“Hunger in America is getting worse, not better” according to an explosive new USDA report

As Americans all across the country report feeling increasingly pressed by inflated food prices, an explosive new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture reveals that about 18 million families — or 13.5% of U.S. households — struggled to access enough food, marking the highest levels of food insecurity in nearly a decade.

This increase represents a troubling spike from 2022, when 12.8% of households reported insecurity, and 2021, when the figure was just over 10%.

The report also highlights another alarming reality: Nearly 9% of households with children experienced food insecurity, up from 2021. And while, as the report authors put it, children are “usually shielded from the disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake that characterize very low food security,” over 380,000 families experienced days where children were hungry, skipped a meal or did not eat for a whole day because there was not enough money for food.

"Unnecessary and unacceptable": Why the American hunger crisis could get worse in 2024

According to report authors Matthew P. Rabbitt, Madeline Reed-Jones, Laura J. Hales and Michael P. Burke, the survey included “30,863 households, which comprised a representative sample of the U.S. civilian population of about 133 million households.” Researchers asked one adult respondent per household about experiences and behaviors that indicate food insecurity during calendar year 2023, such as being unable to afford balanced meals, cutting the size of meals, or being hungry because of too little money for food. The food security status of the household was assigned based on the number of food- insecure conditions reported.

In response to the report, Eric Mitchell, president of the Alliance to End Hunger, expressed outrage at the growing hunger crisis. “This damning report shows that hunger in America is getting worse, not better," Mitchell said in a statement. “Policymakers must take immediate and decisive action to reverse these deeply troubling trends.”

Mitchell characterized the current situation as “unconscionable,” noting that food insecurity disproportionately impacts Black and Hispanic households and those living in poverty. Additionally, single-parent households, households headed by women, and those in rural and urban regions of the U.S. — as opposed to the suburbs — experienced disproportionately high rates of food insecurity.

“The data are clear: last year, food insecurity among Black and Hispanic Americans was more than twice as high as White Americans, and afflicted nearly 40% of people at or below the poverty threshold,” Mitchell said. “These persistent disparities reflect the systemic economic and health inequities that continue to plague our country.”

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While it might be tempting to solely attribute the spike in hunger to food inflation, food insecurity experts including Mitchell and Crystal FitzSimons, interim president of the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), point to pandemic-era programs that successfully aided in addressing the issue during a time of global upheaval.

Many of these programs, which temporarily boosted SNAP benefits, allowed for the implementation of universal free school meals and expanded the Child Tax Credit, were a lifeline for families. However, many of those same programs expired or were rolled back, leaving households who had participated in them struggling to make ends meet.

(This is reflected in the data in the USDA’s new report, which shows that 47.4 million people lived in households experiencing food insecurity last year, an increase of 3.2 million compared to 2022, and 13.5 million compared to 2021.)

"Without greater investments in anti-poverty and anti-hunger programs, hunger in this country will continue to climb. The findings in USDA's report highlight the need to make significant investments in and expand proven programs like SNAP, Healthy School Meals for All, and the Child Tax Credit,” FitzSimons wrote in a statement. “We have the tools to end hunger in America. It’s time to wield them and finally make hunger in America a thing of the past."

"Without greater investments in anti-poverty and anti-hunger programs, hunger in this country will continue to climb. "

She continued: “FRAC is deeply concerned that a growing number of families in America struggle to put food on the table. The latest Household Food Security report released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service confirms FRAC’s ongoing warning: Without greater investments in anti-poverty and anti-hunger programs, hunger in this country will continue to climb.”

FitzSimons emphasized that proposals to cut SNAP benefits—like the $30 billion reduction over the next decade currently under consideration—would only worsen the problem.

“This is why FRAC and more than 1,400 national, state, and local organizations signed a letter urging Congress to strengthen SNAP benefits and protect SNAP from any cuts in the Farm Bill or any other legislative vehicles moving forward,” FitzSimons said. “Congress also should make free Healthy School Meals for All available to all students, reinstating the policy that was so successful during the pandemic and following in the footsteps of the eight states that have passed Healthy School Meals for All policies.”

As hunger in the U.S. reaches its highest levels in years, advocates are urging policymakers to act swiftly.

“This report must be a wakeup call for every American,” Mitchell concluded. "We urge policymakers to act now, before more families fall deeper into hunger and poverty."

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“Information is power”: Leaked Trump campaign memo warns staff against leaking

A memo that the Trump campaign sent to its entire staff warning them against speaking to the press was itself leaked on Wendesday, The Daily Beast reported.

The leaked email was signed by Trump co-campaign chairs Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles and was first obtained by NBC News and later posted on X by a reporter for Puck News.

“You should not be independently speaking or communicating with any members of the press — on or off the record,” the email warned staff. “We have done a great job at preventing leaks, and that has been because everyone knows what the policy is and what we expect from everyone. Information is power — and the press doesn’t give a damn if you lose your job because you spoke out of school,” the email read alluding to the termination of employees who didn’t adhere to guidelines.

The message alerted the staff of what is at stake should something compromising come out about their boss, Donald Trump.

“If just one of us goes off course, it jeopardizes not only the team but also President Trump and Republicans up and down the ballot,” the message continued, Huff Post reported.

As the Puck reporter, Tara Palmeri, noted in her post: “there must be a hot story in the works” to warrant such a warning being sent out.

Michael Keaton wants his birth name back

Actor Michael Keaton is seeking to be referred to by a different name.

Originally born Michael Douglas, the "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice" star told PEOPLE how he had to alter his birth name once he began acting because another prominent Hollywood talent, Academy Award winner and "Wall Street" star Michael Douglas, was already using it. As noted by CNN, the Screen Actors Guild does not allow two actors to go by the same name.

“I was looking through — I can’t remember if it was a phone book,” Keaton told PEOPLE of how he settled on his more commonly known last name. “I must’ve gone, ‘I don’t know, let me think of something here.’ And I went, ‘Oh, that sounds reasonable.’”

Keaton also shared that he had planned to use his given name in his recent film, "Knox Goes Away," in which he serves as director and lead. “I said, ‘Hey, just as a warning, my credit is going to be Michael Keaton Douglas.’ And it totally got away from me,” he said. “And I forgot to give them enough time to put it in and create that. But that will happen.”

Critics say Trump’s criminal “admission” may help Jack Smith convict him for election interference

Donald Trump unwittingly admitted that he interfered in the 2020 election, thus awarding Jack Smith the break he needed in the federal election interference case the special agent has tirelessly been trying to uphold against the former president.

During a Fox News interview that aired Sunday, the GOP candidate told host Mark Levin mid-rant that he had “every right” to overturn the 2020 election. His comments came just days after special counsel Jack Smith obtained a superseding indictment against Trump, CNBC reported.

When complaining about the Justice Department’s criminal charges against him, Trump stumbled into an admission Smith certainly didn’t see coming: “Whoever heard you get indicted for interfering with a presidential election where you have every right to do it, you get indicted, and your poll numbers go up?” he said. “When people get indicted, your poll numbers go down. But it was such, such nonsense.”

Now the former president’s public statement can be used against him as everything he says is admissible in criminal trial.

Rep. Ted Lieu (D- Cal) wrote on X “Dear @realDonaldTrump: Are you seriously this stupid? You think President Biden has the right to interfere in the upcoming election? Do you want VP Harris to do what you tried to get former VP Mike Pence to do? Are you really this dumb?”

Lawyer George Conway, a conservative lawyer and Trump critic, slammed the former president for his remarks on Fox. He said that Trump's comments are “an admission that he tried to interfere with the election and that he wasn’t trying to enforce federal law. And that’s a crime.”

Shares in Trump’s media company have plummeted 74% since their peak this spring

Trump Media & Technology Group, the social media company that owns Truth Social and is itself majority-owned by one of its most avid users, former President Donald Trump, reached its peak value in March after merging a with publicly traded shell company. At the time, Trump's stake was worth $6 billion and he was leading President Joe Biden in the polls.

It could not last.

The stock price of Trump Media closed Wednesday at $16.98, down 74% from March, according to a New York Times report. That's below the $17.50 share price that the shell company, Digital World Acquisition Corporation, had at the start of the year. Trump, who owns 115 million shares, about 60% of the company, saw his Trump Media stake reduced in value to just $2 billion.

The Wednesday numbers mark a low point in a slide that has accompanied his falling poll numbers in the 2024 race, as investors perceive that the former president's chances against Vice President Kamala Harris are fading. Unless something arrests the slide, the company might see even worse days to come: On September 19, a contractual lockup that blocks Trump from selling any of his shares will expire, allowing him and other shareholders to jump ship and further depress Trump Media's stock price.

Many of those shareholders are Trump supporters who began purchasing shares of Digital World during the heady months following the merger announcement in October 2021.

Analysts told CBS that Trump Media's operating model, which relies on buzz and social media to determine stock prices rather than business fundamentals, made the company especially vulnerable to a decline in Trump's own political stock. Some 41% of the the company's value was lost after Biden dropped out of the race in late July.

FBI says Georgia high school shooting suspect was interviewed last year over alleged threats online

The FBI confirmed Wednesday that local law enforcement had already interviewed the 14-year-old suspect in the Apalachee High School shooting, The New York Times reported. The interview took place just last year after the suspect reportedly discussed plans to carry out a shooting at his school.

