POLICY ROUNDUP

Even though foreign nationals without permanent U.S. residence status and foreign companies are prohibited from contributing to U.S. elections, U.S. subsidiaries of foreign companies are not. Those subsidiaries have spent almost $10 million, according to a DW analysis of data obtained by the Center for Responsive Politics.

Just like their U.S. counterparts, these subsidiaries can legally establish political action committees to collect contributions for political candidates from their U.S. employees and families. All PACs are registered with the Federal Election Commission.

The biggest spender among foreign-affiliated PACs is the one set up by Swiss banking giant UBS. It contributed $741,750 to congressional candidates, with most of the money going to Republicans. The second biggest spender is British defense company BAE Systems. Its BAE Systems USA PAC spent $412,500.

While most of the contributions are coming from European-based firms ($8.6 million), companies from five other countries have spent money on the election: Japan ($597,000), Israel ($159,000), Canada ($108,000), Mexico ($61,000) and Australia ($32,000).

That most foreign-connected PACs have focused their election spending so far on congressional candidates and refrained from giving money to presidential candidates is also no surprise.

Since Congress makes the laws and has the power of the purse, contributing money to members of Congress instead of various presidential hopefuls, particularly in the primary, is a better investment for companies, James Davis, dean of the School of Economics and Political Science at St. Gallen University in Switzerland, told DW. — Joana Suleiman

TRANSPORTATION

Deadliest days for teen driving have begun

Memorial Day is the start of the 100 deadliest days for teen drivers, according to AAA, which also reports that the number of fatal crashes are on the rise.

An average of 1,022 people died in each of the past five years in crashes involving teen drivers during the 100 deadliest days. AAA says that is more than 10 per day and an increase of 16 percent per day over the rest of the year. While the auto club found that 12 percent of crashes involve people texting or talking on their phone, 15 percent of crashes involve drivers speaking to passengers in the car.

“What we know about teens is that when they add a passenger, they’re more likely to be distracted, they’re more likely to engage in risky behavior,” said Jennifer Ryan, AAA director of state relations.

“Many teens are texting or using social media behind the wheel more often than in the past, which is making an unsafe situation even worse,” said Ryan, adding that using your cellphone increases the risk of crashing 23 times over undistracted driving, regardless of age.

AAA says parents need to keep cellphones out of the hands of teen drivers, and suggests they have conversations with their teens early and often. And teach by example — don’t drive distracted yourself. — Joana Suleiman

EDUCATION

Charter school movement celebrates 25 years

Public charter schools are celebrating the 25th anniversary of June 4, 1991, the day the nation’s first law authorizing public charter schools was passed in Minnesota.

The first charter school opened the following year, when City Academy High School in Saint Paul opened on Sept. 7, 1992. The school is still open.

According to data from the 2013-14 school year, 2.6 million students attend charters, about 5 percent of public school students. There are 6,440 charters across the country in 43 states.

Though support typically comes from conservative education reformers, some liberals support the charter concept too. “We celebrate the role of high-quality public charter schools in helping to ensure students are prepared and able to seize their piece of the American dream,” President Obama said in a May proclamation recognizing National Charter Schools Week.

Charter schools are publicly funded and do not charge tuition. Compared to traditional public schools, charters have more independence and flexibility in their operations and curricula, which is why many families find charters desirable. They are open to all students, but often don’t have enough space to meet demand. In that case, they use a random lottery system to determine admission. — Jason Russell

HEALTHCARE

Superbug discovery prompts congressional action

Two senators want to create new antibiotics after the discovery of a deadly gene in bacteria resistant to powerful antibiotics.

Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Michael Bennet, D-Colo., want to introduce a bill as an amendment to a defense spending bill. The bill would create a new drug-approval pathway to speed up approval of antibiotics.

The bill comes about a week after a Pennsylvania woman was found to have E. coli bacteria with the mrc-1 gene, which is resistant to the antibiotic colistin. That antibiotic is typically used as a last resort to kill bacteria.

This is the first appearance of the gene in the U.S. It has already been found in China and other countries.

The senators said that the legislation is needed as the pipeline for new antibiotics has dwindled.

“Research has lagged to the point where a truly novel antibiotic hasn’t been discovered in more than 30 years,” Bennet said. “This bipartisan amendment would encourage researchers to find new antibiotics to treat otherwise unstoppable infections before it’s too late.”

The amendment would permit the FDA to approve a new antibiotic based on results from a smaller clinical study. That means a drugmaker could bypass a larger and lengthier clinical trial and get the drug to the market faster. — Robert King

NATIONAL SECURITY

Suicide attempts highest among soldiers never deployed

Suicide attempts among Army soldiers were highest among soldiers who never deployed, according to a new study that examined the timing and risk factors of suicide attempts.

The study found that never-deployed soldiers were at the greatest risk in the second month of service, according to an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Psychiatry.

Researchers looked at 163,178 enlisted soldiers, of which 9,650 tried to commit suicide.The study said that 40 percent of enlisted soldiers never deployed accounted for 61 percent of the enlisted soldiers who tried to kill themselves.

For soldiers on their first deployment, suicide risk was highest in the sixth month of deployment. In previously deployed soldiers, the risk was highest five months after they returned. — Robert King

ENVIRONMENT

Climate change cure in capsule form

The cure for climate change could be found soon in a capsule, the Energy Department says.

A tiny capsule could have a big impact in the fight against climate change, the agency said in highlighting research its national labs are doing in collaboration with Harvard and Illinois universities.

“Using the same baking soda found in most grocery stores, scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, along with colleagues from Harvard University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, have created a significant advance in carbon dioxide capture,” the agency announced.

The capsules grab carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas blamed for warming the Earth’s atmosphere, out of the air by surrounding it in a sodium carbonate solution, and storing it in a shell made of a material similar to that of a silicone spatula. — John Siciliano