Washington Post
Reporter for Wonkblog, covering economic affairs for the Washington Post; former senior associate editor at The Atlantic, covering business and economics
PROFILE
Matthew O'Brien
Guest
FROM Matthew O'Brien
To the Point
The Lure of the Lotto and Its Impact on the Poor States establish lotteries as a means of funding public services, including education, environmental protection and crime control. Best of all, of course, they're voluntary. But it turns out that most of the money they take in every year comes from the poorest Americans. Powerball is shared by 44 states, with drawings on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The chance of winning that "guaranteed jackpot?" One in 175,223,510. It's not great odds -- but just one of the games that add up to $70 billion a year. Thanks to Sarah Sween for production assistance.
To the Point
Is Income Inequality Here to Stay? "All societies are unequal, but some are more unequal than others." So, "why has the US become more so than just about any other rich country in the past 30 years?" That question is raised by The Atlantic's Matthew O'Brien, in the aftermath of new figures released by the same economists who brought attention to the income gap and gave birth to the occupy movement. Those figures show that America's "1%" took more than a fifth of the nation's income last year — and the top 10% got half – something that's never happened in 100 years of data collection. But 99% have failed to see any boost at all from economic recovery. Is it all about Wall Street and the decline of organized labor? What about access to education and the impact of globalization? Steps used in the past to even the playing field aren't popular any more. Will inequality lead to unrest, or are we all just getting used to it?
Recommended
To the Point
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
Left, Right & Center
How was the trip? President Trump's travels got less fun as he went from the Middle East to Europe.
To the Point
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?