Targeted News Service

America First Policy Institute: Education Freedom Tax Credits Put American Families First

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 -- The America First Policy Institute issued the following news release on Aug. 25, 2026:

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Education Freedom Tax Credits Put American Families First

The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) applauds President Trump and Education Secretary McMahon for highlighting the importance of state participation in the historic Education Freedom Tax Credit, which will help ensure families across the country can access greater educational opportunity.

"President Trump is once again putting parents and students first by making clear that every governor has a choice: open the door ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 -- The America First Policy Institute issued the following news release on Aug. 25, 2026: * * * Education Freedom Tax Credits Put American Families First The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) applauds President Trump and Education Secretary McMahon for highlighting the importance of state participation in the historic Education Freedom Tax Credit, which will help ensure families across the country can access greater educational opportunity. "President Trump is once again putting parents and students first by making clear that every governor has a choice: open the doorto greater educational opportunity or leave families in their state behind," said Erika Donalds, Chair of AFPI's Center for Education Opportunity. "AFPI has been leading the charge to ensure scholarships reach as many students as possible, from urging governors to opt in early, to working with the Trump Administration to ensure implementation allows education dollars to follow students to the learning environments that work best for them."

Created through President Trump's Working Families Tax Cuts Act, the Education Freedom Tax Credit allows taxpayers to receive a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit of up to $1,700 for contributions to Scholarship Granting Organizations. Those organizations can provide scholarships for a wide range of K-12 educational expenses, including tuition, tutoring, homeschooling, and other educational support.

AFPI has warned that state leaders who choose not to participate risk sending billions of dollars in educational support elsewhere. AFPI estimates that non-participating states could forgo nearly $23 billion in tax-credit-eligible charitable contributions over three years, potentially representing more than 4 million scholarships for students.

Thirty states have already made an advance election to participate in the Education Freedom Tax Credit. The remaining governors should not stand between parents and an opportunity that costs taxpayers in their state nothing. Now is the time for every governor to act, opt in, and give families the education opportunity they deserve

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Original text here: https://www.americafirstpolicy.com/issues/education-freedom-tax-credits-put-american-families-first

[Category: ThinkTank]

Report Urges 'Deterrence by Resilience' for Biological Threats

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (TNSLrpt) -- The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs issued 'Deterrence by Resilience,' authored by Chris Li, Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, J. Michael McQuade, Beth Cameron, Ashish Jha, Shankar Sundaram, Trent Buatte, Dylan Rogers, Samuel Steuart, Elizabeth Guo, Shawn Haq, June Lee, Jacob Levine, Henrik Nolte and Rebekah Reed. Published Aug. 18, the report argues that the United States should adopt a resilience-centered strategy to reduce risks from the convergence of biology, artificial intelligence, bioengineering and digital infrastructure.

The authors describe ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (TNSLrpt) -- The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs issued 'Deterrence by Resilience,' authored by Chris Li, Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, J. Michael McQuade, Beth Cameron, Ashish Jha, Shankar Sundaram, Trent Buatte, Dylan Rogers, Samuel Steuart, Elizabeth Guo, Shawn Haq, June Lee, Jacob Levine, Henrik Nolte and Rebekah Reed. Published Aug. 18, the report argues that the United States should adopt a resilience-centered strategy to reduce risks from the convergence of biology, artificial intelligence, bioengineering and digital infrastructure. The authors describethis convergence as "bioconvergence," a process they say is reshaping how biological capabilities are discovered and developed. The report says these advances could support major gains in health, science and economic productivity, while also widening access to capabilities that can be misused to create biological threats.

Advances in AI-supported biological knowledge, AI-enabled design, DNA synthesis and sequencing, and laboratory automation have lowered barriers to biological research and innovation, according to the report. The authors argue that the same developments also make harmful capabilities more accessible to actors outside state-sponsored programs and create a more distributed, fast-changing threat environment.

"Traditional approaches to deterrence, including deterrence by denial and deterrence by punishment, are increasingly insufficient," the report states. It calls for a framework designed to reduce an adversary's confidence that biological misuse can succeed, grow in scale or produce a strategic benefit.

The proposed approach, deterrence by resilience, links prevention, detection, attribution, readiness, response and longer-term recovery across the biological-threat lifecycle. The framework aims to increase the expected costs of misuse while limiting the damage caused by biological incidents, creating what the authors describe as a mutually reinforcing cycle of security measures.

The report contends that innovation and security should not be viewed as competing goals. Infrastructure that supports U.S. leadership in biotechnology and AI can also strengthen biosecurity, the authors write. They acknowledge that government safeguards can impose compliance costs, but argue that safety measures can provide benefits to the public and to private AI-enabled biotechnology enterprises.

The authors recommend ongoing evaluation of how regulatory measures affect innovation and urge policymakers to use incentives for safety wherever possible. Their central conclusion is that national biosecurity must focus not only on preventing malicious activity, but also on building the capacity to detect, withstand and recover from biological incidents.

