911 outages were reported today in parts of NE, NV, SD, and TX. In 2021, TX received 778 calls to 911 per 1000 people. NE received 498 calls per 1000 people, and SD received 378 calls per 1000 people. NV did not report 911 call data. #Texas #Nebraska #Nevada #SouthDakota #outage

Today The FAA ✈️ issued a ground stop for Alaska Air and Horizon Air flights due to a system upgrade issue. In January 2024, 22.3% of flights were delayed and 3.7% were cancelled. Approximately 74% departed on time, a 🔻 of 3.4 points from the 2023 📉 #airlines #airtravel

The House is expected to vote on the $95 billion national security bill this week, with billions in military aid set aside for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. Over the last decade, the US has provided $38.2B to Israel, $34.6B to Ukraine, and $139.8M to Taiwan.

#Homelessness in the US surged by 12.1% from 2022–2023, hitting its highest point since at least 2007. Department of Housing and Urban Development counted 653,104 homeless Americans in Jan 2023. #California had 181.4K people experiencing homelessness in 2023, nearly 30% of the total US homeless population.

The US drinks more #coffee than any single country in the world. ☕ Americans drank more than one cup of coffee per day from October 2022 to September 2023. That’s equivalent to about 164.2 billion six-ounce cups of coffee, or 450 million per day.

Outdoor lovers: #NationalParkWeek begins next Saturday, April 20 and runs through Sunday, April 28, with entrance fees waived on Saturday, April 20. In 2023, national park visitation numbers reached 325.5 million. Visitations peaked in 2016 at nearly 331 million visits.

The Department of Defense (DoD) manages over 4,790 #military sites worldwide, covering 27M acres, an area roughly the size of Virginia. These sites are home to over 1.3M active-duty military members, 169,000 of whom were stationed abroad in September 2023.

Today, Congress met with FAFSA reps to address the stalled rollout of student aid. In the 2019–20 school year, more than half of undergraduate students in the US received some form of federal financial aid. Approximately 34.6% of undergraduates received a federal student loan.

The latest BLS data shows that #inflation rose to 3.5% in March, its highest rate since September 2023. Gas and shelter contributed over 50% to inflation from February to March. #GasPrices are up $0.50 since 1/1, with a national average of $3.59 per gallon.

Today, the parents of the Oxford High shooter were sentenced to at least 10 years for manslaughter. The 2021 Oxford High tragedy happened in a year when US school shootings surged to 327 incidents — the highest on record — marking a 124% increase from 2020.

In March, the Department of Defense 🇺🇸 announced its 2025 budget outline, only months after Congress authorized 2024 military spending for $841.4 billion. The DoD is asking for $849.8 billion for the 2025 fiscal year - a 1% increase.

Today's solar eclipse will last up to 4 minutes 28 seconds and pass over areas home to 31.6 million people, offering a unique view of the sun at its solar maximum. NASA research during this event will enhance our knowledge of solar effects on Earth. #SolarEclipse

If you haven't already filed your taxes, there's one week left to file before the federal April 15 deadline 🗓️ In 2021, the average middle class family paid nearly $18,000 in taxes, with around $10,300 of that going to the federal government. #taxes #TaxSeason

Despite pandemic challenges, US #breweries (98% small businesses), contributed $2.7B+ in federal tax revenue in 2022, supporting tens of thousands of jobs. American breweries foster local economies and play a pivotal role in the nation's economic health overall. #NationalBeerDay

In 2021, Americans dedicated over 4.1 billion hours to volunteering. Utah and Wyoming volunteer the most, with 40% of residents participating, while 70% of Montana's community engages in informal help. How does your community contribute? #NationalVolunteerMonth

On Friday morning, a 4.8-magnitude earthquake struck near Califon, NJ, shaking buildings in New York City, Philadelphia, Boston and beyond. Here's a closer look at where larger earthquakes tend to strike. #earthquake #usgs #naturaldisaster #usafacts

The time from legal purchase to criminal use, 'time-to-crime' metrics reveal guns entering the illegal market, with a rising share reaching crime scenes within a year. ATF HQ data released Thursday shows a significant increase in short time-to-crime rates from 2019 to 2021.

Three private companies are helping @nasa design the next lunar terrain vehicle, excpected by the end of the decade. The space industry has grown into a $211.6B industry as of 2021, up from $180.6B in 2012. Manufacturing was the largest sector of the industry in 2021 ($55.8B).

The #Biden Administration aims to cut #Medicare drug costs by negotiating prices for 10 key drugs—accounting for 20% of 2022's drug-related expenditures. This plan, passed under the Inflation Reduction Act, aims to lower the $2,294 spent per enrollee.

Recent storms in CA caused Highway 1 to collapse near Big Sur. As of 2020, a third of roads in CA were in 'poor' condition, according to data from U.S. Department of Transportation. It's been a smoother ride in TN, WY, and ND, where less than 6% of roads are in poor shape. #BigSur