Only 22% of American high school seniors performed at the proficient level in math in 2024, and only 35% did so in reading, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the federal assessment known as the Nation’s Report Card. Put the other way, roughly 78% of 12th graders are not proficient in math and 65% are not proficient...
October 16, 2026
LATEST NEWS
Kratom, Ketamine and the Campus Drug Gap
Introduction Two college stories have dominated campus news this fall, and both have been described as drug stories. They involve two different drugs. At the University of Mississippi, two students died on Sept. 21, 2026, in separate incidents. Kratom-derived pills were found at both scenes. Court records disclosed at an Oct. 9 federal hearing say toxicology found the same three...
Who Signed the Omar Warrant? The Court Record Doesn’t Back Either Side
Federal agents searched Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Washington, D.C., home on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, under a judicially authorized warrant. Within a day, a second fight broke out over who signed it. Conservative commentators have named U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew J. Sharbaugh as the likely signer. Their argument: if a judge they describe as a Democrat approved the search, the evidence...
FEATURED STORIES
Most High School Seniors Aren’t Proficient in Math or Reading. Here’s Where the Jobs Are and What They Demand
Only 22% of American high school seniors performed at the proficient level in math in 2024, and only 35% did...
Kratom, Ketamine and the Campus Drug Gap
Introduction Two college stories have dominated campus news this fall, and both have been described as drug stories. They involve...
Who Signed the Omar Warrant? The Court Record Doesn’t Back Either Side
Federal agents searched Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Washington, D.C., home on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, under a judicially authorized warrant. Within...
France Now Pays More to Borrow Than Greece. Here’s Why the Bond Market Flipped.
Intro Fourteen years ago, Greece was the country investors would not lend to. In March 2012, Greek 10-year bonds yielded...
100 Shots in Bloomington: Somali Gangs, Midterm Politics and What the Data Shows
Introduction The short answer: both. The violence is real and documented by police chiefs and sheriffs across the political spectrum....
Are Junk Food Stocks Ready to Collapse or Has the Market Already Priced In the Risk?
Four forces are pressing on the companies that make America’s chips, candy, soda and boxed meals at the same time....
The Unrealized Gains Tax Americans Already Pay
A homeowner who bought a house 15 years ago and never sold it has realized no gain. No cash has...
The Algorithm Behind the Menu: How AI Pricing Engines Set What You Pay for Lunch
Two Miles, Two Prices In Fresno, California, a company-run McDonald’s sold a Big Mac for $5.69 in September. Another company-run...