🧠 Axios PM: Teen brain change

Plus: Tailgating tips | Friday, December 02, 2022

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Instagram   Axios PM By Mike Allen · Dec 02, 2022 Happy Friday! Today's PM — edited by Justin Green — is 488 words, a 2-minute read. 🥂 For the history books: The number of same-sex couple households in the U.S. passed 1 million for the first time — 1.2 million in 2021, up from 550,000 in 2008, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. "It's not just a West Coast or Left Coast, it's America," Dowell Myers, a specialist in urban growth and societal change at USC, told The New York Times.     1 big thing: Teen brain change Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios   The stress of living through the pandemic physically changed teen brains — with accelerated signs of aging commonly seen in children experiencing violence and neglect, Axios' Sabrina Moreno reports. Why it matters: Youth in a Stanford University study were more likely to report severe anxiety, depression, and internalizing mental health problems. The study compared 163 teenage MRI scans — half taken before the pandemic and half after. A 16-year-old girl's brain might be the equivalent of a 19 or 20-year-old's before COVID. That includes an enlarged hippocampus — deemed the center of memory and learning — and amygdala, which processes emotions. Zoom out: School closures and separation from peers during the pandemic created a form of toxic stress for teenagers. Share this story.     2. 🚂 Amtrak Joe averts rail strike Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images President Biden officially blocked railway workers from striking ahead of the holiday season, signing bipartisan legislation today during a ceremony in the Roosevelt Room at the White House. Biden said he will fight for paid sick leave for the workers, which wasn't in the deal. Biden was joined by (from left) National Economic Council Director Brian Deese, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh. Photo: Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images "Our nation's rail system is literally the backbone of our supply chain," Biden said before signing the bill. "So much of what we rely on is delivered on rail."     A message from Instagram Explore 30+ Instagram tools helping teens have positive experiences     Instagram's tools can help parents keep their teens safe on social media, help teens see less sensitive content and help them spend less time on our platform. Because teens' experiences on Instagram should be positive and supportive. Explore our tools and set them up today.     3. Catch up quick The jobs market stayed strong last month: Employers added 263,000 jobs, while the unemployment rate held at 3.7%, near the lowest level in a half-century, the Labor Department said. Go deeper. Alex Jones filed for bankruptcy: He owns between $1 million and $10 million of assets with $1 billion to $10 billion in liabilities, the filing said. Go deeper. 1,000+ New York Times union members are threatening to walk out if the company's management doesn't agree to the terms of a new contract by Dec. 8, the union said.     🧀 4. Wisconsin man's tailgate tips Deep-fried cheese curds from Cheesie's, a Chicago fixture. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios Axios CEO and Wisconsin native Jim VandeHei has you set for a game-day feast while you watch Sunday's historic matchup between his Packers and the Chicago Bears. The teams are battling for the NFL record of all-time regular-season wins — each has 786, as Axios Sports' Jeff Tracy told you in AM. Course 1: Charcoal-grilled brats. Boil them and then bathe them in Point beer. Add onions. Course 2: Deep-fried cheese curds, such as the hickory bacon curds from Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery in Ellsworth, Wisconsin. They've won championship cheese contests. Course 3: Wash it down with some Beer Cheese soup and a side of Spotted Cow. The bottom line: Go Pack Go!     A message from Instagram Set up supervision on Instagram to help keep your teen safe online     Parents have support when it comes to keeping their teens safe on Instagram. They can see who their teen follows, who follows them and any reports their teen shares once supervision on Family Center is set up. Explore Family Center and set it up today.   Thanks to Patricia Guadalupe for copy editing today's PM. Are you a fan of this email format? Your essential communications — to staff, clients and other stakeholders — can have the same style. Axios HQ, a powerful platform, will help you do it.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: