Today is Saint Patricks’ Day, a celebration of Irish heritage. Saint Patrick’s Day began, of course, as a religious holiday. But time and customs have transformed it over the years into a pageant of culture; a chance to acknowledge the contributions that Irish-Americans have made to the US. Yet Irish heritage was not always so widely embraced. During the Potato Famine of the 19th century, nearly 1 million Irish immigrated to America — the first large wave of refugees the country had ever encountered. Many faced virulent prejudice, and were denied employment and basic dignity upon arrival to this country. Despite these obstacles, doors were opened for the Irish, and generations hence, the Irish have made an indelible mark on the country.

In 2010, Adidas joined with Grameen Bank, a microfinance organization founded by Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, to sell low-cost shoes to impoverished populations in India. The idea was to expand Adidas’ market, while at the same time providing quality products to people who might not otherwise be able to get them. “The shoes will be cheap and affordable for the poor, besides it will protect people from diseases,” Yunus said.

Donald Trump’s candidacy for president was driven, in part, by his willingness to repudiate the world beyond our borders. By targeting immigrant groups — notably Hispanics and Muslims — and questioning longstanding international alliances like NATO, Trump signaled his preference for an America that withdraws from global engagement, a preference he made even more explicit in his inaugural address, when he repeatedly spoke about putting “America first,” a phrase with chilling historical overtones.

This week, a Senate panel voted to confirm the nomination of Dr. Ben Carson to be the next Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. With this confirmation, the political uncertainty of recent months now extends to the area of US housing policy. Dr. Carson has criticized HUD policies meant to address housing inequities, calling these moves “social engineering,” an attitude at odds with the department’s stated mission to “build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination.” Given Carson’s view of HUD, it is an open question whether he will enforce policies that are in line with the agency’s goals, or chart a different path.

With Donald Trump and his team set to replace the outgoing Barack Obama administration, there is much to discourage gun safety advocates. Trump's most recent positions on guns includeopposition to gun-free zones, support for requiring states to recognize concealed-carry permits issued in other states, and opposition to gun and magazine bans, including bans on assault weapons. Trump also enjoys the support of the National Rifle Association, which spent more than $30 million to bolster his campaign during the election.

Tuesday, Robert Kennedy, Jr. said that President-elect Donald Trump asked him to chair a committee meant to investigate the scientific integrity of vaccines. Kennedy has expressed skepticism in the past about the efficacy of vaccines, lending his support to the widely debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. The Trump team has since said that the committee would actually be on autism and that no decisions about it have yet been made. Either way, Kennedy’s potential appointment in the Trump administration is a troubling development, signaling the President-elect’s apparent willingness to lend a sympathetic ear to unscientific and dangerous claims about the supposed “hazards” of vaccines.

In some ways, mass shootings like the tragedy Friday at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida have become a numbers game.

“Five dead,” the headlines proclaim. An average of 91 Americans killed by guns per day. Thirty-thousand gun deaths per year in the past decade. A gun murder rate that is 25 times the average of comparable countries.

But as we rightly focus on those who are killed by firearms, we risk underestimating the full health hazard of guns in this country. It is time to include the number of gun injuries — 13 in this latest shooting — in the national conversation.