Why U.S. child care is in crisis and what to do about it

Main Topic: The podcast episode covers several news stories, but the main topics are the child care crisis in the US, the issue of child smugglers on the US-Mexico border, and other news stories.

Key Points:

1. The US is facing a child care crisis, with over a third of child care workers laid off during the pandemic and only 70% of those jobs recovered.
2. Daycare centers are struggling to hire workers due to low wages, with the median wage being just over $12 an hour.
3. A survey found that nearly half of parents are going into debt to pay for child care, and over half of families had at least one adult stop working or change their schedule to care for children during the pandemic.
4. The COVID stimulus package allocated billions of dollars to support the child care industry, but most states have not yet posted the application for funds.
5. Democrats have a plan to allocate nearly half a trillion dollars for child care and pre-K in a larger spending bill, which would cap child care expenses at 7% of a family's income.
6. On the US-Mexico border, many smugglers are children themselves, who are recruited by cartels due to the lack of prosecution for minors.
7. A local program in Mexico is trying to get teen smugglers out of the criminal life through education, therapy, and job opportunities.
8. A Maryland couple, Jonathan and Diana Tebby, are accused of trying to sell US nuclear secrets to a foreign power in exchange for cryptocurrency.