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Dissecting stress to improve your life.
Illustration: Rebecca Zisser / Axios
Cities across the country are falling over themselves to score the winning ticket in the biggest local lottery ticket — Amazon's second North American Headquarters. Today’s the deadline for them to submit proposals. But luring Amazon's promised 50,000 jobs comes with costs that may outweigh the benefits for some cities.
Why cities care: Mayors see dollar signs in Amazon's pledge to bring 50,000 jobs that pay an average salary of $100,000 to the winning city. They know "HQ2" will instantly put even the most obscure city on the map as a tech hub that will attract more businesses and talent. But an influx of people brings higher costs, and probably only marginal increases in local taxes thanks to the tax breaks most cities are prepared to offer.
The cost of tax credits: As Axios' David McCabe reported last month, bids for Amazon's new HQ could reach upward of $10 billion in tax breaks and other incentives. That high price tag could undercut a locality's ability to fund good public schools, hospitals and infrastructure — the very qualities Amazon is looking for.
The cost of population growth: 50,000 high-paying jobs are attractive to any city council. But they sometimes don't factor in the associated costs of population growth.
Startup focus: Cities who don't win the bid could consider putting that money and incentives toward investing in startups that trigger more organic job growth. "So hopefully the losers will keep fighting and use this process to be winners," said Steve Case, CEO of Revolution, a venture capital firm.
Photo: J. Scott Applewhite / AP
Dear Leader McConnell:
The 115th Congress is being disrupted by sustained, partisan obstruction. We believe our conference must be willing to change how the Senate operates both by tradition and by rule.
We appreciate your acknowledging our concerns and applaud your plan to work nights and weekends when necessary to overcome this gridlock. You have our full support to turn the Senate on full time, 24/7, to advance the president's agenda, including a meaningful health care solution, bold changes to our tax code, and funding the government by year's end.
As you know, one glaring example of this unprecedented obstruction is the minority party's perversion of Senate rules to undercut the confirmation process of the administration's nominees and judicial appointments. When new presidents are elected, they have always been given an opportunity to put their team in place in short order. Historically, this is not just a common courtesy, it is an expectation of Americans to have a seamless transition of power resulting in a functioning federal government.
It is abundantly clear that the tactics employed by the minority are designed to imperil the new administration and its agenda. Overcoming this obstruction will require a real commitment on our part. An aggressive work calendar, as you have proposed, which should include nights and weekends, will enable administration and judicial nominees to be confirmed more quickly.
You have our pledge to be available for voting day and night and we offer our time to preside over the Senate when necessary to keep us on track. Given the unprecedented obstruction by our colleagues across the aisle, we hope you will also take a renewed look at the rules governing executive branch nominations.
Our conference should always remember that we are fighting for hardworking Americans. In their daily lives, when there is work to be done – whether on assembly lines, in the fields of family farms, fishing in our bountiful waters, or standing in harm's way – everyday Americans do what it takes to get the job done. We owe them the same unrelenting effort in the job they gave us to do.
The senators: Daines, Ernst, Heller, Johnson, Kennedy, Perdue, Rounds, Strange, Wicker
Alexander and Murray may have another chance in December. Photo: J. Scott Applewhite / AP
Yes, the Senate's bipartisan Affordable Care Act bill ran into some political roadblocks yesterday. The White House said President Trump, who had taken several positions over the course of the day, is against it. House Speaker Paul Ryan is also against it. And conservatives are against it.
Why it doesn't matter: The story of the Alexander-Murray bill likely won't be over until December, when Congress has to take care of several must-pass bills, in negotiations where Democrats have a lot of leverage.
The catch: The Alexander-Murray bill would guarantee funding for the ACA's cost-sharing subsidies, but it doesn't provide for retroactive payments. So if the bill did pass in December, insurers wouldn't get any help with the financial hit they'll take between now and then. And those losses alone could total $1 billion.
In the meantime, look for Alexander and Murray to roll out a new, bipartisan roster of cosponsors today, along with the official introduction of their bill.
Illustration: Rebecca Zisser / Axios
Cities across the country are falling over themselves to score the winning ticket in the biggest local lottery ticket — Amazon's second North American Headquarters. Today’s the deadline for them to submit proposals. But luring Amazon's promised 50,000 jobs comes with costs that may outweigh the benefits for some cities.
Why cities care: Mayors see dollar signs in Amazon's pledge to bring 50,000 jobs that pay an average salary of $100,000 to the winning city. They know "HQ2" will instantly put even the most obscure city on the map as a tech hub that will attract more businesses and talent. But an influx of people brings higher costs, and probably only marginal increases in local taxes thanks to the tax breaks most cities are prepared to offer.
The cost of tax credits: As Axios' David McCabe reported last month, bids for Amazon's new HQ could reach upward of $10 billion in tax breaks and other incentives. That high price tag could undercut a locality's ability to fund good public schools, hospitals and infrastructure — the very qualities Amazon is looking for.
The cost of population growth: 50,000 high-paying jobs are attractive to any city council. But they sometimes don't factor in the associated costs of population growth.
Startup focus: Cities who don't win the bid could consider putting that money and incentives toward investing in startups that trigger more organic job growth. "So hopefully the losers will keep fighting and use this process to be winners," said Steve Case, CEO of Revolution, a venture capital firm.
A North Korean soldier looks south from the Demilitarized Zone. Photo: Lee Jin-man / AP
A new NBC News/SurveyMonkey poll finds that 72% of Americans are concerned that the U.S. will be fighting a major war in the next four years, with the majority of respondents saying North Korea poses the greatest threat. Meanwhile, 26% said they are not too worried or not at all worried.
Worth noting: The share of Americans who perceive North Korea as a looming threat is up 13 percentage points since July. Of survey respondents, 94% see North Korea as unfriendly or as an enemy.
