Transgender athletes in sports a ‘sleeper’ issue this election: WSJ
On Sunday, Oct. 13, the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board wrote that transgender athletes in sports is now a sleeper issue in the 2024 election. The article noted three specific U.S. Senate races where the topic is key: Ohio, Montana and Wisconsin.
The issue is currently controversial in college sports. Nearly a half-dozen teams have forfeited their women’s volleyball matches against San Jose State University because the university has a transgender woman on the team. The player was born a male but identifies as a woman.
One opponent said their team demands a right to safety and fair competition, and they refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes.
A 2023 Gallup poll found that 93% of Republican respondents believe transgender athletes should only be allowed to compete on teams that match their birth gender, compared to 6% who said they should be allowed to compete on teams that match their current identity.
Meanwhile, 48% of Democrat respondents said transgender athletes should only play on teams that match their birth gender and 47% said they should play on teams that match their current identity.
In a town hall that is set to air on Fox News, former President Donald Trump said he would ban or stop transgender women from playing girls sports.
As for Vice President Kamala Harris, the group Advocates for Trans Equality has endorsed her, saying she has shown an unwavering commitment to advancing the well-being of the transgender community.
Americans’ trust in media, US government reaches all-time low
Americans’ trust in the media and Congress has hit a historic low, according to a new Gallup poll, while confidence in local government remains significantly higher. The poll highlights a deep partisan divide, with Republicans expressing particularly low confidence in the media.
According to the survey, only 31% of Americans trust mass media to report news fully, accurately and fairly, making it the least trusted civic institution.
Gallup/Straight Arrow News
By comparison, 67% of respondents say they trust their local government, and 34% express trust in Congress.
The survey also shows that only 12% of Republicans trust the media, compared to 54% of Democrats and 27% of Independents.
Media trust saw a slight rebound after falling to 32% in 2016, but the latest numbers suggest any recovery has evaporated. The implications of this declining trust remain unclear, though it points to growing demand for transparency and accountability in national institutions.
US to reach death penalty milestone even with declining support
The United States is set to reach a new milestone for executions. Three inmates were put to death in South Carolina, Missouri and Texas since Friday, Sept. 20. Two more are scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 26, in Alabama and Oklahoma.
According to a report by Newsweek, if those final two go forward, the U.S. will have reached 1,600 executions since the death penalty was reinstated by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1976.
Gallup data shows support for the death penalty has been falling over the last two decades. The latest poll revealed 53% of Americans support the death penalty now. That’s down from 80% in 1994.
The executive director for The Death Penalty Information Center told Newsweek, “It (the data) shows a clear disconnect between the agendas of the elected officials and the reality that Americans are turning away from the death penalty.”
Advocates argue the death penalty for those convicted of murder can bring closure for the victims’ families.
29 states, Washington, D.C., and the federal government have either abolished the death penalty or paused executions.
Currently, most executions are carried out in the southern states.
Secret Service approval rating hits 10-year low, lowest ever among Republicans
A new Gallup poll revealed that American’s approval of the Secret Service has reached a 10-year low. The agency’s approval rating dropped by more than 20 points in the most recent survey. It was conducted in September before the second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, but about two months after the first attempt.
The survey indicates a significant decline in public opinion of the Secret Service. Only 8% of Americans rated the agency as “excellent,” while 24% considered it “good.” Additionally, 25% described the agency’s performance as “fair,” and 36% said it was performing poorly.
Gallup noted that such a sharp decline in public trust of a federal agency occurred only a handful of times in the pollster’s history. The Secret Service’s 23-point approval rating drop is comparable to the largest decreases recorded for any government agency. For context, the CDC’s approval fell by 24 points between 2019 and 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Federal Reserve’s rating dropped 23 points in 2009 following the Great Recession.
The recent decline in public opinion follows the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump. The shooting raised concerns about security lapses and prompting a change in leadership at the agency, including the resignation of its director. Congressional hearings and investigations into the agency’s protocols and staffing are also ongoing.
While there is bipartisan concern over the Secret Service’s ability to protect, the sentiment is stronger among Republicans. Only 20% of adults identifying as Republicans gave the agency a positive rating, its lowest figure ever recorded by Gallup for this group. Democrats’ approval rating stands at 47%, an 18-point drop from the previous year.
Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe announced last week that disciplinary action would be taken against personnel responsible for security failures at the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally where the first assassination attempt occurred. The scrutiny surrounding the agency intensified recently after a suspect was found hiding in bushes with a gun at Trump’s golf course on Sunday, Sept. 15.
Americans lose confidence college is worth it, skilled trades on the rise
As more Americans lose confidence that a college degree is actually worth it, a new study points to some potentially good news for the post-secondary schools. The number of high school graduates who chose to enroll in college held steady from 2022 to 2023, and both years were a big improvement over enrollment numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.
Still, four years after the pandemic began, there are 900,000 fewer undergraduate students enrolling in college. College costs continue to rise and not wanting to accrue student loan debt has many high schoolers looking at other plans for after they graduate.
A separate recent study found nearly half (49%) of high schoolers believe a high school diploma, trade program, two-year degree or other type of enrichment program is the highest level of education needed for their anticipated career path. And even those planning on going to college believe on-the-job training and experience is more beneficial than getting a higher education degree, with 56% of them saying so.
A third study found a majority of those with student loan debt said their degree wasn’t worth it. While more than half (53%) said knowing they’d have to take on debt has stopped them from pursuing more education.
The Department of Labor says in the decade from 2012 to 2121, the number of registered apprentices jumped 64%. Just between 2022 and 2023 enrollment in vocational programs spiked 16%.
The Department of Education also found those who go to trade schools are more likely to find a job after going to school than those who take the traditional college route and are more likely to actually work in their field of study.
It’s also worth noting more and more Americans think two-year post-secondary schools are a better bang for your buck. In a recent Gallup survey, more than half (55%) said a degree from a two-year school is worth it while 18% believed the same thing about four-year colleges.
Sleeping in on weekends could improve your heart health
Does snoozing a little later on the weekend actually help you catch up on sleep you missed earlier in the week? That has been a highly debated question for decades, but now a new study shows that trying to catch up on sleep could help you live longer.
Throughout busy weeks many people accrue what is known as “sleep debt.” That is the difference between how much sleep you need and how much you actually get. New research shows those who try to eliminate some sleep debt on weekends by getting up later are 19% less likely to develop heart disease.
Several previous studies have shown that not getting enough sleep in general can be bad for your health in a number of ways. However, not much research has been done about the effect of getting extra sleep on weekends. Researchers looked at nearly 91,000 people to find a link between catching up on sleep and heart health, specifically.
They found about one in five people were considered sleep deprived. That means they get less than the recommended seven hours per night. Those who got the most extra sleep on weekends were less likely to develop heart disease, according to the findings.
Researchers said the data does not necessarily mean the extra sleep is what is making people healthier. They also say sleeping later on weekends cannot undo the effects of a large buildup of sleep debt throughout the week.
An unrelated Gallup poll recently found less than half of American adults say they get as much sleep as they need.
Cigarette smoking at historic lows — but still more popular than vaping
Smoking has seen a huge drop in the past few decades, now registering in at an 80-year low. Numbers back in 1944 said that 41% of American adults smoked. Decades later, that number has fallen to just 11%.
Regardless of the steep drop, more adults still smoke traditional cigarettes as compared to vaping and e-cigs. A Gallup poll released Tuesday, Aug. 13, said that some adults have turned away from cigarettes for these electronic variants but only 7% of adults use them.
According to Gallup, young adults have driven that decline, and only 6% of adults under 30 report smoking today. It’s a dramatic drop from 2003, where numbers were at 35%.
The numbers may agree that the amount of smokers is dropping, but different age groups are more likely to smoke or vape. Young adults are now more likely to vape, with 18% of them using e-cigarettes compared to just 1% of those aged 65 and older.
Vaping is the most popular choice for the younger generation, but cigarettes are still more popular overall. Most people see vaping as the safer option, according to the poll. In fact, 79% of Americans think cigarettes are “very harmful,” while only 57% say the same about e-cigarettes.
Experts warn that vaping is not risk-free, and it has its own dangers, especially among young people. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it’s become a huge concern. Concerns were heightened last year after the Annual National Youth Tobacco Survey recorded 10% of high schoolers vaping in 2023.
