Trump Recognizes Jerusalem as New Capital of Israel; Tax Plan Raises Concerns Among Grad Students; Suicide Prevention; Federal Grant for Small Business
Trump Recognizes Jerusalem as New Capital of Israel
President Trump recognized Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. The announcement upended decades of US policy and shows increasing signs of fueling unrest throughout the Arab world.
Intro Music: Europa and the Bull by The Olympians
Outro Music: Kinder Yorn by Pavel Levin
Tax Plan Raises Concerns Among Grad Students
The Republican tax plan is especially unpopular with are graduate students. Many grad students in the U.S. are given free tuition by their university in exchange for work as teaching assistants. But under the House version of the GOP tax plan, those tuition waivers would be counted as taxable income. This has outraged graduate students across the country, many of whom say the cost of a PhD will become unaffordable.
Outro Music: Friday Blues-Instrumental by Dalda
The federal government imposes strict requirements for disability access in public housing units, requirements it says Hawaii has failed to meet. A Department of Housing and Urban Development investigation into the Hawaii Housing Authority has revealed hundreds of violations.
Outro Music: Anyone by Keith Kenniff
Suicide Prevention
Hawaii has the 35th highest suicide rate of American states, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. That low ranking may seem like a cause to be optimistic, but it still translates into one death by suicide in Hawaii every two days.
Outro Music: Flicker - Instrumental Version by Atmosphere
Federal Grant for Small Business
Providing health care to employees is one of the struggles involved in running a small business in Hawaii and a recently announced federal grant is designed to make that challenge a little easier.
Outro Music: West Lake by Saib
