Americans have consistently viewed medical workers, K-12 teachers and military officers as the most ethical professions — but even their ratings have dropped considerably, new Gallup polling shows.

Why it matters: Americans' opinion of the ethics of various professions has stalled at its lowest point — reflective of declining confidence in U.S. institutions overall.

• "Americans interact with numerous professionals in their daily lives, while depending on others they've never met to maintain an efficient, fair and secure society," per the annual survey data, released Monday.
• "Whether reflecting personal experience or secondhand reports, Americans' sense of how much they can trust each profession varies widely, likely influencing how they engage with each."

The big picture: The average honesty and ethics ratings for 11 core professions was 30% in Monday's report, down from 40% in 2005.

• Three professions had "majority negative" ratings: — TV reporters, members of Congress and lobbyists.
• Those were followed by roles including advertising practitioners, car salespeople, business executives and state officeholders.
• Day care providers, funeral directors, police officers and auto mechanics enjoyed "net positive" ratings.

The intrigue: Three of the five professions with "majority positive" ratings were in medical fields, but nursing home operators had "net negative" ratings.

• Despite being among the highest in the list, trust in medical doctors and pharmacists has dropped below pre-pandemic levels.
• Polling released last year separately showed that more people are trusting in their own ability to assess health information or turn to friends to guidance amid lack of trust in public health agencies.
• Grade school teachers also received "majority positive ratings," but Americans have expressed growing dissatisfaction with K-12 education.

Zoom in: Trust in judges and clergy have fallen the most, long-term, although ratings were still net positive for both.

• Trust in judges reached a low of 28% in the honesty and ethics rating, a 21-point decrease since the early 2000s.
• Public approval of the Supreme Court nearly reached a record low after the court concluded its most recent term, per previous Gallup polling. Approval plunged in particular among Democrats as the high court's rulings have leaned conservative.
• Meanwhile, every age group has seen declines in religious affiliations during the past decade.

State of play: U.S. trust in mass media hit a historic low last year, and Monday's report echoes low ratings of TV and newspaper reporters.

• 55% of respondents rated TV reporters as having "majority negative" honesty and ethical standards, a nine percentage point drop since the early 2000s.
• 45% said the same of newspaper reporters, which have had consistently low ratings over the years.

Flashback: Nurses have earned the highest rating every year but one since they were added to the survey in 1999.

• "The exception was 2001, when firefighters — included only that year — earned a record 90% trust rating after their heroism in responding to the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers," the report said.

Go deeper: Media trust hits another historic low

Methodology: Telephone interviews were conducted Dec. 2-18 with a random sample of 1,003 adults living in all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. The margin of error is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

Entire neighborhoods in Southern California have been destroyed by deadly wildfires, displacing communities that don't know what — if anything — they'll have to return to.

The big picture: Researchers have linked wildfires to long-lasting anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder in survivors, in addition to the well-documented physical toll.

• Both the loss and uncertainty surrounding wildfires are traumatic, Jeff Katzman, a Connecticut-based psychiatrist who grew up in Pacific Palisades, California, told Axios.
• "There is the lingering, not knowing status of what happened," he said. "There's the experience of loss of an entire community that has generations of meaning."

Between the lines: Like other modern tragedies, destruction in California is being shared immediately on social media.

• "There's something potentially positive about it that people who have suffered together or are in this together can connect and can share resources and can share experiences," said Katzman, director of education at Silver Hill Hospital.
• On another level, he added, it can be "difficult to integrate" seeing so much relatable, devastating information, leading to a sense of helplessness.

Context: Research published last year found a link between wildfires and worsened mental health by analyzing psychotropic prescription data on 7 million people over an eight-year period following 25 large fires on the West Coast.

• People exposed to California's deadliest wildfire, the 2018 Camp Fire, showed greater chronic symptoms of PTSD, anxiety and depression, according to research published in 2023.
• "These findings dovetail with significant psychological impacts noted after extreme climate events," researchers wrote. "Warming temperatures have been further linked to greater suicide rates."
• Another study from last year found that wildfires are associated with increased emergency room visits for anxiety disorders in the western U.S.

State of play: Sometimes pragmatism comes before grief during a disaster like the urban wildfires, Katzman said. People might first prioritize figuring out what a return to work or school will could like, before processing the loss.

• "Like when we lose our loved ones, there's stuff to do that often shields or distracts us from the underlying experience of loss," he said. "That can be a really tender experience."
• Surviving can help people rationalize their situation, too, he said. Material objects might become secondary, but memories and all existing notions of the future are still tainted.

Zoom out: Survivors in California could even grapple with feelings that they have to move out of their home state to stay protected from future extreme weather events — which could bring upon loneliness and further instability.

• "Solastalgia" has been used to describe the chronic distress of seeing negative environmental change in one's home environment.
• "With this increase in the pace of these events, which one would imagine will keep growing, anxiety and all mental health issues will increase," Katzman said. "Mental health issues following a single event are nothing compared to an exposure to multiple events."

Case in point: Los Angeles families calling into Parents Anonymous' California Parent & Youth Helpline have been expressing extreme overwhelm this week, said Lisa Pion-Berlin, CEO of Parents Anonymous.

• For those whose houses were destroyed, "it's not just the things in the building you lost, you lost a home," she said. "And that's a safe place where you're raising a family, where you go to relax, where you go to cry, where you go to celebrate, where you have birthday parties."
• "A home is much more than a building, a home is part of your heart, and that's been totally cut out."

