So long to a fierce and frustrating year

A new poll shows most Americans are feeling pretty good about the future, at least when it comes to their families, jobs and health. But a year of swerving politics was more disheartening.

As 2019 approaches, most Americans are feeling pretty good about the future — at least when it comes to their families, jobs and health. Politics, according to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll, was more disheartening, and watching the news didn't make many feel better. But many in the U.S., including the majority of young people, are entering the new year committed to improving themselves, and NPR's new Life Kit podcasts offer a couple of guides: the smartest ways to save more money and invest it wisely, and how to start and stick with a well-rounded exercise routine. If being better-informed is also on your to-do list, here are some of the trends that defined 2018 and will influence the 12 months to come. NPR As the stock market seesaws into 2019, these are some factors that Planet Money's The Indicator sees driving the economy The year opened with the #MeToo movement reverberating loudly across U.S. workplaces — and the low unemployment rate, now 3.7 percent, is one reason workers may have felt safer speaking up. Another effect is that employers are more open to helping employees through opioid addictions — a factor in the U.S. life expectancy's falling to 78.6 years in 2018 — and hiring workers who need or are in treatment. Foreign competition for skilled jobs, as measured by H-1B visa applications, fell 16 percent this year to 199,000 — also good for U.S. workers, but worrisome for businesses. But while more Americans have jobs, the housing industry’s sluggish recovery from the 2008 crash seems to be plateauing, with new builds dropping 13 percent from 2017 and credit still tight. Marvel Studios On movie screens, ladies took the lead and threw down In 2018, Hollywood offered a range of explorations of women and power: how they wield it, fight for it and abuse it, and what it costs them. "Ultimately, they are coming alive because they are finding rage and finding their empowerment and pushing back," Gillian Flynn, screenwriter of Widows says. "And that ... has been so much of what the #MeToo movement has been about." Check out 50 things NPR’s Linda Holmes loved in 2018 and Pop Culture Happy Hour's resolutions and predictions for the coming year. Alex Brandon/AP A year of massive political movement — except on climate change November saw the Democratic Party end one-party rule in Washington by wresting control of the House from Republicans. That election produced an even stronger public consensus against gerrymandering, the practice of letting politicians redraw political districts. The courts largely agreed, but politicians will keep pushing their case in 2019. Another broad move saw gun-control advocates, newly galvanized by a mass shooting at a Florida high school, turning their focus away from the federal level and toward the states, more than half of which passed new laws. Immigration also continued to be a flashpoint, with the Trump administration halving refugee resettlement and rejecting more legal immigrants than ever before. And despite it being the fourth-hottest year on record and ever more precise and dire warnings on the looming impact of climate change, politicians in Washington spent another year choosing not to act. Dig in: Some of the stories and series NPR focused its efforts on this year Maternal mortality: The United States has the worst outcomes for new mothers in the developed world. Working with ProPublica, we examined why that is and how the health care system can improve. Black lung: NPR investigative journalist Howard Berkes found confirmation that the disease once again is spiking in coal country — and that U.S. regulators could have prevented it. Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria: NPR’s Adrian Florido spent a year detailing the island's struggle — exacerbated by FEMA failures — to recover from the catastrophic September 2017 storm. How to raise a human: We collected the best parenting lessons from cultures around the world. Bill of the month: In collaboration with Kaiser Health News, NPR investigates some of the astronomical sums the U.S. health care industry demands from those it treats. How China is reshaping the world: The country has grown more comfortable wielding its influence around the world, buying up Western assets, investing in developing countries and quashing dissent beyond its borders. American Anthem: These are the songs that challenge and unite us. 1968: How we got here: NPR looks back at the critical moments — both unforgettable and forgotten — of a year that transformed America. Thank you for subscribing to and reading this newsletter in 2018. We look forward to bringing you more of the best that NPR has to offer next year. You received this message because you're subscribed to our Best of NPR emails. |  Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy | NPR 1111 N. CAPITOL ST. NE WASHINGTON DC 20002