Next-gen nuclear that could provide affordable, reliable, low-carbon, baseload power almost anywhere would be holy grail of the energy system. Continued public investment in developing the tech is 100% justified. That said, here is the reality of where the SMR industry is today.

People are losing the attention span to even watch 30 minute TV shows as short form video eats the world.

The 37 members of Congress who voted against the ROAD to Housing Act don't get to run on an affordability agenda in midterms because that's obviously not your priority. Likewise, members running on affordability don’t get to vote against energy permitting reform. You just don't.

"Shielding students from high standards signals to students that you don’t have to do the work to still graduate. That message is particularly dangerous: Why try if it isn’t going to matter? The result: more students unprepared for what comes next." the74million.org/article/lie…

A high school diploma should certify that a student has acquired the core knowledge and soft skills needed for employment, further education, or military service. But graduation standards in many states have been weakened such that a diploma no longer reliably signals anything.

Underappreciated how much the shale revolution unlocked the AI revolution.

Shielding students from high standards is not compassionate; it simply delays the consequences. It also signals to students that you don’t have to do the work to still graduate. That message is particularly dangerous: Why try if it isn’t going to matter? The result: more students unprepared for what comes next.

Whether they have a diploma or not, young people who cannot understand written directions or perform basic math are entering the workforce without the skills they will need. The same is true of soft skills. Showing up consistently, meeting deadlines and accepting responsibility for failure: These are requirements of adulthood. And there are no credit recovery programs for those who lack them.

Take “credit-recovery” programs, which offer a way for students who are failing a course to catch up without having to repeat a whole semester. If done well, these programs make sense. Too often, however, absentee students “recover” by taking a low-effort, high-pass online program. In effect, all they learn is that adults will let them off the hook, so they can stay on track to graduate.

I wrote an op-ed. States are boosting high school graduation rates by lowering the standards required to earn a diploma, with serious unintended consequences. Credentials only have value if they signify real knowledge and skills. the74million.org/article/lie…