The United States set an all-time low for births in 2025, and it’s clear that we are nowhere near rock bottom unless lawmakers take resolute action to support families.

The Centers for Disease Control announcement arrived not as a surprise, but as a final warning. For decades, the federal government ignored the slow-motion collapse of the American family. While Washington prioritized corporate subsidies and globalist trade deals, the foundational unit of our society withered under the weight of rising costs and a culture that views parenthood as a burden. The signing of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) marks a decisive end to this era of neglect. By expanding the Child Tax Credit and establishing Trump Accounts, this administration recognizes that the survival of the American family must be the primary objective of national policy.

The economic reality for the next generation demands nothing less than urgency. Pro-family policy is not a niche concern for the wealthy. It is a lifeline for struggling parents who surrender ever-increasing shares of their paychecks to cover the costs of housing, healthcare, and education for their kids, as well as vacation packages for the millionaire retirees who own the home they are renting. Today, 69 million children aged 17 or younger live in the United States. Their families face a daunting financial landscape. A majority of our nation’s youth — 40 million children — live in families with incomes below $100,000. More than 7 million live in households with household incomes below $20,000 annually. These are the families are the backbone of our country, yet they often struggle most to achieve the American Dream. 

BENNETT, MOHRMAN: 2026 WILL GIVE US OVER 1,000 WAYS TO BOOST EDUCATIONAL FREEDOM

The OBBB addresses this crisis by transforming the Child Tax Credit (CTC) into a permanent, robust pillar of the economy. By increasing the credit to $2,500 per child, the bill secures an average tax cut of $1,300 for more than 40 million families. This policy respects the immense work parents perform to raise the next generation of Americans. Research from the Institute for Family Studies indicates that financial incentives of this magnitude could increase U.S. fertility rates by as much as 10 percent. By reducing the financial penalty of parenthood, we empower young couples to have the children they already want but feel they cannot afford.

Trump Accounts arrive in 2025 as the real estate mogul to seeks to build long-term generational wealth. For every child born between 2025 and 2028, the Treasury Department will provide a $1,000 seed contribution into a tax-advantaged account. These accounts allow families and employers to contribute up to $5,000 annually. This policy capitalizes every new American citizen from birth. It provides a tangible foundation for a child to eventually buy a home, start a business, or pursue an education. This strategy treats every child as an investment in the nation’s future rather than a drain on its resources.

Furthermore, the No Taxes on Tips provision offers a massive boost to young parents in the service industry. Millions of Americans work in restaurants and hospitality, often juggling irregular hours to provide for their kids. By allowing these workers to deduct up to $25,000 in tips from their taxable income, the Trump administration provides immediate take-home pay. A server earning $20,000 in tips could save thousands of dollars annually. That money goes directly toward childcare, groceries, and rent.

The political contrast is absolute. Democrats in Congress fought the OBBB with a ferocity usually reserved for terrorists. Had they succeeded, they would have overseen a $4 trillion tax hike on American families by letting the 2017 tax cuts expire. They were prepared to halve the Child Tax Credit for millions of parents while protecting corporate tax loopholes. This opposition reveals a fundamental lack of concern for the affordability crisis. Similarly, some libertarian activists criticize these family-focused policies while defending billions in corporate tax credits. This brand of fiscal purity is intellectually dishonest. The tax code is already a tool of economic engineering. We must use it to favor the family. Corporations are not the bedrock of our nation. Families are.

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We can find proof that policy works by looking at South Korea. That nation faced the lowest birth rates in history — a 60-year fertility death spiral driven in part by American tax dollars through USAID population control programs. Yet, South Korea just pulled off two consecutive years of monthly birth increases. This recovery is not the result of IVF or delayed parenthood. It is the product of marriage. South Korea’s mini baby boom exploded after the nation saw a 15 percent jump in marriages. This happened because the government and major corporations stopped propagandizing against the family and went all-in on marriage. The South Korean government now shells out as much as $38,000 to married couples in housing subsidies, baby bonuses, and tax breaks.

If the Republican Party has any future, it will follow this example. Under the status quo, young couples stand to lose as much as $30,000 in benefits the moment they say, “I Do.” These marriage penalties are not accidental. They are the product of an ideology hostile to the family. One can judge a tree by its fruit. For seven decades, American policymakers tinkered with the tax code to discourage family life. This brought us to a time of the lowest marriage rates, the lowest birth rates, and the highest rates of loneliness and depression in our history.

