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

Musk’s Deadliest Legacy

3 weeks ago | fpif.org | Peter Certo

Originally published in OtherWords. Elon Musk has left the White House, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. But of all the actions Musk and President Trump set in motion before their recent rupture, nothing will hurt more people around the world than their dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
MAGA to Women: Stay Home And Have Babies!

3 weeks ago | otherwords.org | Peter Certo

The right wing routinely demonizes family-friendly policies of liberals as “social engineering.”But look out! Here come those same politicians, putting on MAGA hardhats and firing up their political bulldozers to push one of the most arrogant and intrusive social schemes imaginable.
In OtherWords: June 4, 2025

3 weeks ago | otherwords.org | Peter Certo

Elon Musk may have left the White House for now, but his damage will be long-lasting. This week in OtherWords, David Douglas examines one of Musk’s most controversial moves: gutting the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID. David has worked in nonprofits promoting clean water access for over 40 years.
Criminalizing Homelessness Doesn’t Work. Housing People Does.

3 weeks ago | otherwords.org | Peter Certo

In the largest eviction of a homeless encampment in recent history, around 100 unhoused people were recently forced to vacate Oregon’s Deschutes National Forest — or else face a $5,000 fine and up to one year in jail. The forest was the last hope for the encampment’s residents, many of whom were living in broken down RVs and cars. Shelters in nearby Bend — where the average home price is nearly $800,000 — are at capacity, and rent is increasingly .
Trump’s Last Tax Cuts Failed Americans Like Me. Let’s Not Repeat the Mistake.

3 weeks ago | otherwords.org | Peter Certo

In early 2018, I remember sitting at my kitchen table, trying to make sense of how the 2017 Trump tax law was supposed to help families like mine. I’d read headlines promising “middle class tax relief.” But when tax season rolled around, there was little relief to be found — especially for me, a Black woman navigating caretaking for elderly parents and a demanding career. My refund was smaller, my deductions had vanished, and the math simply didn’t add up.
In OtherWords: May 28, 2025

1 month 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 month 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 month 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 month 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

1 month 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.