passports

Passports are in "unprecedented demand," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. In 2022, the State Department issued a record 22 million passports — and 2023 is on track to break that record.

A new executive order from President Biden is designed to streamline the process for things like contacting the IRS, enrolling in Social Security online and, yes, renewing your passport.

With the changes, "we don't have to lie to get our passports. We can just be ourselves," said Dana Zzyym, an intersex person who has fought for more gender options on U.S. passports.

It's likely than when you head to the airport in the near future, facial recognition technology will replace the need for a passport.