Friday Edition

From 2018 to 2022, almost every state in the U.S. reported an increase in gender dysphoria diagnoses. (Axios)

A new report from Definitive Healthcare:

• The states with the highest increases in gender dysphoria diagnoses were Virginia (+274%), Indiana (+247%), and Utah (+193%).

• South Dakota (-23%), Hawai'i (+6%) and Connecticut (+10%) had the lowest increases or saw a drop in diagnoses.

• The percentage of gender dysphoria diagnoses among patients under 18 rose from 17.5% to 20.4%.

22 states have passed bans or restrictions on gender transition treatments for minors. On Wednesday, Ohio's GOP-led House overrode Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto on a bill limiting medical care for transgender minors and their participation in school sports.

The public’s views on the estimated 1.6 million trans people in the country are complicated. While a solid majority of Americans (64%) favor protecting trans people from discrimination, 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, per Pew Research Center. A plurality (46%) support making it illegal for health care professionals to provide gender transition care to someone younger than 18.

House Speaker Mike Johnson is running into a lot of the same issues as his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, leading some conservative Republicans to wonder if he’s any different. (WSJ)

Some House Republicans aren’t happy with Johnson’s latest government funding deal with Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. They think it doesn't cut enough spending or do enough to tighten up border security. With deadlines for keeping the government open approaching, some of the more conservative members of Congress are even floating the idea of ousting Johnson the way they did McCarthy.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene this week on Johnson’s performance: “When we had Speaker McCarthy, we had ... meetings where [conservative hardliners] were constantly involved, especially when there were negotiations between the Senate and the White House. … We’ve been involved in nothing [under Johnson].”

McCarthy was known for his prolific fundraising. Some viewed him as a so-called “establishment” Republican, but he straddled the line between the Trump wing of the party and moderates. Democrats accused him of passing legislation that catered to his conference’s fringe after pledging to govern in a more bipartisan fashion.

Johnson, who is viewed as more culturally conservative and Christian than McCarthy, has more street cred with “MAGA,” a fact that helped him win the speakership in the first place. He’s shown signs of being more hardnosed than McCarthy on pushing for a conservative agenda, like when he vowed in November not to pass any more stop gap funding bills. Johnson’s voting record on Ukraine aid is much less supportive than McCarthy’s.

$0.02

There’s definitely some ideological and political daylight between these guys, but if you look at how Johnson’s operated as speaker, it’s pretty similar to McCarthy. The reason for that is they’re both hamstrung by the realities of the role: The GOP’s House majority is razor thin and Democrats control the White House and Senate.

For the first time ever, the majority of law firm associates are women. (CBS News)

A new National Association for Law Placement report:

• 50.31% of associates at American firms are female.

• Women made up 27.76% of all partners, a 1.1% increase from the previous year.

• Since 1991, when NALP started tracking this data, women's representation among associates has increased from 38%.

Women’s representation is growing in other fields, too. A 2022 American Medical Association report found the share of women physicians has increased to 37% of the profession.

Since 1948, women's participation in the labor force grew steadily until it hit a peak of 60% in 1999. It dropped to a 30-year low of 56.2% in 2020, but has rebounded of late. Coincidentally, the share of working women with college degrees quadrupled between 1970 to 2020. Women's workforce participation is projected to increase through 2031, driven by women in the prime working age group (25 to 54).

As marijuana gets more potent and more states legalize it, doctors are seeing an increase in the number of psychosis cases among young adult and teen users. (WSJ)

Diagnoses for cannabis-induced disorders increased by more than 50% from 2019 to last November, according to healthcare analytics company Truveta. Studies show a link between frequent and potent cannabis use and psychotic disorders like schizophrenia, especially in young users. A 2018 study found nearly a third of adolescents seen for checkups at Boston Children’s Hospital reported using cannabis, and about a third of those users experienced hallucinations or paranoia.

24 states have legalized recreational weed, and medical marijuana is legal in 38 states. Usage has increased by 24% in states where marijuana is legal. The average THC content in cannabis seized by the DEA rose to 15% in 2021, up from 4% in 1995.

John Fetterman's approval ratings have risen in recent months despite heavy criticism over the Democratic Pennsylvania senator breaking with much of his party on immigration and Israel. (Quinnipiac University)

The poll:

• 26% of voters view Fetterman more favorably for expressing strong support for Israel, while only 14% view him less favorably for it.

• 35% of voters view Fetterman more favorably for expressing support for tougher immigration policies, compared to 9% who view him less favorably due to his immigration stance.

• Fetterman’s favorability with Democrats is 76%, a slight (4%) dip from Oct. 2023, and only 7% of Pennsylvania Democrats view him unfavorably.

A tweet from National Review contributor A.G. Hamilton: “John Fetterman turned himself into the most popular Senator in America simply by being a Democrat who rejects the extremism and hatred of the far-left.”

$0.02

The wave of activist protesters and rowdy online commenters piling on Fetterman might have made it seem he was more unpopular than he actually was. There's a lesson here: Social media isn't real life, and often it's just an echo chamber for an outspoken fringe.

A New York City high school forced students into a “remote learning” day so migrants could be housed on campus following a storm, sparking outrage from parents. (NY Post)

About 2,000 people, including 500 migrant families, were moved from a tent shelter to James Madison High School in Brooklyn on Tuesday night due to severe weather. The move prompted a remote learning day for the high school’s 3,400 students. Parents and local politicians rallied at the school on Wednesday in protest.

How The New York Times framed it: “A School Sheltered Migrants in a Storm. The Hate Calls Poured In.”