Opinion Today

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US voters favor Democratic Party on cost of living, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds
Jason Lange and Nathan Layne, Reuters
The Democratic Party has gained a significant edge over Republicans in voter perceptions on which ​party has a better approach to the cost of living, a troubling sign for President Donald Trump's party heading into the midterm elections, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

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Democrats have a double-digit lead among those who say they'll definitely vote in November
David Montgomery, YouGov
Donald Trump's popularity rebounded slightly in this week's Economist / YouGov Poll after his recent slump, but he remains deeply unpopular.... Democrats continue to lead in the race for Congress. 46% of registered voters say they will vote for the Democratic Party candidate in their district and 40% plan to vote for a Republican Party candidate.

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Many Americans think data centers are bad for the U.S.; more oppose them locally
David Montgomery, YouGov
Most Americans oppose building new data centers in their communities, and few agree with Donald Trump that data centers are good for their area because they create jobs and tax revenue, the latest Economist / YouGov Poll finds.

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What do Global Warming’s Six Americas think about data centers?
The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication
In our latest Climate Change in the American Mind survey, conducted in Spring 2026, we asked Americans about their views on local data center development, whether they think new data centers will affect electricity bills, and whether they support requiring new data centers to offset their electricity use by installing rooftop solar on and/or weatherizing and insulating local homes. This analysis examines how public opinion about these questions differs across Global Warming’s Six Americas, our framework for understanding the spectrum of views on global warming.

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Americans Fear Higher Costs, Strains On Electricity Grid, From Data Centers: I&I/TIPP Poll
Terry Jones, tippinsights
Americans are clearly torn over artificial intelligence and the electricity-hungry data centers now being built around the country that make it all possible. As the latest I&I/TIPP Poll shows, voters are at best ambivalent about the giant AI high-tech transformation, and worry about its impact on energy costs and their household budgets.

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More Americans say they are neither 'woke' nor 'anti-woke' than say they are either one
Taylor Orth, YouGov
Americans are more likely to say people are too easily offended than to say people are too careless about language that offends others, the latest Economist / YouGov poll finds. But asked whether they are woke or anti-woke, the most common answer is neither.

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From Diagnoses to Treatments, Why Americans Use AI Chatbots for Health
Emma Kikuchi, Giancarlo Pasquini and Eileen Yam, Pew Research Center
Reasons include making diagnoses and learning more about lab results or treatments. Nearly all chatbot health users find this AI information helpful

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Americans want transparency when AI is used in their healthcare
Eileen Yam, Giancarlo Pasquini and Emma Kikuchi, Pew Research Center
A new Pew Research Center survey asked U.S. adults about their views on AI at the doctor’s office. A common thread in their responses is that they’re uncertain about whether it’s used in their healthcare, and they want to be informed if it is. Here are more key takeaways from the survey.

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Anything But Apathy, Young Americans Digest and Dissect Politics Differently
Avery Smedley & Talya Hamberg, Navigator Research
This Navigator Research report covers research from multiple surveys fielded between June 4 - July 27, on how Americans of different generations characterize their political identity, economic sentiment, and news consumption habits.

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Republicans' chances of controlling Congress in 2027 appear shaky
Thérèse Boudreaux, The Center Square
The Center Square’s newest Voters’ Voice Poll revealed that 47% of U.S. registered voters surveyed would vote for a Democratic candidate if elections were held today, while 42% would vote for a Republican. Nine percent of voters haven’t made up their minds yet.
Americans Still Skeptical That UFOs Are Aliens
Megan Brenan, Gallup
49% attribute UFOs to human activity or natural phenomena; 37% say at least some are alien spacecraft

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In an Age of Division, Dolly Parton Was One Person Everyone Loved
Ruth Igielnik, The New York Times [unlocked]
Few could match the bipartisan support that Ms. Parton received in public opinion polls. Not even Taylor Swift.
Anger, frustration, worry and disappointment: Canadians describe their feelings about the latest wave of the tariff storm
Angus Reid Institute
New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds Canadians are experiencing a wide range of emotions after 18 months of turmoil, as they digest the latest development in a U.S.-Canada trade dispute with no end immediately in sight. One-in-five express frustration or anger after a year and a half of tariffs, while anxiety, fear and uncertainty (12%), and disappointment (7%) are also common. But the data also shows Canadians across the country are preaching national unity over provincial interest at a majority level.

