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President Trump’s proposed baby bonus would have come in really handy at chez Guy Birken 15 years ago. Money was a bit of an issue for my family when we welcomed our first child in 2010. We’d moved to Indiana from Ohio in June of that year so my husband could take a higher paying job. Id left my own job as a high school English teacher. Our baby was born in late August, making it impossible to find a teaching job in our new town. Our timing was impeccable that year. We also unwittingly put our Ohio house on the market one month after the federal first-time homebuyer credit expired, bought a house in Indiana right away, and paid two mortgages for 11 months until the old house sold. As my husband likes to say, in 2010 we went from two incomes to one, from one mortgage to two, and from two people to three. (And yes, I am now considered a financial expert.) But would a $5,000 baby bonus really help new parents on a national scale? Or is it just Trumps transactional solution to falling birth rates? In honor of Mothers Day, lets look at the best ways to support new parents, working mothers, and our nations children. And it doesnt include a onetime cash payment. Paying for a baby boom The United States sees over 3.6 million births each year. If the government were to go forward with Trump’s $5,000 baby bonus proposal, Uncle Sam would be handing out over $18.3 billion to new mothers every year. While that would only be 0.019% of the $9.7 trillion federal budgetbasically, a rounding errorits important to compare that amount to other types of spending that affect American families. Federal Agency2024 Spending BudgetDepartment of Health and Human Services (HHS)$2.5 trillionSocial Security Administration (SSA)$1.6 trillionDepartment of Education (ED)$228.9 billionDepartment of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)$88.2 billionDepartment of Labor (DOL)$66.2 billionConsumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)$167 million $18.3 billion in annual baby bonuses may represent a tiny portion of the governments total budget, but that spending could be a relatively significant percentage of each of these departments budgets. Specifically, $18.3 would equal 0.73% of the HHS budget 1.1% of the SSA budget 7.99% of the ED budget 20.7% of the HUD budget 27.6% of the DOL budget 10,958% of the CPSC budget Allocating that kind of funding to existing programs could potentially improve maternal and infant health, provide ongoing financial benefits, support public education, increase access to affordable housing, support employment goals, or protect children from unsafe products. Obviously, $18.3 billion cant do all of those things at once, but increasing the budgets of one or several of these departments may be a better use of the money. Make motherhood feasible again As helpful as five grand might be for any one family, the Trump baby bonus is the federal policy version of handing your wife a sawbuck the day after Mothers Day and telling her to buy herself something nice. Its not giving her what she needs or wantsand feels a little insulting, to boot. American mothers are clamoring for help with the impossible financial and logistical challenges of raising a family in this country. Specifically, new parents need access to paid family leave and childcare. Spending federal money on these programs will do more to improve mothers lives than a one-time $5,000 payment. Paid family leave The United States is one of only seven countries without paid maternity leave. This means American women may have to choose between getting a paycheck and having a kid. While the Trump administration’s $5,000 baby bonus might help, the median weekly earnings for an American woman is $1,092which means the bonus would cover less than five weeks of leave. Instituting a federal paid family and medical leave program could potentially encourage more births, since it could help solve the financial problem of affording parental leave. In 2022, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that a proposed federal paid family and medical leave program would cost about $200 billion for the 10-year period between 2022 and 2031. As it was written, the program would allow eligible workers to take up to four weeks of paid leave after the birth or adoption of a child. Benefits would equal a portion of the workers pre-leave wages and would be paid by the federal government. The CBO anticipated the program would significantly improve the mental and physical health of postpartum parentswhich would lead to increased employment and earnings. Although the four-week maximum leave time seems woefully inadequate, simply providing federal leave would make an enormous difference to a wide swath of American families. Birth to kindergarten childcare Returning to work after having a child is challenging (to say the least) without consistent and safe childcare. This is not nearly as simple as asking Nana and Pop-Pop to take care of the kids for free, especially considering grandparents are probably working, too. Nearly one out of every five Americans aged 65 or older is employed full-time. And without free family options, childcare for young children is remarkably expensive. Anecdotally, every parent I know had a daycare bill that was higher than their monthly mortgage paymentand this is backed up by data from the Department of Labor, which found that American families spend between 8.9% and 16.0% of their median income on ful-day care for just one child. The Biden-Harris administration worked to invest in childcare on a federal level, providing $24 billion in funding to childcare via the 2021 American Rescue Plan (ARP). The administration calculates that the onetime investment of $24 billion saved families $1,250 per child (representing a 10 percent reduction in childcare costs), increased the pay of childcare workers, and increased the employment of mothers with young children by about 3 percentage pointsleading to womens prime-age labor force participation hitting its highest