Go deeper:

• L.A. infernos pose added health dangers
• How to help victims of the Los Angeles fires
• Los Angeles County fires' destruction shown in before and after images

The Supreme Court on Thursday denied President-elect Trump's request to delay his Friday sentencing in his criminal hush money case.

Why it matters: Though Trump faces no jail time for his 34 felony convictions, the Supreme Court's decision is the final blow to his efforts to sideline his sentencing just days before he returns to the White House.

• The sentencing will formalize his status as the only living president to be convicted of a crime.

What he's saying: Trump said on Truth Social Thursday evening he appreciated the "time and effort" the Supreme Court had taken "in trying to remedy the great injustice done to me," as he complained about presiding Judge Juan Merchan and his prosecution in the New York case.

• "For the sake and sanctity of the Presidency, I will be appealing this case, and am confident that JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL," he said, indicating he will appeal the sentencing.

Catch up quick: Trump turned to the Supreme Court in an 11th-hour attempt to halt proceedings in the case while his presidential immunity appeals play out.

• "Forcing President Trump to prepare for a criminal sentencing in a felony case while he is preparing to lead the free world as President of the United States in less than two weeks imposes an intolerable, unconstitutional burden on him that undermines these vital national interests," Trump's team wrote in their appeal to the Supreme Court.
• His attorneys further contended that presidential immunity should extend to presidents-elect in the "brief but crucial" time before they take office.

State of play: The 5-4 decision by the conservative-majority court all but ensures that Trump's sentencing continues as planned for Friday.

• Chief Justice John Roberts and Amy Coney Barrett, whom Trump appointed to the high court, sided with the liberal justices in making the decision.

Zoom in: Trump's sentencing will place a "relatively insubstantial" burden on his responsibilities as president-elect, the Supreme Court said.

• Merchan has indicated that he'd impose a sentence of "unconditional discharge."
• The Supreme Court noted that Trump's "alleged evidentiary violations" could be addressed on appeal.

Zoom out: District Attorney Alvin Bragg argued in a Thursday filing to the Supreme Court that there is "no basis for such intervention" to take the "extraordinary step" of halting sentencing before the court's final decision.

• The "defendant makes the unprecedented claim that the temporary presidential immunity he will possess in the future fully immunizes him now, weeks before he even takes the oath of office," Bragg wrote of Trump's stay request.

Flashback: A New York jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records last year, making him the first-ever former U.S. president to be a convicted felon.

• But the Supreme Court's ruling that presidents have immunity for "official acts" gave Trump legal ammunition in his numerous attempts to see the case tossed or postponed.
• His federal criminal cases crumbled after his presidential win, and his Georgia case remains frozen in limbo.

Go deeper: How prosecuting Trump backfired

Editor's note: Axios' Erin Doherty contributed reporting.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has asked the Georgia Supreme Court to reverse her disqualification in the election interference case against President-elect Trump, according to a court filing.

Why it matters: Willis' disqualification from the case over a conflict of interest was seen as a major win for Trump, and a blow to the last effort to prosecute him for his allegedly trying to overturn the 2020 election results.

• "No Georgia court has ever disqualified a district attorney for the mere appearance of impropriety without the existence of an actual conflict of interest," Willis' appeal stated.

Catch up quick: The Georgia Court of Appeals ruled in December to disqualify Willis over a conflict of interest stemming from a romantic relationship she had with the lead prosecutor on the case, whom she hired.

• Trump's legal team has repeatedly accused her of impropriety and cast the indictment against him as tainted because of the relationship, which Willis publicly acknowledged.
• The trial judge overseeing the case previously allowed Willis to stay on it as long as the prosecutor, Nathan Wade, stepped aside.

Flashback: Trump and 18 co-defendants were indicted in August 2023 under Georgia's RICO law, which is typically used to prosecute organized crime.

Between the lines: Willis easily won reelection in November against Republican challenger Courtney Kramer, who served as a White House legal intern in the Trump administration.

Go deeper: Fani Willis disqualified from Trump's Georgia election interference case

A federal judge on Monday declared Rudy Giuliani in contempt of court for failing to respond to information requests in a defamation case brought by two Georgia election workers, multiple outlets reported.

Why it matters: After two days of being grilled in court, Giuliani faces more legal troubles. He's previously been disbarred in Washington, D.C. and New York, had a failed bankruptcy claim, and saw the attorneys representing him in the defamation case quit.

• Judge Lewis J. Liman in New York City said Giuliani, President-elect Trump's former lawyer, failed to properly provide evidence after being ordered to pay $148 million in the case, per the AP.
• Giuliani testified before the court on Friday in New York City and Monday virtually from his condo in Palm Beach, Florida.

Catch up quick: The former New York City mayor was ordered in October to hand over personal property to Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, mother-daughter election workers in Georgia.

• The judge said he must turn over assets including cash accounts, jewelry, watches, valuables, a signed DiMaggio shirt and a legal claim for unpaid attorneys' fees.

What he's saying: Giuliani said on Monday that he didn't turn over everything requested because he believed the requests were broad, inappropriate or a "trap," the AP reported.

• "It's tragic to watch as our justice system has been turned into a total mockery, where we have charades instead of actual hearings and trials," Giuliani spokesperson Ted Goodman said in a statement.
• Goodman said the case was part of an "ongoing politically motivated vendetta" against Giuliani.

Go deeper: Rudy Giuliani ordered to hand over penthouse to defamed Georgia election workers

Editor's note: This story has been updated with a statement from Giuliani's spokesperson.

Congress is expected to certify President-elect Trump's 2024 election win on Monday, four years after his supporters stormed the Capitol to protest the certification of President Biden's 2020 win.

Why it matters: Snowstorm aside, the scene at the Capitol is markedly different this time, with heightened security precautions in response to an escalated threat environment.

• Vice President Harris, who lost to Trump, will preside over the joint session of Congress in Washington, D.C.

State of play: This year, the presidential vote certification was elevated to a "National Special Security Event" for the first time ever.

• The FBI and police heightened security measures in Washington, D.C., starting Monday through Trump's inauguration.
• Recent incidents in New Orleans and Las Vegas added to existing concerns about security threats in D.C.

Between the lines: Denying the results of the 2020 election has become mainstream within the GOP. This year, 137 election deniers will serve in the House and 20 in the Senate, according to a States United Action count.

• In a stunning twist, an AP-NORC poll released last week found a majority of Republicans now feel confident the 2024 election results were tabulated accurately.

Here's a look at the split screen of the day in 2021 and 2025:

Steps of the Capitol

Law enforcement

Surrounding the Capitol

Go deeper:

• FBI shares new details of suspect in D.C. pipe bombs plant on Jan. 6 eve
• Biden: Jan. 6 is a reminder that democracy "is never guaranteed"
• Trump says he will look at pardoning Jan. 6 defendants on first day in office

The push and pull between remote, hybrid and office work has persisted since companies started to call their staff back in person.

Why it matters: Corporate employees and employers across industries have been in conflict over what style results in the most productive work, while allowing balance.

By the numbers: 32% of U.S. firms require full time in office for corporate employees, per the Flex Index Q4 report, which analyzes the state of flexible work.

• Over the past two quarters, the percentage of companies requiring three days per week in office increased to 28% from 19%.

Zoom in: Office foot traffic differs widely between cities.

• As of July, Miami and New York office visits were over or close to 90% of July 2019 levels, while San Francisco barely breached 50%.

Here are corporate RTO mandates across industries:

Tech and software

Amazon: Employees are mandated to return five days per week at the start of 2025, CEO Andy Jassy announced in September.

• Employees with an "extenuating circumstance" or with specific exceptions may continue to work remote or hybrid.

Apple: CEO Tim Cook ordered employees to start returning to the office three days a week in 2022.

AT&T: The company announced in December announced a policy that will require employees to work from the office five days per week starting in January, multiple outlets reported.

• Its operations have already been streamlined to nine core office hubs, per HR Grapevine, including Dallas, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Seattle, Washington, St. Louis, and New Jersey's Middletown and Bedminster.

Dell: The tech company told staff with just a few days' notice in September to return to the office five days per week, per Business Insider.

Google: Many employees ignored the company's request to work in-person three days per week in 2023, Axios' Emily Peck previously reported.

• Office attendance would be considered in performance reviews, chief people officer Fiona Cicconi told staff.

IBM: The company told managers they needed to either be on site three days per week or leave their jobs, per CNBC.

Meta: The Facebook and Instagram parent company ordered workers to return to the office three days per week in 2023.

Salesforce: Many employees returned for four days per week in October, per NBC.

Snap: Snapchat's parent company told employees they had 60 days to return to the office or leave the company, The Information reported.

X: Elon Musk in 2022 announced the end of remote work for the social media company after he acquired it. It became the first company in tech to force RTO, per Business Insider.

• CEO Linda Yaccarino attempted to motivate workers with incentives.

Zoom: The bastion of remote work ordered staff back to the office in 2023 for a "structured hybrid approach," per the BBC.

• Any employee living within 50 miles of an office was expected to work in person at least twice a week.

Finance

BlackRock: The world's largest asset manager called employees back to office at least four days per week in 2023.

Citigroup: The banking and trade company asked its 600 U.S. employees who were eligible to work remotely to return to the office full time in May, per Reuters.

Goldman Sachs: The company early on had a hard time enforcing its five-day RTO policy, per Business Insider. Leaders said they'd further crack down on attendance.

JPMorgan: In 2023, the company asked its managing directors to work from the office five days per week, per Reuters.

• The company said managers could include attendance in performance reviews and threatened "corrective action" for not meeting requirements.

Media and entertainment

Disney: CEO Bob Iger ordered a four-day work week in 2023 after retaking his job at the helm of the company.

Washington Post: The news outlet announced in November that all employees were expected back five days per week by June.

• Managers must be in full time by Feb. 3.

Transportation

Boeing: The aerospace company called all workers back to the office five days per week in early 2024, per CNBC.

Tesla: Musk in 2022 said that employees must work from the office at least 40 hours per week.

• "If you don't show up, we'll assume you have resigned," he wrote in an email, per Business Insider.

What we're watching: The workplace conversation is set to continue into 2025.

• 86% of CEOs said they will reward employees who come into the office, per a survey conducted by accounting and audit firm KPMG over the summer. 79% said they believe corporate employees will work in person over the next three years.
• Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who will lead the Trump administration's new Department of Government Efficiency, said they support requiring federal employees to work in-person five days per week.

Go deeper:

• Return-to-office mandates spark tensions as workers still want flexibility
• Whether you're back in the office may depend on where you live

The newest generation — Beta — will see its youngest members be born roughly from 2025 through 2039.

The big picture: Many within the generation will live to the 22nd century. Even more than their nearest predecessors, this cohort's experience will be defined by unpredictable technological advancements and climate crises.

• It'll be the second generation besides Alpha — whose births span from about 2010 through 2024 — born entirely in the 21st century.

