A Recap of This Week’s Top News – July 7, 2023

Changes to policy, scientific discovery, and expert recommendations and opinions all have the power to rapidly influence the landscape of a sector. Whether you’re a leader at a non-profit, a member of a university’s marketing department, or a stakeholder for a public health agency, being informed about the latest industry happenings can be the difference between exceeding and falling short of organizational goals. At Hager Sharp, our experts vigorously scan media coverage to identify areas of opportunity. And now, with the introduction of the Sharp Round-Up, you too can review what we consider to be some of the top news of the week.

Below you will find a compilation of news spanning the health and education, labor, and economy sectors. This list includes mainstream, DC-focused, and trade publication coverage from Saturday, July 1, to Friday, July 7. Let these clips serve as a resource when developing thoughtful strategies and use them to further foster organizational innovation and adaptability.

Here’s what you need to know.

Mainstream News:

• After his earlier initiative was struck down by the Supreme Court, President Biden has just taken the first step toward creating a new student loan forgiveness plan. The Biden Administration plans to use the Higher Education Act, which has a provision that allows the government to “compromise” or “waive” federal student loan obligations.
• According to a new study by the US Geological Survey, almost half of all tap water in the US is contaminated with “forever chemicals”. These are chemicals that linger in the human body and can cause cancer, obesity, thyroid disease, decreased fertility, high cholesterol, liver damage, and hormone suppression.

Education News:

• A recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education detailed how the Supreme Court’s ruling on race-conscious admissions will not affect the majority of colleges. The lawsuits that led to the Supreme Court’s decision centered on two colleges with extremely slim chances of admission. Institutions like those are selective enough to need to use race as a factor to diversify their student body, but that is not the case for most colleges.
• The number of homeless students in California jumped by 9%, making the total about 187,000 kids. The cause of homelessness among all in California is the shortage of affordable housing in the state, according to a researcher at UCLA.

Health News:

• In the past 20 years, the number of people dying from pregnancy-related causes has more than doubled, with the worst outcomes among Black, Native American and Alaska Native people. Researchers say that doctors would have a better chance at preventing maternal mortality if more women had access to healthcare postpartum.
• A new study found that clinical overuse of marijuana is linked to complications after major elective surgery, including blood clots, stroke, breathing difficulties, kidney problems, and even death. This is because smoking marijuana impacts blood flow in the brain and body, decreases respiration and body temperature, contributes to airway blockages, raises blood pressure, increases heart rate, impacts heart rhythm, and more.