Peter Certo

Kent

Editor-in-Chief at Foreign Policy In Focus

Editorial Manager at Institute for Policy Studies

editor, rust belt returnee. comms director at @ips_dc. this acct is personal + i'm mostly here to lurk. gradually shifting to https://t.co/trw4kbW6sJ.

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Articles

In OtherWords: May 28, 2025

1 week ago | otherwords.org | Peter Certo

With more tariffs and uncertainty looming, the last thing anyone wants is to feel insecure at work. But as this week’s writers show, some bad actors are using workarounds to poke holes in federal labor law. Lena Simet, for example, reports on how app-based employers like Uber, Lyft, and so on classify their employees as “independent contractors” despite controlling every aspect of their work — all to get around minimum wage laws, taxes, and other rules responsible employers follow.
Hiding Exploitation Behind an App

1 week ago | otherwords.org | Peter Certo

Alejandro thought that driving full-time for Uber offered freedom — flexible hours, quick cash, and time to care for his young son. But that promise faded fast. “There are hours when I make $20,” he told me. “And there are hours when I make $2.” As his pay dropped, he pawned his computer and camera, began rationing his insulin, and started driving seven days a week just to break even.
This Federal Budget Will Be a Disaster for Black Workers

1 week ago | otherwords.org | Peter Certo

The House recently passed a massive Trump budget bill that will cut trillions in taxes for the ultra-wealthy while eviscerating Medicaid, SNAP, and other services for working Americans. It now moves to the Senate. This bill has been called a massive transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich.
When Religious Employers Get a Pass, Workers Pay the Price

1 week ago | otherwords.org | Peter Certo

Like nearly a third of U.S. adults, I was raised Catholic. So when Pope Leo XIV was elected, I took note. What stood out to me was not just our shared nationality, but the legacy of his chosen name. His predecessor, Leo XIII, issued Rerum Novarum, an 1891 encyclical that supported labor unions and championed workers’ rights.
The Country Trump Seems Dead Set on Imitating

2 weeks ago | fpif.org | Peter Certo

Originally published in OtherWords. Since the start of his second presidential term, Donald Trump seems to be inspired by the country of my birth: the United Arab Emirates. On his first day in office, Trump announced his goal to end the United States’ practice of birthright citizenship. Soon after, his administration began criminalizing immigrants’ right to free speech and deploying plainclothes officers to arrest them.
In OtherWords: May 21, 2025

2 weeks ago | otherwords.org | Peter Certo

This week, House Republicans are sprinting to pass a giant budget bill chock full of the Trump administration’s priorities. Among other things, the bill would deeply slash social programs like Medicaid and food assistance to fund enormous tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy. In OtherWords, Michael Chameides lays out what all that and more will mean for rural communities in particular.
Public Transit Is In Crisis. Congress Can Fix It.

2 weeks ago | otherwords.org | Peter Certo

Transit is essential. It’s how we get to health care appointments, parks, school, and work. Essential workers, small businesses, and under-served communities throughout the country depend on transit. Transit is a key component of economic opportunity, jobs, and a more environmentally sustainable society — and it’s a road to equity for disconnected communities.
The Senate Shouldn’t Confirm a Single Trump Judge

2 weeks ago | otherwords.org | Peter Certo

We are at a perilous time, when our most basic freedoms are at risk. It is vital that we not hand President Trump even more power to wreck our democracy than he already has. Among other things, that means not confirming anyone he nominates to be a federal judge. In early May, Trump announced the first group of judicial nominations of his second term. One is for the Sixth Circuit, which covers Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee. The other four are for district courts in Missouri.
The Country Trump Seems Dead Set on Imitating

2 weeks ago | otherwords.org | Peter Certo

Since the start of his second presidential term, Donald Trump seems to be inspired by the country of my birth: the United Arab Emirates. On his first day in office, Trump announced his goal to end the United States’ practice of birthright citizenship. Soon after, his administration began criminalizing immigrants’ right to free speech and deploying plainclothes officers to arrest them.
Six Ways Trump’s Budget Will Hurt Rural America

2 weeks ago | otherwords.org | Peter Certo

Right now, Congress is working on a giant, fast-track bill that would make historic cuts to basic needs programs to finance another round of tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations. As the Communications and Policy Director for the Rural Democracy Initiative, I’ve been hearing from rural leaders across the country about the devastating impacts this bill would have. The good news is it’s not too late. But there’s little time to spare.