, Bananas And Other Foods In Response As Prices Soar

TOPSHOT – A man harvests coffee during the end of the annual crop season at Lira farm in Santa Clara district, Porciúncula municipality, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil on July 21, 2025. (Photo by PABLO PORCIUNCULA/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images Earlier this year, President Donald J. Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on food […]

Read More

Misnamed GAIN AI Act Would Deprive Nvidia, AMD Of Much More Than China

PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 03: A black Hermès Birkin handbag in box calf leather with gold-tone hardware is displayed on a glass shelf under spotlight lighting, highlighting the luxurious texture and classic structure of the iconic model. Photographed during a fashion and luxury goods auction preview at Sotheby’s on July 03, 2025 in Paris, France. […]

Read More

When Classical Money Arrives Again, Housing Will Be Affordable For All

Buying this is supposed to be a major decision? Fairfax, DE: Residence Section. Undated photo. Bettmann Archive Buy low, sell high—the axiom of investment. The complaint that today regular people cannot afford homes, it means that they are skittish about buying high. This is exactly what people should be. One does not buy high, according […]

Read More

Can A 5% Wealth Tax On 200 Billionaires Save—Or Sink—California?”

transparent united states of america state flag of california with dollar currency in background symbolizing political, economical and social government getty Californians have recently proposed the so-called “2026 Billionaire Tax Act”. Under this act, California will institute a one-time 5% wealth tax on California billionaires. The purpose of this act is to address the mounting […]

Read More

Unhappy Merchants, Meet Your Visa And MasterCard Gift Horse

Debit And Credit Cards, Visa Barclays Connect Natwest Switch American Express Mastercard. (Photo by Jeff Overs/BBC News & Current Affairs via Getty Images) BBC News & Current Affairs via Getty Images Merchants reliant on credit card transactions have lost the proverbial plot. In a two-decade battle with Visa and MasterCard largely over exchange fees, they’ve […]

Read More

After Missouri Ends Capital Gains Tax, Illinois Hikes Business Taxes

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks at a news conference October 06, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Getty Images Illinois lawmakers’ recent attempt to tax unrealized capital gains ultimately came up short. However, at the end of October, the Illinois Legislature sent another tax hike to Governor J.B. Pritzker’s (D) desk in […]

Read More

Will Mamdani’s Proposed Millionaire Tax Save Or Sink New York City?

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 04: New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani celebrates as he takes the stage at his election night watch party at the Brooklyn Paramount on November 4, 2025 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) Getty Images What would be the […]

Read More