State of play: Projected to reach about 2.1 billion people, Beta would be the second largest cohort following Alpha's 2 billion, per Mark McCrindle, a social researcher and demographer who coined "Generation Alpha" and determined its bounds.

• By 2035, the age group will make up 16% of the global population, according to McCrindle, who founded Australia-based McCrindle Research.

Yes, but: We don't know what's entirely in store for the Betas.

• Specific boundaries between generations become more clear as each cohort grows up, said Jean Twenge, the author of "Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers and Silents — and What They Mean for America's Future."
• "Technology is what really causes the differences between the generations," she said.

The intrigue: Generative AI is defining the moment the Betas enter the world. Ultimately, their lived experience will be determined by what sticks and how.

• The tech that shapes social relationships ends up having the biggest impact on an age group, Twenge said. With Gen Z, that was social media, and for Gen Alpha, it's "virtual worlds" like Minecraft or Roblox.
• If generative AI becomes so ingrained that young people with "AI friends and AI boyfriends and girlfriends" becomes widespread, "that could have an enormous impact on social development," she said.

Between the lines: This might also come with more tech legislation and regulation. The European Union has enacted tighter rules that have led to policy changes at major tech firms, Axios' Ina Fried previously reported.

• Meanwhile, U.S. legislators have been working to pass the Kids Online Safety Act for more than a year.
• TikTok could also be banned in the U.S. in less than a month after Congress and the White House passed a bill that will force the popular platform's Chinese parent company to divest from its U.S. operations or face a ban.

What we're watching: Misinformation, disinformation and the adverse outcomes of AI are projected to be some of the top global risks over the next 10 years, the World Economic Forum predicted in January 2024.

• Those followed climate, environment, biodiversity and natural resources crises.

Zoom in: Gen Z and younger millennials will mostly parent Gen Beta children.

• They're expected to be parents who recognize the volatility of the economy and focus on sustainability, both economically and environmentally.
• "Generation Beta will be shaped by parents who, in a lot of ways, lived through economic and social challenge," McCrindle said. "And that creates a resilience, a grit, an ability to respond to uncertain times but a conservative outlook — a desire to save, a desire to reuse, a focus on not just growth and ever more accumulation."

Zoom out: Gen Beta is also expected to witness significant demographic change within its lifetime as fertility rates fall worldwide and life expectancy increases.

• "As the Gen Betas are coming of age, the talk will not be overpopulation," McCrindle said. "It'll be population sustainability."

The bottom line: Governance, media, business and global geopolitics are undergoing massive upheaval, Axios' Jim Vandehei and Mike Allen recently wrote.

• Coming of age in this environment will, no doubt, shape the generation.

Go deeper: "A landmark generation": Introducing Gen Alpha

Puerto Rico experienced an "island-wide" power outage starting Tuesday morning that could last up to two days in some places, per grid operator LUMA Energy.

The latest: President Biden discussed the widespread outages across the U.S. territory with Gov. Pedro Pierluisi during a Tuesday evening phone call during which he offered any federal assistance needed, per a White House pool report.

• Biden directed Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm over the phone to continue to offer any assistance the Biden administration can provide to speed power restoration for people on the Caribbean island, according to the pool report.

The big picture: Nearly 90% of 1.47 million clients across Puerto Rico were affected by the blackout at its peak, per AP.

• Early investigation shows the failure of an underground power line, LUMA said.

State of play: Power was restored to more than 336,000 customers by 6pm ET. If conditions allow, power will be fully restored by Thursday, the company said.

• Power was also restored to the Centro Médico and el Hospital Municipal de San Juan.
• The outage started about 5:30am.

Zoom in: Puerto Rico's Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said he is "demanding answers and solutions" from Luma and Genera, another energy company.

• Restoration work was underway at the San Juan and Palo Seco plants, per Pierluisi.

Context: Puerto Rico's energy was privatized after Hurricane Maria in 2017 massively damaged the grid. Continuous grid failures have led to protests.

• In 2021, operational control of the grid was transferred to LUMA. In 2023, Genera PR was selected for private electricity production.

Editor's note: The story has been updated with the latest restoration information and details of President Biden's action.

The new year will bring new regulations on health care, social media use, schools and rent across the country.

Why it matters: Many of the new laws are aimed at expanding protections of workers, children and consumers.

Flashback: New laws in 2024 targeted contentious, often-cultural issues, including wider access to birth control, a diversity, equity and inclusion ban in Texas and anti-book ban law in Illinois.

Among the most significant in 2025:

Paid prenatal time leave

New York will become the first state in the U.S. to offer paid time off for prenatal care or medical care related to a pregnancy.

• Privately employed pregnant New Yorkers will receive an additional 20 hours of paid sick time for prenatal care in addition to existing sick time, per Gov. Kathy Hochul's office.
• An employer cannot require an employee to choose one type of leave over another or require them to exhaust a different category before using the paid prenatal leave.

Zoom in: The benefit can apply to physical examinations, medical procedures, monitoring and testing and discussion with a health care provider related to the pregnancy.

• Employers can provide more than 20 hours, per the governor's office.

Digital replica protections

California performers' and actors' digital likeness will be protected under legislation that counters the misuse of artificial intelligence and other digital media technologies.

• Their likeness will be protected in audio and visual productions.

Child and teen influencer financial security

California children and teenagers who perform in online content will be protected from financial abuse under new legislation.

• One bill establishes financial and legal protections for minors featured in monetized online content by requiring parents or guardians to set aside a percentage of their earnings in trust accounts.
• Another expands the Coogan Law, created for actors, to include content creators on platforms like YouTube. Employers of child performers are required to place at least 15% of their gross earnings in trust until they reach adulthood.