President Trump and Vice President Vance are the first American leaders in generations to reject the myth that family formation is beyond the reach of good governance. They recognize that if bad policy can break a society, then good policy can fix it. As the midterms approach, congressional Republicans—and Majority Leader Thune in particular—should take up the mantle of the family. They must adopt the full $5,000 Child Tax Credit backed by Trump and pass the American Principles Project proposal for Home Savings Accounts. These accounts would allow young families to save for a home down payment in a tax-free environment.

It is fitting that the CDC released the bad news about birth rates just days before Tax Day. For too long, April 15 has felt like an extraction from the American home. If Republicans get their act together, they may finally give American families something to celebrate next tax season.

You booked the flights. You’re picturing great food, new sights and a break from your routine. Travel should feel easy. But here’s what most people don’t think about until it’s too late. The biggest problems today often come from your phone, your data and your accounts. Before we get into the essentials, here’s the question from Chuck V, from Georgia, that sparked this article:

“My wife and I will be flying to Florence, Italy, next week and are wondering if there are any special tips we should be aware of before we leave.”

Chuck, you’re asking the right question at the right time. A few smart moves before you leave can save you from frozen credit cards, locked accounts or a phone nightmare overseas. Let’s walk through what actually matters.

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HOW TO MINIMIZE YOUR DIGITAL FOOTPRINT WHEN YOU TRAVEL
 

Your phone holds your banking apps, email, travel confirmations and personal photos. That makes it more valuable than your passport to the wrong person. Start with updates. Install the latest version of your operating system and update your apps. Security patches close known gaps that attackers look for, especially on public networks.

Next, turn on built-in protections:

A lot of travelers assume their phone plan will work automatically overseas. Sometimes it does. Sometimes it leads to a shocking bill. Here are your main options:

Easy to activate but often expensive if you use a lot of data.

This is usually the best mix of price and convenience. You can install it before your trip and switch it on when you land.

Often cheap but requires swapping your physical SIM and dealing with local setup.

Before choosing, make sure your phone is unlocked. If it is tied to your carrier, some options will not work. Also, turn off automatic data roaming until you need it. That one setting alone can prevent surprise charges. 

Want a deeper breakdown of which option is best for you? Read this guide on how to stay connected while traveling.

POPULAR TRAVEL SCAMS AND SAFETY WARNINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE TAKING VACATION
 

Airports, hotels and cafés offer free public Wi-Fi everywhere. It feels harmless. It is not always safe. Public networks can expose your data if they are not secured. That includes logins, credit card details and emails. Using a virtual private network (VPN) adds a layer of encryption between your device and the internet. It helps protect your activity and reduces the risk of someone intercepting your data. Even with protection, avoid logging into sensitive accounts on public Wi-Fi when possible. Wait until you are on a trusted network or use your mobile data.

Tourist areas attract more than travelers. They attract scammers.

Keep your setup simple:

When you need cash, use ATMs attached to banks. Standalone machines in busy areas are more likely to be tampered with. Pay attention to your surroundings when entering your PIN. Distraction tactics are common in crowded areas. Also, notify your bank before you leave. That reduces the chance of your card being flagged and declined mid-trip. If you want more ways to protect your cards while traveling, read this guide.

Your phone can make the entire experience smoother if you use it right. Translation apps help you understand menus, signs and conversations in real time. Camera features can translate text instantly, which is incredibly useful in unfamiliar places. Maps can be downloaded offline, so you are not stuck without directions when your signal drops. Location sharing adds peace of mind. Let a trusted contact see where you are during your trip. These small features make things easier and help you stay focused on the experience instead of logistics.

STATE DEPARTMENT REVEALS WORLD’S MOST DANGEROUS COUNTRIES FOR AMERICANS
 

It is tempting to post your location in real time. That can expose more than you intend. Sharing that you are away from home can signal an empty house. Posting your exact location while you are still there can also create unnecessary risk. Instead, share photos after you leave a location or after you return home. It is a simple shift that protects your privacy.

Before you head to the airport, run through this:

These take minutes but can save hours of frustration later.

Travel today is as much digital as it is physical. Your phone connects everything from your boarding pass to your hotel room. If you protect that one device, you reduce most of the common travel risks. You avoid surprise charges. You lower the chance of account lockouts. You keep your personal data from being exposed. It also makes your trip smoother. You spend less time troubleshooting and more time enjoying where you are.

Take my quiz: How safe is your online security?

Think your devices and data are truly protected? Take this quick quiz to see where your digital habits stand. From passwords to Wi-Fi settings, you’ll get a personalized breakdown of what you’re doing right and what needs improvement. Take my Quiz here: Cyberguy.com.

Travel should feel exciting, not stressful. Most problems people run into are preventable with a little preparation. Take a few minutes before you leave to lock things down. It is one of the easiest ways to protect your trip.

