the attitude with arnie arnesen the Friday edition noon to 1pm EST Sept 26
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Arnie Arnesen
Sep 25, 2025, 5:40:39 PMSep 25
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the Attitude with Arnie Arnesen
opening thoughts: china has a population problem
producers: Dave Scott and Stephanie Collins
Key Findings
- China’s fertility level rapidly plunged from more than six children per woman in the 1960s, to fewer than three in the 1970s, to below two in the 1990s, to close to one in the 2020s; this is the second-lowest fertility rate in the world.
- Because of population change, China faces a steep labor force contraction—a 28-percent decrease by 2050 from the labor force’s peak population in 2015.
- China’s old age dependency ratio (those ages 65 and older relative to the working age population) will more than double from 0.21 in 2024 to 0.52 by 2050, increasing social support pressures.
- There have been five stages of China’s fertility policy since 1949. Fertility had already halved before the implementation of the one-child policy during the third stage. Policies have grown increasingly more pro-natalist since 2014, but fertility levels continue to decline.
- Military security implications stemming from demographic trends include minimal immediate concerns for the People’s Liberation Army force size but more-significant potential concerns in the decades ahead, as well as the strengthening of international alliances with Russia and Iran, partly to counter future military force size concerns.
- Population well-being (structural security) implications include broad strain on government finances; increasing costs of social insurance programs, including pensions and health care; varied but generally negative economic effects; high youth unemployment and disengagement from competitive labor markets in a slowing economy; and mixed effects on innovation capacity.
- Domestic governance (regime security) will be a key priority that is threatened by structural security challenges.
part one:
Jaden Edison is the public education reporter for The Texas Tribune, where he previously worked as a reporting fellow in summer 2022. Before returning to the Tribune full time, he served as the justice reporter for The Connecticut Mirror, another nonprofit newsroom covering government, politics and public policy. He also interned at Poynter, a nonprofit media institute. Jaden has a master's degree from the Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism at Columbia University and a bachelor's degree from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University, where he was editor-in-chief of the The University Star, the campus' student-run newspaper.
Christian activist David Barton will advise Texas State Board of Education during social studies overhaul
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State Board of Education OKs Texas-heavy social studies plan, setting stage for clash over history lessons
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part two:
Robert Hennelly Award-winning investigative journalist, broadcast and print reporter for more than 30 years, covering federal, state and local politics, public policy, labor, the environment, law enforcement and national security. Currently Robert writes for laborpress.org Salon.com and InsiderNJ.com and author of Stuck Nation. Bob is the acting General Manager of WBAI in NYC.
Bill Curry was a Connecticut state senator, comptroller and two time Democratic nominee for governor who served as Counselor to the President in the Clinton White House. He has written for Salon, the Daily Beast, the Huffington Post and the Hartford Courant and has provided commentary on National Public Radio, MSNBC and many other news outlets.
topics:
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Democrats Look for a New Villain: The Groups or the BillionairesThe latest divide among the liberals bucking to define the party’s next big campaign: Should they take on the oligarchs, or take their money? https://newrepublic.com/article/200669/democrats-new-villain-groups-billionaires
“That backfired bigly”: Kimmel’s return is a defeat for Project 2025
Resistance through humor and public outrage still carries weight https://www.salon.com/2025/09/24/that-backfired-bigly-kimmels-return-is-a-defeat-for-project-2025
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KEEPING THE POT STIRRED SO SCUM DOESN'T RISE TO THE TOP - Anonymous
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