5 questions every presidential candidate should answer: ISIS edition

While the roots of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, ISIS, Daesh) may predate the Iraq War, it was its rapid conquest of Mosul, Tikrit and other Sunni Arab-populated areas in Iraq that brought it to the forefront of the policy debate. At first, the White House dismissed ISIS...

Lessons for Social Security reform from Canada: Part 2

Canadian parents save less for retirement than Canadians without kids. And it’s probably deliberate. In my previous column, I focused on a new study from Canada’s Fraser Institute, which found that when taxes were increased to help fund the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), Canadian households reduced their own personal saving on a nearly dollar-for-dollar basis. That result implies that expanding Social...

Middle-class incomes haven’t been flat for 30 years. In fact, here’s why they may have doubled

When economists — and the Obama White House — talk about middle-class income stagnation, they are often referring to Census Bureau data showing median household income — adjusted for inflation — rose less than 10% from 1984 through 2013, just less than 0.3% per year. That stinks. Shutterstock.com But...

Think about this: The US ranks 46th in how easy it is to start a company

The White House this week gave some welcome focus to the unhelpful rise of job licenses. In “The land of free markets, tied down by red tape,” the FT’s Gillian Tett notes that issue but also highlights the difficulty in starting a business here: Every nation needs a unifying idea. Americans love...

Iran deal aftermath: Wolfowitz on Fox Business Network’s ‘Cavuto Coast to Coast’

Scholar Paul Wolfowitz discusses the next steps for the Iran deal and more Clinton emails being released on Fox Business Network's 'Cavuto Coast to Coast.' from AEI » Latest Content http://ift.tt/1MCkC...

Lost Decade? The US is about to have its first 10-year period since World War II with at least one year of 3% growth

Two views of the anemic US economy. For starters, you have the Labor Department’s employment-cost index, a broad measure of workers’ wages and benefits. It rose just 0.2% in the second quarter from the first quarter. That marked the smallest quarterly gain since record keeping began...

Hedge fund snake oil for Puerto Rico

The prospects for an early resolution to Puerto Rico’s debt crisis do not appear to be good. For judging by this week’s report commissioned by hedge fund owners of Puerto Rican bonds, the hedge funds seem to be arguing that Puerto Rico does not have a government debt problem. Indeed, they appear to be arguing that all that Puerto Rico needs to do is to fully implement the budget austerity and structural...

America’s economy is doing much better than you think

You could be forgiven for thinking that America’s disappointing economic recovery is even worse than we thought. Shutterstock.com After all, GDP growth, adjusted for inflation, increased at an annual average of just 2 percent over the past two years, according to revised government figures released...

New York Times: The right minimum wage is $0.00 per hour

From the New York Times editorial “The Right Minimum Wage: $0.00“: There’s a virtual consensus among economists that the minimum wage is an idea whose time has passed. Raising the minimum wage by a substantial amount would price working poor people out of the job market. A far better way to help them would be to subsidize their wages or – better yet – help them acquire the skills needed to earn more...

Huckabee’s Hitler comparison that wasn’t

It’s been a hard time for politicians not named “Trump” to get any attention, but Mike Huckabee managed it. He did it by comparing Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler. Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee speaks to the 42nd annual meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council in San Diego,...

Quote of the day from ‘The Conservative Heart’

As he concludes his book, “The Conservative Heart,” AEI President Arthur C. Brooks calls on his fellow conservatives to show America their true colors and — by winning hearts, elections, and debates — to promote free enterprise in our nation and the world: The world needs us to stop losing. There are too many people in America who are being left behind. There are too many people overseas...

New polling problems for Hillary Clinton: Thiessen on Fox News’ ‘The Kelly File’

Fellow Marc Thiessen discusses Hillary Clinton's email scandal on Fox News' 'The Kelly File' from AEI » Latest Content http://ift.tt/1eG8S...

NBCUniversal is expected to make big investments in BuzzFeed and Vox Media

You might have heard: Comcast’s NBCUniversal was scouting out several new media companies as it tries to reach younger audiences who watch less traditional television (Wall Street Journal) But did you know: NBCUniversal is close to a deal to invest $250 million in BuzzFeed. It’s also expected to invest in Vox Media in a deal that could value Vox at $850 million. The investments in BuzzFeed and Vox...

