PPI and German partners announced a major initiative taking place over the next three years called the New Urban Progress Initiative. Friday, December 6th, 2019 ANNOUNCEMENT: The New Urban Progress Initiative to Foster Metro Problem-Solving At PPI, we have called for a renewed flexible federalism that will empower more localized innovation. It’s happening, to be sure. But local innovators need more support. To help — and to ensure that the next U.S. presidential administration respects and strengthens flexible federalism — PPI is proud to be part of the launch of the New Urban Progress initiative. Together with partner organizations in Germany, Das Progressive Zentrum and Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft, we are embarking on a three-year effort to study and catalyze metro-level innovation. We are grateful to have support for New Urban Progress from the Transatlantic Program of the Federal Republic of Germany, and funding from the European Recovery Program (ERP) of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy (BMWi). In Warren And Harris Falls, A Warning To Candidates About Overpromising The Warren bubble has burst. Two months ago, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren was rocketing to the top of the presidential polls, at one point tying former Vice President Joe Biden for first place nationally and leading in both Iowa and New Hampshire. But she’s been in free-fall for several weeks following the release of a controversial plan for financing Medicare for All, the single-payer health-care system championed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Where did it all go wrong? Some argue that Warren’s big mistake was in publishing any plan to pay for MFA at all. The reality, however, is that Warren isn’t falling because she planned too much, but rather because she didn’t plan carefully enough. Warren’s rise was powered in part by her decision to publish a series of plans on everything from college affordability to paid family leave. Read the full piece by Ben Ritz PPI’s Ben Ritz Talks Social Security with Ric Edelman Ben Ritz, Director of the Center for Funding America's Future The Director of PPI’s Center for Funding America’s Future, Ben Ritz, joined personal-finance advisor Ric Edelman on his nationally syndicated radio show to discuss the challenges facing Social Security, their role in the 2020 election, and PPI’s proposal to strengthen the program for future generations. Listen to the interview below and read our full plan here. LISTEN HERE Finding common ground on Net Neutrality Lindsay Lewis, Executive Director Some progressives insist on all-or-nothing over-regulation of the internet, while some conservatives contend that the best thing the federal government can do is nothing at all. Recent events make it even more urgent for the grownups to break the gridlock. READ MORE Trump Trade Deficit Widens to New Record Michael Mandel, Chief Economic Strategist Despite all his bluster, the “Trump Trade Deficit” widened to a new record in the third quarter of 2019. The non-oil merchandise trade deficit hit $1.047 trillion in the third quarter of 2019, in 2012 dollars (annual rate). That’s according to PPI calculations based on new data released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis on November 27. The latest trade deficit beat the previous record set in the fourth quarter of 2018, also under Trump. READ MORE PPI Metro Playbook - Columbia, South Carolina Over the final three decades of the 20th century, one of the defining features of American life was the abandonment and deterioration of historic urban centers. In cities large and small, from coast to coast, residents and dollars followed the interstate highways out of the old commercial downtowns and out to the suburbs. Columbia, S.C., may be an exceptional town in some respects – it is, after all, both a state capital and the home of the University of South Carolina – but even these enviable assets could not save it from the centrifugal forces that were leeching the vitality of Downtown U.S.A. during the Seventies and Eighties. College kids and civil servants weren’t enough to prevent Macy’s and other department stores from either decamping for the ‘burbs or shuttering entirely. READ THE FULL REPORT ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Progressive Policy Institute | 1200 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Suite 575, Washington, DC 20036 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | About Constant Contact Sent by [email protected] in collaboration with Try email marketing for free today!