-- Moira Sirois, Targeted News Service

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View report at:

[Category: ThinkTank]

Report Calls for Wisconsin Childcare Rules, Subsidies Overhaul

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (TNSLrpt) -- The Badger Institute issued 'Wisconsin Childcare Subsidies, Regulations Fail for Families,' by Angela Rachidi, senior fellow and Rowe Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. Issued Aug. 20, the report argues that Wisconsin should reduce regulatory barriers for childcare providers and replace provider-focused aid with more flexible, family-directed assistance.

Rachidi writes that dependable and affordable childcare remains important for working families, but contends that expanding subsidies to providers or families does not necessarily lower households' overall ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (TNSLrpt) -- The Badger Institute issued 'Wisconsin Childcare Subsidies, Regulations Fail for Families,' by Angela Rachidi, senior fellow and Rowe Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. Issued Aug. 20, the report argues that Wisconsin should reduce regulatory barriers for childcare providers and replace provider-focused aid with more flexible, family-directed assistance. Rachidi writes that dependable and affordable childcare remains important for working families, but contends that expanding subsidies to providers or families does not necessarily lower households' overallfinancial burden. The report argues that government assistance, including childcare funding, can increase consumer demand and contribute to inflation, reducing the purchasing-power gains families might expect from subsidy increases.

Wisconsin policymakers responded to rising childcare costs through Child Care Counts and higher Wisconsin Shares subsidies. The report maintains that those expansions likely left families no better off financially because of inflation across the broader economy. It argues that policymakers should focus less on increasing direct subsidies and more on lowering the cost of supplying care.

"Many regulations increase childcare costs with little evidence of a positive impact on program quality," the report states. It identifies the sector's regulatory structure as a central factor affecting childcare availability and affordability.

The 2025-27 biennial budget included several childcare-policy changes, according to the report. Those measures reduced staffing requirements and gave family-care providers more flexibility in their operations. Rachidi presents those actions as a move toward reducing barriers for smaller, home-based and informal providers.

The report recommends further regulatory revisions to make it easier for informal and family childcare providers to operate. It calls on Wisconsin's Legislature to require a comprehensive review of current childcare regulations, including an assessment of their costs and benefits. It also urges the next governor and Legislature to examine the YoungStar provider-quality rating system and consider changes that preserve quality while improving care availability and affordability.

Rachidi proposes account-based assistance options that would give parents greater discretion over childcare spending rather than limiting aid to a selected group of providers. The report points to Arizona's Empowerment Scholarship Accounts and Florida education-choice programs as examples of public funding models organized around family choice.

The report concludes that Wisconsin policymakers should direct assistance toward families, expand their ability to choose care arrangements and continue removing rules that the author argues restrict provider participation and raise costs.

-- Moira Sirois, Targeted News Service

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View report at: https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/wisconsin-childcare-subsidies-regulations-fail-for-families/

[Category: ThinkTank]

Rand Report: Evaluating the Case for Solar Panel Recycling Mandates in the United States

SANTA MONICA, California, Aug. 26 (TNSLrpt) -- Rand Report issued the following report on August 25, 2026, entitled "Evaluating the Case for Solar Panel Recycling Mandates in the United States."

Here are excerpts:

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The rapid adoption of clean energy products, such as solar photovoltaic (PV) modules (i.e., solar panels), has led to significant concerns about their end-of-life (EOL) management. In this report, the authors analyze the major rationales for government intervention to increase PV module recycling. Specifically, they assess whether a common policy intervention--a mandate to recycle ... Show Full Article SANTA MONICA, California, Aug. 26 (TNSLrpt) -- Rand Report issued the following report on August 25, 2026, entitled "Evaluating the Case for Solar Panel Recycling Mandates in the United States." Here are excerpts: * * * The rapid adoption of clean energy products, such as solar photovoltaic (PV) modules (i.e., solar panels), has led to significant concerns about their end-of-life (EOL) management. In this report, the authors analyze the major rationales for government intervention to increase PV module recycling. Specifically, they assess whether a common policy intervention--a mandate to recycleEOL PV modules--can be justified on environmental, national security, or economic grounds. Recycling mandates are the primary policy of interest because they have been commonly used globally, and unlike more-incremental policy changes, mandates have a large impact on recycling rates.

While this research primarily focuses on solar PV recycling in the United States, it draws on evidence from other countries to inform the analysis. The authors provide an overview of the existing economic and policy landscape around the EOL management of solar PV modules. They then evaluate the major environmental, national security, and economic rationales given for a PV recycling mandate. Their analysis produces estimates of life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions, non-GHG environmental benefits, and the maximum annual volumes of recovered critical minerals.

Drawing from these analytical findings, they offer a list of policy recommendations to federal and state policymakers involved in the passage or design of PV recycling policy in the United States, including legislators, their staff, and officials at executive branch agencies with relevant jurisdiction, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state environmental agencies.