The suspect in Wednesday's shooting, which killed four people and sent nine others to the hospital, was only 13 years old when the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center received tips in May 2023 about threats on an online gaming site concerning a school shooting at “an unidentified location and time."

In a statement on X, the FBI noted that the threat included photos of guns.

When the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office first interviewed Gary and his father, officers determined that there were guns in the home, for hunting, but that the teen did not have unsupervised access to them. At the time, Gray denied making the online threats but local schools were informed as a precaution, Huff Post reported.

“At that time, there was no probable cause for arrest or to take any additional law enforcement action on the local, state and federal level,” the FBI wrote in its statement.

After the fatal shooting Wednesday, the 14-year-old suspect surrendered to a school resource officer and is currently in custody. He is expected to face murder charges.

Harris campaign says she’s “fundamentally disadvantaged” by debate rules — but she has a plan

At a “town hall” meeting moderated by a devoted fan, on a television station that admitted to airing straight-up election lies on his behalf, and featuring pre-screened questions from members of his own political party, Donald Trump insisted that next week’s debate with Vice President Kamala Harris was going to air on a “dishonest” network that would feed his opponent “questions in advance.”

“Who the hell in New Hampshire would vote for this guy?” Trump went on to ask Sean Hannity and his Fox News audience on Wednesday, per The New York Times, the 78-year-old Republican either momentarily forgetting who his opponent will be in November or simply pining for the days before Harris entered the race and turned polls in the Granite State from purple to blue.

Trump’s rambling projection came the same day as his Democratic rival — that would be Kamala Harris — formally agreed to the rules for the Sept. 10 debate hosted by ABC News, including one that her campaign insisted would leave the former prosecutor “fundamentally disadvantaged.” That rule is one that Trump and President Joe Biden had agreed to: that microphones should be muted when it is not their turn to speak.

Harris and Trump agree to Sept. 10 debate rules

In May, the Biden campaign viewed muted mics as an advantage that would prevent Trump from simply dominating the debate with an endless rant. In September, the Harris campaign sees it as a way for Trump’s campaign to prevent viewers from seeing just how old and incoherent the Republican nominee has become.

In a letter agreeing to the ABC News debate, obtained by CNN, the Harris campaign said the policy “will serve to shield Donald Trump from direct exchanges with the Vice President,” which it said was likely “the primary reason for his campaign’s insistence on muted microphones.” Trump himself had told reporters he would be okay with the microphones being turned on at all times, but his campaign — his “handlers,” in the taunting words of Harris’ staff — insisted that the format not be changed.

The debate over the actual format of the debate epitomizes how much has changed since June, when Trump’s debate opponent was an 80-year-old with a declining ability to communicate his policies and values, much less challenge his rival’s steady stream of out-and-out and often incoherent lies, like that Democrats support “after birth” abortions.

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Harris, 59, is seemingly not afraid that Trump will steamroll her nor concerned that, if he tries, it will go all that well for him. According to her campaign, the only real concern is that Trump would not show up after already trying to wiggle out of the debate.

“[W]e understand that Donald Trump is a risk to skip the debate altogether, as he has threatened to do previously, if we do not accede to his preferred format,” the Harris campaign said in its letter.

Trump, for his part, is claiming he will behave himself, asserting that it’s to his benefit to allow his opponent to speak uninterrupted, even as he tries to lower expectations with his usual rhetoric about the world being “rigged” against him.

“You know when I had Biden, you and I had the same discussion, and I let him talk,” Trump told Hannity on Wednesday. “I’m going to let her talk.”

Given how Trump himself has been speaking as of late — this week, he falsely claimed that transgender youth are going to school and coming home “a few days later with an operation” — that looks to be the Harris strategy too: Let the guy talk and let voters see for themselves which party is running a candidate who is unfit for office.

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“I’m going off script right now”: Kamala Harris addresses Georgia school shooting at rally

Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, during a New Hampshire rally on Wednesday, calling it a "senseless tragedy" and saying that "we’ve got to end the epidemic of gun violence in our country once and for all.” Two students and two teachers were killed in the shooting, and at least nine more victims have been hospitalized for injuries, according to authorities.

"You know, I'm going off script right now, but listen," Harris said, describing a visit to college campuses last year in which she met with Gen Z students to discuss gun violence.

“One of the things that I asked every time that I went to an auditorium … raise your hand if at any point from kindergarten to 12th grade you had to go through an active shooter training," she said. "Every hand went up."

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Harris showed visible frustration as she described the mass shooting, the first since she became the Democratic nominee for president, not just as a tragedy for victims, their friends and their families, but also something that did not need to happen.

"It’s just outrageous that every day in our country, in the United States of America, that parents have to send their children to school worried about whether or not their child will come home alive," she said, adding that kids sitting in a classroom "should be fulfilling their God-given potential" rather than worrying about a "shooter bursting through the classroom."

Police arrested the shooter — 14-year-old Apalachee student Colt Gray — who will be charged with murder and tried as an adult, officials said. Chris Hosey, the director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, said in a briefing that Gray used an AR-platform-style weapon to gun down people on the school's football field. While Georgia laws do not allow minors to purchase guns, adults can obtain any rifle, handgun or shotgun without first getting a permit or registering their firearm with the government.

Officials have not said how Gray accessed the gun used for the shooting. According to the sheriff's office, his father kept hunting weapons at his home, but did not allow Gray unsupervised access to them.

Since the first federal assault weapons ban expired in 2004, Harris and other Democrats have called for a new ban but have been repeatedly stymied by Republicans, who blocked a renewed push in the Senate last December. In a statement expressing horror over the shooting, President Joe Biden called on Republicans to say that "enough is enough" and join Democrats in passing more gun control measures, including an assault weapons ban, restrictions on high-capacity magazines and background checks for gun purchasers.

Former President Trump also commented on the shooting via Truth Social, writing that "these cherished children were taken from us far too soon by a sick and deranged monster," but did not weigh in on gun control policy.

Greg Abbott attacks Harris for busing migrants — before bragging about doing the same thing

Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Tuesday accused the Biden administration of busing asylum seekers throughout the United States before boasting that he bused migrants out of his state.

In a sparsely attended Arizona stump speech for Donald Trump, Abbott rallied against Vice President Kamala Harris, who Republicans have dubbed the “border czar” in an attempt to associate her with an uptick in asylum-seekers.

“When you saw 5,000 people a day crossing into a town like Eagle Pass, Texas, you could see that that was on your TV. You knew what was going on in America,” Abbott said, per NBC News. “They’re doing that daily, flying people across the border or through this [asylum program], getting them to come to a port of entry, at which time they will put them on a bus and then transport them to some other place.”

Abbott, who bused new arrivals to the U.S. to Washington and New York City between 2022 and 2024, bragged later in that same speech that he “began busing them to Washington, D.C., and then dropping them off at the address of the residence of the vice president of the United States of America, Kamala Harris.”

Unlike the federal government’s response, Abbott’s moves were criticized as cruel and potentially illegal. The Biden administration accepted asylum seekers in accordance with the law, but there is no evidence to suggest that it engaged in busing migrants, as Abbott suggested, according to NBC News.

Still, Republicans have attempted to strike Harris on the administration's immigration record, even as border crossings fall to their lowest level since before Biden took office, and after Trump reportedly killed a bipartisan border security bill to boost his own election bid.

“Enough is enough”: America’s toxic mix of mass shootings, disinformation and Donald Trump

Welcome back to the new school year kids. Seeing friends. Sharing stories about your summer. Fall football. Dodging bullets.

Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia on Wednesday became the latest school to suffer through a mass shooting. It was the 45th school shooting in America in 2024 and the deadliest school shooting in Georgia’s history. It is such a common occurrence in this country that while the White House daily press briefing began with the news, the tragedy was soon drowned out by the continued divisive politics that has consumed us to the point that life-taking tragedies take a back seat to a former President whining about his potential criminal sentencing a mere two weeks from now.

“I can’t say it enough. Enough is enough. Enough,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre summed it up succinctly Wednesday afternoon.

That statement could be made about most of what passes for news these days – including the sophomoric nonsense in the Brady press briefing room. But it certainly covers Lara Trump’s recent release of a music video that garnered praise from the right, criticism from the left and incessant social media attention. The pithiest statement on that debacle came from former RNC chairman Michael Steele, who posted on X that while he was often criticized as the chairman, he at least kept his focus on winning elections. Lara Trump is more worried about her potential music career than the current campaign, I guess.

“Enough is Enough,” also certainly covers the daily gesticulation by politicians, pundits and the press regarding the latest polling figures, and trying to guess what the presidential debate will be like next week. Does anyone actually expect anything new out of Donald Trump? Apparently there’s wild speculation and even wilder speculation about how Vice President Kamala Harris will handle a “presidential showdown.” I refuse to get excited.

Liz Cheney says she's voting for Kamala Harris

It has all of the trappings of a WWE match and has many in the press giddy with spreading their, ahem, insight. I’m not one of them. I will dutifully watch it. But I don’t expect much from Trump that I haven’t seen too much of already.

