Opinion Today: Topline
Selected links from the February 17, 2026, edition of Opinion Today
LGBTQ+ Identification Holds at 9% in U.S. Jeffrey M. Jones, Gallup Gallup estimates that 9% of U.S. adults personally identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or something other than heterosexual. This percentage is essentially unchanged from last year but remains more than double the 3.5% from 2012, the first year Gallup measured LGBTQ+ incidence.
Voter trust in U.S. elections drops amid Trump critiques, redistricting, fear of ICE Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times [via Yahoo] Economic and Care Insecurity Among Women Voters 50+ AARP
How Much Will Trump’s Approval Rating Matter in the Midterms? Nate Cohn, New York Times [unlocked] The Disappointment of Young Trump Voters Sarah Longwell, The Atlantic [unlocked] Is a New Sunbelt Populism Rising? Justin Vassallo, The Liberal Patriot Massachusetts Weighs Return of Rent Control, Dividing Top Democrats Jared Mitovich, Wall Street Journal [unlocked] The story of the Trump economy? Old people. Philip Bump, MS NOW What if everyone had to prove their citizenship to register to vote? Nathaniel Rakich, Votebeat The Founders Would Have Opposed ‘Nationalizing’ Elections Jeffrey Rosen, The Atlantic [unlocked] America’s Most Powerful CEOs Are Awfully Quiet Lately Amanda Mull, Bloomberg Businessweek [unlocked] Requiem for Gallup Geoffrey Skelley, Decision Desk HQ
There’s more in the FULL edition of Opinion Today, sent to paid subscribers today at 5 a.m. ET:
PLAYLIST
Bad Bondi
Talking FedsEnten: Trump’s net approval ‘worse than Joe Biden’
CNNTamara Keith and Amy Walter on the public's response to the Epstein files
PBS News Hour