A Public School Enrollment Crisis, and a Nuclear Reactor on the Moon

Summary

The Headlines: A Public School Enrollment Crisis, and a Nuclear Reactor on the Moon

Hosted by Tracy Mumford | The New York Times | Released August 5, 2025

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1. Public School Enrollment Crisis

Overview: Public schools across the United States are grappling with a significant decline in student enrollment. Federal data indicates that between 2019 and 2023, two-thirds of traditional public schools experienced a drop in student numbers. This downturn is attributed to several factors beyond the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Key Factors:

• Historic Slump in U.S. Birth Rates: The United States is witnessing a rare decrease in birth rates, leading to a reduction in the population of school-age children.
• Rise of Private School Vouchers and Homeschooling: There has been a considerable increase in families opting for private education through vouchers or choosing to homeschool, diminishing the student base for public institutions.
• Policy Shifts Under the Trump Administration: The administration is pushing to expand vouchers and homeschooling options further, exacerbating the challenges faced by public schools, which rely heavily on per-student funding.

District Responses: In response to declining enrollments, some school districts are implementing aggressive recruitment strategies. Dana Goldstein, an education reporter for the Times, highlights efforts in Orlando where consulting firms are hired to recruit students back to public schools.

Notable Quote:

“These recruiters do get paid. In Orlando, the company will earn about $935 for every student that they successfully recruit back to the public school district. Now, this is still worth it from the perspective of the school district because for every additional student that enrolls, they get per pupil dollars, thousands and thousands of them.”
— Dana Goldstein [01:38]

Challenges: While recruitment efforts aim to stabilize enrollment numbers, there is growing discomfort within the public education sector regarding the commercialization of education. Critics argue that turning schools into sales entities could undermine the integrity and mission of public education.

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2. Trump Administration's Trade Policies and Global Impact

Overview: President Trump's latest trade strategies are putting pressure on international partners to secure favorable agreements before the impending trade deadline. Countries failing to negotiate timely deals face significant surcharges ranging from 15% to over 40%.

Impact on Switzerland: Switzerland, for example, is confronting a potential 39% tariff, which poses a substantial threat to its economy. To mitigate these impacts, Switzerland may adopt strategies similar to other U.S. trade partners, including offering financial incentives to the U.S. to avoid severe tariff repercussions.

Notable Quote:

“Hundreds of billions of dollars is flowing into our country. We've never seen anything even close.”
— Unnamed Trade Expert [03:57]

Investment Pledges and Skepticism: As part of the negotiations, Trump claims to have secured over $10 trillion in investment pledges from nations like Japan, South Korea, and members of the European Union. However, experts express skepticism about the feasibility of these investments materializing, pointing out that many agreements remain vague or informal. Historical precedents, such as the unfulfilled investment promises during the trade war with China, further fuel doubts about the administration's claims.

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3. Restoration of Confederate Symbols in Washington, D.C.

Overview: In a move that has sparked debate, the National Park Service announced the restoration and reinstallation of the only Confederate statue in Washington, D.C. The 11-foot-tall bronze monument commemorates Confederate General Albert Pike and was previously dismantled and destroyed during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.

Historical Controversy: The statue has been a point of contention for over a century, with opposition dating back to its initial installation. Criticism stems from Pike's association with the Confederacy and pro-slavery stance, making the statue a symbol of a painful and divisive history.

President Trump's Involvement: President Trump condemned the removal of the statue, labeling it a “disgrace to our country”. His administration has actively pursued the restoration of Confederate symbols, including renaming military bases previously named after Confederate generals.

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4. NASA’s Initiative to Install a Nuclear Reactor on the Moon

Overview: In a bold move to advance space exploration and bolster national security, the Acting Director of NASA has announced plans to deploy a nuclear reactor on the Moon. This initiative aims to support a sustainable lunar economy and ensure the United States maintains a strategic advantage in space.

Rationale: Traditional solar power systems face challenges on the Moon, particularly due to its extended periods of darkness lasting approximately two weeks. A nuclear reactor would provide a continuous and reliable power source, addressing the limitations posed by solar dependencies.

Notable Quote:

“The project would be critical to support a future lunar economy and to strengthen our national security in space. We need to get ahead of similar efforts by China and Russia.”
— NASA Acting Director [05:30]

Project Timeline: NASA aims to launch the nuclear reactor project from New Jersey by late 2020. While specific applications of the reactor's power remain under discussion, the overarching goal is to facilitate long-term human and commercial activities on the Moon.