The press, we are often told, simply are failing to accurately inform American news consumers. That is reinforced when we watch reporters embarrass themselves in the White House briefing room; whether it’s asking about the vice president’s situational affectation of a Southern accent, or a “gotcha” question about free speech and satire riddled with racist comments. Often the questions have nothing to do with the president, White House policy or Joe Biden’s personal life – all questions often and appropriately asked in that environment. And when we do ask policy questions about the economy or international events, with the exception of a few solid professionals in the room, we sound like romper room kids soiling our shorts.

That is why Trump keeps his slogans short and sweet. They are easily memorized and repeated by millions of people who never do more than read the first ten words in a newspaper headline – if that.

Most White House Press secretaries know this, and call on the silliest of us for a very particular reason. Years ago Mike McCurry – during the Clinton administration – made a point of calling on a defrocked minister who always asked questions about Bigfoot and space aliens. When asked why, his answer was simple enough: “Because he makes you guys look stupid.” Now you understand why the White House calls on reporters today who ask about the Vice President’s voice. Same principle. The reporters, their networks and newspapers who do this are either too stupid to understand their role or are eagerly doing so for the sake of attention and spreading disinformation.

Wednesday White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby addressed a key problem affecting our ability to understand and consume news; Russian disinformation. The Biden administration shut down 32 web domains and took actions against foreign corporations and individuals who want to “interfere in the 2024 election,” Kirby told us. More importantly, he emphasized how Russian and other interests, including Iranian, have used media outlets millions of Americans trust to spread their disinformation – including, (in the case of Iran) spreading disinformation about Donald Trump. Yeah, we all know which companies he was talking about – even if he didn’t name them.

Meanwhile, I spoke to progressives and MAGA members who accuse us (in the media) of not reporting on this problem, “enough” when the disinformation is aimed at their candidate or, if it is aimed at their opponent, then we are “making too much about it.”

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Either way, it’s the reason why many people are striking out on their own with live-streaming, blogs and podcasts while labeling themselves as “truth tellers” and “independent press” when they are really nothing more than opinion writers and performers, some allegedly on the Kremlin’s payroll. If you want to call yourself an “independent press” show me your copy editor first. Their arrogance is in telling us they are “reporting the truth.” There are more than 3000 religions on this planet – whose truth are they reporting?

My arrogance lies elsewhere. I arrogantly believe if I do my job, I’m not telling you the truth – I’m providing you with vetted facts. That remains the coin of the realm. That is what Donald Trump and others on the far ends of the spectrum want to destroy. That is also what many do not understand. The Russian, and other international, efforts to spread disinformation have a far deeper goal than just upending our elections. They want to sow the seeds of doubt about all information so that if someone tells you the sun rises in the east, you begin to doubt it. That is the soil made fertile for authoritarians.

Thus Kirby’s appearance in the Brady Briefing Room Wednesday was a warning shot across the bow for American news consumers.

That Donald Trump supports Putin, and has done so for years, shows his danger. That is a simple fact. We are accused of not reporting on it enough, but maybe the public isn’t repeating it enough. You can promote facts as much as you want, but they have to sink in. When Morgan Freeman was once asked why The Shawshank Redemption (now considered a classic) did so poorly at the box office when it was released, he said it was because the title threw people off, and there wasn’t enough “word of mouth” to overcome that. Politics, often called “Hollywood for ugly people,” by Democratic strategists Paul Begala and James Carville, suffers from the same problem. That is why Trump keeps his slogans short and sweet. They are easily memorized and repeated by millions of people who never do more than read the first ten words in a newspaper headline – if that. So chants of “Lock Her Up” waft through the air without being tethered to facts or reality. He can shout that the Democrats are “Communists,” a claim so ludicrous as to be unworthy of comment, yet it sticks with those who never do anything more than knee-jerk react to a stimulus.

Meanwhile, the Democrats suffer from addiction to nuance. And it is a lot harder explaining economic and social nuance in an easily shoutable slogan.

The Democrats, and the Republicans for that matter often repeat each other’s lies – some to promote the lies and some to denounce them. But for the willing, and the true believers, it matters not that you denounce the lie – it’s that you repeat the lie as you denounce it. Many do not understand that very subtle distinction.

Many just hear what they want to hear. So, when a progressive says Trump is lying about his claims that he’s being unjustly persecuted by the Department of Justice, all the Trump supporters hear is the last part. When Trump supporters shout that Harris’s claims about maintaining her core values are insipid lies, all the progressives hear is the first part.

We’ve become experts at yelling at each other without once trying to understand each other.

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That is the function of disinformation and misinformation. That Kirby had to stand at the Brady Briefing room podium and urge the press and the public to take a second and check the facts is chilling in the implication that to some extent the masters of disinformation are succeeding.

One reporter asked Kirby why we didn’t just “shrug it off,” because everyone knows that’s what Russia does. His response hit the nail on the head. “We’re not taking it lightly. No one is shrugging about it here. We’re taking it seriously here.”

Kirby also said there is no doubt that Putin is personally aware of the efforts. Think of that the next time any political candidate says they are friendly with Putin.

But think about the other thing that was stated bluntly and obliquely. News consumers need to take more responsibility to check the facts. Don’t just listen. Don’t just read. Verify. Kirby spoke not only for the administration but on Wednesday gave a plea for all of us still trying to present vetted facts to a populace numb to them and increasingly only interested in screaming opinions at the top of our lungs; “Please take the time to figure out how you get your news and information.”

By Wednesday afternoon a 14-year-old high school student in Georgia was in custody after killing two students and two teachers 50 miles outside of Atlanta. For years we’ve suffered through mass shootings and we ignore that news on a daily basis. We don’t force Congress into acting – even though there are current members of Congress who were survivors of mass shootings. Some of us criticize President Biden for taking executive action.

We seem so concerned about the numbing effects of Donald Trump that we have ignored the numbing effects of ongoing mass shootings that continue to unnecessarily take the lives of our parents, our friends, our children, our grandchildren and other loved ones.

Enough is enough. Pay attention.

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Experts: Housing crisis is increasing generational wealth gap — Harris’ plan could have a big impact

Vice President Kamala Harris last month announced an ambitious plan to construct 3 million new housing units over the next four years. The proposal, which she made one of the key issues of her presidential campaign, aims to address the severe housing shortage that has pushed homeownership out of reach for millions of Americans and exacerbated the generational wealth gap.

Harris' plan, announced on August 16, includes the first-ever tax incentive for building starter homes, an expansion of tax incentives for affordable rental housing construction and a $40 billion innovation fund to empower local governments. The cornerstone of the proposal is a $25,000 down-payment assistance program for first-time homebuyers, expanding on the Biden administration's earlier initiatives.

"I know what homeownership means. It's more than a financial transaction; it's so much more than that — it's more than a house," Harris said during a campaign speech in Raleigh, North Carolina, cited by MarketWatch. "Homeownership and what that means, it's a symbol of the pride that comes with hard work, it's financial security, it represents what you will be able to do for your children."

The plan comes at a critical juncture, with both major party candidates addressing housing as a key campaign issue for the first time in decades.

“Both presidential candidates are talking about housing, and not just housing, they're talking about adding housing supply,” Jim Tobin, CEO of the National Association of Home Builders, told Salon. “I've been in Washington, D.C. for 30 years now, and this is the first time in my career that I can remember housing being a major presidential campaign issue.”

"Shocking": Experts warn "irresponsible" Project 2025 Medicare proposal would harm seniors

It also highlights the growing concern over what housing experts call America's broken "wealth escalator" — the traditional path to building generational wealth through homeownership that has become increasingly inaccessible to younger generations.

“It's not working for more and more people, and we just don't have great wealth building solutions for people living in multi-generational households, for example,” said Katherine McKay, an associate director at the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program.

A Crisis of Affordability

The urgency of the housing crisis is underscored by recent data.

According to a recent study by CardRates, over 76% of Americans are spending more than 31% of their gross monthly income on housing, with many spending even more. This financial strain is compounded by record home prices and historically low sales volumes over the past three years.

A key measure of U.S. home values, the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller national home price index, reached another record high — showing a 5.4% year-over-year increase in June, as reported in Tuesday's data release.

"We've seen first-time homebuyers getting older. They're bringing smaller down payments to the table, and what that means is that they have fewer years to build that equity in their house during their adult lives, and they're starting out with less equity in it because of lower down payments," says McKay. "So that does have really big implications for generational wealth building."

The impact on younger generations is particularly stark.

"The reason Harris' policies are so impactful is she wants to actually help first-time homebuyers in a world where even a starter home is out of reach for Gen Z, facing a different reality than our parents and grandparents,” says Meagan Loyst, founder and CEO of Gen Z VCs.

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A Bipartisan Recognition of the Problem

The prominence of the housing issue in the presidential campaign signifies a shift in political priorities.

While both major candidates are addressing the issue, their approaches differ significantly. Harris' plan focuses on increasing supply and providing direct assistance to buyers, while expectations for a potential second term for former President Donald Trump lean towards deregulation.

The Trump campaign's housing plans, if Project 2025 is any indication, would focus heavily on deregulation and limiting federal involvement in housing issues. Key proposals include eliminating the new Housing Supply Fund and restricting access to federally assisted housing for non-citizens, including mixed-status families. The plan emphasizes local control over housing policies, opposing federal efforts to weaken single-family zoning and advocating for maximal flexibility in local land use and zoning decisions.