What other travel questions do you have when it comes to your tech?  Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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An increasing number of patients are requesting “unvaccinated” blood for transfusions, which can delay care and pose risks to patients’ health, experts warn.

There is no evidence that unvaccinated blood presents any safety benefit, according to a new study published in the journal Transfusion.

There is currently no process for checking whether donated blood comes from vaccinated or unvaccinated donors, experts say.

CANCER SURVIVAL APPEARS TO DOUBLE WITH COMMON VACCINE, RESEARCHERS SAY

Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, which conducted the research, received 15 requests for unvaccinated blood between Jan. 1, 2024, and Dec. 31, 2025. The median age of patients was 17 years old and more than half were children, the university reported.

Thirteen of the patients received blood donated specifically for them by family members, which is known as “direct donation.” This can be risky, because most direct donors are giving blood for the first time, and their donations are more likely to contain “potentially harmful pathogens,” the authors noted. 

“Despite being framed as ‘safer,’ directed donations may paradoxically increase risk.”

COVID VACCINE UNDER NEW SCRUTINY AFTER STUDIES REVEAL POSSIBLE HEALTH RISKS

Among the studied patient group, two became much sicker after refusing a standard blood transfusion. 

One patient developed anemia, a condition where the body lacks enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen. The other developed hemodynamic shock, a serious condition in which there is insufficient blood flow and oxygen to the body’s tissues, potentially leading to organ failure.

Requests for unvaccinated blood spiked after the approval of COVID-19 vaccines, posing a “recurring challenge for transfusion services and clinicians,” the researchers stated.

“These requests were associated with care delays, escalation and inefficiencies,” they indicated.

FAMILY PLEADS FOR HELP AS TEEN FACES LIFE-THREATENING BONE MARROW FAILURE

The researchers recommend that health systems create standardized policies to handle these types of requests.

“Regulatory and professional organizations have opposed these non-evidence-based policies, emphasizing that blood centers do not record or convey donor COVID-19 vaccination status and that evidence demonstrates transfusion from vaccinated donors poses no unique risk.”

The Vanderbilt study had some limitations, the researchers noted. It looked at a small number of cases and only included situations where special blood donations made it to the blood bank, so it doesn’t show how often people made this request overall. 

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It also didn’t include cases where concerns were resolved through conversations with doctors or ethics teams, the team noted.

As this was an observational study and not a controlled experiment, it only showed an association and could not prove that refusing standard blood directly caused any specific patient outcomes.

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Several states have introduced proposals aimed at allowing patients to receive blood specifically from donors who have not received COVID-19 vaccines.

In Oklahoma, one such proposal called for the creation of a state-run blood bank dedicated to collecting and distributing blood from unvaccinated donors. Despite these efforts, none of the measures have been enacted into law.

Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, was not involved in the research, but said these types of requests are “part of an ongoing fear culture.”

“It is also very difficult to test for, because the antibodies may be positive from COVID itself as well as the vaccine, and it can be difficult to tell the difference,” he told Fox News Digital.

The notion that receiving blood from someone who had the vaccine would be harmful is not based on any scientific studies, the doctor reiterated.

“If people want to group up to get blood from other unvaccinated people, I respect that choice, though it will be expensive and will limit options,” Siegel added.

Diane Calmus, vice president of government affairs for America’s Blood Centers in Washington, D.C., said that requests for direct donations are “exceedingly rare” – representing about 0.06% of the U.S. blood supply.

“Requests for unvaccinated blood are something we’ve seen wax and wane since the introduction of the COVID vaccine,” Calmus, who also was not involved in the Vanderbilt study, told Fox News Digital. “The challenge is that there’s no way to tell whether someone’s blood has been vaccinated – there’s no test that exists.”

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Any situation where someone requires a blood transfusion is most likely a “very scary time,” she noted.

“Family members want to be cautious, and this is why it’s so important that people talk to a transfusion medicine-trained doctor,” the expert advised. “These are physicians who have a specialty in blood transfusions … and who can answer those questions that any individual will have.”

Calmus pointed out that it takes some time to facilitate a direct donation, and that there is a specific process in place. 

“Blood has to be prescribed. You can’t just show up at the blood center and say, ‘I would like my sister to donate for me,’” she said. “There needs to be a prescription. It needs to go through the hospital … they need to make sure it is the right blood for the right patient.”

Calmus emphasized that the U.S. blood supply is “meticulously tracked,” and that there have been no indications of a lack of safety. She also stressed the ongoing need for blood donors.

“We need people – vaccinated or not vaccinated – to show up and donate blood, because it is the blood on the shelves that saves lives.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Vanderbilt researchers for comment.