Latest news with #50states
The Guardian
2 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Parks, libraries, museums: here's why Trump is attacking America's best-loved institutions
The author and environmentalist Wallace Stegner called our national parks 'America's best idea'. Certainly, these jewels – 85m acres of parkland throughout all the 50 states – are beloved by the public. So are America's public libraries, arts organizations and museums. But that hasn't stopped the Trump administration from threatening or harming them. These institutions are under siege. They are hurt by deep funding cuts, the loss or bullying of public employees and, in some cases, by threats of extinction. Why would any politician – especially one as hungry for adulation as Donald Trump – go after such cherished parts of America? It seems counterintuitive, but this is all a part of a broad plan that the great 20th century political thinker Hannah Arendt would have understood all too well. Take away natural beauty, free access to books and support for the arts, and you end up with a less enlightened, more ignorant and less engaged public. That's a public much more easily manipulated. 'A people that can no longer believe in anything cannot make up its mind,' said Arendt, a student of authoritarianism, in 1973. Eventually, such a public 'is deprived … of its ability to think and judge', and with people like that, 'you can then do what you please'. That's what Trump and company are counting on. It's also part of the effort to divide Americans into two tribes – the elites and the regular folks, the blue and the red, the drivers of dorky hybrid sedans and the drivers of oversized pick-up trucks. The arts and nature, by contrast, serve to unite us. When you're admiring a redwood or gazing at the Grand Canyon, you're neither Republican nor Democrat. The same goes for listening to a beautiful piece of new music or choosing library books to read with your children. But division and grievance serve Trump better. And so, we have the attacks on marginalized people, on university research, and the performing arts, often in the guise of eliminating waste or discriminatory hiring practices. 'The Trump administration has launched a comprehensive attack on knowledge itself, a war against culture, history and science,' Adam Serwer wrote in the Atlantic recently in a much-discussed piece describing 'the attack on knowledge', putting in broad context Trump's defunding of universities and attempts to discourage international scholarship. What's really going on is a longterm power grab. In crippling learning, beauty and culture Trump and his helpers 'seek to make the country more amenable to their political domination'. When it comes to the parks, as the Guardian's Annette McGivney reported recently, the harm is well under way. Thousands of staffing cuts mean that many parks lack adequate supervision, that campgrounds are closed and that the care of precious natural resources is neglected. Again, it's by design, as the former national parks director Jonathan Jarvis told McGivney. 'There are ideologues who want to dismantle the federal government,' Jarvis said. 'And the last thing they need is a highly popular federal agency that undermines their argument about how the government is dysfunctional.' Mark Nebel, a longtime manager of a program at the Grand Canyon, and a true believer in the value of national parks, spoke about the personal toll. 'The Trump administration says this is all about efficiency, but it is nothing of the sort,' said Nebel, who became demoralized at the harm being done and abruptly resigned. Reducing government waste may sound good but it looks more like willful destruction. Among the many agencies that are under attack are the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. These organizations provide crucial support for public libraries and museums, grants to artists and writers, and much more. They make us better as a people. They uplift us. Like the parks, they can bring beauty into our lives. And as the poet John Keats wrote, beauty and truth are inseparable. But truth is only trouble for the would-be autocrat. And truth itself is under attack, as Trump – a prolific liar – tries to control the message to the public by controlling the reality-based press. That's how successful propaganda works. Toward that end, his administration is trying to defund public media, including NPR and PBS, and – partly through lawsuits against media organizations including CBS News and ABC News – to intimidate journalists and their corporate bosses. A more ignorant, less enlightened, more divided electorate is far easier to manipulate. And the power grab, after all, is the larger aim. Once that power is fully secured, there is no one left to challenge the endless grift and self-dealing that is a hallmark of this administration – the sale of meme coins, the pay-to-play pardons of criminals and the cultivation of rich guys and their fat wallets. The diminishment of truth and beauty is part of a long game, but one that doesn't have to prevail. Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist writing on media, politics and culture
Forbes
7 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
How Wisp Built The Most Complete Women's Health Platform In America