“I expect a second Trump term will see that deregulation, that would be a good thing," says Tobin. He notes that the Harris plan lacks mention of federal deregulation, which he considers a "big miss."

While Harris’ proposal does include “cutting red tape and needless bureaucracy,” it offers few details. The Harris campaign declined to elaborate further.

Despite the broad, ambitious nature of Harris' proposal and housing targets, experts point out potential challenges and shortcomings.

Tobin questions the need for more demand-side incentives, suggesting that when interest rates fall, demand will naturally increase.

"Finding incentives to build more housing is what we need," he argues.

The scale of the proposed construction boom also raises questions. Tobin estimates that under Harris' goal, an additional 750,000 homes would need to be built annually on top of the 1.1 million they are projecting in new single-family homes for the coming year. Achieving this would require overcoming significant hurdles in land availability, local government cooperation and labor shortages.

"We're about 400,000 workers short in construction," Tobin points out, highlighting a persistent issue in the industry.

The Path Forward

Experts agree that increasing supply is crucial to solving the housing crisis.

For Harris' plan to succeed, it will need to address these supply-side challenges while also addressing local zoning laws and regulations.

A potentially divided Congress will also be a major hurdle and will not make implementing these proposals any easier, no matter who wins the election.

Meanwhile, financial analysts project that the expected interest rate hike in September will take time to have an impact on the market.

The financial hardships and economic environment of the last few years took a toll on the financial health and wealth of millions of Americans, especially younger generations and will take years to remedy.

“We did a lot of research showing that if you buy a home earlier in life, you have significantly higher housing wealth at an age during retirement,” says Jung Choi of the Urban Institute. “We do think this has long-term implications on a lot of younger adults in the country and intergenerational wealth transfer impact.”

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In the GOP alternate universe, JD Vance is charming and popular

Everyone in reality-based America agrees: Sen. JD Vance of Ohio is not well-liked. His national rollout after being picked as Donald Trump's running mate is likely the worst in modern history. Vance is deeply plugged into the fascism-curious world of the extremely online right. There's been a drumbeat of stories of him endorsing views like hunger is a "great motivation" to work, the "whole purpose of the postmenopausal female" is to provide free childcare, and that progressives are "unhumans" who deserve fascist violence. The seemingly endless number of clips of him condemning childless women as "sociopaths" and "miserable cat ladies" have drawn the most attention, likely because it's tied to the larger GOP agenda of forcing childbirth through abortion bans.

People like Vance always punch down and kiss up, which is why he's always fawning over Trump, a man he once privately compared to Hitler.

This all seems self-evident, but sure, up for debate on the grounds of subjectivity. But the polls are clear. At the start of his vice presidential run, when most Americans couldn't pick him out of a line-up, Vance's unfavorable rating was relatively low. Now that voters are getting to know him, they dislike him, leading to him being underwater in favorability by 12 percentage points. In contrast, Vice President Kamala Harris's running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, is up 11 points in favorability. Vance is even more unpopular than Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor whose 2008 vice presidential run helped sink the campaign of Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

Yet, if you listen to people in the MAGA Republican world, you'd think Vance is a superstar. Despite early speculation that Trump would "regret" picking Vance, the New York Times reports that "Trump could not be happier" and "has privately praised Mr. Vance by comparing himself to Vince Lombardi, telling people that his eye for political talent was now on par with the Hall of Fame football coach." In the same article, Sen. Steve Daines of Montana, who oversees Republican Senate campaigns, says Vance has "really been very impressive.

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Rich Lowry of the National Review agreed on CNN. "He has proven tireless, fearless, really effective spokesman for this ticket," Lowry declared on Saturday with a straight face. "As far as I can tell, [Vance] has not had one misstep." While admitting Vance has low poll numbers, Laura Ingraham of Fox News expressed confusion as to why on Tuesday. "I’ve known you for a long time," she told Vance, who was her guest. "You’re really fun. You’re really funny."

In reality, as Sam Adams at Slate described in an article titled, "Why Can’t J.D. Vance Tell a Joke?" Vance has to explain to people that his "jokes" are attempts at humor:

“Democrats say that it is racist to believe—well, they say it’s racist to do anything,” Vance begins. “I had a Diet Mountain Dew yesterday and one today. I’m sure they’re gonna call that racist too.” On the dais behind him, a few supporters in MAGA hats chuckle softly to themselves, but you can tell that Vance’s jab hasn’t gone over the way he thought it would. “It’s good!” he insists, augmenting a mild trickle of amusement with his own hoarse guffaw. He shakes his head and points out at the audience. “I love you guys.”

As Adams notes, Vance's attempts at humor "aren’t jokes at all." Instead, "it’s humor of the 'Stop hitting yourself' variety, the work of a bully masquerading as a class clown." He points to another incident where a reporter asked Vance, "What makes you smile?" Barely concealing a snarl, Vance says what makes him "smile" is "bogus questions from the media, man."

So why are all these Republicans claiming to see charm and wit in a man who most people read as glowering and humorless? It could be gaslighting, of course. It's a favorite authoritarian tactic of Trump himself, to insist the up is down and black is white and you're the crazy one for not seeing it. But the evidence suggests that the Trump campaign really does believe they have a good thing with JD Vance. As Axios reported Tuesday, Vance is being shoved in front of every microphone and camera they see. "Vance has done 94 interviews, press conferences and gaggles with the media," Mike Allen writes, pointing out Vance gives interviews to mainstream media outlets Trump avoids. As I argued last month, Republicans are acting like Vance is the candidate, especially as Trump can barely be coaxed into leaving his house.

Trump wants men to believe he's a "fun" misogynist — but JD Vance gives up the game

The darker possibility is Republicans actually like Vance. His personality traits that alienate average Americans — his contempt, his pomposity, his unvarnished misogyny — are attractive in the upside-down world of MAGA. These are the same folks who listen to an elderly man in orange makeup whine for hours and somehow read that as "virility" and "strength." Petulance is an admirable quality in the MAGA universe. Behaving like a jerk is aspirational. They don't seem to get that bullies are usually overcompensating. People like Vance always punch down and kiss up, which is why he's always fawning over Trump, a man he once privately compared to Hitler. This is weak and spineless behavior, but because it's cruel, it reads as "mighty" in the sadistic alternative universe of MAGA.

This illustrates an assumption that has motivated the MAGA movement since the day Trump started his endless presidential campaign in 2015: That everyone else secretly shares their ugly worldview, and are merely pretending to be better than that. That's why conservatives cry "virtue-signaling" when progressives say things like "racism is bad" or "misogyny is gross." The underlying argument is that everyone shares their racist and sexist beliefs, but progressives are just faking better angels to attract praise and attention. It's why Republicans keep insisting Trump is "honest" even though he literally lies more than any politician alive (or probably dead). What they mean is "he'll say the vile stuff most people are afraid to say." Trump fans don't often consider the possibility that many people sincerely disagree with bigotry.

In light of this, it makes sense that Republicans are befuddled about why Vance rubs people the wrong way. When he's griping about "cat ladies" or sneering at journalists for asking basic questions, that reads, to MAGA, as a "brave truthteller sticking it to the liberals." To everyone else, however, he seems to be so weighed down with resentment it's turned him misanthropic and, well, weird. It's why the refrain from so many political commentators is, that Vance should seek "therapy," not higher office. Or why, despite approximately no one believing the story, the meme about Vance making sweet love to a sofa keeps circulating. Democrats need a shorthand for what's "off" about the guy. Couch jokes will do it.

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The Führer principle applied: Trump’s Arlington scandal invokes Hitler’s playbook

Donald Trump does not respect members of the United States military. Trump is especially dismissive and hostile towards members of the US military who have been captured, wounded, or killed in the line of duty.

Over the last few weeks, Trump has continued to show his disrespect for members of the United States military and the ideals of courage, sacrifice, and patriotism.

At a campaign event last month, former President Trump bragged that receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom — as bestowed by him to the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Republican Party super donor Miriam Adelson — is a greater honor than receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor for military service and “gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.”

Trump explained: “That’s the highest award you can get as a civilian. It’s the equivalent of the Congressional Medal of Honor… But civilian version, it’s actually much better because everyone [who] gets the Congressional Medal of Honor, they're soldiers. They’re either in very bad shape because they’ve been hit so many times by bullets or they’re dead."

During an interview with CNN, Ret. Marine General John Kelley, who served as Trump’s Chief of Staff, smacked down such a false equivalence:

Think of Normandy, Iwo Jima, Vietnam or Fallujah. The Medal of Honor is earned, not won, by incredibly brave actions on the battlefield under fire typically by very young men who joined when others did not to defend their country. Their oath to the nation is essentially the oath the president and members of Congress take, that federal judges take, that political appointees also take and includes ‘…that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties…’

To the service member, the oath is sacred and taken with the understanding that one could be seriously wounded, captured or killed in living up to the words. No president, member of Congress, judge or political appointee — and certainly no recipient of the Presidential Medal — will ever be asked to give life or limb to protect the Constitution. The two awards cannot be compared in any way. Not even close.