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View the full report here: https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RRA5000/RRA5025-1/RAND_RRA5025-1.pdf

[Category: ThinkTank]

Rand Report: Emergency Management Research

SANTA MONICA, California, Aug. 26 (TNSLrpt) -- Rand Report issued the following report on August 25, 2026, entitled "Emergency Management Research."

Here are excerpts:

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Emergency management (EM) practice has never been more important. Disasters are occurring with growing frequency, driven by a broadening set of hazards and increasing vulnerability to them. Disasters are often compounding and cascading, and more and more people and communities are suffering. The Federal Emergency Management Agency therefore launched the National Disaster and Emergency Management University (NDEMU) to serve ... Show Full Article

CSIS: 'Risks of Racing - Russian and Chinese Perceptions of Strategic Competition in the Euro-Atlantic Region'

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (TNSLrpt) -- The Center for Strategic and International Studies issued the following report on August 6, 2026, by Heather Williams, Joseph Rodgers, Nicholas Adamopoulos, Lachlan MacKenzie, and Elena Tiedens entitled "Risks of Racing - Russian and Chinese Perceptions of Strategic Competition in the Euro-Atlantic Region."

Here are excerpts:

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As the United States and its allies invest more in their nuclear forces to deter Russia and China, some have warned of an impending arms race. The likelihood of an arms race, however, depends on perceptions in Moscow and Beijing. The ... Show Full Article

CSIS: 'Reindustrialization and Great Power Competition: Deterrence by Capacity'

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (TNSLrpt) -- The Center for Strategic and International Studies issued the following report on July 27, 2026, by Benjamin Jensen entitled "Reindustrialization and Great Power Competition: Deterrence by Capacity."

Here are excerpts:

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Introduction

There is a deterrence problem at the core of U.S. efforts to revitalize the defense industrial base. Recent conflicts are consuming high-end strike munitions and air-defense interceptors faster than the current defense industrial base can replace them. At the same time, these capabilities are key to conventional deterrence and ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (TNSLrpt) -- The Center for Strategic and International Studies issued the following report on July 27, 2026, by Benjamin Jensen entitled "Reindustrialization and Great Power Competition: Deterrence by Capacity." Here are excerpts: * * * Introduction There is a deterrence problem at the core of U.S. efforts to revitalize the defense industrial base. Recent conflicts are consuming high-end strike munitions and air-defense interceptors faster than the current defense industrial base can replace them. At the same time, these capabilities are key to conventional deterrence andchanging how adversaries assess the costs and benefits of launching major wars short of nuclear exchange. Worse still, major rivals including the PRC, Russia, and North Korea are all at or near a wartime footing, producing and stockpiling munitions for future contingencies. Even Iran has proven capable of sustaining the production of ballistic missiles despite sustained attacks by the United States and Israel. As a result, in a major regional conflict, U.S. use of munitions would likely exceed current stockpiles, with some long-range precision-guided munitions potentially exhausted in less than a week in a Taiwan Strait conflict.

While numerous studies have drawn attention to the challenge of "empty bins," researchers have yet to explore how munitions shortages relate to deterrence theory and the implications for reindustrialization and revitalization of the defense industrial base. Deterrence depends on the proverbial "three Cs": capability, credibility, and communication. Capability concerns hardware and whether a state has the exquisite capabilities to deny gains or impose costs. Absent an industrial base capable of sustaining a protracted conflict, adversaries discount even the most exquisite weapons as they know they can win by attrition. Credibility is behavior demonstrating resolve. Absent deep munitions stockpiles, adversaries will discount the U.S. reputation for resolve, calculating they might lose the opening salvo exchange but prevail in a protracted, attritional struggle. Communication is signaling intentions, thresholds, and consequences. Low inventories, especially when they are publicly known, signal that an adversary can assume risk and challenge U.S. interests.

Capacity is therefore a missing coefficient in most deterrence discussions, both conventional and nuclear. States including the PRC, Russia, and Iran discount the United States' ability to impose costs, deny benefits, and encourage restraint when stockpiles are low. The ghost of game theory analyst Thomas Schelling still looms over U.S. strategy and guides how military planners and defense officials develop campaign plans alongside flexible deterrent and response options subject to rational cost calculations. Those options, though, become limited when there are too few munitions to confront a protracted conflict.

This brief seeks to connect defense analysis of U.S. weapons stockpiles and reindustrialization debates with deterrence literature, and in doing so, creates a new strategic framework to guide both public and private sector reforms designed to accelerate munitions production. It introduces the concept of a "capacity coefficient" that alters deterrence calculations. The Department of War and Congress should move from broad concern about the industrial base to specific tests of wartime staying power: how fast weapons can be produced, how quickly damaged systems can be repaired, how many suppliers can absorb shocks, and how much allied capacity can be mobilized in a crisis.

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The report is posted at: https://csis-website-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2026-07/260727_Jensen_Reindustrialization_Competition.pdf?VersionId=UBZvUj.EWYRRod_LCkTF9sUoUNyZUvYP

[Category: Think Tank]

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