First-time homebuyers face hurdles despite gradual improvement
While affordability has improved slightly, first-time buyers still face a shortage of starter homes, with the median buyer age hitting 40 as families turn to multi-generational living.
Tim Henderson
Articles by Tim Henderson
Measles, whooping cough spike amid low vaccination rates
The U.S. is on track to lose measles elimination status gained in 2000, as South Carolina and Utah battle the largest outbreaks in decades.
Some immigrants face indefinite detention, likely leading to Supreme Court case
As appeals courts split on the constitutionality of mandatory detention for millions of immigrants, the U.S. Supreme Court is likely to decide the matter. A Trump administration policy threatening imprisonment…
States that once led in child vaccination fall as they expand exemptions
Childhood vaccination rates are declining across the U.S. as 33 states fell below herd immunity thresholds in 2024-25, up from 28 before the pandemic. Mississippi and West Virginia lost their national leadership positions after introducing religious exemptions.
States go their own way as RFK Jr. shifts federal vaccine policy
States reject new federal guidance cutting childhood vaccines, forming alliances and passing laws to protect school requirements, insurance coverage, and public health standards.
Measles cases rise amid holiday travel
Measles cases hit 1,958 across 43 states, the highest in 33 years, putting the U.S. at risk of losing its eradication status amid falling vaccination rates.
Delayed jobs report: Unemployment ticks up to 4.6%, jobs up 64K
A delayed federal report shows the U.S. gained 64,000 jobs in November, rebounding from October losses, while unemployment climbed to 4.6%.
Unemployment rose in half the states in September
A shutdown-delayed federal report shows unemployment rose in most states in September, with the national rate climbing to 4.4% and wide variation across the country.
Trump allows more foreign ag workers, eases off ICE raids on farms
The Trump administration is expanding H-2A farm visas, lowering guest-worker wages, and quietly reducing agricultural ICE raids as growers face labor shortages and rising costs, drawing criticism from farmworker advocates.
Young homebuyers lose more ground in housing market as states struggle to help
A new report from the National Association of Realtors shows first-time homebuyers have been priced out of the market at record levels, with their share falling to 21% — the lowest in more than four decades.
Overdose deaths are down nationally, but up in many Western states
Despite an encouraging national dip in the past year, overdose deaths are still on the rise in many Western states as the epicenter of the nation’s continuing crisis shifts toward…
Haitian immigrants find new footholds, and familiar backlash, in the Midwest, South
Fortified with work authorizations and a new freedom, Haitian immigrants are moving out of their longtime strongholds in Florida and New York, often finding good jobs while remaining wary of…