Donald Trump likes to pretend he is still president — but his act caught up with him at Arlington

Last week, Trump further fueled the controversy about his long pattern of disrespect towards members of the US Military when he turned a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery honoring the 13 members of the military who were killed during the panicked evacuation from Afghanistan in 2021 into a photo-op and political commercial for his campaign. To make matters even worse, when an Arlington employee intervened, a member of Trump’s staff allegedly shoved the woman as she tried to stop them from filming in Section 60, an area of the cemetery where that is not allowed. While at Arlington National Cemetery, Trump recorded a TikTok video. Trump also posed near the grave of a US Marine, grinning while giving a thumbs-up in the photograph.

Arlington is hallowed ground that is supposed to be above partisan politics. Trump and his staff’s alleged behavior is a violation of Arlington’s stated norms and customs (which are really basic human decency), as well as Army directives and federal law. The Army issued a statement, which is very uncommon, pushing back against the Trump campaign for its violation of the rules “prohibiting political activities,” and defending the staffer at Arlington who “acted with professionalism.” The employee in question has decided not to press charges against the Trump campaign for fear of retaliation and harassment.

Writing at the Atlantic, Michael Powell reflects:

The section of Arlington National Cemetery that Donald Trump visited on Monday is both the liveliest and the most achingly sad part of the grand military graveyard, set aside for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In Section 60, young widows can be seen using clippers and scissors to groom the grass around their husbands’ tombstones as lots of children run about.

Karen Meredith knows the saddest acre in America only too well. The California resident’s son, First Lieutenant Kenneth Ballard, was the fourth generation of her family to serve as an Army officer. He was killed in Najaf, Iraq, in 2004, and laid to rest in Section 60. She puts flowers on his gravesite every Memorial Day. “It’s not a number, not a headstone,” she told me. “He was my only child.”

The sections of Arlington holding Civil War and World War I dead have a lonely and austere beauty. Not Section 60, where the atmosphere is sanctified but not somber—too many kids, Meredith recalled from her visits to her son’s burial site. “We laugh, we pop champagne. I have met men who served under him, and they speak of him with such respect. And to think that this man”— she was referring to Trump —“came here and put his thumb up—”

She fell silent for a moment on the telephone, taking a gulp of air. “I’m trying not to cry.”

For Trump, defiling what is sacred in our civic culture borders on a pastime. Peacefully transferring power to the next president, treating political adversaries with at least rudimentary grace, honoring those soldiers wounded and disfigured in service of our country—Trump long ago walked roughshod over all these norms

The elite agenda-setting news media is now presenting the controversy about Donald Trump and his staff’s behavior at Arlington within its horserace narrative of “he said versus she said” and partisanship instead of as (another) example of the corrupt ex-president’s poor character, failed leadership, and the existential danger he and his neofascist MAGA movement represents to the nation.

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Writing at the Columbia Journalism Review, Ben Kesling details how:

As more publications followed suit, the Arlington stories suffered a dreadful fate: they all started to sound the same. News outlets ended up with articles bogged down in parsing federal law, carefully defining what exactly counts as an altercation, and quoting milquetoast official statements like “There was an incident and a report was filed.”

Lumped together, the reporting this week left readers and listeners, especially those with no knowledge of the military, at a loss to understand what actually happened—and, crucially, why it mattered so much. The Trump campaign team had successfully muddied the waters by alleging that the photographer had been invited to the event by family members of soldiers buried there. …

Readers needed to know that, when you visit Arlington, you might not know exactly what you’re supposed to do when confronted by those rows of headstones, but you damn sure know what you’re not supposed to do. But the coverage this week left many readers with the impression that the whole thing might have been a bureaucratic mix-up, or some tedious violation of protocol. It focused on bland horse-race coverage so common during election season, rather than clearly stating what really took place: an egregious and willful violation of long-standing norms. What was missing from the coverage was a willingness to quickly and decisively state what a grievous insult the whole debacle was to the dignity of Arlington. The sacred had been profaned.

In all, mainstream news media’s coverage of Arlington is another example pointing to its institutional failures where Trump’s aberrant and dangerous behavior is normalized as it is processed through the endless churn of the attention economy and the 24/7 news cycle.

Of course, Trump and his propagandists are using Arlington as a weapon to attack Kamala Harris and her patriotism with lies. On Tuesday, Trump posted the following on his Truth Social disinformation site:

There was no conflict or “fighting” at Arlington National Cemetery last week. It was a made up story by Comrade Kamala and her misinformation squad. She made it all up to make up for the fact that she and Sleepy Joe have BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS for the INCOMPETENT AFGHANISTAN Withdrawal – THE MOST EMBARRASSING DAY IN U.S. HISTORY!!! They should have been at Arlington, not on a beach or studying for a Debate. Thank you to my friends, the GREAT GOLD STAR FAMILIES, for revealing the TRUTH OF A BEAUTIFUL DAY OF HONOR. Could not have been a nicer moment-And there were no fights or problems, only in the heads of those that are destroying our Country! MAGA2024

Trump’s behavior at Arlington National Cemetery last week, and his use of the Presidential Medal of Freedom as an extension of his ego and personality cult, are examples of a man who does not value service to anyone or anything but himself. In terms of how Trump understands political power, such values are reflected by how he is an aspiring dictator who channels Hitler and the Führer principle’s logic that such a leader is above the law and should be the embodiment of the State like some type of God-king. For Trump, the ultimate honor is not the selflessness of sacrifice for one’s country and the greater good, but service and loyalty to him and his fascist personality cult.

MSNBC’s Chris Hayes is one of the few voices with a national platform to highlight this aspect of the recent controversy about Trump and Arlington. Last week, Hayes told the truth about the MAGAfied Republican Party and how “It is a party and a movement built around a candidate for whom nothing is sacred — not a military cemetery, not the judicial system, not even democracy — unless it serves his twisted aims.”

And who does Donald Trump venerate as heroes and role models? The Jan. 6 MAGA terrorists who participated in the lethal attack on the Capitol as part of his coup attempt. Trump has made them into near saints and “political prisoners” who he has raised money for and is promising to free when/if takes back the White House in 2025.

Trump also admires authoritarians and tyrants such as Russia’s Vladimir Putin, North Korea’s Kim Jong, and China’s President Xi Jinping. These are the types of leaders and political forces that so many of the men and women interred at Arlington died trying to stop in defense of American and global freedom.

At the Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg summarizes it perfectly: “This is the truth of Donald Trump: He has contempt for men and women who serve their country.”

For Trump, all that matters in the world is him, and anyone who is not selfish is a sucker and a fool who deserves to be taken advantage of. Those are the values of criminal thugs, bullies, gangster capitalists, and political strongmen and dictators. These should not be the values of the president of the United States.

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New research suggests tube tying isn’t as permanent or effective as once thought

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, allowing states to restrict access to abortion, interest in permanent contraception options increased. For example, Google recorded the highest volume of searches for “vasectomy” in the past five years right after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision was made. A study published in April 2024 found that a rise in tubal sterilizations among females was twice as high as the increase among vasectomies in males after Dobbs. But just how permanent are these increasingly popular contraception options — especially when it comes to tubal ligation?

A new study published in NEJM Evidence suggests that tubal sterilization isn’t always guaranteed to prevent pregnancy 100 percent. In fact, it could be less effective than some other birth control options, like the hormonal arm implant or a hormonal intrauterine device. Researchers say this could change how people view tubal ligation as a so-called “permanent” contraception option, and how providers discuss birth control options post-Dobbs.

How politicians are destigmatizing infertility this election season

“When we say ‘permanent,’ what it really means is that it is not reversible, you don't have the power to undo it — but it doesn't mean it may not fail,” Dr. Eleanor Bimla Schwarz, author of the study and chief of the UCSF Division of General Internal Medicine at Zuckerberg San Francisco General, told Salon. “I think what people are looking for is a method that will not fail, but we can't necessarily be promising that.”

But tubal ligation is frequently promoted as a nearly bulletproof option that prevents pregnancy. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, tubal ligation is considered to be a “permanent” option, as there is less than 1 person who gets pregnant a year after the surgery. Its effectiveness in preventing pregnancy is on par with an intrauterine device and hormonal implant. This new study suggests that’s not entirely accurate.

"These data suggest that there may be nontrivial rates of pregnancy after tubal sterilization."

In the study, the authors looked at four independent rounds of the National Survey of Family Growth from 2002 to 2015. This data included self-reports from more than 31,000 women, 4,184 who underwent tubal sterilization. Within the first year after the surgery, 2.9 percent of those who had been sterilized between 2013 and 2015 became pregnant. Ten years after the surgery, the estimated percentage of those who got pregnant was 8.4 percent.

“These data suggest that there may be nontrivial rates of pregnancy after tubal sterilization,” the researchers concluded in the study.

Notably, the chance of pregnancy after the surgery was highest among those who were younger. There was no significant difference between people who had Medicaid-funded procedures and those whose procedures were paid by private insurance.

