Friday Edition

The fight between Texas and the federal government over razor wire on the border is really about Republicans’ claims the White House isn't doing enough about the immigration crisis. (CNN)

October: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit to prevent the Department of Homeland Security and other federal entities from removing razor wire barriers installed by the state along the Rio Grande.

November: U.S. District Judge Alia Moses of Del Rio ruled against Texas, finding the state did not present enough evidence to show federal agents are violating state law by taking down the barriers.

Last month: The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed Moses' decision, prohibiting federal agents from cutting the wire while the state challenge is litigated in court.

This Month: The U.S. Justice Department filed an emergency petition with the Supreme Court to allow federal border agents to remove the barriers.

Monday: The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the federal government, temporarily allowing federal border officials to cut Texas’ razor wire.

A letter released yesterday by 25 GOP governors backing Texas: “We do it in part because the Biden Administration is refusing to enforce immigration laws already on the books and is illegally allowing mass parole across America of migrants who entered our country illegally.”

NPR immigration correspondent Jasmine Gard on the broader stakes: “This dispute is absolutely part of a much larger battle over immigration enforcement — federal versus state. It's been escalating for years, not only with border enforcement. [Texas Gov. Greg Abbott] has also been behind the bussing of recently arrived migrants to democratic sanctuary cities like New York and Chicago. … Governor Abbott has been firm in saying that Texas needs to be able to act on its own because the federal government isn't doing enough to curb immigration.”

The Public Religion Research Institute has released a new survey on Gen Z adults (18-25) and Gen Z teens (13-17). (NBC News)

Demographics: Gen Z teens and adults are less white and more Hispanic than other generations. 28% of Gen Z adults identify as LGBT, which is much higher than millennials (16%), Gen X (7%), baby boomers (4%) and the Silent Generation (4%).

Politics: Over half of Gen Z teens (51%) don't align with any of the major parties. Gen Z adults are more liberal than older Americans. A plurality (44%) of Gen Z teens identify as moderates.

Religion: Gen Z adults are less likely to be white Christians and more likely to be unaffiliated with religion compared to older generations.

Affirmative action: 69% of Gen Z adults and 65% of teens support affirmative action.

Trust in institutions: Gen Z and millennials trust the police, justice system, and federal government less than older Americans. Only 58% of Gen Z adults think voting is the most effective way to create change in America, compared to 70% of the general U.S. public.

Emotional well-being: 38% of Gen Z adults report feeling anxious often or almost all of the time, which is close to double the rate of Americans generally.

41 million members of Gen Z will be eligible to vote in this year’s presidential election, according to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement.

Religious “nones,” Americans who don’t identify with any particular religion, now outnumber every other single religious affiliation. (NPR)

A new Pew Research Center survey:

• Since 2007, the share of religiously unaffiliated adults (atheists, agnostics and those who identify with "nothing in particular") has risen from 16% to 28%.

• Nones as a cohort are bigger than evangelical Protestants (24%) and Catholics (23%), the second- and third-biggest religious affiliations in the country.

• Nones tend to be liberal and Democratic.

Church membership in the U.S. has been on the decline for decades and fell below 50% in 2020.

Donald Trump and President Biden won their party’s primary in New Hampshire this week, but an AP VoteCast survey of New Hampshire primary voters highlights potential weaknesses for both. (AP)

Trump lost the majority of moderate voters and about two-thirds of independents in New Hampshire. The survey suggests his policies on immigration and energy might resonate with his base but alienate moderates and independents.

Biden struggled to attract younger voters under 45 and faces policy disagreements within his coalition. About 66% of younger Democratic voters believe Biden, at 81, is too old for another term. Only around 40% of those who disapprove of Biden's approach to the Israeli-Palestine conflict voted for him in New Hampshire.

Raising a family of four to financial independence at age 22 costs an average of $2.7 million. (Investopedia)

Bureau of Labor Statistics data from the latest Consumer Expenditure Survey:

• Families of four spent an average of $123,106 annually in 2022.

• Housing was the largest expense, totaling $811,734 over 22 years, and includes both rental and homeownership costs.

• Over 22 years, the average family would pay nearly $400,000 in taxes.

Wall Street Journal news editor Janet Adamy on how economic circumstances have contributed to Americans having fewer babies: “Young adults can’t afford to buy a house as nice as the one their parents raised them in or to pay for childcare while they are still repaying student loans. Many men lack the earning power to be providers, because blue-collar jobs don’t pay as well and fewer men are employed. More women can’t find a suitable partner because, with their own greater education and economic status, it’s harder for them to find a man who measures up.”