Few see falling birth rates as a priority: Survey
When asked in the Thursday survey about how large of a problem declining birth rates in the U.S. is, 28 percent of respondents said it is a major issue while 44 percent called it a minor one. Twenty-seven percent didn't consider it a problem at all.
The U.S. birth rate fell to an almost record low last year, per preliminary data. A vital statistics rapid release report published earlier this year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that about 3.6 million babies were born in the U.S. last year, a 1 percent increase from a record low number of births two years ago.
The U.S. birth rate consistently dipped following the Great Recession in 2007, with births slightly rising in 2021, per CDC data.
Some Republican leaders in recent months have emphasized pronatalism, encouraging Americans to have more children. Top proponents include former White House adviser Elon Musk and Vice President Vance.
Americans, however, said the cost of raising children is more of a problem, per Tuesday's poll.
In the AP-NORC survey, 76 percent said childcare costs are a big issue while just 18 percent considered it to be a minor one. Five percent of respondents said it was not a problem at all.
The AP-NORC poll took place from June 5 to 9, with 1,158 people and a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
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- Yahoo
Trump plans to delay tariff start to August 1 as he announces 25% levy for Japan and South Korea
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'We've seen a lot of positive developments in the right direction, but the administration, the President and his trade team, want to cut the best deals for the American people and the American worker, that's what they're focused on.' The announcement that Trump would once again delay implementing new import taxes on almost every American trading partner came just one hour after he told the Japanese and South Korean heads of government that he will force Americans to pay a 25 percent import tax on all goods imported from their countries starting August 1. In a pair of letters addressed to Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, Trump falsely claimed that the United States would 'charge each country a tariff of only 25 percent' on 'any and all ... products sent into the United States, separate from all Sectoral Tariffs.' Trump also released similar letters to heads of state or government in Burma, Cambodia, Kazakstan, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Tunisia and South Africa, in which he threatened to tax imports from those countries at rates ranging from 25 percent to 'only 40 percent,' citing trade deficits with each nation. The president described his threatening letter as an invitation for each country, already an important ally and trading partner for America, to 'participate in the extraordinary Economy of the United States, the Number One Market in the World, by far.' 'We have had years to discuss our Trading Relationship ... and have concluded that we must move away from these longterm, and very persistent, Trade Deficits engendered by ... Tariff, and Non Tariff, Policies and Trade Barriers. Our relationship has been, unfortunately, far from Reciprocal,' Trump said. Trump frequently claims tariffs are paid by foreign governments, even though they are import taxes charged by the federal government and paid by importers who often pass them along to consumers in higher prices. The president added that any retaliatory tariffs imposed by either government would result in equal amounts added to the import taxes paid by Americans. The president claimed that the 25 percent being charged on Japanese and South Korean imports is 'far less than what is needed to eliminate the Trade Deficit disparity we have with your Country' and suggested that both governments — or companies in both countries — could avoid having their products taxed by deciding to 'build or manufacture product within the United States.' He added that his administration would do 'everything possible to get approvals quickly, professionally, and routinely — In other words, in a matter of weeks' to allow companies to build facilities for manufacturing within the U.S. even though that process and the investment required to do so often takes years. 'Please understand that these Tariffs are necessary to correct the many years of ... Tariff, and Non Tariff, Policies and Trade Barriers, causing these unsustainable Trade Deficits against the United States. This Deficit is a major threat to our Economy and, indeed, our National Security!' he said. Trump also claimed that he might revisit the 25 percent tax if either country would 'open your heretofore closed Trading Markets to the United States, and eliminate your Tariff, and Non Tariff, Policies and Trade Barriers.' 'These Tariffs may be modified, upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your Country. You will never be disappointed with The United States of America,' he added. Trump's announcement comes just days before what had been a July 9 deadlines for countries to enter into agreements with his administration that would avoid the outsized 'liberation day' import taxes he announced in April before backing down and extending the initial deadline for imposing them after markets reacted poorly to his attempt to upend the global trading system. The 25 percent taxes are similar to what Trump had planned to impose as part of that initial package of taxes and are far higher than what Japanese and South Korean negotiators have pressed for in talks with the administration. American stock markets lost ground in trading on Monday after the president's announcement, with the S&P 500 index falling 0.9 percent in the first day of trading in the U.S. after a holiday-shortened week, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 526 points, or 1.2 percent, as of midday. The Nasdaq composite was 1 percent lower as well.
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Trump is still ‘stinging' from brutal TACO jibe, a member of his family claims, so he decided to attack Iran
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9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump promises there will be ‘no change' to his August 1 tariffs start - despite previous delays in the timetable
President Donald Trump is digging in on his most recent threat to force Americans to pay exorbitant tariffs on imports in an attempt to reverse decades globalization and return the United States economy to one based on manufacturing rather than services. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said new rates of import taxes laid out in a series of letters to various countries' heads of state or government 'WILL START BEING PAID ON AUGUST 1, 2025.' He added: 'There has been no change to this date, and there will be no change. In other words, all money will be due and payable starting AUGUST 1, 2025 - No extensions will be granted. Thank you for your attention to this matter!' The president's doubling down on his announced tax increases comes less than a day after he started sending bizarre, poorly-written letters to American trading partners citing 'unsustainable' trade deficits as justification for the tariffs, which will be at rates ranging from 25 to 40 percent on any imports from Japan, South Korea, Burma, Kazakstan, Laos, Malaysia, and South Africa as well as other nations. The president described his threatening letters as an invitation for each country, already an important ally and trading partner for America, to 'participate in the extraordinary Economy of the United States, the Number One Market in the World, by far.' 'We have had years to discuss our Trading Relationship ... and have concluded that we must move away from these longterm, and very persistent, Trade Deficits engendered by ... Tariff, and Non Tariff, Policies and Trade Barriers. Our relationship has been, unfortunately, far from Reciprocal,' Trump said. Trump frequently claims tariffs are paid by foreign governments, even though they are import taxes charged by the federal government and paid by importers who often pass them along to consumers in higher prices. The announcement of the new tax rates and the August 1 deadline came just days before what had been a July 9 deadlines for countries to enter into agreements with his administration that would avoid the outsized 'liberation day' import taxes he announced in April before backing down and extending the initial deadline for imposing them after markets reacted poorly to his attempt to upend the global trading system. Since announcing the 'liberation day' tariffs in April he has routinely extended the self-imposed deadline, leading analysts to bake that tendency into their market predictions as the 'TACO' trade, short for 'Trump Always Chickens Out.' The president once claimed his tariff threats would lead countries to beat a path to the White House door and negotiate as many as 90 separate trade agreements in three months, but during a media availability alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday he backed down from that promise, telling reporters he'd simply be sending out letters spelling out new tariff rates. 'We'll make some deals. But for the most part, we're going to send a letter. We're going to say, welcome to the United States, if you'd like to participate, the greatest, most successful country ever,' he said.