Districts can't make teachers disclose students' gender or sexual identities

"Forced outings" will be banned in California — now the first state to bar school districts from requiring teachers and school staff from disclosing a student's gender identity or sexual orientation to anyone else without permission.

• The bill provides resources for parents, guardians and families of LGBTQ+ students to navigate conversations around gender and identity.
• Teachers and staff are protected from retaliation for refusing to forcibly out a student.

Between the lines: The act doesn't limit a parent's ability to request school records.

Eliminating taxes on rent

Arizona rental real estate taxes will be eliminated under a new law.

• The legal burden of proof falls on the landlords if they're sued for failing to comply, Axios Phoenix's Jeremy Duda reported.

Context: The bill was initially vetoed by Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) who was concerned about the financial impact on cities and concerns that landlords wouldn't actually pass savings on to their tenants.

• Changes were made to alleviate her concerns.

No social media for kids under 14

Florida children younger than 14 won't be allowed to have a social media accounts under a new bill.

• Civil liabilities will be imposed on platforms that refuse to terminate accounts of anyone under the age limit.

Yes, but: Two internet industry groups filed a federal lawsuit against the law, Axios Tampa Bay's Yacob Reyes noted.

Banned junk fees

A Minnesota junk fees law will prevent businesses from tacking on charges at the end of a transaction.

• Minnesota restaurants have been grappling with how to adapt to the new law, which will bar up-charges like a health and wellness fee from receipts, per Axios Twin Cities' Nick Halter.
• Automatic gratuity is allowed, but it must be clearly labeled and go to the wait staff. Taxes, shipping and delivery charges can be added to bills.

Higher minimum wage

Workers in 21 states and 48 cities and counties will get a raise on Jan. 1 when minimum wage increases go into effect, according to Axios' Emily Peck.

• In two states, the minimum wage will rise later in the year.
• By 2027, nearly half of U.S. workers will live in states with at least a $15 minimum wage.

Go deeper:

• These Florida laws go into effect Jan. 1
• Where the minimum wage will rise in 2025
• Medicare $2,000 prescription drug cap starts Jan. 1

Teen drug and alcohol use reached a record low this year, according to survey results released this month.

Why it matters: The downward trend began during the widespread isolation of the pandemic. Delaying first-time substance use until after adolescence could decrease addiction, researchers said.

• Declines were most notable among alcohol, marijuana and nicotine vaping in the annual Monitoring the Future study of eighth, 10th and 12th grade students.
• Nicotine pouch use was an exception. About 6% of 12th graders saying they've used them, up from about 3% in 2023.

By the numbers: Increases in abstention, which is considered no use within the previous 30 days, were statistically significant among 12th and 10th graders.

• Alcohol: 42% of 12th graders reported consumption, down from 75% in 1997. Among 10th graders, it fell to 26% from 65%. And among eighth graders, it dropped to 13% from 46%.
• Marijuana: Levels were the lowest they've been in the past three decades, at 26% for 12th graders and 16% for 10th graders.
• Nicotine vaping: 12th grade use was 21% compared to 35% in 2020 and 19% in 2017.

State of play: Teen substance use dropped at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pattern tracks with young adults' shifting views of moderate drinking and their reduced reported consumption.

• Experimentation often occurs with friends, and teens weren't socializing as much in the early years of the pandemic.
• Experts believed that drug use would resurge once social distancing restrictions were lifted, per Richard Miech, principal investigator of the study. That hasn't happened.

The other side: Teen use of nicotine pouches increased significantly.

• The FDA raised alarms about retailers selling nicotine pouches to underage consumers earlier this year. Pouches aren't listed by the FDA as recommended nicotine replacement products.
• "It's hard to know if we're seeing the start of something, or not," Miech told the AP.
• Products meant to help smokers ween off cigarettes can end up attracting youth users when they're freely on the market, experts told Axios earlier this year.

Go deeper: Meet "Zynfluencers": Smokeless nicotine pouches are having a moment

U.S. homelessness increased 18% this year, according to federal data released on Friday, with children being the age group that experienced the largest increase.

The big picture: Homelessness among nearly all populations reached record levels this year, but of the exacerbating factors have balanced out since the survey was conducted in January, the Department of Housing and Urban Development said in its report.

By the numbers: More than 770,000 people experienced homelessness on a single night in January 2024, per the point-in-time survey.

• Nearly 150,000 children experienced homelessness when the survey was taken, reflecting a 33% increase over 2023.
• Black people were 32% of the population identifying as homeless, despite making up 12% of the total U.S. population, HUD said. This figure decreased from 37% in 2023.
• Veterans reported continued declines in homelessness, decreasing by 8%.

Context: The migrant crisis, wildfires in Maui, Hawai'i that displaced thousands and high housing costs contributed to the stark rise and record high in the HUD report.

• "In the 13 communities that reported being affected by migration, family homelessness more than doubled," per HUD. Meanwhile, "in the remaining 373 communities, the rise in families experiencing homelessness was less than 8%."
• Chicago and Denver both announced an end to their migrant shelter systems this fall in response to decreases in shelter censuses.

Zoom in: "This report reflects data collected a year ago and likely does not represent current circumstances, given changed policies and conditions," HUD said in a statement.

• The survey was taken at the end of significant rental cost increases. Since then, rents have flattened or decreased.
• Rental costs have also stabilized since Maui wildfires exacerbated the housing crisis.
• And migration that rose 39% from 2023 to 2024, dropped later this year with more control on border crossings, HUD said.

