| Could 2020 be the year of fairness? Some laws taking effect in the U.S. this week include higher minimum wages and restrictions on cash bail—a widespread practice that results in the jailing of mostly poor, minority Americans who haven't been convicted of a crime, but only accused of it. California meanwhile added employment protections for gig workers, although Uber and Postmates sued to block it. Others are thinking bigger. Bloomberg Businessweek talked to an entrepreneur who argues that a new social contract makes global trade more fair. His idea is to impose tariffs on imports from nations that don't abide by strict environmental and labor standards. —Philip Gray Did you see this? The 2020 presidential field just got a little less diverse, as Julian Castro, the only Hispanic Democratic contender, ended his bid. Republican women could break the impasse over rules governing the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The world's No. 2 maker of construction and mining equipment finally has a woman on its board. After half a year of democracy demonstrations, Hong Kong protesters may just be getting started. The past decade was a good one for movies by or about women, writes Tyler Cowen in Bloomberg Opinion. We love charts The cost of services like education and health care is rising faster than wages. But jobs in those sectors are a great driver of wage growth.  Visualize the year you want to see Fathers taking parental leave at a rate approaching that of mothers; media bringing people together more than memes tear them apart; access to birth control unlocking a cascade of benefits for developing nations; China modeling electric transportation as an alternative to combustion; a space race that launches tourists as well as industries. It's all in the Optimist's Guide to 2020.  | 
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