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Arizona: Hobbs Builds Double Digit Lead
HighGround Public Affairs
Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs has opened a sizable lead over Republican nominee Andy Biggs in the race for Arizona Governor according to the latest statewide survey from HighGround Public Affairs.  Hobbs now holds a fifteen-point advantage (49.5% to 34.3%) bolstered by strong numbers among female voters (56.7% Hobbs/28.8% Biggs) and independent voters (54.5% Hobbs/19.3% Biggs).
Arizona: Democrats Lead Down Ballot Races
HighGround Public Affairs
Adrian Fontes and Kris Mayes both hold nearly 8-point leads for Secretary of State (43.0% Fontes/35.3% Kolodin) and Attorney General (48.3% Mayes/40.3% Petersen) respectively. Further down the ballot, races also show a slight benefit for the Democratic nominees with Nick Mansour leading for State Treasurer by nearly 3 points (41.8% Mansour/39.0% Norton) and Teresa Leyba Ruiz leading the Superintendent of Public Instruction race by 1 point (42.3% Leyba Ruiz/41.2% Yee).
Arizona: Fontes and Mayes Lead Down-ballot; Yee Holds Narrow Edge for Schools Chief
Noble Predictive Insights
Democrats Lead Secretary of State and Attorney General by 6, Superintendent Race More Competitive
Pennsylvania: Fetterman’s Popularity With Republicans Surges as He Angers the Left, Poll Finds
Reid J. Epstein and Ruth Igielnik, The New York Times [unlocked]
Pennsylvania Republicans now view John Fetterman, the state’s Democratic senator, more favorably than its sitting G.O.P. senator, a New York Times/Philadelphia Inquirer/Siena poll found.

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Texas: Poll Finds Talarico Leading Paxton, Abbott Leading Hinojosa, Continued Resistance to Data Centers
James Henson and Joshua Blank, University of Texas/Texas Politics Project
A new University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll finds 42% of Texas voters preferring Democrat James Talarico and 39% planning to vote for Republican Ken Paxton in the hotly contested U.S. Senate race in Texas, with the remaining 3% opting for Libertarian Ted Brown and 14% expressing no preference. The poll found Republican candidates leading by single digits in the other major statewide races included in the survey, amidst persistent negative views of the economy and continued opposition to the construction of data centers.

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Utahns generally oppose war with Iran, but views more complicated on military objectives
Lauren Irwin, Deseret News
According to a recent Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics survey conducted by Morning Consult, just 38% of registered voters in Utah approve of the ongoing war in the Middle East while 54% oppose the war. They also are more likely to say that they don’t approve of President Donald Trump’s handling of the war, particularly as negotiations are stalled and it appears the conflict is at a standstill.

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Trump Plans to Buy Midterm Ads About His Own Record
Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, Michael Scherer, and Ashley Parker, The Atlantic [unlocked]
Some Republicans welcome his involvement, but whether voters will is another question.
‘It's put up or shut up time’: Battleground Republicans want the Darline treatment
Alec Hernandez and Aaron Pellish, Politico
The president went to great lengths to push his candidate over the finish line in South Carolina, but Republicans want the same support in races that will actually determine control of Congress.
Trump scoffs at ‘affordability’ issues. The White House knows it’s a big deal.
Myah Ward and Grace Yarrow, Politico
The move angered farm-state Republicans and agriculture industry groups who say they were “blindsided” by the announcement.
As U.S.-Canada tensions escalate, Republicans could face political consequences
Gregory S. Schneider and Praveena Somasundaram, The Washington Post [unlocked]
The threat of higher prices for gas, cars, hockey sticks and more gave fresh life to Democratic arguments that the president is destabilizing the economy.
At Home and Abroad, Deference to Trump Turns Increasingly to Defiance
Peter Baker, The New York Times [unlocked]
While the president remains the most dominant figure in the world, other leaders and institutions are pushing back more vigorously than at the beginning of his second term.
You Can Take This as Gospel
Robert Kuttner, The American Prospect
A new breed of political hopefuls is challenging the religious right’s theology of hate with a Christian message of love.
In a divided America, the left and right unite to oppose artificial intelligence data centers
Will Weissert and Susan Montoya Bryan, The Associated Press
The debate around data center projects is one of the rare modern issues to cut across party lines, demographics and geography — from Republican-dominated Nebraska, Texas and Wyoming to swing-state Pennsylvania to Democratic-leaning New Mexico.

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Elon Musk's DOGE Has Made You Less Safe
Washington Monthly
Elon Musk's DOGE has "self-deleted." But not without leaving a trail of wreckage that could take decades to undo. Tens of thousands of vital government workers have been fired or have left, leaving Americans more vulnerable to a host of threats: terrorism, natural disasters, epidemics, tainted food. Crucial federal data systems have also been compromised, including Social Security's database with personal information on every living American. Brookings Institution expert Elaine Kamarck explains how the Trump administration's recklessness has jeopardized the health and safety of all Americans.

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Can Democrats flip Iowa with a rural revival?
CNN
Iowa last elected a Democratic governor in 2006. Republicans hold its four House and two Senate seats. And Donald Trump won 94 of 99 counties in 2024. But in his travels across Iowa now, John King meets voters clamoring for change.