Traditional cigarettes have been linked to all kinds of health problems, including cancer. E-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive, and there’s also aerosol in vapes that have cancer-causing chemicals. Whether it’s smoking or vaping, Barrye Price, CEO of Community Anti-Drug Coalitions said neither option is “safe.”
More younger adults avoiding alcohol for health reasons
Americans seem to be changing their tune when it comes to alcohol. A new Gallup poll shows more and more people are starting to think alcohol just downright unhealthy – even in moderation – especially those who are considered part of Gen Z.
The newly released poll shows almost half of Americans (45%) say having one or two alcoholic drinks a day is bad for a person’s health. That’s the highest percentage yet recorded by the survey, which has been conducted 10 times since 2001.
It also found adults 35 and younger – which are mostly Gen Zers – are the group most likely to say drinking is bad for health. The numbers show 65% expressing that opinion, compared with 37% of adults ages 35 to 54 and 39% of adults 55 and older.
Only 8% of adults reported they thought moderate drinking had a positive effect on health, which is an all-time low.
A different Gallup poll published on Aug. 22, 2023, found 62% of adults under 35 said they drink alcohol. Last year’s numbers are down 10 points from 20 years ago. However, older adults seem to be filling in that gap — with the share of adults 55 and older saying they drink up 10 points.
Experts say the bottom line appears to be when it comes to alcohol, drinking less means more for your health.
This all comes as the U.S. is potentially poised to declare alcohol unsafe. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are set to be updated next year. For the first time ever, the U.S. could reduce the amount of alcohol it considers safe or even follow the World Health Organization’s guidance that no alcohol is safe.
Loneliness epidemic hitting workplaces across the US
Americans are lonely, so much so that the surgeon general has declared loneliness an epidemic. A new study by research firm BSG, TheLi.st and Berlin Cameron showed that 86% of white collar workers between the ages of 18 and 34 said they’ve felt lonely or isolated as a result of their job role, and 76% of those 35 and older said they felt that way.
People considered white collar are workers in office settings, like clerical, administrative, managerial and executive roles, and tend to earn an annual salary. For comparison, blue-collar workers often have to do manual labor and get paid by the hour or by job.
While the rise in remote and hybrid work models can play a role in loneliness, experts said the trend of white-collar workers feeling lonelier has more to do with technology and lack of proper support from their employer. In fact, the study found 65% of white-collar workers believe their employers have a responsibility to address loneliness in the workplace.
The report shows lonely staffers are four times more likely to be dissatisfied with their current careers and three times more likely to feel they cannot be their authentic selves at work. Employees struggling with loneliness are also only half as likely to feel positive about their career prospects compared to workers who say they do not feel lonely.
That study also found younger people reported feeling loneliness more, with 22% of those under the age of 54 saying they experience loneliness daily, compared to 19% of those over 35.
It’s worse for women
Women are even more impacted when it comes to feeling isolated and lonely at work, and studies show that only gets worse as they work their way up.
A similar study conducted by the same researchers in 2023 found 53% of women in the workplace experienced loneliness because of their job. Nearly 60% of those surveyed said their feelings of loneliness and isolation only got worse as their careers progressed.
Additionally, more than half the women climbing the corporate ladder said they declined a job or promotion or even quit because of the negative impact on their personal life. The study found senior-level men are significantly more likely than senior-level women to say their loneliness or isolation decreased the further they have gone in their careers.
How employers can help
Americans spend up to one-third of their week at work, so researchers said it is not surprising their jobs impact their feelings of connection.
The researchers who put the study together say there are ways to employers can help combat loneliness in the workplace, including giving employees more opportunities to interact in person, being transparent, training managers to lead with empathy and respect and creating a collaborative and supportive culture.
President Biden to hold press conference as George Clooney, Sen. Welch call for a change
President Joe Biden is set to hold a press conference as George Clooney joins the calls for him to step aside. And the NBA scores big with its latest TV rights deal. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Thursday, July 11, 2024.
Biden to hold press conference as Clooney, Welch call for a change
President Joe Biden will hold his first solo press conference of the year Thursday, July 11. It’s also the first since his rocky performance in the June 27 presidential debate, as calls for him to step aside as the Democratic nominee continue to grow.
