This week, Lisa and David talk about misapplication of scientific research in disinformation campaigns; Lisa supports Kash Patel in rebuffing Musk’s email about five things; J6 pardoned proudboys getting newly arrested; Trump court cases work their way through the system; RFK Jr. orders CDC to halt some vaccine ads; CPAC comments; how immigration came to be a prominent concern in contemporary politics; minors showing up at the border unaccompanied; Operation Whirlwind, weaponizing the law to crush dissent; Trump threatens Maine Governor “we are the law”; IRS lays off 6,700 employees; scientists watch Mount Rainier for signs of volcanic activity; Amazon owns James Bond franchise; Germany’s AfD surges in election, but comes in second; the shifting approach to government power and how the past perhaps isn’t a guide for what’s to come; mistakenly believing we can return to the past or rely on historical patterns; and more.
Car Seat Regulations and Birth Rates
A 2020 study titled "Car Seats as Contraception" found that laws mandating child car safety seats significantly reduced birth rate. The effect was particularly noticeable for third child births in households with access to a car and where both parents were present. Women with two children younger than their state's age mandate had a lower annual birth probability of 0.73 percentage points, representing a relative drop of 7.8.
The researchers estimated that car seat laws prevented approximately 57 children's car crash fatalities in 2017 but also prevented 8,000 births that year and 145,000 births since 1980. This effect is attributed to the difficulty of fitting three car seats in the back of many regular-sized vehicles, potentially influencing family planning decisions.
Links:
Supreme Court rules that government watchdog fired by Trump may temporarily remain on the job (CNN)
Trump Administration Litigation Tracker (Lawfare)
RFK Jr. wants vaccine PSA ads focused on ‘informed consent’ (Stat)
Ukraine’s Zelensky Wants Better Terms on Minerals Deal Demanded by Trump (Wall Street Journal)
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