Zoom out: Issues around poverty and homelessness got almost no attention during the 2024 election with candidates focusing on middle class concerns.

• A broad measure of poverty for families headed by single mothers rose last year and is now back to 2018 levels, per a new analysis of Census Bureau data from the National Women's Law Center.
• For households led by single mothers, the supplemental measure of poverty increased to 29% in 2023 from 27% in 2022. That's more than 2.7 million families.

The nation's overall poverty rate is 12.4% but it is 21.3% for Black people and 16.9% for Latinos, based on the Census Bureau's 2023 5-year estimates.

• Latinos make up 19% of the population and with other people of color, are set to form a plurality of the country's population by midcentury, but experts say a lack of discussion on Latino poverty is allowing inequalities, and possibly homelessness, to fester and grow.
• Rev. William Barber, of the Poor People's Campaign, tells Axios that the lack of discussion on poverty and low-wage workers prevents the nation from having an honest look at unhoused populations and affordable housing.

Go deeper:

• Homelessness in the U.S. jumped to record level in 2023, government says
• A record 1 in 8 NYC students experienced homelessness last school year

American adults are nearly as likely to blame insurance denials for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson as they are to blame the person who shot him, according to new poll data.

The big picture: The reaction to Brian Thompson's killing — and the veneration by some of suspect Luigi Mangione — has revealed a deep distrust of the health insurance industry and its treatment of patients in need of critical care.

• Thompson's Dec. 4 killing prompted rage against health insurers, especially on social media.

By the numbers: 78% of respondents overall said they believed the individual who committed the killing bears "a great deal" or "a moderate amount" of responsibility for Thompson's death.

• 69% attributed some blame to coverage denials by health care companies, and 67% to insurance industry profits.

Between the lines: Americans under 30 in the NORC survey were especially likely to think a mix of factors, and not just the assassin, were to blame for Thompson's death, per AP.

• This aligns with previous polling that found young people were more likely than their elders to say they believe the killing was "acceptable" or "somewhat acceptable."

Zoom out: CEOs in the health care industry and beyond have been seeking additional security after Thompson's killing.

• A majority of poll respondents said they were concerned about potential future violence toward business executives.

Go deeper: 41% of young voters say UnitedHealthcare CEO killing "acceptable": Poll

Methodology: The survey of adults 18+ represents the 50 states and Washington, D.C. It was conducted Dec. 12–16 and has an overall margin of error of ±4.2 percentage points.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that the poll was conducted by NORC (not AP and NORC).

NASA's Parker Solar Probe completed the closest-ever approach to the Sun by a human-made spacecraft, coming within 3.8 million miles of the solar surface.

Why it matters: NASA scientists received a signal from the probe late Thursday night after several days of silence while it conducted the flyby. The data collected during the historic approach will help scientists better understand the Sun.

• The undertaking is a remarkable feat of science and engineering, given the extreme heat (up to 1,800 F) and radiation the probe endured as it passed through the Sun's outer atmosphere.
• While 3.8 million miles may not seem like a particularly close encounter, the Earth is 93 million miles from the Sun.

State of play: The approach took place on Dec. 24, and NASA's missions operations team, based in Laurel, Maryland, received the signal just before midnight on Thursday, per a statement from NASA.

• The probe was moving about 430,000 mph.
• The aircraft is in good condition and operating normally.

What's next: The probe is expected to send data back on Jan. 1 to the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.

• The data will help scientists understand how material in that region gets heated to millions of degrees, trace the origin of solar wind, and discover how energetic particles are accelerated to near light speed.

Context: In 2018, Parker became the first spacecraft to enter the Sun's corona, the outermost part of the star's atmosphere that can be seen during a total solar eclipse.

• Other close passes helped scientists pinpoint the origins of structures in the solar wind and map the outer boundary of the Sun's atmosphere.

Go deeper: NASA probe to fly closer to the Sun than ever before

About two-thirds of Americans have recently felt the need to limit their political news consumption, according to a recent poll.

Why it matters: The reluctance to consume political news is reflected in TV ratings. Americans of all parties, and Democrats in particular, are tuning out politics.

• People don't feel the same need to avoid news about overseas conflicts, the economy or climate change, per an AP-NORC survey conducted in early December.
• The poll also found that Americans want public figures to talk less about politics.

By the numbers: About 7 in 10 Democrats said they're stepping back from political news.

• About 6 in 10 Republicans and independents say the same.

By the numbers: On Election Day, 25% fewer people watched coverage across 18 live TV networks this year compared to 2020.

• MSNBC and CNN have both seen viewership drop dramatically since election night.
• MSNBC's prime-time viewership dropped 54% in the five weeks after the election, while CNN's fell by 45%, per Nielsen data.

The other side: Fox News viewership has increased, AP reported.

• Since the election, 72% of people watching any of the three main cable news networks have tuned into Fox, per AP. That figure was 53% before Election Day.

Zoom out: Americans began tuning out political news before the election, Axios' Sara Fischer previously reported.

• Engagement during the primary cycle was down earlier this year compared to the previous one.

What to watch: Network ratings in previous years have bounced back after the post-election news slump, per AP.

• For now, it's unclear whether people who avoided news about the election and President-elect Trump's victory will tune back in for coverage of what he does as president.

Go deeper: Dems warm to conservative media after rough 2024

Methodology: The poll of 1,251 adults was conducted Dec. 5-9. The margin of error for adults overall is ±3.7 percentage points.

Medicare's $2,000 prescription drug cap will take effect at the start of the new year.