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5. Historic Environmental Settlement in New Jersey

Overview: The New Jersey Attorney General has spearheaded a landmark environmental settlement with DuPont and its corporate spinoffs, valued at over $2 billion. This agreement addresses extensive pollution caused by PFAS, a class of persistent chemicals used in various consumer and industrial products.

Implications of PFAS Contamination: PFAS, often referred to as "forever chemicals," have been detected in half of the United States' tap water. Their persistence in the environment has been linked to serious health issues, including birth defects and increased cancer risks.

Settlement Details: Under the settlement, the implicated companies, which knowingly contaminated land and water in New Jersey, are obligated to finance the cleanup of four former industrial sites. Additionally, they must allocate hundreds of millions of dollars to sustain these efforts, irrespective of potential bankruptcies.

Notable Quote:

“The value of this settlement makes it the largest environmental settlement by a single state ever.”
— New Jersey Attorney General [07:00]

Broader Context: This settlement marks a significant victory in the ongoing battle against PFAS pollution. It aligns with actions taken by other states, where chemical companies have entered into multimillion-dollar agreements with public water utilities to address widespread contamination.

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6. James Laprino and the Transformation of Pizza Cheese

Overview: James Laprino, founder of Laprino Foods, revolutionized the pizza industry by transforming his family's Italian grocery store in Denver into a mozzarella powerhouse. At the time of his passing at age 87, his company was responsible for producing 85% of the cheese used in U.S. pizzas.

Innovation and Impact: Laprino's ingenuity lay in dramatically shortening the mozzarella aging process from 14 days to just four hours. Moreover, he pioneered the successful freezing of mozzarella using techniques borrowed from the frozen vegetable industry, paving the way for the widespread availability of frozen pizza.

Market Dominance: Throughout his career, Laprino secured major contracts with leading pizza chains like Domino's and Papa John's. He meticulously developed tailored mozzarella recipes for each brand, ensuring consistency and quality across various test ovens dedicated to each client.

Legacy: Laprino's contributions earned him the moniker "the Willy Wonka of cheese," reflecting his creative and transformative influence on the food industry. His innovative approaches not only met the demands of a booming pizza market but also established standards that continue to shape cheese production today.

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Transcript

[Business Roundtable Representative]

This podcast is supported by Business Roundtable. Business Roundtable member companies support over 37 million US jobs. These employers play a critical role in strengthening America's workforce. From creating jobs in skilled trades to developing industry focused initiatives, they are setting a new standard for investing in employees. Learn how Business Roundtable member companies are carving new paths and developing a thriving [e-mail] OpportunityUnlocked.

[Tracy Mumford]

From the new York Times, it's the Headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Tuesday, August 5th. Here's what we're covering. Public schools across the country are facing an enrollment crisis. According to federal data, two thirds of traditional public schools saw their numbers drop between 2019 and 2023. The factors at play beyond the pandemic, which caused mass disruption in attendance, U.S. birth rates are in a historic slump to the point that the number of children in the country is starting to shrink. At the same time, there's been a boom in private school vouchers and homeschooling options. The Trump administration wants to boost even more. It's left public schools, which are often funded on a per student basis, scrambling.

[Dana Goldstein]

Some school districts in order to boost enrollment and recruit back families who have fled to private schools. Charter schools are even hiring recruiters to go out and pitch parents on enrolling their kids in local public schools.

[Tracy Mumford]

Dana Goldstein covers education for the Times. She's been reporting from Florida, where despite being one of only a few states with a growing population of children, public schools are still facing significant declines.

[Dana Goldstein]

I traveled across Orlando with a consulting firm that has been able to recruit hundreds or even thousands of students for over 100 school districts across the country. This consulting firm goes to preschools, it goes to after school programs, it goes to housing developments, and they look for anywhere they can find parents and try to give them a positive pitch about their local public schools. These recruiters do get paid. In Orlando, the company will earn about $935 for every student that they successfully recruit back to the public school district. Now, this is still worth it from the perspective of the school district to pay this fee to the consulting company, because for every additional student that enrolls, they get per pupil dollars, thousands and thousands of them. So they see it as a small price to pay to bring back what could be millions in revenues to their district, dana says.

[Tracy Mumford]

Not everyone in public education is comfortable with the idea of schools getting into sales pitches and marketing. But a lot of districts feel like they have to act now. If they lose enough students for funding to noticeably shrink, enrichment programs get cut. That can cause even More families to withdraw. And so what begins as an enrollment dip can become a downward spiral. President Trump's latest trade deadline has countries around the world racing once again to make a deal. This Thursday. Surcharges ranging from 15 to over 40% will kick in on countries that don't have an agreement in place. That's left countries like Switzerland, for example, feeling the pressure. It's facing 39% tariffs, which would be a significant hit to the Swiss economy. So the country may need to follow a kind of playbook that other US Trade partners have been using, promising to hand over cash to the US to try and avoid the worst of the tariffs.

