U.S. train travel, solving food waste, and a white alligator.

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Today’s Big Story

High-speed rail gets a multibillion-dollar boost

President Biden announced $8.2 billion in funding for high-speed rail and other projects nationwide, the largest investment in passenger trains in decades.

• Why it matters: Travel is a relatively clean and efficient way to get lots of people from A to B, but the current U.S. rail network lags behind Europe and Asia.

• West Coast: The major focal points include two high-speed rail projects with multibillion-dollar funding packages.

  • One would connect Las Vegas, Nev. and Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. (just east of Los Angeles) using electric trains. The trip will take roughly two hours — half the typical drive time.

  • The other package would offer high-speed rail travel between Bakersfield and Merced Calif. Eventually expanding to connect other parts of northern and southern California.

• East Coast: $1.1 billion will go towards building additions to the Southeast Corridor from Raleigh to Wake Forest, N.C. And a bridge will be added to expand passenger rail between Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Va.

• Rail travel push: The Biden administration recently announced a $16.4 billion investment for rail projects from D.C. to Boston. They aim to fix key infrastructure issues which will improve travel times.

Saturday’s Quick Hits

• Ethan Crumbly, the 17-year-old accused of killing four students and wounding others in a shooting at a Michigan high school in 2021, was sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole. He pleaded guilty to all charges against him last year. (More)

• Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he plans to seek another presidential term next year. If he wins — he’s pretty much a lock — Putin will extend his rule over the country to 2030. Under current reforms he created, Putin can seek two more six year terms, potentially keeping him in power until 2036. (More)

• Harvard University’s president Claudine Gay apologized for her testimony at a congressional hearing on antisemitism that critics say failed to show that the college would stand up against hate speech towards Jews on campus. Gay, Penn president Liz Magill and MIT president Sally Kornbluth are all facing calls to resign over their congressional testimony. (More)

• The Department of Justice filed nine tax-related charges against Hunter Biden, adding to the federal gun charges he was indicted on earlier this year. If convicted of the new charges, he could face a maximum of 17 years in prison. (More)

• November's unemployment rate drop suggests a slower-than-expected cooling of the labor market. The rate decreased from 3.9% in October to 3.7%. Additionally, the US economy added 199,000 jobs in November, up from the previous month's 150,000, with returning striking auto workers and Hollywood actors contributing to the increase. (More)

• European Union policymakers have approved the AI Act, making the EU the first governing body to pass comprehensive legislation on artificial intelligence. The regulation specifically targets high-risk uses of AI by companies and governments, particularly in law enforcement and critical services like water and energy. (More)

Weekly Dose of Positive

• Judge John Phillips founded Rancho Cielo in Salinas, California, in 2003 to provide an alternative path for at-risk youth, aiming to prevent lifelong imprisonment. The program offers job training in various fields and academic paths , helping kids overcome challenges such as poverty and trauma. Rancho Cielo works, 85% of its graduates don’t end up back in trouble, compared to 40% of youth in the county's juvenile justice system that don’t. (More)

• Child mortality rates have dropped significantly over the past few centuries, from about 50% two hundred years ago to a global average of 4.3% in 2020. Some wealthier countries, like Iceland, Japan, and Norway, have even achieved child mortality rates as low as 0.4%, showcasing massive progress and suggesting the possibility of further improvements. (More)

• An increasing number of U.S. states are tackling food waste issues by rolling out programs that reroute edible food from supermarkets and businesses to food pantries rather than sending it to landfills. There's a push for a united national initiative to meet the 2015 target set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Agency which aims to cut food waste by 50% by 2030. (More)

• High school students in Layton, Utah, rescued a mother and her two children who were trapped under a car in their school parking lot. The students quickly lifted the car and pulled the family out before emergency responders arrived. The mother underwent surgery for non-life-threatening injuries, while her children suffered only minor bumps and bruises. (More)

Bonus Material

Why things are getting cheaper and no one’s noticing.

Ranking the top 10 movies of 2023.

A rare white alligator was born at a Florida park.

Pantone has announced the color of the year for 2024: Peach fuzz.