As Salon previously reported, the Dobbs decision has led more women than men to seek out so-called “permanent” contraception options, emphasizing the burden women carry in a post-Roe world. Not only is the cost of tubal ligation more expensive than a vasectomy, but it is a more complex procedure. An estimated 65 percent of women between the ages of 15 and 49 use birth control, according to national statistics. Tubal ligation, which is an abdominal surgery where a person’s fallopian tubes are clamped or cut, and then removed, is used by more than 21 percent of women between the ages of 30 and 39, and 39 percent of women over the age of 40.

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“This study shows that tubal surgery cannot be considered the best way to prevent pregnancy,” Schwarz said. “People using a contraceptive arm implant or an IUD are less likely to become pregnant than those who have their tubes tied.”

Some might be wondering how can this happen. While Schwarz prefaced her response by emphasizing she doesn’t perform these surgeries herself, it’s likely that any gap in the way that fallopian tubes were sealed can likely provide an opportunity for the sperm and egg to meet and fertilize.

“Both eggs and sperm are very small, and all it takes is one egg and one sperm to connect,” Schwarz said. “But what we were finding is not that these were pregnancies were getting stuck in people's tubes, but really that these were pregnancies that were making it to the woman's uterus.”

In a post-Dobbs landscape, this is an important reality for women to know, Schwarz said.

"This study shows that tubal surgery cannot be considered the best way to prevent pregnancy."

“It’s scary for many people in this country right now not to have a backup of safe and legal abortion services,” Schwarz said. “Even our most highly effective methods of birth control fail sometimes, and you know, especially for women with chronic medical conditions or a reason why pregnancy would be dangerous, it can be very, very scary to learn you're pregnant when you aren't intending to be.”

Dr. Julia Tasset, an OB-GYN and assistant professor at Oregon Health & Science University, told Salon she suspects many people reading the study will be wondering how these failures are happening. The "honest answer," she said, is that it is likely not fully understood, adding that it is possible that the true failure rate has been underestimated all along. Regardless, Tasset said she believes this is an "important new finding" that will help gynecologists better counsel patients.

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"This study underscores that even something previously felt to be as close to 100 percent as possible can still have failure rates even higher than what we anticipated," Tasset said. "And this is important new evidence that continues to clarify that picture and help give us better information that we could share with patients to make the right choices for themselves."

Schwarz said it's not a stretch to say that her research shows that an IUD or hormonal arm implant is more effective at preventing pregnancy.

“We have good data on those being very highly effective,” she said, pointing to her previous research. “We have seen that women who were using the hormonal IUD were less likely to get pregnant than those who had their tubes tied.”

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Harris and Trump agree to Sept. 10 debate rules

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris’ campaigns have agreed to ABC’s finalized debate rules, teeing up a Sept. 10 spar between the two candidates.

Per ABC, the pair will largely abide by the rules of CNN’s June debate between Trump and President Joe Biden, facing off without a live audience and including two-minute answer and rebuttal periods. An additional minute for “follow-up, clarification, or response” will be allowed, ABC reported.

The Harris campaign, which previously pushed for microphones to remain on for the entirety of the debate — a change that Trump himself agreed to — conceded that battle to the Trump campaign.

While both campaigns had expressed doubts at various points that they’d reach an agreement on rules, with Trump suggesting he may back out altogether, the campaigns each attended a virtual coin flip on Tuesday, which Trump’s team won, allowing them first pick on closing statement order. Trump opted to go last. Harris, who chose the side of the screen she’d appear on for her first general election debate, picked the right side.

The debate, slated for next week, will be moderated by ABC’s David Muir and Linsey Davis and will be held in Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center.

The debate will run just weeks before early voting begins in several U.S. states, the second of the 2024 general election. President Biden’s performance in the first debate — widely criticized for his at-times strained voice and confused demeanor — is cited as a critical moment in the push for Harris to replace him on the ticket.

Biden, facing criticism for his perceived stamina and cognitive function, left the race, while Trump has delivered increasingly few, often meandering and incoherent public appearances since mid-July.

Since taking the top spot on the ticket, Harris revitalized Democratic fundraising efforts and overtook Trump in a multi-point upward polling swing in key swing states.

Trump drained cash reserves by $32 million in August to keep campaign afloat

Donald Trump’s presidential campaign had to dig deep into financial reserves to keep the campaign afloat in several key swing states.

Per Bloomberg, the Trump campaign spent roughly $32 million more than it raised in August, pushing the camp’s cash on hand at the end of the month to $295 million after reeling in $130 million in donations.

While the figures exclude money pouring into the race from PACs, many of which are funded by uber-wealthy Trump allies, the figures suggest that Trump’s stalling campaign costs more money to keep afloat than it can pull in, as donations slip slightly from July’s nearly $139 million sum.

Trump, who has slipped drastically in the polls since the shake-up, has decried numbers even from the most loyal pollsters as rigged.

The Trump campaign, down in Sun Belt and Rust Belt swing states alike, is pouring nearly all TV ad spend dollars on Georgia and Pennsylvania markets, betting on a narrow path to electoral victory, while Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign outspends in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.

Trump, whose campaign spent just $2.6 million in July, spent nearly 25 times that amount in August, Bloomberg notes, as it sought to build a negative image of Harris, who experiences higher favorable ratings than Trump.

Harris has led Democrats to fundraising peaks since becoming the nominee for president, raising more than $540 million since joining the race and transferring an unprecedented $24.5 million sum to down-ballot candidates earlier this week.

Liz Cheney says she’s voting for Kamala Harris

Liz Cheney, formerly the third-highest-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives, said on Wednesday that she plans to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris, citing the “danger that Donald Trump poses.”

In remarks made at Duke University, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney said the stakes were too high to sit the election out.

“As a conservative, as someone who believes in and cares about the Constitution, I have thought deeply about this, and because of the danger that Donald Trump poses, not only am I not voting for Donald Trump, but I will be voting for Kamala Harris,” Cheney said, per CNN.

Cheney, who in July argued that she believed the Trump-Vance ticket posed even more of a risk to democracy than the previous Trump term, reportedly called on North Carolina residents and other swing state voters to weigh the risks before casting a ballot.

The Wyoming Republican voted in 2021 to impeach then-President Donald Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, causing her to lose her seat in 2022 in a primary challenge from a Trump-backed opponent, a victory celebrated by MAGA Republicans.

The former Rep. previously told CBS that she viewed a Republican majority in 2024 as a “threat” to the Constitution.

Cheney joins a growing group of high-profile Republicans to back Harris, including the son of late Senator John McCain and Arizona mayor John Giles, who endorsed Harris at an August rally and leads the Republicans for Harris group.

Con artist Anna Delvey added to “Dancing with the Stars” cast, ankle monitor and all

Convicted fraudster Anna Sorokin, also known as Anna Delvey, will star in the upcoming 33rd season of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars,” completing the con artist’s parlay into celebrity.

Delvey, who ascended to notoriety when news broke of her elaborate crime spree involving high-profile scams and deception, was portrayed by "Ozark" actor Julia Garner in a nine-part Netflix series in 2022, making her a household name.

The “Inventing Anna” muse will share the screen with "90210" star Tori Spelling, NBA champion Dwight Howard, Jenn Tran from "The Bachelorette" and Olympic pommel horse darling Stephen Nedoroscik, along with others, Good Morning America confirmed on Wednesday. Other “DWTS” competitors include “The Real Housewives of Atlanta’s” Phaedra Parks and Delvey’s soon-to-be dance partner Ezra Sosa.

“The media has seen a representation of her that I personally think is not her,” Sosa told The Hollywood Reporter, adding that he can’t wait for audiences to meet “the real Anna Delvey.”

Delvey, sporting an ankle monitor and shimmering gown in promotional images ahead of the season, is currently under house arrest, with permission to travel within the five boroughs of New York, per her house arrest conditions.

Convicted con artist Anna Delvey cast in this next season of “Dancing With the Stars”, complete with her ankle bracelet. pic.twitter.com/HqVscea2AJ

— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) September 4, 2024

Delvey says the monitor, imposed after she faked wire transfers, defrauded New York’s elite, and stiffed hotels and restaurants to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars, shouldn’t hinder her performance too much.

“In what way would it affect my performance? It’s actually pretty light,” Delvey told The Hollywood Reporter.

The con artist turned real-life it-girl, who is fighting an immigration case after a judge allowed her to remain in the U.S. temporarily in 2022, confirmed that she “got permission from ICE” to appear on the show.

The German citizen, accused in 2021 of overstaying her visa, continues to fight to remain in the States.

The show’s 33rd season will premiere on ABC on Tuesday, Sept. 17.

Right-wing media group allegedly took $10 million in Russian financing: DOJ indictment

An American media group employing top far-right political influencers accepted millions to spread Russian propaganda, a Department of Justice indictment alleged on Wednesday.

The indictment does not directly name the group, which received $10 million to “create and distribute [content] to U.S. audiences with hidden Russian government messaging” on social media, but listed several key details pointing to Tenet Media, a conservative media group.

Tenet, which works with far-right commentators including Tim Pool, Dave Rubin and Benny Johnson, describes itself as a “network of heterodox commentators that focus on Western political and cultural issues” in its YouTube bio – the exact language that the Department of Justice used to describe the company they say took cash to serve Russian interests.

