Why child poverty spiked in the US

Also: Murdoch, GoT v. ChatGPT, and free Covid tests   Thursday, September 21, 2023: Hi everyone, Once again, it’s [Future Perfect]( fellow [Rachel](, and today I am excited to share with you a piece from one of the other great Future Perfect fellows, [Oshan Jarow](. Here’s what we’re talking about: Up first: Child poverty’s historic drop and resurgence in the US In other news: Murdoch, GoT v. ChatGPT, and free Covid tests   UP FIRST We cut child poverty to historic lows, then let it rebound faster than ever before Alex Wong/Getty Images A pandemic-era policy expansion kept millions of children out of poverty until Congress let it expire. In 2021, expansions to the child tax credit (CTC) allowed parents, regardless of whether they had an income or not, to receive monthly payments intended to help them support their household. In 2022, Congress did not extend the program. The lowdown: In 2021 (when the policy was in effect), the child poverty rate dropped to its lowest point on record: 5.2 percent, meaning 3.8 million American children lived below the federal poverty line. Then, in 2022 (when the policy expired), the rate experienced the steepest rise in its history: 139 percent. This means [9 million American children]( were living in poverty. - The 2021 policy expansion contained a key innovation. In the 2021 update, Congress did away with the income requirements that kept full benefits from reaching 19 million of the poorest American children whose parents had little or no earnings. - Congressional critics of the expansion said parents were spending the money on the wrong things and that it made people lazy. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) cast the swing vote that ended the policy; he claimed (incorrectly) that poor people spend extra cash on drugs. Other critics in Congress said giving poor people money without making them also work leads to people quitting their jobs (despite evidence saying otherwise). - In the absence of federal action, states are stepping up. Since the expanded CTC expired two years ago, 11 states have passed versions of the program that do not carry income requirements. The stakes: Who loses when fewer parents have access to this federal support? American children. In 2021, parents receiving money through the expanded CTC were found to have primarily spent it on food, clothes, utilities, rent, and education costs. Households left without this money leave children without baths, school supplies, and food. While the success of the expanded CTC may have been short-lived, it does show that federal welfare programs that include everyone (and not just the working poor) can make a difference in American poverty rates, writes Oshan. And there’s some hope that the CTC could be expanded once more, at least at the state level. Oshan told me, “There are already plenty of Republicans at the state level on board with the idea, and with poverty numbers like those just released, the urgency is staring us in the face.” [Read Oshan’s full story here]( »   HEY READERS! This month, we're aiming to add 2,500 financial contributions from readers to help keep Vox's unique explanatory journalism free for everyone. Will you join us? [Yes, I'll give to help keep Vox free](   NEXT UP Rupert Murdoch steps down Victoria Jones/PA Images via Getty Images This morning, Fox Corporation and News Corp announced their founder, 92-year-old billionaire and media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, will be stepping down as chairman of the board come November. He will hold the title of chairman emeritus at both companies. - “Our companies are in robust health, as am I,” Murdoch wrote in his note to employees. [CNBC]( - Despite this claim, Murdoch’s decision comes on the heels of a tumultuous time for Fox. Under Murdoch’s leadership, Fox News echoed costly falsehoods about election fraud, which ultimately culminated in Fox Corporation paying $787 million in a defamation settlement with Dominion Voting Systems. And more lawsuits are on the horizon. [CNN]( - Rupert’s son, Lachlan Murdoch, will become sole chairman of News Corp and will continue as Fox Corporation’s executive chair and CEO following his father’s departure. Lachlan rejoined his father’s business in 2014 after abruptly resigning from News Corp in 2005. [BBC]( - It’s not clear how much or how little will change following Murdoch's stepping down. In the same memo where Murdoch announced his departure, he also indicated he’d still be keeping a critical eye on the company’s output, Vox senior correspondent [Peter Kafka]( writes. [Vox]( PRESS PLAY Should we press pause on AI? The Gray Area is a philosophical take on culture, politics, and everything in between with host [Sean Illing](. Get some cool takes on a very hot world. New episodes drop every Monday. This week’s episode is a discussion about AI and the issue of control. [Listen now ▶](   AROUND THE WEB - The US will once again offer free at-home Covid tests. The Biden administration announced that, starting Monday, Americans can go to COVIDtests.gov to request four free tests. [CNBC]( - Haiti’s most powerful gang leader called for the ousting of the country’s prime minister, Ariel Henry. In 2021, Haitian President Jovenel Moise was assassinated, and since then political and social tensions in the island nation have only risen. This week, gang leader Jimmy "Barbecue" Cherizier led armed protesters through the country’s capital to call for Henry’s removal from power. [Reuters]( - Seventeen authors are suing OpenAI for “systematic theft on a mass scale,” a.k.a. pulling from their copyrighted works without permission. Jodi Picoult, an author of fiction books such as My Sister’s Keeper, and George R.R. Martin, best known for his Game of Thrones series, are among the authors who joined the lawsuit that was filed Tuesday in federal court in New York. [AP]( - India stopped issuing visas to Canadian citizens. The move comes after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of playing a role in the killing of a Canadian citizen and Sikh-separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. [BBC](    [Learn more about RevenueStripe...](   MORE READS FROM VOX In case you missed it, check out Vox’s newest package on everyone’s favorite state to talk about, Florida! 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