Wisp STI Test As clinic access shrinks and provider shortages rise, Wisp—the largest pure-play women's telehealth platform in the U.S., available in all 50 states—is betting big on home as the new front line of healthcare. Today, the company launched a diagnostics vertical designed to bring testing and follow-up care for common STIs directly to patients' doors. With more than 1.5 million users nationwide, Wisp has quietly become a category-defining force in virtual women's health. Its new At-Home Testing & Follow-Up Care service allows patients to collect samples discreetly at home, mail them to CLIA/CAP-accredited labs, and receive results within 3–5 business days—no clinic visit required. All tests include free consultations and, if needed, asynchronous treatment within the Wisp platform. 'We're simplifying the path to complete, 360-degree care, making it possible for patients to access testing and treatment from the comfort of home,' said Monica Cepak, CEO of Wisp. Wisp's diagnostics offering debuts with three test panels: a Common STI Panel (Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and Trichomoniasis), a 3-Site Panel (multi-site Chlamydia and Gonorrhea), and an M-Gen Panel (Mycoplasma Genitalium). All tests are processed through CLIA/CAP-accredited labs using non-invasive swab and urine samples. According to Wisp, 62% of surveyed patients expressed interest in at-home STI testing. The platform's STI, STD, and Herpes categories are up 40% year-over-year. 'We're not just improving convenience—we're helping to destigmatize sexual health and empower patients to take control of their care with confidence,' said Dr. Jillian LoPiano, MD, MPH, FACOG. Wisp is actively building an interconnected care ecosystem through strategic partnerships: In March 2025, Wisp launched a comprehensive weight care vertical that includes access to GLP-1 medications for women navigating hormonal imbalances, PCOS, and perimenopause. The offering consists of prescription access, metabolic panels, and support tools to monitor nutritional deficiencies and long-term weight maintenance. The move positioned Wisp as one of the few platforms approaching GLP-1s from a women's hormonal health lens, not just weight loss. Wisp also recently launched a first-of-its-kind Male BV Partner Treatment, addressing a longstanding clinical blind spot. The new product provides prescriptions for male partners to prevent reinfection and reduce recurrence rates of BV in female patients. 'This move is about science, empathy, and eliminating recurring frustration for our patients,' said Dr. LoPiano. In a recent interview with Femtech Insider, Cepak shared how Wisp's lean growth strategy was fueled by SEO and trust, not splashy fundraising. Over 60% of new patients find Wisp through organic search, and the company has remained profitable since before its 2021 acquisition by WELL Health Technologies (Forbes). 'We focused on listening to our customers and solving real problems, faster and more affordably than anyone else,' said Cepak. Wisp Diagnostics STI Essential 3Panel Wisp is one of the only DTC platforms offering a fully virtual stack—from diagnostics and treatment to Rx delivery and hormonal health—available in all 50 states. As Wisp pushes beyond birth control into diagnostics, weight care, and asynchronous treatment, its competitive set reveals a fragmented market—one where most players specialize in narrow verticals, not comprehensive care. Here's how the landscape stacks up: Wisp is among a new wave of digital health companies redefining reproductive health branding. In the wake of Roe v. Wade's overturning, the company has embraced direct, unapologetic messaging around sexual health and bodily autonomy. As reported by The Guardian, Wisp deliberately avoids euphemisms and medical gatekeeping in favor of plainspoken, rights-based language. This strategy is on full display in its award-winning campaign, 'We Heart Healthy Vaginas.' Created by agency Oberland, the Valentine's Day-themed campaign used playful packaging, reclaimed language, and merch like 'pH-balanced' candy hearts to promote awareness of Wisp's vaginal health offerings. The campaign reached over 30 million impressions and boosted first-time patients. 'We don't want our users to feel like they're entering a hospital portal. We want them to feel seen,' said Cepak. 'Our brand is a promise—not just a product.' Wisp STI Kit Founded in 2018 by Matthew Swartz, Wisp scaled without raising traditional VC capital. In 2021, it was acquired by WELL Health Technologies, a Canadian public company focused on digital health platforms. Though WELL is based in Canada, Wisp serves patients exclusively in the U.S. across all 50 states, with over 1.5 million users and growing. 'Wisp's expansion into diagnostics is a move that reflects our shared vision of building a fully integrated, patient-first healthcare experience. By bringing lab-grade testing into the home and pairing it with accessible virtual care, Wisp is not only enhancing convenience and affordability, but it's redefining what 360-degree care looks like for women.' — Hamed Shahbazi, Founder, Chairman and CEO of WELL Health Technologies 'This launch underscores our founding mission: to put more power, privacy, and choice in the hands of patients,' said Cepak. As telehealth evolves from transactional visits to full-stack care, Wisp is laying the foundation for an always-on, lifestyle-centric women's health platform. Diagnostics is just the latest step. From birth control and STI testing to fertility, weight care, and hormonal health, Wisp is building what may become the most complete digital front door for women's health. Read more on how GLP-1 telehealth models are evolving in this Forbes feature.
