Policy Archives - Page 2 of 29 - The Westside Story

UK becomes the first nation to declare a ‘climate emergency’

May 2, 2019

British MPs have passed a motion to declare an “environment and climate emergency,” making the nation’s legislature the first in the world to do so, according to the Independent. “We pledge to work as closel...

Plans for Alaskan oil drilling ignore climate change realities, say experts within the interior department

West Side Story

Apr 25, 2019

Environment, Policy, Science

Disagreement over the effects of climate change have led to criticism from within the US Interior department over the Trump administration’s plan to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), ...

Nutrition policies need broad-based solutions that address food access issues

West Side Story

Apr 16, 2019

Health, Opinion, Policy, Science

One in five deaths worldwide stem from unhealthy diets, according to a large-scale study published last week in The Lancet. Deaths stemming from poor diets total 11 million each year, including deaths from hear...

New York state sues Sackler family over their role in the opioid crisis

West Side Story

Mar 31, 2019

Health, Policy, Science

New York state is suing members of the Sackler family, which owns Purdue Pharmaceuticals, for their role in the nation’s opioids crisis, according to The Guardian. The move follows the company’s $270 million pa...

FTC calls on broadband providers to reveal data privacy practices

West Side Story

Mar 30, 2019

Policy, Science

For the first time since the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) repealed net neutrality last year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is moving to exercise oversight over broadband providers, with a foc...

In labeling harmful tweets from public figures, Twitter aims to strike a delicate balance

West Side Story

Mar 28, 2019

Innovation, Opinion, Policy, Science

At several points during Trump’s time in office, critics have called on Twitter to intervene in the president’s habit of provoking and insulting his critics and opponents through tweets. Trump’s use of social m...

New York county bans unvaccinated children from public spaces

West Side Story

Mar 27, 2019

Health, Policy, Science

A New York county has banned unvaccinated minors from public places, in an unprecedented move aiming to contain a measles outbreak that has affected the area since October, according to CNN. Rockland County,...

In tying funding for research to his free speech order, Trump endangers both

West Side Story

Mar 24, 2019

Opinion, Policy, Science

On Thursday, President Trump signed an executive order requiring colleges and universities to certify that they are protecting free speech on campus in order to receive research grants from the federal governme...

Judge rules drilling projects must consider emissions, in blow to Trump’s energy policy

West Side Story

Mar 21, 2019

Environment, Policy, Science

A federal judge has issued a ruling against new drilling projects on public land, saying they had failed to account for greenhouse emissions, in the first major rebuke of the Trump administration’s push to incr...

Boeing’s 737 Max aircraft grounded in US, amid public pressure following crashes

West Side Story

Mar 14, 2019

Policy, Science, World

In the wake of two deadly crashes and increasing public pressure, US officials have decided to ban flights by the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, according to The New York Times. Since the crash of Ethiopian Airline...