Upshot: DeVos and Dismal Results on Vouchers

A Tax Overhaul: Great in Theory, Hard in Practice View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Friday, February 24, 2017 [NYTimes.com/Upshot »]( School Choice [Dismal Voucher Results Surprise Researchers as DeVos Era Begins]( By KEVIN CAREY The new studies come at an interesting moment, with a proponent of vouchers newly in charge of the Education Department. Economic Trends [The Big Question for the U.S. Economy: How Much Room Is There to Grow?]( By NEIL IRWIN The nation is close to what economists believe is full productive capacity. The Trump administration’s ambitious growth targets depend on how much slack remains. Civics Lessons [Democracy in America: How Is It Doing?]( By CLAIRE CAIN MILLER AND KEVIN QUEALY A new research project will periodically survey political scientists on crucial measures of a functioning democracy, looking for change over time. ADVERTISEMENT Highlights of the Week [America’s Aging Dams Are in Need of Repair]( By TROY GRIGGS, GREGOR AISCH AND SARAH ALMUKHTAR Dam crises and failures in California and Nevada shed light on the state of American infrastructure. Scaling Back [Sales Fall Again in Mexico’s Second Year of Taxing Sugary Drinks]( By MARGOT SANGER-KATZ The best evidence to date of how sizable taxes on sugary drinks, increasingly favored by large American cities, may influence consumer behavior. Moving On [The States That College Graduates Are Most Likely to Leave]( By QUOCTRUNG BUI Educated younger people in the less densely populated parts of the nation tend to move to the big coastal cities, because that’s where the jobs are. ADVERTISEMENT FEEDBACK WELCOME All Upshot articles are open for reader comments. For suggestions on how we can improve this newsletter, write to [newsletters@nytimes.com](mailto:newsletters@nytimes.com?subject=Upshot%20Newsletter%20Feedback). And if you have a compelling data set you’d like us to pursue, send it to [dear.upshot@nytimes.com](mailto:dear.upshot@nytimes.com?subject=Upshot%20Newsletter%20Feedback). In Case You Missed It ... [There are not many abandoned steel mills in Irvine, Calif., where a Republican representative, Mimi Walters, is expected to run for re-election in a district carried by Hillary Clinton.]( Monica Almeida/The New York Times Political Calculus [The Road to Retake the House Starts in Orange County]( By NATE COHN The voters who decided the last election might not decide the next. The road to a Democratic House starts in Orange County in California. [White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer during a briefing at The White House, Saturday, Jan. 21 2017.]( Doug Mills/The New York Times [A Different Kind of Media Bias: The Readers Themselves]( By KEVIN QUEALY A study by researchers at Chartbeat suggests that news consumers gloss over news stories they might not want to know about. FOLLOW UPSHOT [Facebook] [FACEBOOK]( [Twitter] [@UpshotNYT]( Get more [NYTimes.com newsletters »]( | Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps for just $0.99. [Subscribe »]( ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's The Upshot newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Change Your Email]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact]( | [Advertise]( Copyright 2017 The New York Times Company 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018