Fast Company
27-05-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
Welcome.US CEO Nazanin Ash on the value refugees bring to the economy—and corporate America
As the global migrant crisis continues to dominate our airwaves, has triggered a dramatic impact on U.S. immigration, resettling 800,000 refugees across all 50 states. The organization's cofounder and CEO, Nazanin Ash, shares how her team developed an effective and efficient model, unlocking a nonpartisan community of 2 million volunteers, supported by corporate partnerships with the likes of Meta, Google, and Uber. This is an abridged transcript of an interview from Rapid Response, hosted by the former editor-in-chief of Fast Company Bob Safian. From the team behind the Masters of Scale podcast, Rapid Response features candid conversations with today's top business leaders navigating real-time challenges. Subscribe to Rapid Response wherever you get your podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. You've said that newcomers resettling can bring big economic benefits to the U.S. economy. That's kind of the opposite of a lot of political rhetoric, people worried about their jobs, and the cost of supporting newcomers. What are you looking at differently? Wow, so many indicators. I mean, let's start at the top. Over 50% of our billion dollar companies were founded or co-founded by newcomers, many of them refugees. Scaled immigration pathways of the last three years are estimated to contribute $9 trillion to our economy over the next decade. You have thousands of communities, rural and semi-rural communities, across the country that have been losing population year over year, and are eager to reverse that decline. There are enormous needs. I mean the Census Bureau estimates that we require net immigration of nearly one and a half million a year just to sustain our economy. So, we not only have the capacity to welcome, we have a need to welcome. You've gotten support from corporate partners, Meta, Google, Uber, others. What's been the role of business in Welcome's efforts? Yes. So this has been an extraordinary public-private partnership. We partnered with the private sector to build the civic infrastructure that would scale these new pathways. That included designing a campaign. We did that with assets from Accenture's Droga5 partnership. We did that with resources from Goldman Sachs. It was carried with airtime from Comcast, and then distributed to our target audience with Google Ads. They provided massive technological support for our sort of many to many, our B2C strategy, that allowed us to quickly scale. And then the framework of technology that they helped us create was not only our matching platform and our online sponsorship hubs, but it was also the framework that allowed us to scale flight credits, and housing credits, and matching grants, and rideshare credits from Lyft and Uber. It wasn't a, 'Write us a check and go away,' partnership. It was a deep collaboration that was about bringing our collective efforts to build a seamless infrastructure and journey that wrapped around sponsors and newcomers, and provided them the support they need, and empowered them to do this work. How did you build these relationships with all of these organizations? I mean, I know you have something called the CEO Council. It's got like 40 of the biggest name CEOs. Is that where you started? Do you start at the top of these organizations? How did all that come together? We launched in the crucible of the Afghan evacuation. When the U.S. faced this extraordinary challenge of resettling 80,000 Afghan newcomers on a government resettlement infrastructure that had resettled just 11,400 refugees the year before. So, that's when we developed this public-private partnership with government. We were like, 'This is a problem that's way too big for government to solve alone.' But we felt like if we tapped into innovations of the private sector, willingness of the American people, we could find much more capacity. And indeed, when we went to these CEOs, and asked them to help, not a single one said no. These leaders know exactly what the challenges are. Peter Zaffino, CEO of AIG, wrote about this in 2015. He talked about unmanaged migration as one of the top five things CEOs should be concerned about as risks. He talked about the benefits if it's managed, and the risks if it's not, and he's talking about global instability, and security, rise of authoritarian regimes. David Risher looked at our methodology, and he was like, 'Oh, I see what you're doing. This is like what Airbnb, and Lyft, and Uber did. You are not trying to reform government systems from the inside. It's a whole new business model that you've built alongside.' And now, those are lessons we can carry into the traditional system. I think they were deeply inspired to see how communities engaged, right? Like the social cohesion, the bridge building, the community-driven aspect of this work is so important for the moment we're in. So what's at stake for right now? We feel passionately about continuing to grow this extraordinary movement of welcomers. So, we are pivoting our technology, our campaign, our systems, our infrastructure, to help Americans volunteer, and serve