How news organizations integrate Slack into their workflow

Work chatroom software Slack is breaking down walls in newsrooms between editorial and product teams, Laura Hazard Owen writes. Vox Media product director Lauren Rabaino says that using Slack keeps everyone’s workflows and projects transparent, but it also fosters a sense of camaraderie across teams. Fusion editor-in-chief Alexis Madrigal says: “You can get immediate feedback on something, but if...

Trinity Mirror tests an ad format that asks users to interact with an ad halfway through an article

Trinity Mirror is experimenting with “FreeWall,” an ad format that asks users to interact with an ad halfway through an article before they can read further. Users on both desktop and mobile will be asked to interact with the FreeWall ads, and they can continue reading free of charge afterward. FreeWall ads will be shown to users once a month in exchange for free access to content for the next month....

Why Vine became part of the entertainment industry rather than ‘Instagram for video’

When Vine launched two years ago, it was expected to be the “Instagram for video,” but it’s ended up more as part of the entertainment industry as it attracts content creators who are looking to entertain rather than share parts of their life. With that shift, Vine has changed its focus to support those creators as well as users who are interacting with Vines rather than posting their own. Among the...

Why NPR is having an internal debate over cursing on-air

While many news organizations wrestle with how to deal with coarse language, NPR is in the midst of an internal debate on how to handle vulgar or profane language. Its use of profane language could not only upset listeners but get it into trouble with the FCC, Paul Farhi writes. NPR’s basic rules say to avoid using obscene language on-air or in podcasts except when it’s conveying something newsworthy...

Why NPR is having an internal debate over cursing on-air

While many news organizations wrestle with how to deal with coarse language, NPR is in the midst of an internal debate on how to handle vulgar or profane language. Its use of profane language could not only upset listeners but get it into trouble with the FCC, Paul Farhi writes. NPR’s basic rules say to avoid using obscene language on-air or in podcasts except when it’s conveying something newsworthy...

How mobile ad blocking in iOS 9 may force a shift by web advertisers and publishers

When print advertising began to change, print newspapers were forced to evolve, Charles Arthur writes, and web publishers may be forced to do the same once mobile ad blocking is available in Apple’s iOS 9. Arthur says the future of digital advertising may be in the form of sponsored content: “If the site generates the ad, it’s suddenly a lot harder to block.” The post How mobile ad blocking in iOS...

Need to Know: July 31, 2015

Fresh useful insights for people advancing quality, innovative and sustainable journalism OFF THE TOP You might have heard: Comcast’s NBCUniversal was scouting out several new media companies as it tries to reach younger audiences who watch less traditional television (Wall Street Journal) But did you know: NBCUniversal is expected to make big investments in BuzzFeed and Vox Media (Re/code) NBCUniversal...

Medicare beyond age 50: Lessons for the future

As Medicare reaches age 50, we see periodic signs of limited efforts to move beyond its youthful exuberance as a full-fledged pay-as-you-go, fee-for-service, universal entitlement program and toward a somewhat more market-oriented direction. Most notably, the last decade since the passage of the Medicare...

Double standard for e-cigarettes vs. medical marijuana

Did you read about the new review paper on medical marijuana published in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association? In case you missed it, the paper gave a less-than-ringing endorsement of marijuana’s therapeutic benefits. Shutterstock.com I was surprised by the anemic media coverage....

Medicare at 50: Did it solve the right problems without creating new ones?

Today’s 50th anniversary salutes to the enactment of the Medicare program on July 30, 1965 will emphasize how much Medicare changed the world of health insurance coverage and medical care for Americans over age 65. A closer look at the program’s origins and early history certainly confirms its primary...

The week in fact-checking: Hey, how much for that fact check?

The American Press Institute presents a roundup from the world of fact checking, debunking and truth telling — just in case you haven’t been paying as much attention as we do. Quote of the week “I’ll summarize my prescription in four words: Less speed. More transparency.” — New York Times public editor...

Happy 103rd birthday, Milton Friedman

Tomorrow is Milton Friedman’s birthday — he was born on July 31 in 1912 and would have been 103 years old tomorrow. Unfortunately, Milton died on November 16, 2006 when he was 94 years old. In an editorial in the Wall Street Journal following Professor Friedman’s death, they reported his loss with...