Support for nuclear power grows - August 31, 2022

Executive Leadership Briefing

The average life expectancy of Americans fell in 2020 and 2021, the sharpest two-year decline in nearly 100 years. In 2021, the average American could expect to live until the age of 76 with even steeper declines among some minority groups like Native Americans and Alaska Natives. Mortality rates were driven primarily by COVID-19 as well as overdoses but offset in part by decreases in deaths attributed to the flu and pneumonia. The higher rate of deaths in the category that includes overdoses reflects poorer access to treatment for many minority groups, especially those who are contending with the spread of fentanyl.

U.S. jobs openings and a consumer confidence gauge both topped forecasts, pointing to a strength in household and labor demand that risks sustaining inflationary pressures and raises the prospect for another interest-rate hike by the Federal Reserve. The report also indicated firmer buying plans for appliances and cars, while the jump in job vacancies underscored the persistent tightness in the labor market. The U.S. economy in July recouped the 22 million jobs it lost at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the labor force remains smaller than it was leaving some businesses to deal with staffing shortages.

Resistance to nuclear power is beginning to ebb globally in the wake of unreliable electrical grids and fears about national security, forcing politicians around the world to confront the long-standing stigma surrounding nuclear plants. California’s last remaining power plant is seeing support from Gov. Gavin Newsom – a longtime opponent – after years of the state enduring rolling power outages. Germany is now debating whether to keep some plants open and Japan’s prime minister called for the reopening of idled nuclear reactors.

Republican candidates are trying to deemphasize the hardline anti-abortion stances they took during the primaries and some GOP nominees are curbing their focus on voter-fraud conspiracies and other far right or Trump-centered topics. The longstanding practice of candidates modifying their rhetoric for general-election audiences is common, but critics say this year’s messaging switch is unprecedented as bold language disappears entirely from candidates’ websites. At least nine Republican congressional candidates have scrubbed or amended references to former president Donald Trump or abortion from their online profiles ahead of the post-Labor Day sprint to Election Day.

Goldman Sachs Group will lift pandemic-era protocols at its offices effective early September, according to an internal memo. The move reflects updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which no longer distinguishes between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. Morgan Stanley told its New York staff that it will end tests and control measures last week. The CDC’s updated COVID-19 guidelines brought the country’s epidemic into what some call a soft landing, shedding the previously-required quarantine recommendation and prompting employers to reassess existing policies.

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