as citizen guides for the 8.5 million green card holders who are eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship, but haven't done it yet. There's paperwork you have to file, you have to pass an English test, you have to pass a civics test, you have to pay a fee. Those are barriers that can be overcome if you have a friend, and a guide, and a welcomer who's walking alongside you, and helping you through it. So, we're excited to get the word out. We're excited for all these policymakers to be educated on what their communities have been experiencing, and we feel really confident that these are the solutions that should rise, and will rise. Can I ask you, why do you do this? I do this work for a number of reasons. My parents came here from Iran as exchange students, and they intended to pursue their education and return. They had me accidentally, they were still undergraduates when they had me. The Iranian Revolution happened in the last year of my dad's PhD program, and so they decided to stay. And if you look at what is happening with women in Iran today, you know what my future would've been otherwise. So, that led to a career of trying to remove those barriers of human potential for others. And I have deep faith in the American people. I come to this with a tremendous amount of patriotism, because we were the first nation with a written constitution that conferred human rights and human dignity on the basis of personhood, and not on the basis of citizenship. You get emotional about this. I mean, you really feel it. Yeah. We're built on this idea that we're a place for strivers. We're a place for people seeking freedom, and opportunity, and self-determination. And our sponsors talk about how their experience as welcomers reintroduced them to that value. One of our sponsors shared a story once, it's Leslie Sperry. She's part of a sponsor group in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and she sponsored a Congolese family who had spent three generations in a refugee camp, and she was walking the father, Meshack, after she had visited the family to see how they were doing. And she tells the story of how he threw out his arms and said, 'I'm free.' And for her, it was this shock, and reminder that, yeah, that's what we have to offer, freedom. And how incredible to be able to offer that to the next generation of new Americans. These welcomers are having a generational impact in someone's lives. They're putting them on a completely different trajectory. Just as my life was put on a completely different trajectory. What an amazing thing to do as a country, and as Americans.
Fast Company
27-05-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
Welcome.US CEO Nazarin Ash on the value refugees bring to the economy—and corporate America
As the global migrant crisis continues to dominate our airwaves, has triggered a dramatic impact on U.S. immigration, resettling 800,000 refugees across all 50 states. The organization's co-founder and CEO, Nazanin Ash, shares how her team developed an effective and efficient model, unlocking a nonpartisan community of 2 million volunteers, supported by corporate partnerships with the likes of Meta, Google, and Uber. This is an abridged transcript of an interview from Rapid Response, hosted by the former editor-in-chief of Fast Company Bob Safian. From the team behind the Masters of Scale podcast, Rapid Response features candid conversations with today's top business leaders navigating real-time challenges. Subscribe to Rapid Response wherever you get your podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. You've said that newcomers resettling can bring big economic benefits to the U.S. economy. That's kind of the opposite of a lot of political rhetoric, people worried about their jobs, and the cost of supporting newcomers. What are you looking at differently? Wow, so many indicators. I mean, let's start at the top. Over 50% of our billion dollar companies were founded or co-founded by newcomers, many of them refugees. Scaled immigration pathways of the last three years are estimated to contribute $9 trillion to our economy over the next decade. You have thousands of communities, rural and semi-rural communities, across the country that have been losing population year over year, and are eager to reverse that decline. There are enormous needs. I mean the Census Bureau estimates that we require net immigration of nearly one and a half million a year just to sustain our economy. So, we not only have the capacity to welcome, we have a need to welcome. You've gotten support from corporate partners, Meta, Google, Uber, others. What's been the role of business in Welcome's efforts? Yes. So this has been an extraordinary public-private partnership. We partnered with the private sector to build the civic infrastructure that would scale these new pathways. That included designing a campaign. We did that with assets from Accenture's Droga5 partnership. We did that with resources from Goldman Sachs. It was carried with airtime from Comcast, and then distributed to our target audience with Google Ads. They provided massive technological support for our sort of many to many, our B2C strategy, that allowed us to quickly scale. And then the