Tenet Media founders, Turning Point USA-affiliated Lauren Chen and Liam Donovan, were apparently aware of the connections to Russia when they accepted the payments from RT, the indictment alleged without naming the pair.

Per the DOJ, the nearly 2,000 videos produced by Tenet Media shared opinions “often consistent with the Government of Russia's interest in amplifying U.S. domestic divisions in order to weaken U.S. opposition to core Government of Russia interests, such as its ongoing war in Ukraine.”

The indictment added that connections to RT or Russia were never disclosed to viewers, who logged more than 16 million views on the channel.

Commentators who appeared on the channel were potential victims as well, investigators noted, adding that some were told that a fictitious European benefactor financed the group upon asking.

“We are disturbed by the allegations in today’s indictment, which make clear that myself and other influencers were victims in this alleged scheme,” right-wing influencer Benny Johnson wrote in a post to X.

Georgia school shooter identified as 14-year-old student

Georgia authorities have identified a 14-year-old student as the suspected shooter in a devastating attack at Apalachee High School on Wednesday that left at least four dead and nine injured.

Colt Gray, identified by the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, was taken into custody and will be charged with murder as an adult, law enforcement confirmed on Wednesday afternoon.

Per Georgia investigators, Gray was stopped by a school resource officer on-site at the school during the shooting and surrendered.

"Our school resource officer engaged him and the shooter quickly realized that if he did not give up, that it would end with an OIS, an officer-involved shooting. He gave up."

— Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith on the Apalachee High School mass shooting pic.twitter.com/XT4eVgHzG8

— The Recount (@therecount) September 4, 2024

“Of those that are deceased, two were students and two were teachers here at the school,” Chris Hosey, the director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, said Wednesday, per CNN.

Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith added that investigators have spoken to Gray, and said investigators were in contact with the 14-year-old’s family.

Smith said investigators weren’t aware of any connection between Gray and the victims of the shooting. A motive has yet to be released.

Authorities didn’t identify the firearm used by Gray as of Wednesday afternoon, nor were they able to reveal how Gray obtained a weapon and brought it to school.

Schools in Barrow County will be closed for the week, with grief counseling services made available to impacted students, according to CNN.

“Do I have a choice?!”: The cruelty and betrayal of “The Bachelorette” finale

The problematic "Bachelor" franchise is well-known for overusing the word "dramatic." It's "the most dramatic rose ceremony" or "the most dramatic season ever." But in the case of Monday's finale of "The Bachelorette," that word truly applies.

We wish it didn't.

Devin's promises are as empty as "The Bachelor" franchise's countless attempts to spearhead change by diversifying its leads.

The problem isn't just that Jenn Tran doesn't get her fairy-tale ending, but that the live finale broadcast is orchestrated to amplify her agony for entertainment. The show begins as many others have, with host Jesse Palmer in front of a live studio audience – including rejected "Bachelorette" suitors and new Golden Bachelorette Joan Vassos – gathered to watch which of two men would propose to Jenn Tran, the first Asian American lead in the franchise's history. It's down to military veteran Marcus Shoberg and freight company owner Devin Strader.

The audience watches as the men meet Jenn's family, with Devin saying all the right things, and Marcus expressing his doubts about his love for Jenn. Her final date with Devin in Hawaii appears meaningful as they do a ceremony to clear their past burdens so they can join their futures together. Devin even gives her something he received from a Maori shaman during their first one-on-one date in New Zealand. All good.

"There was gaslighting": "The Bachelorette" Jenn Tran on her toxic ex and today's dating landscape

Unfortunately, Marcus still shows some ambivalence, and Jenn confronts him in a painful conversation. Although Marcus finally admits that he loves her, it's too little, too late. She rejects him; there's no final date. It appears she's made her choice, and this is solidified when she tells Jesse later that she plans to propose to Devin. This not only fulfills what the show has been teasing all season – that Jenn would do something no other Bachelorette has done before – but also Jenn's insistence that she take control of her relationships and not passively allow a man to call the shots.

And then things get messy . . . well, messier.

Jenn Tran and Devin Strader on "The Bachelorette" (Disney/John Fleenor)Just when we expect to see Jenn make her historic (for the franchise) proposal, Jesse interjects and tells the audience, "You won't be seeing the proposal. Because of what transpired that day in Hawaii, we decided it wouldn't be appropriate for anyone to see it until we heard from Jenn."

Jenn bursts into inconsolable tears and reveals that her fairy-tale romance with her fiancé Devin has turned into a nightmare. Devin spent the entire season promising her that he would never abandon her the same way both their parents did to them. Unfortunately for Jenn, Devin's promises are as empty as "The Bachelor" franchise's countless attempts to spearhead change by diversifying its leads. Right before the couple went on a secret getaway together, she says Devin called her to break up, saying he regretted their engagement because he no longer loved her.

"I am heartbroken every Monday night watching the lies."

In a deeply uncomfortable conversation, Jenn and Devin try to hash it out but end up nowhere productive. Jenn accuses Devin of following girls on Instagram after their breakup, namely last year's "The Bachelor" fan favorite Maria Georgas. He stumbles in his response with the textbook, "I'm not here to tell you you can't feel the way you feel. Obviously, I failed you." He scoffs at her when she accuses him of not taking their breakup seriously, opting to go clubbing with his castmates instead.

Ultimately, Jenn's composure breaks and she says, "Every Monday night my heart is broken over and over again, whereas you don't give a crap. You're posting about the show having a great ole time and I am heartbroken every Monday night watching the lies."

Jesse interrupts the back-and-forth between the couple to get them on track so he can pull the worst move yet – to air the unseen proposal for Jenn to watch while on the live show. The host stresses to a whimpering Jenn that in that scene she showed America "what a strong and powerful woman is." He adds, "Nobody can ever take that away from you. I know you haven't seen it yet. What do you think? Should we all watch it together?"

With tears still in her puffy eyes, Jenn incredulously shakes her head. She laughs awkwardly and says in disbelief, "Do I have a choice?" Of course, she has no choice. Her pain is up for consumption and entertainment. The powers that be are retconning her story in real time as if it's a tale of empowerment.

Using picture-in-picture, ABC plays the proposal while the audience watches Jenn relive one of the most painful moments in her life — yet another heartbreak. She sobs and sobs — and it's utterly merciless.

Jenn Tran on "The Bachelorette" (Disney/John Fleenor)Being the author of pain isn't new for "The Bachelor" franchise though. During Rachel Lindsay's season, they allowed a person with a racist social media history in as a suitor. In Matt James' season, they forced him to have an uncomfortable conversation with his absent Black father on screen. In a scene that will go down in "Bachelor" history, the show also filmed the heart-wrenching, post-season breakup between the engaged Arie Luyendyk Jr. and Becca Kufrin. At the time, ABC claimed the scene was “the first completely unedited scene in reality television history” – as if it's something to be proud of.

To be fair, anyone getting involved with Bachelor Nation – be it contestant or audience member watching from home – knows that heartache or a bit of train-wreck messiness is part of the package. There's no way to have a competition for love without someone getting hurt. However, usually the affianced couple can stick it out long enough to break up in private once the show is completely done. Rarely does the split occur before the finale.

Perhaps "The Bachelorette" had learned a little from the Arie-Becca backlash since Devin had conducted his breakup by phone, not on camera. Small favors. Having Jenn watch her giddy proposal to Devin live, however, was not just brutal, but baffling. Even if the series was contractually obligated to show that scene – maybe deals with the jeweler or even Hawaii tourism necessitated its airing – Jenn did not have to be present. She could have been let go to lick her wounds backstage with her loved ones for support. Therefore, it was a deliberate decision to cause and then televise the sinister spectacle of Jenn's pain and suffering. This is the ultimate in sadistic showbiz.

As with most reality shows, audiences like to label who the show's villains are. Earlier it had seemed that suitor Sam M. – who tried to "keep the main thing the main thing" – had a lock on the title. Then Devin came along with what appears to be the longest con of all. But neither one should claim that cruelty crown. Instead, that biggest betrayal of all lays at ABC's feet.

Throughout the season, one of Jenn's stated main goals is to take control of her story. She's had enough of toxic, gaslighting exes, thank you very much. It's also one of the reasons why she proposed to Devin. However, Jesse asking if she's ready to watch her romantic proposal scene is the height of vicious farce. Even her media training can't stop her from finally losing composure. As she practically wails, "Do I have a choice?!" it's clear that she was never calling the shots. "The Bachelor" machine was and always has been in charge of her narrative, for the most dramatic betrayal ever. How's that for gaslighting?

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Flu shots play an important role in protecting against bird flu by preventing hybrid strains

A current strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, has become a global problem. The virus has affected many millions of birds, some other animal species, and a small number of people.

Last week, the Australian government issued a warning to residents travelling to Europe, North America, South America and Asia about the risk of bird flu.

California becomes 14th state to detect bird flu in dairy cows

The alert, published on the Smartraveller website, included advice to ensure your flu vaccine is up to date. If you are about to go travelling, this generally means if you’ve had a flu jab this year, although if it has been 3–6 months since your vaccine you should discuss this with your doctor.

But the seasonal flu vaccine we get each year doesn’t actually prevent bird flu in humans. So why is it being recommended in this context?

