August 2021 - Newshacker

Why Kathy Hochul Should Reconsider AirTrain LaGuardia

Welcome to Infrastructure Spotlight, a new series on Newshacker Blog examining major U.S. infrastructure projects in-depth. We’re back in New York today discussing the AirTrain LaGuardia.

Now that Andrew Cuomo is no longer governor of New York, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul is now in charge of all the problems plaguing the U.S.’s largest city and fourth-largest state. That includes all the problems the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is facing and all the other infrastructure projects currently under construction, such as East Side Access. One major thorn Hochul will have to fix is AirTrain LaGuardia.

Could Afghanistan’s Collapse Reshape American Politics?

Almost 20 years after it began, America’s “Forever War” in Afghanistan is finally coming to an end. It comes after former President Donald Trump began peace talks late into his term and President Joe Biden affirmed that decision to pull U.S. troops out by Sept. 11. Yet, that decision to pull out left Afghanistan in. a state of uncertainty. In just two weeks, the Taliban swept into power across much of the country and took over the capital, Kabul, rendering America’s 20-year-long war effort an utter waste with the surrender of the Afghan National Security Forces, resulting in the “Afghanistan collapse.”

Andrew Cuomo Resigns Over Sexual Harassment Scandal

Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation on Tuesday, August 10, effective in two weeks’ time. Cuomo announced his resignation amid a slew of sexual harassment allegations and the New York attorney general releasing a report that found he sexually harassed 11 women. Had he not resigned, Cuomo would have faced near-certain impeachment from the Democratic state legislature.

Senate Passes Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and Preps For Partisan Bill

The Senate has finally passed the bipartisan infrastructure bill negotiated months ago and was at once on the brink of failure on Tuesday. The package includes $1.2 trillion of new spending on physical infrastructure, $550 billion of which is new spending. In a related move, Senate Democrats on early Wednesday morning passed a budget resolution allowing them to proceed on a $3.5 trillion partisan economic, infrastructure, and investment package.

Regional Connector: A Light Rail Tunnel Through Downtown Los Angeles

Welcome to Infrastructure Spotlight, a new series on Newshacker Blog examining major U.S. infrastructure projects in-depth. After visiting New York in the first post of this series, today we’ll be heading over to the West Coast to discuss the Regional Connector project in Los Angeles.

Mass transit in Los Angeles is fairly lackluster. A car is required to get around the city efficiently, and there are still many areas not served by the city’s subway and light rail network. However, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, or LA Metro, is looking to change that. The Regional Connector, a light rail tunnel project under construction in Downtown Los Angeles, is the first step of that plan.

New York’s East Side Access Project Explained

Welcome to Infrastructure Spotlight, a new series on Newshacker Blog examining major U.S. infrastructure projects in-depth. The inaugural post is about East Side Access, a major passenger railroad project in New York City.

New York City is the American city with the highest mass transit ridership, with almost 57 percent of commuters making use of transit. This represents about one-third of all U.S. transit riders and two-thirds of all rail riders make trips to or from New York City. Therefore, it is important that the city’s railroad infrastructure is kept in good shape.

The Most Competitive Races of the 2022 Senate Elections

Though they are still more than a year away, the 2022 Senate elections are already shaping up to be one of the most competitive cycles, with many states expected to be battlegrounds. The result of the 2022 Senate elections will be a key indicator of the popularity of the Biden administration and will determine the balance of power between the parties in Washington.