News & Updates

Seagoing trade is one of the cornerstones of our modern, globalized economy. More than 70 percent of the world’s trade by value is shipped by ocean, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the volume of goods traded has grown from 6 billion tons in 2000 to nearly 13 billion tons today, […]

The United States has cemented its dominance in the global space race, accounting for 82 percent of all objects launched into space in 2023 — up from just 46 percent in 2000. Of the 2,664 objects launched globally last year, 2,176 were American. Federal investment and a growing cadre of private sector entrants are driving […]

The United States’ national debt is the highest of any nation in the world, standing at $36.22 trillion, according to the Senate Joint Economic Committee. Put another way, the U.S. national debt now stands at 121 percent of GDP, the highest it has since WWII and one of the highest levels of any advanced economy. […]

From: Council on CompetitivenessDeborah L. Wince-Smith, President and CEO On behalf of the Council on Competitiveness, and its National Commission on Innovation and Competitiveness Frontiers, thank you for the opportunity to provide our views on development of the Administration’s new Artificial Intelligence Action Plan in response to President Trump’s January 23 Executive Order. The Council […]

In December 2024, Chinese state-sponsored hackers breached the U.S. Treasury Department's computer systems, exploiting vulnerabilities in third-party cybersecurity provider BeyondTrust. This attack, labeled a "major incident" by Treasury officials, exposed unclassified documents and highlighted the growing sophistication of state-backed cyber espionage. According to America’s Cyber Defense Agency, China remains the most active cyber security threat to […]

Despite the increasing need for cybersecurity expertise worldwide, the size of the global cybersecurity workforce remained broadly flat at 5.5 million workers from 2023 to 2024, according to the ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study. Over the same two-year time period, the need for cybersecurity workers increased from just over 9 million to approximately 10.2 million. As […]

In the early hours of his presidency, Donald Trump signed several Executive Orders (EOs) likely to affect higher education. Though it will take time to fully understand the implications of these orders—and many may face legal challenges—there are some immediate impacts across the research community from certain orders. Three are highlighted here: 1. The EO […]

Sudden shifts in industry, trade dynamics, and supply chains have disproportionately affected certain communities most exposed to disruption. As Chinese imports surged in the early 2000s, American factories shuttered and manufacturing communities lost millions of jobs. And as the energy transition continues accelerating, communities reliant on traditional energy sources like coal and oil face similar […]

Inflation-adjusted household income rose about 4% in 2023, driven by easing inflation and a strong labor market. This represents the first annual increase since the start of the pandemic and puts real income back at roughly 2019 levels, which represented a historical peak. While U.S. households have experienced nominal wage gains in recent years, these […]

Economists have been keeping a close eye on the U.S. labor market as the economy continues to toe the line between inflationary and recessionary pressures. In particular, experts have noticed a divergence between sustained tightness in the labor market (e.g., low unemployment, high job openings), and easing inflation. New research from Brookings points to elevated […]