How Tech Is Helping Poor People Get Government Aid
The New York Times
Even as the government expanded aid programs, many people faced barriers to using them. That problem is now being addressed with apps and streamlined websites.
WASHINGTON — In making his case that safety net programs should be easier to use, Jimmy Chen, a tech entrepreneur, recalled visiting a welfare office where people on food stamps endured long waits to submit routine paperwork.
They passed the time as people in lines do, staring at their phones — which had the potential to do the work online with greater convenience, accuracy and speed.
The image of aid-seekers wasting time with a solution literally in hand captures what critics call an overlooked challenge for people in poverty: Administrative burdens make benefits hard to obtain and tax the time and emotional resources of those who need help.
The powerful storm, fueled by a whirling mass of cold air originating from the Arctic, was expected to leave much of the southern United States in the low-teens or single-digit degrees.
In New York, private restaurants in luxury towers are a popular amenity. The public cannot eat there, and residents only drop in occasionally.
President Trump’s executive actions on immigration were the leading edge of an effort to upend the United States’ role as a sanctuary for refugees and immigrants. Zolan Kanno-Youngs, a White House correspondent for The New York Times, explains what Trump has done so far.
President Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship is already facing lawsuits, but that has been little comfort to women who expect to give birth after the order goes into effect.
The plan, which rezones parts of the Manhattan neighborhood, aims to address the city’s housing shortage and the area’s beleaguered commercial sector.
Officials said the agent was shot on Interstate 91, which was closed for several hours near the border with Canada.
Mayor Eric Adams of New York City, a Democrat, declined to say anything negative about Donald J. Trump’s early executive orders, saying he would bring any concerns directly to the president.
“So many of you have never seen an event like this,” Louisiana’s state climatologist warned, with New Orleans facing possibly the most snow it has ever seen.
Former presidents, members of Congress, and tech C.E.O.s were among those present to witness Mr. Trump take the oath of office.
“We’re not leaving the fight,” he told supporters and members of his staff as he prepared to leave Washington.
Gov. Phil Murphy wrote a letter to the president saying that the surcharge on drivers entering Manhattan’s busiest area was a “disaster” for commuters and residents in his state.
For many residents, a set of wheels is an extension of their home, a key to their income or a source of priceless memories.
Some evacuees from the Eaton fire have been allowed back into their homes, only to find that smoke and ash have made living there impossible for now.
The dual celebrations of a second Trump inauguration and the civil rights leader’s birth raise profound questions about Black leadership and progress toward the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream.
The incoming president has told allies he wants to seize momentum and avoid the missteps of his first administration.
A lawyer for Mayor Eric Adams argued in court documents that Damian Williams, the former federal prosecutor who charged the mayor with bribery, had brought the case for his own political benefit.
Peter Forrest was the charismatic lead singer of 24-7 Spyz, which did shows with Jane’s Addiction. Last week, Mr. Forrest, 64, was found beaten to death in the ambulette he drove for a living.
As Donald J. Trump prepares to take the oath of office for a second time, much of the world seems to be bowing down to him and demoralized opponents are rethinking the future.