There is anxiety that a recession is around the corner. According to a recent ABC News poll, 60 percent of Americans expect a recession in 2020.

President Trump recently escalated the trade dispute with China by imposing new tariffs and labeling China as a “currency manipulator.” It is unlikely that this escalation will be permanent, as President Trump has an incentive to bring the dispute to a speedy resolution.

In the modern labor market, a college degree is increasing in importance. Job and wage growth for college-educated workers has far outpaced that for non-college-educated workers during the recovery. A degree from an elite university is of particular value as it serves as a gateway to elite occupations such as investment banking, as firms like those on Wall Street will only recruit from elite “target schools.” Given the current college admission system, not everyone has an equal chance at passing through this gateway, which further exacerbates income inequality.

The idea that the U.S. is currently in a trade war with China and Mexico is attracting a lot of attention. A Google search for “trade war” yields 1 billion results. Google trends show that the phrase “trade war” has seen several spikes in search activity during the Trump Administration, despite essentially no search activity prior to it. The latest spike occurred in May 2019. This followed the collapse of U.S.-Chinese trade negotiations and the threat of imposing tariffs on Mexico to punish the Mexican government for not doing more to stem the tide of illegal immigration at our Southern Border.

The “College Admissions Scandal,” which broke in March 2019, galvanized the nation’s interest. The scandal involved parents paying illegal bribes to gain admission for their children to prestigious universities. The fact that some well-known celebrities were arrested in the FBI investigation, code-named “Operation Varsity Blues,” attracted widespread attention. What has attracted less attention is that the scandal offers evidence that college rankings are grossly overrated in importance.

The Green New Deal, which was proposed by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and supported by numerous presidential candidates, has received a great deal of attention. Proponents advocate that the plan is necessary to reduce carbon emissions. Proponents also claim that implementing green technology, such as upgrading buildings for energy efficiency and switching to renewable energy sources, will create jobs.