Majority: Religion Losing Influence on American Life

80%

A new Pew Research Center survey “finds that 80% of U.S. adults say religion’s role in American life is shrinking – a percentage that’s as high as it’s ever been in our surveys. … Most Americans who say religion’s influence is shrinking are not happy about it. Overall, 49% of U.S. adults say both that religion is losing influence and that this is a bad thing. An additional 8% of U.S. adults think religion’s influence is growing and that this is a good thing.”

Abbott Couldn’t Raise Money to Fund Migrant Bus Program

1% of $150 million

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) “boasted shortly after he began soliciting private donations for his controversial migrant busing program that there would likely ‘be no cost to the state’ given the outpouring of support from concerned citizens across the country,” CNN reports. “But after nearly two years of fundraising to offset the program’s costs, Abbott’s operation has collected less than half of 1% of the roughly $150 million spent on busing migrants to sanctuary cities.”

Plurality of Americans Disapprove of Biden’s Handling of Gaza War

60%

A new Wall Street Journal poll finds a plurality of American voters “think Israel has gone too far in responding to the October attacks by Hamas, and a growing share believes the U.S. isn’t doing enough to help the Palestinian people. … The new poll found that 60% of voters disapprove of Biden’s handling of the war, 8 points more than in December, with 31% approving of Biden’s actions.”

Migrant Backlog to Hit 8 Million by Fall

8 million

“More than 8 million asylum seekers and other migrants will be living inside the U.S in legal limbo by the end of September — a roughly 167% increase in five years,” Axios reports. “That’s up from about 3 million in 2019 — a sign of how the underfunded and outdated U.S. immigration system can’t keep up with the rapidly growing migrant population driven by new border surges.”

Secret Service Spent $12 Million to Protect Trump Advisors from Iran

$12,280,324

60 Minutes: “John Bolton and Robert O’Brien, two former national security advisers who served in the Trump administration, required ongoing U.S. Secret Service protection long after they left their positions due to potential threats from Iran. … Newly released documents reveal the cost to taxpayers of that security. For nearly one year of protection, the total for both individuals was $12,280,324.”

New Immigrants Would Boost U.S. Economy by $7 Trillion Over Next Decade

$7 trillion

The US economy will grow by an extra $7 trillion over the next decade, according to estimates from the CBO, according to Business Insider. The CBO said the additional growth will be driven by an influx of immigrants. “More workers mean more output and that in turn leads to additional tax revenue,” CBO director Phillip Swagel said.

Nearly a Fifth of Americans Believe Taylor Swift Conspiracy Theory

18%

A new Monmouth poll finds that 18% of Americans believe that Taylor Swift is part of a covert effort to help President Biden win the 2024 election.Fully 71% of those who believe this identify with or lean toward the Republican Party and 83% indicate they are likely to support Donald Trump in the fall. Also, 73% of those who believe the Swift conspiracy also believe the 2020 election outcome was fraudulent. On a less sinister note, 68% of the American public approves of Swift encouraging her fans to vote in the upcoming election.