value on record. This meant the benefits were greater than just the $1,250 in childcare savings enjoyed by young families. Childcare workers made more money, employers kept more of their staff, and families maintained their financial and employment stability. Unfortunately, all of these improvements were lost after the ARP expired. Happy Mothers Day! Heres five grand America has a cultural expectation that mothers will pick up the slack when children, fathers, or society needs something that theyre not getting. That means a national conversation about supporting motherhood to the tune of $5,000 a pop might feel like progress, even if its misguided. But a baby bonus feels a little like the exaggerated social media praise often heaped on mothersa showy expression of appreciation that requires little effort. The truth is that encouraging more people to consider motherhood isnt a tough proposition if you provide the support they needjust as making Mom happy on Mothers Day isnt difficult if you listen to what she actually wants. Offering actual support is harder than throwing money at the problem, but its the only path to a real solution.
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E-Commerce
Arianna Huffington, author, entrepreneur, and founder of The Huffington Post believes in one key to success above all else: getting enough sleep. When I get eight hours, I feel ready to handle anything during the day without stress and without paying a heavy price in terms of my own health and my own mental well-being, Huffington, the author of The Sleep Revolution, told NBC. Heres how sleep can lead to greater success and happiness for you: Huffingtons Personal Journey With Sleep Back in 2007, Huffington was constantly sacrificing sleep to work 18-hour days. Then, one morning, she woke up on the floor of her home office in a pool of her own blood. Shed passed out from exhaustion, breaking her cheekbone when she fell. It was a pivotal moment that reshaped her views on success and well-being. Rather than measuring success in just money or power, Huffington now advocates for a third metric of success, which includes well-being, wisdom, and giving back. Shes since written two books on the subjects and founded a new company, Thrive Global, which helps employers improve their workers lives. Why is Sleep Essential for Success? In her viral TED talk, Huffington discussed how sleep allows us to shut down our engines, refresh our brains, and go into every day operating at peak performance, which is foundational for productivity, creativity, and decision-making. Science backs Huffingtons views. For example, one study showed that new neural connectionsthe pathways between neurons that allow our brains to functionare formed while sleeping. It also showed better performance outcomes from sleeping and training together rather than training more in place of sleep. Studies have also linked inadequate sleep (whether thats extreme deprivation over a short period or slight deprivation over the long term) to worse reasoning, decision-making, and driving abilities, as well as mood swings, depression, and physical ailments like diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Arianna Huffingtons Top Tips for Better Sleep Alongside championing the importance of sleep, Huffington has put out tons of advice on how to get enough of it through The Sleep Revolution and her Sleep Revolution Manifesto. 1. Create a bedtime ritual Doing the same routine before bed each night will help signal to your body and brain that its almost time to sleep. Adding relaxing activities like a hot bath, a nice cup of decaffeinated tea, a good book, or a mediation session, will help even more. 2. Make your bedroom an ideal sleep space Huffington advocates for keeping your bedroom cool (between 60 and 67 degrees), dark, and quiet. If possible, keep your smartphone out of your bedroom (or at least out of reach) and reserve the room for sex and sleeping only. 3. Avoid caffeine and electronic devices before bed Huffington recommends cutting off caffeine around 2 p.m. and any electronic devices around 30 minutes before you lay down for the night. If you read in bed, use a traditional paper book or an e-reader without backlighting. 4. Wear dedicated pajamasnot workout gear Wearing the same clothes to exercise and to sleep sends your body mixed signals. 5. Treat sleep as nonnegotiable Rather than sacrificing sleep to spend time on other activities like work, social engagements, or recreational activities, Huffington says we should be doing the opposite. Schedule your life around getting enough sleep in the same way you plan sleep around your work schedule. The Link Between Sleep, Happiness, and Mental Health All the things that make life much harder are aggravated when youre sleep-deprived, Huffington said on The School of Greatness podcast. Youre more likely to dwell on your failures, fears, and anxieties or feel irritable and stressed. By contrast, when you sleep enough, your brain gets the recovery time it needs, youre more clear-headed, emotionally level, and able to handle the challenges your job or life might throw at you. You also increase your daily opportunities to experience joy, which can improve your relationships and work performance. Over time, all of these factors reduce your stress, make you more productive, and help you avoid burnout. Debunking the Myths of Around Sleep Work culture has a terrible tendency to glorify sleep deprivation. Theres the hustle mentality that says one should always be grinding. Theres also the sleep deprivation one-upmanship where people brag about how little sleep they get. Today, so many of us fall into the trap of sacrificing sleep in the name of productivity, Huffington said. But in the U.S., inadequate sleep actually leads to 11 days of lost productivity per year per worker, collectively costing the U.S. economy more than $63 billion annually. Prioritizing sleep is often associated with laziness, but making sure you begin every day at your full potential is actually a strategy for long-term success.