framework of technology that they helped us create was not only our matching platform and our online sponsorship hubs, but it was also the framework that allowed us to scale flight credits, and housing credits, and matching grants, and rideshare credits from Lyft and Uber. It wasn't a, 'Write us a check and go away,' partnership. It was a deep collaboration that was about bringing our collective efforts to build a seamless infrastructure and journey that wrapped around sponsors and newcomers, and provided them the support they need, and empowered them to do this work. How did you build these relationships with all of these organizations? I mean, I know you have something called the CEO Council. It's got like 40 of the biggest name CEOs. Is that where you started? Do you start at the top of these organizations? How did all that come together? We launched in the crucible of the Afghan evacuation. When the U.S. faced this extraordinary challenge of resettling 80,000 Afghan newcomers on a government resettlement infrastructure that had resettled just 11,400 refugees the year before. So, that's when we developed this public-private partnership with government. We were like, 'This is a problem that's way too big for government to solve alone.' But we felt like if we tapped into innovations of the private sector, willingness of the American people, we could find much more capacity. And indeed, when we went to these CEOs, and asked them to help, not a single one said no. These leaders know exactly what the challenges are. Peter Zaffino, CEO of AIG, wrote about this in 2015. He talked about unmanaged migration as one of the top five things CEOs should be concerned about as risks. He talked about the benefits if it's managed, and the risks if it's not, and he's talking about global instability, and security, rise of authoritarian regimes. David Risher looked at our methodology, and he was like, 'Oh, I see what you're doing. This is like what Airbnb, and Lyft, and Uber did. You are not trying to reform government systems from the inside. It's a whole new business model that you've built alongside.' And now, those are lessons we can carry into the traditional system. I think they were deeply inspired to see how communities engaged, right? Like the social cohesion, the bridge building, the community-driven aspect of this work is so important for the moment we're in. So what's at stake for right now? We feel passionately about continuing to grow this extraordinary movement of welcomers. So, we are pivoting our technology, our campaign, our systems, our infrastructure, to help Americans volunteer, and serve as citizen guides for the 8.5 million green card holders who are eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship, but haven't done it yet. There's paperwork you have to file, you have to pass an English test, you have to pass a civics test, you have to pay a fee. Those are barriers that can be overcome if you have a friend, and a guide, and a welcomer who's walking alongside you, and helping you through it. So, we're excited to get the word out. We're excited for all these policymakers to be educated on what their communities have been experiencing, and we feel really confident that these are the solutions that should rise, and will rise. Can I ask you, why do you do this? I do this work for a number of reasons. My parents came here from Iran as exchange students, and they intended to pursue their education and return. They had me accidentally, they were still undergraduates when they had me. The Iranian Revolution happened in the last year of my dad's PhD program, and so they decided to stay. And if you look at what is happening with women in Iran today, you know what my future would've been otherwise. So, that led to a career of trying to remove those barriers of human potential for others. And I have deep faith in the American people. I come to this with a tremendous amount of patriotism, because we were the first nation with a written constitution that conferred human rights and human dignity on the basis of personhood, and not on the basis of citizenship. You get emotional about this. I mean, you really feel it. Yeah. We're built on this idea that we're a place for strivers. We're a place for people seeking freedom, and opportunity, and self-determination. And our sponsors talk about how their experience as welcomers reintroduced them to that value. One of our sponsors shared a story once, it's Leslie Sperry. She's part of a sponsor group in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and she sponsored a Congolese family who had spent three generations in a refugee camp, and she was walking the father, Meshack, after she had visited the family to see how they were doing. And she tells the story of how he threw out his arms and said, 'I'm free.' And for her, it was this shock, and reminder that, yeah, that's what we have to offer, freedom. And how incredible to be able to offer that to the next generation of new Americans. These welcomers are having a generational impact in someone's lives. They're putting them on a completely different trajectory. Just as my life was put on a completely different trajectory. What an amazing thing to do as a country, and as Americans.
