Thursday Edition

There’s tension between President Biden’s threats to hike taxes on “greedy corporations” and how many of his policy initiatives rely on tax breaks for those same companies. (NYT)

Biden has talked a big game about making corporations pay their “fair share” — a stance that’s especially appealing to progressives, whose votes he’ll need in November.

But the rhetoric has clashed with the reality. It’s not clear whether the president’s 15% corporate minimum tax has really been all that effective. Meanwhile, Biden’s signature industrial policy plan centers heavily on corporate tax incentives.

• A recent Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center analysis: Despite proposing $5 trillion in new taxes on the wealthy and corporations, Biden's policies have actually slashed taxes by $600 billion over four years.

This has led some executives to dismiss Biden’s anti-big business comments as “campaign bluster.”

Calvin Butler, CEO of electric utility corporation Exelon, to The New York Times: “Recognizing how D.C. works, and that we’re in a political season, I tend not to get too high or too low on any of that.”

Bubba’s Two Cents: Biden’s policy moves suggest he views corporations as key to America’s success. But he’s still willing to demonize them for political gain. It’s a cynical play and one that’s all too common in modern politics (across left and right). True authenticity is hard to find these days.

Bubba’s Two Cents: Media, tech, and government mostly lean left. So when they say they're acting to protect Americans, people are going to wonder if politics, not safety, is the real driving force.

Americans who otherwise support the transgender rights movement are starting to push back against its more extreme aspects. (NYT)

No one would ever confuse The New York Times with a conservative newspaper, but over the past year or so, LGBT advocates have accused The Times of being too sympathetic to critics of gender ideology. This week, The Times published an op-ed by two academics who challenge the idea that sex is “assigned” at birth.

Alex Byrne and Carol Hooven: “We are not against politeness or expressions of solidarity, but ‘sex assigned at birth’ can confuse people and creates doubt about a biological fact when there shouldn’t be any. … Sex is a fundamental biological feature with significant consequences for our species, so there are costs to encouraging misconceptions about it.”

Although Americans have steadily grown more accepting of LGBT rights over the last decades, there’s been a reversal of the trend on some controversial issues.

• The share of U.S. adults who say a person’s gender is determined by their sex at birth has increased, from 54% in 2017 to 60% in 2022.

• A plurality (46%) support making it illegal for health care professionals to provide gender transition care to someone younger than 18.

• 70% of Americans say it’s inappropriate for teachers to discuss trans identity in elementary school, and more than 60% say trans women shouldn’t be allowed to compete in sports with other women.

But Americans are also very supportive of laws that protect trans people from discrimination.

Sports betting has absolutely exploded in the U.S., and it’s gotten out of hand for some people. (The Athletic)

It’s becoming a common occurrence to hear upset fans screaming at NBA players over lost bets. And it’s not just the pros. A new report from The Athletic chronicles how a growing number of college basketball players are getting threats from irate gamblers.

A direct message sent on social media to Purdue Boilermaker Carson Barrett: “Kill yourself for taking that 3 you f-ing worthless loser. Slit your f-ing throat you f-ing f– that was completely uncalled for. I hope you f-ing kill yourself.”

Then there’s the gambling scandals. Two recent ones involve Los Angeles Dodgers All Star Shohei Otani and Toronto Raptors power forward Jontay Porter.

Betting on sports is getting easier. 38 states have legalized sports gambling since 2018. And most of them allow mobile betting through apps like DraftKings and FanDuel, or online casinos.

Bubba’s Two Cents: Some worry about the social issues tied to rising gambling, but the bigger picture is how everything in American life is turning into a game that requires interactivity. We're on our phones during Netflix, filming concerts instead of enjoying the music and even sports viewing has become centered around getting our dopamine fixes.

A new Gallup poll cuts to the core of our two realistic options for president. (Semafor)

The share of Americans who say ____ is likable:

• President Biden: 57%

• Donald Trump: 37%

The share of Americans who say ____ is a strong and decisive leader:

• Biden: 38%

• Trump: 57%

Bubba’s Two Cents: This poll highlights an often overlooked fact — despite endless debates and in-depth policy discussions by media and politicians, people's voting choices often boil down to instinctive, gut reactions that transcend politics.