What's Happening

Politics

Biden’s Popularity With Women Is Waning and It Could Cost Him

What's going on: President Biden’s lead among women has dropped from 13% to roughly 8% since the 2020 election, according to the New York Times’ analysis of more than 30 polls conducted over the last six months. The findings could be a wake-up call for Democrats, who reportedly haven’t seen their lead among women drop to single digits in 20 years. Biden has especially fallen off with Black and Hispanic women, according to new polls from KFF, a healthcare research nonprofit. Meanwhile, former President Trump’s support from men has bounced back to 2016 levels, when he had a double-digit lead.

What it means: Women aren’t single-issue voters. Still, Democrats made abortion rights a centerpiece of Biden’s campaign and are counting on the issue to bring women out to the polls this fall. But concerns about inflation have kept many women from supporting the president. Pollsters say the election could come down to Black and Hispanic women, many of whom are making inflation their No. 1 issue. Democratic strategists still insist that women and Black voters, who have consistently voted blue, will turn out for Biden. That appears to be true in swing states like Arizona, where abortion could be on the ballot in November. KFF found that Democratic women are more motivated to vote in states where access to the procedure is threatened.

Related: From Sexxy Red to Lil Wayne, Trump Turns to Rappers To Make Gains With Black Voters (NBC)

Education

More Kids Need Special Education As Schools Struggle To Provide It

What's going on: More American children qualify for special education than ever before, according to new federal data, but support for them is falling short. A record 7.5 million students used special-education services in the US last year, an increase of about 2% from a decade ago. Yet, one in five public schools reported last fall that they weren’t fully staffed in special education, according to a federal survey. Now, many schools worry that the staffing shortage for special education, attributed in part to low wages and burnout, could get worse. That's because pandemic-era funding is set to expire this fall, making budgets even tighter.

What it means: There are several reasons for the rise in students requiring special education services. The pandemic left many kids with learning and behavioral challenges, and for the students already receiving these services, remote learning during COVID disrupted access to in-person help. There has also been a shift from parents who may have previously shied away from requesting this kind of assistance, as there is now less of a stigma around it. Autism diagnoses have also been on the rise in recent decades. Meanwhile, as temporary COVID aid comes to an end, schools are grappling with how to stretch their budgets even further to provide students with the support they need.

Related: What Do Students Lose When There Are No Aides? (NPR)

Health

A New Parkinson’s Trial Is Offering Some Hope

What's going on: Yesterday, researchers published the details of a small trial that could provide the building blocks to diagnose and treat Parkinson’s disease. Vaxxinity, a US-based biotech company, created a vaccine that teaches a person’s immune system to attack an abnormal protein found in Parkinson’s patients. The company also worked with researchers at the University of Texas to develop a diagnostic test that measures levels of the abnormal protein in a patient's cerebrospinal fluid. The test could be a crucial step for helping diagnose Parkinson's, which often gets misdiagnosed. It's important to note that only 20 patients were part of this initial trial, but researchers are optimistic about the results.

What it means: This potential treatment could provide hope to the approximately 500,000 people in the US who are diagnosed with Parkinson's. There is no cure for the disease and current treatments offer limited relief. The researchers’ diagnostic method could become the first of its kind on the market if the FDA grants full approval. That could help detect the disease at an earlier stage when treatment is more effective.

Related: This Woman’s Nose Could Help Sniff Out Parkinson’s (NYT Gift Link)