Student Debt, Soybeans, and Smartphone Voting

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Student-Loan Debt Is Crushing Millennials

Noah Smith | Bloomberg | Tweeted by Brian Knight

New research shows that student loan debt now comprises nearly eight percent of US GDP and 45 percent of the federal government’s total financial assets while preventing borrowers from starting businesses, buying homes, or starting families.

Their Soybeans Piling Up, Farmers Hope Trade War Ends Before Beans Rot

Binyamin Appelbaum | The New York Times | Retweeted by Christine McDaniel

The biggest market for one of America’s most traded exports, soybeans, is in China. Recently imposed barriers have made it significantly more difficult for Chinese traders and consumers to purchase the US product, hurting American farming profits in return.

The Great Chinese Art Heist

Alex W. Palmer | GQ | Shared by Tyler Cowen

More than 10 million antiques have disappeared from China since 1840, and some looters potentially see it as their patriotic duty to get the pieces back.

America Has Shingles. A Divided Congress Could Be the Cure.

George Will | The Washington Post | Shared by Donald Boudreaux

What did Tuesday’s election results show about the changing dynamics of the American people? Columnist George Will argues that most of the transitions are necessary for the health of the nation in The Washington Post.

London Rooftops Snapped Up for "Vertiports" as Drone Travel Moves Closer

Marcus Fairs | DeZeen | Tweeted by Brent Skorup

Skyports is acquiring rooftop spaces across London for revolutionary aircraft that will take off and land sooner than you think.

Wall Street Says Fed Is in Denial About $4 Trillion Dilemma

Liz McCormick, Vivien Lou Chen, and Alex Harris | Bloomberg | Tweeted by David Beckworth

Some critics of the Federal Reserve claim that efforts to reduce the size of the Fed’s balance sheet could end up draining too much money from the banking system.

How Uber Exposed Decades of Flawed Taxi Regulations

Samuel Staley | InsideSources | Tweeted by Adam Millsap

New research found that many modern taxi regulations began during the Great Depression and controlled a major share of the ride-hailing market until a revealing disruption in 2009.

Why You Can't Buy a Tesla in These States

David Pogue | Yahoo Finance | Tweeted by Adam Thierer

Many states have legal or regulatory barriers to buying vehicles from Tesla Motors. Why are states imposing such hefty barriers for the innovative electric vehicle company to sell inside their borders?

“A Horrifically Bad Idea”: Smartphone Voting Is Coming, Just in Time for the Midterms

Maya Kosoff | Vanity Fair | Retweeted by Alex Tabarrok

A new company seeks to create election-voting software to let you vote from your phone. However, some security experts are very skeptical of the technology’s ability to verify identity.