Why it matters: The yearly limit on out-of-pocket payments, under the Inflation Reduction Act, is expected to lower millions of seniors' medical costs. It will have a particularly significant impact for patients taking expensive drugs to treat cancer and other serious conditions.

By the numbers: Overall, 3.2 million Americans are expected to save money on prescription medications in 2025, increasing to 4.1 million by 2029, per AARP projections.

• Those figures vary by state. In Texas, 9% of beneficiaries are expected to hit the cap in 2025. That figure is as high as 18% in Alaska, per AARP.
• Nearly half of the Medicare enrollees expected to benefit from the spending limit are between 75 and 84 years old.
• About 1.5 million Medicare beneficiaries spent more than $2,000 on prescriptions in 2021, per KFF. Around 5 million exceeded $2,000 during at least one year between 2012-2021.

How it works: The cap doesn't apply to monthly insurance premiums or drugs administered at the doctor's office or other health care settings.

• Part D plans have historically not had a limit on out-of-pocket spending, according to AARP.
• Certain payments made on an enrollee's behalf, like through the Extra Help program, will count toward the $2,000.

Zoom out: The Inflation Reduction Act will bring other changes to Medicare Part D, too.

• It will make insulin available at $35 per month per covered prescription.
• Enrollees will also have the option to pay out-of-pocket costs in the form of capped monthly installment payments instead of all at once at the pharmacy.
• The Manufacturer Discount Program will replace the existing Coverage Gap Discount Program. It will require manufacturers to provide discounts on their applicable drugs.

Go deeper:

• Medicare drug coverage gets a facelift for 2025
• Scoop: Medicare pilot aims for $2 generic drugs

The Federal Aviation Administration issued 30 temporary drone flight restrictions over parts of critical New York infrastructure from Thursday through mid-January.

Why it matters: Dozens of reported mystery drone sightings have been reported across the northeast, raising suspicions and fueling conspiracies.

• The restrictions were prompted by requests from federal security partners, the FAA said.
• "The action is purely precautionary," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement. "There are no threats to these sites."

Catch up quick: Similar bans were announced on Wednesday over parts of New Jersey.

• The orders restrict aircraft, including drones, from operating without permission in a certain area for a limited time.
• New York also received a "state-of-the-art drone detection system" from the Biden administration this week, Hochul said.

Zoom in: The New York restrictions cover areas over substations, which are key junctions in the electrical grid. Other newly restricted areas include electric control centers, compressor stations or other complexes.

• They're active for areas including Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, Staten Island and Yonkers.

State of play: No nefarious activity is involved in the drones drones reported over several northeastern states, federal officials have repeatedly said.

• Authorities have said that they believe a large portion of the sightings are misidentifications of other aircraft.

Go deeper: A teachable moment amid Northeast drone madness

Congress stopped the clock ticking toward a government shutdown early Saturday after the Senate followed the GOP-controlled House's lead in passing a stopgap measure that runs through March.

The latest: The resolution came after a Trump-backed plan to suspend the debt ceiling failed in the House Thursday and was nixed from the funding plan.

What he's saying: Despite President-elect Trump's Friday comment on Truth Social that "If there's going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden administration," Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), told reporters after the vote he was in "constant contact" with Trump.

• "He knew exactly what we were doing," Johnson said.

State of play: An earlier version of the stopgap measure lost 38 Republican votes and gained two Democratic ones before legislators pushed a revised bill through both chambers.

• The approved resolution will fund the government until March, provide about $100 billion for disaster aid and extend the farm bill for a year, but legislators nixed elements of the earlier plan that would have suspended the debt ceiling until January 2027.
• House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) called it a "laughable proposal."

What was in the first bill?

Congressional leaders unveiled legislation Tuesday to keep the government funded until March, setting up a showdown — with Johnson in the central pressure cooker.

• It included around $100 billion in disaster relief, an extension of the farm bill and restrictions on investments in China. The 1,547-page bill includes wants from both Democrats' and Republicans' wish lists.
• But some measures raised eyebrows: Notably, a pay raise for members of Congress (their first since 2009), caught the attention of Musk and others bashing the bill.
• The mid-March extension date tees up another funding fight toward the end of Trump's first 100 days in office.

What's next, and what does it mean?

Lawmakers were able to push a deal through just after a midnight Saturday deadline, and Biden signed the resolution later Saturday.

• The legislative save means stopping a shutdown just as lawmakers were meant to go on holiday recess.

For thousands of non-essential federal employees, a shutdown would have meant they stopped working.

• During the last government shutdown (the longest on record) from December 2018 to January 2019, 420,000 federal employees were required to work without pay while another 350,000 were furloughed from their jobs without pay, according to the American Federation of Government Employees, a federal employee union.
• "Excepted" employees are those who keep working. Their responsibilities may include services like "emergency work involving the safety of human life or the protection of property," according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Federal employees would have been eligible for retroactive pay once funding was appropriated, per the OPM, and those who were furloughed could also have received unemployment benefits.

What government programs are impacted?

None now that the shutdown was avoided, but if legislators had failed, a number of government programs could have been impacted.

Social Security: Social Security and Medicare checks are still sent out during a shutdown, but some operations could have been impacted.

• A contingency plan shared in September said that benefit verifications and the issuance of replacement Medicare cards would have been among discontinued activities.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Food benefits via SNAP are mandatory. But a shutdown could have impacted the ability to renew benefit card licenses.

• Depending on the length of a shutdown, the timing of benefit issuances could have also been impacted.

Veteran benefits: Veteran benefits would continue to be processed and delivered, but some resources, like cemetery grounds maintenance, could have been restricted.