On Wednesday, July 10, it was Hollywood actor and longtime Democratic donor George Clooney calling for Biden to withdraw from the race. This happened just weeks after Clooney hosted a fundraiser for Biden’s campaign that brought in more than $30 million.
In an op-ed piece for The New York Times, Clooney wrote that the Biden he saw at the fundraiser was not the Biden of 2010 or 2020, saying, “He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate.”
“As Democrats, we collectively hold our breath or turn down the volume whenever we see the president, whom we respect, walk off Air Force One or walk back to a mic to answer an unscripted question,” Clooney wrote. “Is it fair to point these things out? It has to be. This is about age. Nothing more. But also, nothing that can be reversed. We are not going to win in November with this president.”
Clooney joined a chorus of Democrats who have recently spoken up for Biden to drop out, including nine House members. And on Wednesday, Peter Welch of Vermont became the first Democratic senator to join the call.
Welch wrote in an op-ed in The Washington Post that Biden should step down for “the good of the country.”
“We need him to put us first, as he has done before. I urge him to do it now,” Welch said.
On Thursday afternoon, Democratic senators will meet with senior advisers from the Biden campaign as they look to express their concerns following the debate. Then the president’s press conference — dubbed by Bloomberg News and cited by the White House as a “big boy press conference” — will take place at 5:30 p.m. ET as the three-day NATO summit winds down in Washington.
NATO calls China “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war in Ukraine
In recent months, the U.S. and European leaders have accused China of bolstering Russia’s defense sector with supplies critical to rebuilding the Russian military. Beijing has denied the accusations.
“China provides dual use equipment, microelectronics, a lot of other tools which are enabling Russia to build the missiles, to build the bombs, to build the aircrafts, to build the weapons they’re using to attack Ukraine,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday, July 11, the second day of the NATO summit in Washington, D.C. “And the fact that this is now clearly stated, agreed by all NATO allies, is an important message to China. And then, of course, we also then state that it cannot continue like this.”
The NATO nations also affirmed the importance of their Indo-Pacific partners, which are not members of the alliance, with leaders from Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia joining the summit.
NATO and the Indo-Pacific partners said they plan to launch four joint projects including supporting Ukraine, bolstering cooperation on cyber defense, countering disinformation and working on artificial intelligence.
China is accusing NATO of overreaching and inciting confrontation in the Indo-Pacific region.
U.S. to resume shipping 500-pound bombs to Israel
The United States is resuming shipping 500-pound bombs to Israel after pausing the shipment of nearly 2,000 of them in mid-May. However, U.S. officials said they’ll continue to hold back on a delivery of much larger 2,000-pound bombs over concerns they could be used in densely populated areas of Gaza.
The U.S. is specifically concerned the large bombs would be used in Israel’s ground invasion of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians have taken refuge since the war with Hamas began.
U.S. officials said the smaller 500-pound bombs had been put together in a shipment with the larger bombs, which is why they were delayed. They have since been separated and can now be sent to Israel.
AOC files impeachment articles against Supreme Court justices Thomas, Alito
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has introduced articles of impeachment against conservative Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas. Ocasio-Cortez is accusing them of what she calls “unchecked corruption” for refusing to recuse themselves from certain cases, like the recent decision to grant former President Donald Trump immunity and improperly failing to disclose gifts from wealthy donors.
However, it’s unlikely the justices will be impeached. A majority vote of 218 is required for the House to adopt the articles. Currently in the House, Republicans hold 219 seats and Democrats hold 213.
Reports: NBA finalizes 11-year $76B deal with NBC, Amazon, Disney
TNT Sports, which has been airing the NBA since the 1980s, will have a five-day window to match one of the deals once the league shares the finished contracts.
The agreement, which breaks NBA records for length and value, would take effect for the 2025-2026 season.
‘Inside Out 2’ becomes Pixar’s highest-grossing movie of all time
There’s a whole lot of joy over at Pixar studios; its latest movie has made box office history. “Inside Out 2” is officially Pixar’s highest-grossing movie of all time.
So far, the film about a teenager’s emotions has earned $1.25 billion worldwide, passing “Incredibles 2,” which made $1.24 billion in its run. “Inside Out 2” now ranks as the fourth-highest grossing animated movie of all time.
The top spot currently belongs to Disney’s 2019 film “Frozen 2” which grossed $1.45 billion globally during its release.