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E-Commerce
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is enthusiastic about the companys pilot with Waymo. In Q1 prepared remarks, he said the launch in Austin has exceeded our expectations, noting that the 100 self-driving vehicles there were busier than 99% of the citys human drivers. The strong performance has Uber looking ahead to its next Waymo rollout in Atlanta. But Waymo isnt Ubers only autonomous partner. Just hours before Khosrowshahis comments were released, Uber announced an expanded deal with WeRide, a global rival to Waymo. WeRides robotaxis will soon launch in 15 new cities outside the U.S. and China. While Waymo may be Ubers marquee U.S. partner, the rideshare giant is making it clear it wont rely on just one self-driving tech provider. Ubers expanding self-driving deals In the United States, Waymo remains the dominant force in robotaxis, especially since Cruise has shuttered. Waymo’s autonomous vehicles are already operating in Austin and are set to launch in Atlanta. Waymos safety record and rider experience coupled with Ubers scale and reliability in the market have ensured that these vehicles are extremely busy, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi noted in his Q1 remarks. But the Uber-Waymo relationship hasnt been without friction. When Waymo announced a Miami expansion without Uber in December, Ubers stock took a hit. In response, the company unveiled new American partnerships, first with Volkswagen in April and then with May Mobility in June. (Uber declined to comment for this story.) Meanwhile, Ubers international self-driving investments are accelerating. Just ahead of Khosrowshahis remarks, the company announced an expanded partnership with WeRide, the Chinese robotaxi firm already operating with Uber in Abu Dhabi. The new agreement covers 15 additional citiesintentionally outside both the U.S. and Chinaand includes a $100 million investment. The same week, Uber announced an expanded deal with Pony.ai, another Chinese autonomous vehicle company. While the agreement excludes operations in China and the U.S., it significantly broadens their collaboration across the Middle East. Just days earlier, Uber also announced a new partnership with Momenta for deployment across Europe. To date, Uber has inked deals with 18 self-driving companies. Waymo may still be Ubers biggest U.S. bet, but globally, the ride-hailing giant is hedging those bets fast. Who should lead the robotaxi revolution? Not long ago, Uber was hoping to produce robotaxis, and not just commission them. The company invested over $1 billion into their own self-driving technology. But in 2020, it pulled the plug, selling its autonomous vehicle unit to Aurora, where CEO Dara Khosrowshahi now sits on the board. Uber isnt alone among American companies that failed to crack autonomous driving. Lyft also abandoned its self-driving ambitions. Cruise, General Motors robotaxi division, effectively shut down after one of its vehicles dragged a pedestrian about 20 feet. Tesla continues to hype its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software, but Elon Musks promised robotaxi still hasnt arrived. That leaves Waymo as the leadingif not the onlyAmerican contender in the robotaxi race. Meanwhile, Chinese firms like WeRide, Pony.ai, and Momenta are rapidly expanding. Uber is poised to play a major role in this growing global market, serving autonomous rides to its loyal user base. For now, Uber isnt picking just one horseits betting on the entire field.
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E-Commerce
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