One more thing: A majority (53%) of respondents do not support the Iran deal, while 39% approve of the agreement. When asked to judge how President Trump is handling Iran, 55% said they disapprove or strongly disapprove.
We're standing at the starting line of a new space race, one that could trigger a gold rush-like hunt for resources. Companies are lining up to launch space mining missions, and countries are passing laws to allow them. There's just one problem: Under some interpretations of the 50-year-old Outer Space Treaty, which was signed by almost 100 countries, none of this is legal.
The bottom line: In the past, the answer to the question "who owns space?" was easy: everyone and no one. Soon, that might not be true.
Where it stands: Goldman Sachs thinks we should prospect asteroids for platinum. Companies like Planetary Resources and Deep Space Industries hope to launch space mining missions before 2030. Luxembourg passed a law legalizing such operations this past summer, as did the United States in 2015.
The Outer Space Treaty's primary goal is to keep weapons of mass destruction out of space. But it also declares there will be no military bases in space, that there will be free access for all countries to all parts of space, and — this is key — bans "national appropriation" of parts of space.
"The outer space treaty is one of those treaties that's so ambiguous, the debate isn't about what it says. It's what we want it to say," says Michael Listner, an attorney and founder of the think-tank Space Law and Policy Solutions.
The details: "The trillion dollar question" is what qualifies as national appropriation, says Listner. The United States believes individuals can extract materials from space without violating the spirit of the treaty. But other countries, like Russia, disagree.
Right now, says Listner, there is no consensus on the legality of prospecting space resources. Countries like the United States and Luxembourg are "posturing" by passing laws legalizing space mining.
The Outer Space Treaty essentially sets up space as a global commons. There are two ways to interpret that in Earth terms:
Yes, but: The debate currently focuses on whether or not corporations and individuals can extract resources — a question Listner says is still legally murky. But if NASA were to go mining, "that would be an entirely different story," says Listner. That would constitute national appropriations.
Ethical considerations: Asteroids can be vastly mineral-rich resources. Could space mining exacerbate existing gaps between mineral-rich, space-capable countries and those without? It's a concern that's been raised regularly at the U.N.'s Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.
Two ethical models: the moon and Antarctica
Although the circumstances surrounding space and Antarctica are different, it stands as an example of how the countries of Earth can act cooperatively in such a way. Indeed, when Eisenhower first proposed the Outer Space Treaty, the Antarctic Treaty was the inspiration. And people inhabit Antarctica year-round, in the same way they might one day inhabit the extraterrestrial bodies.
Over decades, voyages into space have become trans-national efforts. From the ISS to Cassini to China and Europe's joint moon mission, we hold space exploration as an example of what humanity can accomplish via cooperation. As privatized, commercial space exploration becomes more common, the question is whether we'll still see it that way.
Cases of Hepatitis C have almost tripled in the past few years, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention — an effect of the opioid crisis and the unsanitary use of needles by drug users. There were 2,436 reported cases of the liver disease in 2015, up from 853 cases in 2010.
Data: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Chart: Chris Canipe / Axios
Why it matters: Hepatitis C can be deadly if not treated, and treatment can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Americans will be paying for the opioid crisis for years to come, with the total tab coming to an estimated $100 billion.
"If we don't cure a significant number of the people who are injecting, in 20 years from now, the hospitals in this part of the world will be flooded with these people with end-stage liver disease, which has no cure," Judith Feinberg, professor at the West Virginia University School of Medicine, told the Washington Post.
Political solutions: There have been some state and local efforts to establish "syringe exchanges," which offer drug users clean syringes as a way to prevent the spread of Hepatitis C. These controversial programs are now legal in some states like North Carolina, New Hampshire and Vermont, but have recently been shut down in counties in Utah and Indiana.
Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP
A Mississippi elementary school will be changing its name from Davis Magnet International Baccalaureate Elementary — after Confederate leader Jefferson Davis — to the Barack Obama Magnet International Baccalaureate Elementary.
Why it matters: PTA President Janelle Jefferson said Obama was the "number one choice" among the students. Jake McGraw, public policy coordinator of the University of Mississippi's Institute for Racial Reconciliation, told NBC News the students' choice "shows that we don't need to shy away from exploring these controversial topics."
Madut Quat wears a T-shirt depicting Barack Obama as he stands in the overcrowded United Nations' protected camp in Wau, South Sudan. Photo: AP
The U.S. government may have broken its own law by providing support to the South Sudanese military, which has displaced over a million people in what the U.N. labeled "ethnic cleansing," according to an AP investigation. Per the AP, this is the "largest exodus of civilians in Africa since the Rwanda genocide in 1994."
Why it matters: A U.S. Defense Department official, Kate Almquist Knopf, told the AP this is happening "on America's watch." South Sudan's government received over $1 billion a year in support under both the Bush and Obama administrations. And in 2016, a letter from President Obama to Congress allowed training for the South Sudanese army, which "circumvented a law blocking U.S. support for countries that use child soldiers," the AP reports.
What happened:
Photo: Evan Vucci / AP
President Trump has begun calling House Republicans to urge them to pass the Senate budget without going to conference, according to three sources familiar with the calls.
A typical Blue Apron package. Photo: Bree Fowler / AP
Blue Apron, the meal kit company that went public earlier this year, announced on Wednesday that's its cutting about 6% of its staff company-wide, according to a new SEC filing. The layoffs will cost the company $3.5 million in expenses such as severance packages.
Background: Blue Apron, which ships individually packaged kits for preparing meals, has been struggling since it went public in June. Shortly after, Amazon announced its plans to start selling meal kits, and at last two groups of shareholders later filed lawsuits against Blue Apron, alleging it misled investors about its business before going public.
Dissecting stress to improve your life.