PPI's Progress Report: Democrats’ big test on crime

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Progress Report

News, events, and must-read analysis from the Progressive Policy Institute.

Democrats’ big test on crime
By Will Marshall
PPI's President
For The Hill

What to do about an upsurge in violent crime has become a burning issue in America’s deep blue urban centers. That’s why Democrats are riveted on the April 4 runoff election that will pick Chicago’s next mayor.

It’s a duel between two Democrats with strikingly different outlooks on law and order. The outcome will go far in determining whether their party will rebuild its credibility on public safety or continue to let Republicans enjoy an unearned advantage on a potent issue.

The frontrunner, with 33 percent of the first-round vote, is Paul Vallas, a pragmatic Democrat who earned national renown as a reform-minded CEO of Chicago public schools. Finishing second with 21 percent was Brandon Johnson, a Cook Country commissioner who lines up with the progressive left.

Forward

New from the Experts

Daily on Energy: The powder keg that is US-China LNG trade ft. Paul Bledsoe, Strategic Advisor for PPI
⮕ The Washington Examiner

Inside the Biden team’s wild week on the environment, ft. Paul Bledsoe, Strategic Advisor for PPI
⮕ E&E News

Markose Butler, Community Outreach and Training Director for the Center for New Liberalism: To Retain the Support of Black Voters, Democrats Must Re-Embrace Charter Schools
⮕ The 74

How Biden Got From ‘No More Drilling’ to Backing a Huge Project in Alaska, ft. Paul Bledsoe, Strategic Advisor for PPI
⮕ The New York Times

Trade Fact of the Week: “Total column ozone counts” are rising.
⮕ PPI's Trade Fact of the Week

Joe Biden should stay above the populist anti-tech fray. This is why.
By Jeremiah Johnson
Co-Founder of PPI's Center for New Liberalism
For The USA Today Network

With his anti-innovation comments in the State of the Union, President Joe Biden officially joined the short-sighted, anti-tech fray, calling on lawmakers to pass the deceptively named American Innovation and Choice Online Act. That is the last thing America needs right now.

Conservatives and progressives that support this kind of legislation remain ready to take the populist hammer to America’s biggest tech companies, with little regard for the long-term consequences. Each has their own seemingly separate reasons, but many of these can be traced back to political vendettas. And for what? Do we really want to risk America’s national and economic security to settle a grudge?

Conservative ire is focused on content moderation. Social media platforms have often banned far-right extremist political content, claims that the 2020 election was stolen, or COVID-related conspiracies. As such, the conservative project to punish the tech titans is almost entirely about claims of "unfairness" to conservative voices on social media — regardless of the fact that social media algorithms often give an advantage to conservative content. In fact, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has openly supported AICOA on the grounds that it could stop platforms from banning apps like Parler, a breeding ground for conspiracies and hate speech.

Forward

The Biden Budget’s Medicare Mirage

By Ben Ritz
Director of PPI's Center for Funding America's Future
For Forbes

President Biden has used his budget proposal to Congress to position himself as a champion of Medicare and Social Security. Even before the budget’s official release, Biden took to the guest essay pages of the New York Times to outline his plans to tackle Medicare’s looming insolvency.

It’s good that the administration is at least acknowledging the need for action to shore up the finances of these vital social insurance programs and has offered a few concrete proposals to do so. But the specifics of his plan are both convoluted and problematic, and the large shortfalls that would remain even if the president could enact his policy wishlist make clear the need for policymakers to consider a much broader menu of options.

Forward

Happening Tomorrow!

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Listen Up

Radically Pragmatic:

Child Care, It is a Workforce Issue!

In this episode of the Radically Pragmatic podcast, PPI's Taylor Maag, the Director of Workforce Development Policy speaks with national and state leaders, Linda Smith from the Bipartisan Policy Center and Ashli Watts from the Kentucky Chamber on child care policy in our nation, how it is affecting women in the workforce and bold new solutions to address child care challenges at scale.

THE NEOLIBERAL PODCAST:

How Silicon Valley Bank Collapsed, ft. Joseph Politano

How did Silicon Valley Bank collapse, and what does it mean for the tech sector and the economy? Founder of apricitas.io Joseph Politano returns to the show to help Jeremiah explain what happened over the last week. How did the largest bank collapse of the last decade happen?

Staff Spotlight: Jordan Shapiro

Jordan Shapiro
Director of the Innovation Frontier Project

Jordan Shapiro is the Director of PPI's Innovation Frontier Project. She is a techno-optimist who believes that through ethical technology and data we can build effective governance ready to meet the exciting challenges of the modern era.

Prior to joining PPI, Jordan worked as a data and innovation research consultant supporting businesses and non-profits to understand the interplay between technology and public systems.

Jordan has a Master’s degree in International Politics from Aberystwyth University in Wales, UK. She has served on the young professional’s board of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council and is currently an SPRITE+ Expert Fellow and a member of the Turing Institute Digital Identity Interest Group.