[Unnamed Trade Expert]

Hundreds of billions of dollars is flowing into our country. We've never seen anything even close.

[Tracy Mumford]

As part of the trade negotiations, Trump says he's brought in more than $10 trillion in investment pledges from places like Japan, South Korea, and the European Union. That's on top of tariff revenue. Some trade experts say he's effectively turned the U.S. s trade partners into trade hostages, shaking them down for cash. But the experts note that those investments might not actually ever come through. Many of the agreements that Trump has celebrated are vague or informal. For example, the EU deal said that European companies have, quote, expressed interest in investing in the US Giving them a lot of wiggle room. In President Trump's first term during the trade war he kicked off back then with China, he also talked up a big investment promise. At the time, China agreed to purchase billions of dollars of in farm products. That commitment was never met. Now, two other quick updates on the Trump administration. Yesterday, the National Park Service announced that it will restore and reinstall the only Confederate Statue in Washington, D.C. the 11 foot tall bronze monument to the pro slavery Confederate General Albert pike was torn down and set on fire during the Black Lives matter protests in 2020. The statue has been controversial for more than a century. Some Civil War veterans from the Union army had objected to its installation in the first place. When it was torn down, Trump called the act a, quote, disgrace to our country. And since coming back to office, he's led a sweeping effort to restore Confederate symbols across the US including directing the military to restore the names of all army bases that had been named for Confederate generals. Also, the acting director of NASA is trying to fast track efforts to put a nuclear reactor on the moon. In a directive issued this past week, the director wrote that the project would be critical to, quote, support a future lunar economy and to strengthen our national security in space. He also said the US Needed to get ahead of similar efforts by China and Russia. While many projects in space have relied in part on solar power, that would be trickier on the moon, which goes through two week long cycles of complete darkness. So the small reactor could help provide continuous electricity. Though it's not clear yet what exactly it will be powering, NASA says it's aiming to get the project launched in late 2020 in New Jersey.

[New Jersey Attorney General]

My office is excited to announce that we have reached a groundbreaking environmental settlement valued at over $2 billion with DuPont and a number of its corporate spinoffs.

[Tracy Mumford]

The state's Attorney General has announced a major settlement with three chemical giants over claims of pollution from so called forever chemicals.

[New Jersey Attorney General]

The value of this settlement makes it the largest environmental settlement by a single state ever.

[Tracy Mumford]

Those substances, known as PFAS, are a class of almost 15,000 chemicals that are used in everything from non stick cookware to cosmetics to firefighting foam. After decades of use, they've now been found in half the country's tap water and have been linked to birth defects, increased risks of some cancers and other health conditions. Under the deal, the companies which the Attorney General said had, quote, knowingly contaminated land and water in New Jersey will have to fund the cleanup of four former industrial sites. And they'll have to set aside hundreds of millions of dollars to continue that work even if they go bankrupt. The settlement is part of an aggressive push by New Jersey and other states to sue PFAS manufacturers. And across the US Chemical companies have entered into other multi billion dollar agreements with public water utilities to try and clean up widespread contamination. And finally, if you have ever enjoyed an ooey gooey, cheesy bite of pizza that was so melty, the string of cheese just kind of stretched and stretched at some point until it snapped back into your face. James Laprino is the man to thank. His company, Laprino Foods, produces 85% of the cheese for pizzas in the U.S. he died this summer at 87. Starting in the 1950s, he transformed his family's small Italian grocery store in Denver into a mozzarella empire. He got into the business right when Pizza Hut and Little Caesars were opening their first stores. To hit it big, the company basically reinvented the process of making mozzarella. Normally it takes 14 days to age, but they cut it down to four hours. And they figured out how to freeze it successfully using a method that had been used to freeze peas that helped pave the way for frozen pizza. Obviously a game changer. Over his career, Loino sold to all the big names. Domino's to Papa John's he reportedly had separate test ovens for each of the brands so that he could dial in the right custom mozzarella recipe for each one. Leprino's cheese wizardry made him a billionaire. Forbes dubbed him the, quote, willy Wonka of cheese. Those are the headlines today on the Daily How President Trump's decision to fire the official behind the jobs report is raising questions about whether government data can be trusted going forward. That's up next. If you're listening in our New York Times, Apple or you can listen wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Tracy Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow.