The proposed cuts to U.S. foreign aid may not be as deep as was once widely anticipated.  In two hearings held this week, members of Congress pushed back on the proposed USAID budget for FY19, with many agreeing that the amount allocated to the development agency would curb the United States' ability to effectively implement development programs around the world that are critical to U.S. interests, including the agency's commitment to leading countries on the "journey to self-reliance." Senator Lindsay Graham of South Carolina was particularly adamant that these cuts be reevaluated and potentially eliminated. IHC Global is a strong proponent of U.S. supported economic and social development, and we encourage the continued investment in foreign aid together with higher prioritization of urban development, including clean water, sanitation, and property rights, on the US foreign assistance agenda.

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1) A new documentary charts the long, winding commutes of Istanbul, Mexico City and Los Angeles.

The amount of time we spend commuting in our everyday lives is so large it deserves to be documented. Luckily, Argentinian documentary filmmaker Luciana Kaplan is up for the challenge; in her new film, she explores the lives of three different people in three different parts of the world, and how public transportation weaves into their lives- often precariously. The three stories center on Estela, a "Mexican beauty parlor worker living in the suburb of Ecatepec"; Melten, a "Turkish mother of two who crosses the Bosporus every day to get to her job in a clothing store in Istanbul"; and Mike, an "engineer who drives more than four hours each day across Los Angeles to get to his workplace."

Discover more about these stories  here.

2) Paris is really considering going for free transit

Mayor Anne Hidalgo is determined to make Paris a sustainable city, and she may just succeed. The city has launched a transit study that will determine the benefits and costs of adopting free transit, an ambitious move for any city to undertake. So far, estimates say that it would cost the Paris region an extra €6 billion annually (yikes). However, cleaner air, reduced healthcare costs, and plummeting carbon emissions are among the benefits that may far outweigh the costs.

Learn more about the potential plan and the pros and cons  here.

3) Event: A New Vision for New York City Transit