Some bird flu background

Smartraveller notes several strains of bird flu are currently circulating.

The most concerning strain, called the 2.3.4.4b clade, emerged a few years ago from a type of influenza A (H5, or A/H5) that has been circulating for several decades.

Clade 2.3.4.4b primarily affects birds, including wild birds and poultry. It has had devastating effects on bird populations, as well as farmers and others involved in the poultry industry.

In recent years, clade 2.3.4.4b has adapted to infect some mammals. Unfortunately it seems to cause severe disease in certain animals. Some marine mammals have been hit particularly hard, with mass mortality events reported in elephant seals and sea lions. In the United States, bird flu has also spread among dairy cows.

Seasonal flu vaccines may help reduce the risk of simultaneous infection with both A/H5 and a seasonal influenza strain.

Compared to the huge number of animal cases, there have been a relatively small number of humans infected with bird flu. Since 2003, 878 cases of A/H5N1 influenza have been reported in humans, with a small proportion of these reported since 2020 when clade 2.3.4.4b first emerged. The reported cases have been people who have had close contact with infected animals. It does not appear to spread from person to person.

As such, the risk to travelers is low. There are some situations where the risk may be greater, such as for people visiting live markets, or those who are traveling specifically to work with wildlife or animals in food production.

Infections in humans with H5 influenza can vary significantly in severity, from mild conjunctivitis up to fatal pneumonia. H5 influenza strains appear to be sensitive to antivirals (oseltamivir, also known as Tamiflu) and they are generally recommended as treatment for human infection, but it’s not clear whether they reduce the risk of death in those with severe disease.

To date, one case of A/H5 influenza (not 2.3.4.4b) has been reported in Australia, in a child who had recently returned from overseas.

While clade 2.3.4.4b has been detected in all continents except Australia, other avian influenza strains (A/H7) have been reported here earlier this year.

Seasonal flu vaccines are not effective against bird flu

Seasonal influenza refers to the flu strains that circulate each year. Since the COVID pandemic, three different strains have circulated in various proportions – influenza A H1N1 (descended from the 2009 swine flu strain), influenza A H3N2 (which has circulated since 1968) and an influenza B strain. Interestingly, a second influenza B strain (the Yamagata lineage) appears to have vanished during the COVID pandemic.

Seasonal influenza vaccines contain up-to-date variants of these types (A/H1N1, A/H3N2 and B) that are recommended by the World Health Organization each year. They are moderately effective, reducing the risk of hospitalisation by about 40–60%.

Influenza vaccines are quite specific in the protection that they provide. For seasonal vaccines, even the very small changes that occur in the virus from year to year are enough to allow them to “escape” vaccine-induced immunity. Therefore seasonal flu vaccines do not provide any protection against A/H5 influenza.

Preventing a hybrid bird-human strain

The rationale for recommending travelers have a flu shot in the context of the current bird flu outbreak is that seasonal flu vaccines may help reduce the risk of simultaneous infection with both A/H5 and a seasonal influenza strain.

When this occurs, there is potential for a “recombination” of the genetic code from both viral strains. This could have the transmissibility of a seasonal human virus with the severity of an avian influenza virus. The 2009 swine flu strain arose from the recombination of several strains over years to become more transmissible in humans.

Obviously a more effective vaccine would include a H5 strain, to generate immune responses specific to the H5 flu strain. Vaccine manufacturers have developed H5 vaccines over the years, but to date only Finland has deployed a H5 vaccine in a small group of people who work closely with potentially infected animals.

Currently the level of risk posed by H5 to humans is not thought to be sufficient to require a specific vaccine program, as the potential benefits are small compared to the costs and the potential risks associated with any new vaccine program.

The value of a flu shot for travellers

Seasonal flu vaccines protect against influenza infection, and may also reduce the risk of simultaneous infection with human and bird flu strains. Bird flu aside, for most travellers who haven’t received a flu shot this year, reducing the risk of illness disrupting travel plans should be enough of a reason to get one.

For those who have already received a flu shot this season, similar to COVID jabs, protection after vaccination appears to wane over time. So if you’re travelling to the northern hemisphere during the winter months, and it’s been more than 3–6 months since you received a flu vaccine, your doctor may recommend you have another.

Bird flu is only a small risk to most travellers, but people may want to take sensible precautions, such as avoiding close contact with birds at markets.

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“Entirely false”: Travis Kelce’s legal team denies breakup contract with Taylor Swift

Travis Kelce's team has set the record straight regarding rumors that the NFL player has a public relations plan in place to break up with his pop star girlfriend, Taylor Swift.

Full Scope PR, which represents the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, refuted claims of any sort of breakup contract, telling The Daily Mail — which first reported on the seemingly phony strategy by publishing photos of the supposed documents from social media — that the photos were "entirely false and fabricated and were not created, issued or authorized by this agency." The Daily Mail alleged that the photos had come from a Reddit thread, which now appears to have been scrubbed. The images shared by the outlet were labeled, "comprehensive media plan for Travis Kelce's public relations following breakup with Taylor Swift," included a template for a breakup statement, and even indicated that the planned split would be made public on Sept. 28. The false documents make the entire relationship appear to be manufactured.

"We have engaged our legal team to initiate proceedings against the individuals or entities responsible for the unlawful and injurious forgery of documents," said a representative for Full Scope PR.

Kelce and Swift have been linked since last September, with the singer confirming their relationship when she appeared at the Chiefs' home game in Missouri.

We’ve unlocked exotic new beer flavors using genetics

One of my favorite summer pastimes is enjoying a cold beer in a bar with friends after work. But not just any beer – it has to be a lager. And I am not alone. With its crisp and refreshing profile, lager accounts for more than 90% of the global beer market.

However, all lager beers taste quite similar, and the diversity of flavors and aromas is limited. This is mainly due to the small numbers of commercial yeast available for production. But what if we could break free from these constraints and create completely new and exciting flavors?

Our recent study, published in PLOS Genetics, takes an approach that does just that, using wild yeast from Patagonia to create new lager yeast.

The problem with traditional lager yeast

Yeast are unicellular fungi that ferment sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. For centuries, humans have used yeast, consciously or unconsciously, to produce fermented foods, such as wine, beer and bread.

The traditional lager yeast, Saccharomyces pastorianus, is a hybrid cross between two yeast species: S. cerevisiae (used for producing wine and ale beer) and S.eubayanus (a wild species found on trees).

The hybrid lager yeast was domesticated hundreds of years ago and has since been optimized for brewing under cold conditions.

However, this long history of selective breeding, similar to what we see in our livestock, crops and pets has also narrowed the genetic diversity of lager yeast, resulting in a strongly limited range of available flavors and aromas – leaving little room for innovation.

Enter wild Patagonian yeast

Until a few years ago, it was impossible to create new lager beer, simply because the maternal species of lager yeast, S. eubayanus, had not yet been discovered.

But in 2011, this species was found on the bark of trees in Patagonia, Argentina. Since then, hundreds of strains have been isolated from Chilean and Argentinian forests, carrying a stunning amount of genetic diversity.

Our research used this genetic diversity to expand the flavour and aroma profiles for lager. We specifically focused on three S. eubayanus lineages from southern Chile that had distinct characteristics, very promising for beer brewing. They are tolerant to cold temperatures, which is necessary for lager production which normally happens at temperatures between 8-15°C. They were also efficient at turning maltose into alcohol and carbon dioxide as well as producing unique aroma profiles.

By creating hybrids of this wild lineage with the ale-yeast S. cerevisiae, we produced a brand new lager yeast that not only retained the robust fermentation characteristics needed for commercial brewing, but also offered novel flavour profiles never before smelled or tasted in lagers.

Brewing the future

That said, our first attempts to generate new hybrids did not create strains with the characteristics we wanted – they were not adapted to the conditions of fermentation. But that can happen.

However, we could improve this process in the lab; we call it experimental evolution. We grew the new hybrids in a medium similar to beer wort for six months, to enhance their brewing performance. This created several new strains thanks to the natural process of evolution.

Then, we selected those strains that demonstrated superior fermentation capacity and the ability to produce higher alcohol levels. We also found that those hybrids that inherited mitochondria (the "engine" of the cell) from their S. eubayanus parent showed larger evolutionary potential and became more efficient in converting sugar into alcohol, able to create a higher alcohol content.

But the most exciting thing for us was that the new lager strains we made showed a much broader spectrum of aroma profiles, towards a more herbal, spicy and clove-like character.

Implications for the beer industry

We believe our new hybrid yeast has the potential to revolutionize lager brewing. Craft brewers in particular, could use these strains to develop new unique lager styles, making their products stand out in a crowded market and even attract those who prefer the more fruity and hoppy ale beers (such as New England, Indian and Belgian Pale).

We have already used the new hybrid strains to produce lager beer on a small scale (500 litres) in association with local breweries in Chile.

Our study not only opens up new possibilities for the lager beer industry but also underscores the importance of biodiversity in brewing. By tapping into the natural genetic diversity of wild yeasts, we can create innovative products that meet consumers' ever-evolving taste.

As the beer industry continues to grow and diversify, these new hybrids could play a crucial role in shaping the future of brewing.

Jennifer Molinet, Postdoctoral Researcher in Microbiology, Stockholm University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.