Passport issuance: The issuance of passports, along with visa and consular services, is expected to continue but could have been slowed depending on the length of a closure.

Education and student loans: Pell Grants and Federal Direct Student Loans would continue during a shutdown, per the Department of Education. But the longer a shutdown dragged on, the greater the chance of disruptions for borrowers.

• Most grantmaking activities, the department said in a contingency plan last year, would have been paused.
• Last time the government shuttered, students faced inter-agency issues when trying to access student aid, CNN reported, such as Internal Revenue Service closures that prevented them from accessing necessary tax documents ahead of the spring semester.

National parks and Smithsonian museums: Services at national parks and the Smithsonian museums in D.C. would close during a shutdown.

Go deeper: What a government shutdown could have meant for holiday air travel

Editor's note: This story was updated with new developments.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) sued a New York doctor for sending abortion medication under the Empire State's shield law to Texas, which has a near-total abortion ban, his office said Friday.

Why it matters: The lawsuit, one of the first known of its kind, tests the future of shield laws enacted by blue states in the post-Roe era to help patients who live in states with abortion bans.

• Paxton filed the complaint on Thursday against Dr. Margaret Daley Carpenter, co-founder of the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine (ACT). New York's shield law protects providers and others who help patients outside New York access abortion via telemedicine.
• ACT said in a statement to Axios: "Ken Paxton is prioritizing his anti-abortion agenda over the health and well-being of women by attempting to shut down telemedicine abortion nationwide."
• "Shield laws are essential in safeguarding and enabling abortion care regardless of a patient's zip code or ability to pay. They are fundamental to ensuring everyone can access reproductive health care as a human right."

Zoom out: Most abortions in the U.S. involve pills rather than in-person procedures, and the number of abortions provided annually has risen since the Dobbs decision.

Zoom in: Paxton said Carpenter prescribed pills commonly used to end a pregnancy, mifepristone and misoprostol, to a 20-year-old woman in Collin County, Texas, per the complaint filed Thursday.

• She experienced complications and was taken to the hospital, the state said, by a man described as the "biological father of the unborn child." The man learned after the fact that the woman had been pregnant, per the complaint.
• Paxton is requesting that Carpenter be fined $100,000 per "violation" and that the court block her from violating Texas law.
• "Carpenter is not a licensed Texas physician, nor is she authorized to practice telemedicine in the State of Texas," the complaint said.

New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) said in a statement: "We will always protect our providers from unjust attempts to punish them for doing their job and we will never cower in the face of intimidation or threats."

• "I will continue to defend reproductive freedom and justice for New Yorkers, including from out-of-state anti-choice attacks."

What they're saying: "The truce over interstate abortion fights is over," Mary Ziegler, a leading abortion historian and law professor at UC Davis, said on X.

• "What will it mean for the GOP to say abortion should be left to the states now?" she added.

The big picture: Anti-abortion advocates have been preparing to challenge abortion pill access once President-elect Trump takes office next year.

• Anti-abortion advocates have been waiting for the "right case," to test these laws," the New York Times reported in February.
• Trump, in an interview released on Thursday, said he'd ensure the FDA doesn't block access to abortion pills. It was the first time he made such a commitment.
• The Supreme Court in June threw out an abortion pill case, preserving access to the medication without actually ruling on the merits of the case.

By the numbers: More than 9,700 abortions were provided monthly via telehealth under shield law protections in the second quarter of 2024, Society of Family Planning's #WeCount report.

• This marked a 5% increase since the first quarter of 2024.

Go deeper:

• Abortion provider protections prove crucial in a post-Roe world
• Texas abortion ban 3 years on: Forcing patients out of state, fueling 2024 debate

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional comment.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) on Friday requested that President Biden direct more resources to investigate the origins of mysterious drones spotted across several states since last month.

Why it matters: The letter comes as local and state officials have demanded the federal government provide more information and resources as they express safety concerns over the drones' unknown origins.

• The drone sightings, beginning in November, have been reported in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and most recently Connecticut.
• The White House said the drones have not been involved in any malicious activity, and the Pentagon said they weren't deployed by the U.S. military or an adversary.

What he's saying: "It has become apparent that more resources are needed to fully understand what is behind this activity," Murphy wrote.

• He said he's directed the New Jersey State Police and the state's Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness to assist federal authorities "in any capacity."
• New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said on Friday the state is coordinating with the FBI and Homeland Security.

Zoom out: Separately, Murphy called for better regulation of unmanned aircraft systems, like these drones, to help the state as it prepares to host the FIFA World Cup Final in 2026.

• "I have supported your administration's efforts in asking Congress to extend counter-UAS flexibilities to state and local law enforcement entities and to support additional funding for these activities," he wrote.

Catch up quick: New Jersey and New York senators on Thursday requested a briefing from federal agencies by Dec. 23.

• Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who sits on the Senate's Homeland Security and Governmental Committee, said Thursday the drones should be shot down "if necessary," especially if they're flying over airports or military bases.
• Two New Jersey representatives had made similar calls.

Zoom in: Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said Friday that he saw dozens of "large drones" in the sky above his Davidsonville, Maryland, home for about 45 minutes on Thursday night.

• "I do not know if this increasing activity over our skies is a threat to public safety or national security," he said on X. "But the public is growing increasingly concerned and frustrated with the complete lack of transparency and the dismissive attitude of the federal government."

Go deeper:

• What to know about New Jersey drone sightings
• Blumenthal joins calls for New Jersey drones to be shot down "if necessary"