Can America Win The Chips Manufacturing Race?

President Biden just awarded $8.5 billion dollars to the company Intel to help fund semiconductor factories in Arizona, Ohio, New Mexico, and Oregon.

At a visit to Intel’s campus outside Phoenix this week, Biden said the money will help semiconductor manufacturing make a comeback in the US after 40 years.

The money for Intel comes from the CHIPS and Science Act, which was signed in 2022 to boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing. The administration’s goal? For 20% of the world’s leading-edge semiconductor chips to be made on American soil by 2030.

The US currently makes zero of the world’s leading-edge semiconductor chips. By 2030, the Biden administration wants to make a fifth of them. So how will America get there?

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Is Netanyahu’s Endgame Achievable?

Next week representatives of the Israeli government are scheduled to fly from Tel Aviv to Washington, DC. When they arrive, they’ll head to the White House, where they’ll meet with representatives of the US government.

On the agenda – the next steps in Israel’s war against Hamas. The meeting comes as famine is imminent for roughly 300-thousand Palestinians in Northern Gaza.

At the same time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seems to be losing US support. Still, Netanyahu insists that Israel won’t stop until it has achieved, quote, “total victory.” But what does that mean – and how close is Israel to achieving that?

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What Another Putin Term Means For Ukraine

Vladimir Putin has ruled Russia for a quarter century. This weekend’s election results confirmed that he will reign for another six years.

Putin’s hold on the Kremlin gives him control of the world’s largest nuclear arsenal and a military that’s been at war in Ukraine for more than two years, ever since he launched an invasion in February 2022.

That war has killed or wounded hundreds of thousands of Russian and Ukrainian soldiers, but despite these losses, the Russian military is pressing forward.

Ukraine faces the stark prospect of a fight in which key US military assistance is in question. So what will six more years of Vladimir Putin mean for the war in Ukraine? And where do both militaries stand at this point in that brutal war?

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NATO Positions Itself For War

When Russia’s war in Ukraine began over two years ago, neighboring countries feared that they could be next.

And NATO asked itself – was it prepared to defend its territory if war arrived on its doorstep?

The answer was no.

So, its military chief decided it was time to ramp up NATO’s strategy and revive its military headquarters.

And for the first time this spring, NATO will exercise brand new war plans to prepare for the worst.

The plan comes as Donald Trump makes another run at the White House, and expresses skepticism about NATO along the way. Can NATO take on Russia if American support for the alliance doesn’t hold?

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What Do We Understand About Long COVID?

This week marks four years since the outbreak of Covid-19 was officially declared a pandemic. One of the most vexing legacies — one that science still hasn’t solved — is long Covid. That’s the debilitating condition that can develop in the aftermath of an infection.

Millions of Americans are living with the often debilitating symptoms that can include brain fog, shortness of breath, and low energy. Some struggle with simple daily living tasks like laundry and cooking.

Four years since the pandemic hit, patients with long Covid are still fighting for answers.

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You’re Not Imagining It; Shrinkflation Is Real

Here’s one sign that shrinkflation is no longer just a topic for economics nerds.

Cookie Monster recently complained on social media that his favorite food was getting smaller. “Me hate shrinkflation!” the fuzzy blue monster declared. “Guess me going to have to eat double da cookies!”

President Biden promised to sign a bill banning it during his State of the Union address.

Shrinkflation isn’t new.

It’s been happening for years. But people seem to be paying more attention right now amidst high food prices and inflation. And the White House is clearly aware of that.

After years of rising prices, many Americans are fed up with paying more and getting less. Will the pendulum ever swing back?

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