THE SHOW NOTES: Young Voters Ditch Biden, Smartphones Makes Kids Dumber, & China and Cuba Influenced US Elections?
Welcome! A car dealership chatbot agreed to sell a brand-new vehicle for $1.
YIKES: Kamala Harris is going on an abortion tour across America.
HEADLINE: Trump super PAC prepares to go on the attack against Nikki Haley in New Hampshire - NBC
NEW: Texas governor signs bill that lets police arrest migrants who enter the US illegally - AP News
đ¨ CHINA: A more aggressive China tried to influence the 2022 midterms, U.S. intelligence report says - NBC
đ¨ CUBA: U.S. intelligence finds Cuba tried to influence Florida races during 2022 elections - McClatchy
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Young Voters Ditch Biden
Democrats are panicked after The New York Times (paywall) released a poll showing Joe Biden trailing Donald Trump among registered voters and falling further behind with young voters. Additionally, Biden's job approval rating slid two points to 37% while only a third of voters approve of his handling of Israelâs war in Gaza.
Details: While Biden narrowly edged out Trump with likely voters, the primary concern among Democrats is the rapid shift among young voters away from Biden who propelled Biden to victory in 2020.
âVoters between 18 and 29 years old, traditionally a heavily Democratic demographic, jump out. Nearly three quarters of them disapprove of the way Mr. Biden is handling the conflict in Gaza. And among registered voters, they say they would vote for Mr. Trump by 49 percent to 43 percent â in July, those young voters backed Mr. Biden by 10 percentage points.â
Related: The Times quote is nearly identical to comments made by multiple veteran Democratic strategists to The Washington Post yesterday.
âYoung voters â especially young Black and Hispanic Americans â have shown signs of unease toward Biden. Maybe this is a transitory phenomenon, one that as the election approaches will begin to fade as these voters, alarmed at the possibility of another Trump presidency, return to the Democratic fold.â
Age: Compounding problems for the President is an Axios story that claims presidential aides are getting frustrated at Bidenâs refusal to acknowledge his âphysical limitations at age 81.â
Historically Low Approval
âPresident Joe Bidenâs job rating has hit an all-time low in the Monmouth University Poll, including particularly poor marks for his handling of immigration and inflation. Only 3 in 10 Americans say the incumbent is giving enough attention to the issues most important to them, which is worse than for his predecessor. The poll also finds congressional leadership ratings have dropped, with the new House speaker debuting in negative territory.
Public opinion of Bidenâs overall job performance currently stands at 34% approve and 61% disapprove â his lowest rating in Monmouthâs polling since he took office. Since September, his approval number has dropped 4 points and his disapproval number has increased by 6 points. Between October 2022 and July 2023, Bidenâs approval rating ranged between 40% and 44% while his disapproval number registered between 48% and 53%. Presidential approval has dropped among both Democrats (74%, down from 80% in September and 88% in July) and independents (24%, down from 30% in September and 38% in July); and it currently stands at just 5% among Republicans.â
Full story at Monmouth.
Bonus: Biden campaign co-chair admits she's 'afraid' Biden will lose big due to border crisis - Fox News
It Sure Looks Like Phones Are Making Students Dumber
The Atlantic has a fascinating piece on the damning effect that smartphones are having on students. Here are two of the quotes that matter:
For the past few years, parents, researchers, and the news media have paid closer attention to the relationship between teenagersâ phone use and their mental health. Researchers such as Jonathan Haidt and Jean Twenge have shown that various measures of student well-being began a sharp decline around 2012 throughout the West, just as smartphones and social media emerged as the attentional centerpiece of teenage life. Some have even suggested that smartphone use is so corrosive, itâs systematically reducing student achievement. I hadnât quite believed that last argumentâuntil now.
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"PISA finds that students who spend less than one hour of âleisureâ time on digital devices a day at school scored about 50 points higher in math than students whose eyes are glued to their screens more than five hours a day⌠The mere presence of a smartphone in our field of vision is a drain on our focus. Even a locked phone in our pocket or on the table in front of us screams silently for the shattered fragments of our divided attention.
Full story at The Atlantic.
Tennessee sues BlackRock in first-of-its-kind ESG lawsuit
The State of Tennessee is suing BlackRock, the world's largest financial asset manager, in a first-of-its-kind lawsuit alleging the firm has harmed consumers through its environmental commitments and climate strategy.
According to the lawsuit filed in state court Monday and first obtained by FOX Business, BlackRock has articulated two inconsistent positions: one prioritizing financial returns and the other prioritizing investment policies to combat climate change. While BlackRock has faced widespread opposition over its so-called environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy, Tennessee's action on Monday is the first legal challenge to accuse BlackRock of violating consumer protection laws.
Full story at Fox Business.
Trending news:
Jimmy Lai: Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon's trial begins - BBC
Students rejecting early Harvard acceptance as antisemitism stigma plagues Ivy League institution - NY Post
Oil Drillers Get Last Shot at Gulf of Mexico Leases Until 2025 - Bloomberg
Elite Clients of Busted High End Brothel Network Could Be Unmasked - Daily Beast
Prominent LGBTQ+ activist in Philadelphia accused of raping 2 young children - ABC6
IDF suggests aid stolen after finding $1.3M in cash in suitcases at home of senior Hamas member - NY Post
New U.S.-led Red Sea task force wonât stop shipping attacks, Houthis say - Washington Post
Marvel Studios Drops Jonathan Majors Following Guilty Verdict for Harassment and Assault - Variety
Dropping the H-bomb on 2024 - Politico
Americans less satisfied with almost every part of the health system - Axios
A Secluded Runway, a Turkish Spymaster and No Guns: the New World of Hostage Exchanges - WSJ (paywall)
Market snapshot:
The Politico piece was insightful--iand biased towards the Left. Yet the most distressing aspect is that Trump and his team have not considered checking a thesaurus for words which have the same meaning but untainted by the likes of a Hitler or Mussolini. Does Trump actually desire to win? Does he truly "love this country" as is the MAGA response to those who are critical of him? Is he going to govern (if he wins) and establish defensible policies or is he going to waste 4 years of my life attempting to wage war against those he deems to be his enemies? Oh, and might I point out that he seems to have greater vitriol against those with an "R" behind their names than those with a "D."
I presume we are going to hear "Hitler", "dictator", and abortion until the election. I don't see that it matters much as far as the left goes, what he said or what he meant, because they have been using "Hitler" for years when referring to Trump and his supporters. How is it we always hear how the democrats are "wetting their pants" because of bad polling, yet they always seem to win? Could it be that they really aren't wetting their pants and aren't really worried about the polls at all? Kids and electronics. The only thing astonishing about this is that some people seem astonished. Anyone with kids, grand kids, or in my case, great grand kids should stop and take a look at those kids anytime there is a phone, TV, or computer in front of them. I find it truly horrifying. My great grands, all five and under, literally go into a stupor in front of a screen. Slack jawed, dull eyed, unresponsive until the device is turned off or someone gets really loud to get their attention. No electronic should be in the hands of kids before they are at least in their teens. And that includes in school. Every single person I have met who used computers for lessons in school is measurably dumber than people I have known who only attended school to the eighth grade. But this is 100% within the control of parents.