How Socialism Gains Popularity

Authored by Sylvia Xu via The Epoch Times,

More than 80% agreed economic hardship can make socialist policies attractive even to people who oppose socialism.

Most Americans see communism in an unfavorable light, and a strong majority of Epoch readers say it’s incompatible with the United States’ founding principles. Yet socialism, an early stage of communism, continues to attract people by promising equal wages, low costs, and public benefits.

The goal sounds appealing, but the means have historically included higher taxes and extensive state control.

When asked about a movement in the United States to embrace socialism, Vice President JD Vance said in an Aug. 13 Fox News interview, “Our response to that can’t be to just ignore the economic concerns that I think are feeding this rising interest in socialism.”

American citizens deserve a good life in this country and a good government to make that happen, said Vance.

The Trump administration is rebuilding the industrial base and the heartland, making streets safer, and making it possible for young people to afford a home, Vance said.

“This is how you stop socialism.”

“You don’t stop socialism by throwing slogans at people about the free market—as much as I love the free market—you stop socialism by making people’s lives better, and that’s what we’re trying to do every single day,” Vance said.

Here is a look at Epoch readers’ attitudes towards socialist ideology and a government-controlled economy.

Socialism and Cost

The majority of survey respondents are against the socialist ideology of high taxes and income redistribution.

Ninety percent of readers opposed substantially higher taxes on high-income Americans to fund benefits for working- and middle-class families.

A whopping 97 percent opposed using the tax system not only to fund the government, but also to make incomes more equal, with 92 percent strongly against.

The same 97 percent agreed that the public ultimately absorbs the cost of free government benefits.

Additionally, more than 90 percent of readers would not consider voting for a democratic socialist candidate even if they supported the candidate’s economic policies.

Government Control

Around 96 percent of survey takers oppose greater government economic control in exchange for greater economic security.

Nearly all those polled (98 percent) were against government determining wages and prices rather than leaving them to the free market.

Ninety-three percent opposed allowing extensive government intervention in wages, prices, and social benefits, even if private ownership were preserved.

When it comes to life and affordability, readers’ attitudes softened toward government intervention.

Just over 80 percent of respondents opposed government limits on prices (85 percent), a higher mandated minimum wage (83 percent), and limits on rent increases (81 percent).

Public Benefits

Almost all of those surveyed (97 percent) opposed government providing more basic needs if it weakens individual initiative and productivity.

While 90 percent opposed fare-free public transportation, there was a modest drop to 80 percent who were against taxpayer-funded child care for needy families.

When asked about homeowners funding public schools through property taxes even if they do not use public schools, 67 percent of survey takers opposed, 16 percent were unsure, and 17 percent supported the idea.

How Socialism Gains Popularity

A majority of respondents (94 percent) agreed socialism can expand gradually by eroding private control of property while retaining the label of capitalism.

A similar majority of readers (93 percent) agreed that socialist policies can gain support when presented as benefits rather than as government control.

Eighty-seven percent agreed that people may reject socialism by name while accepting its policies one at a time.

Meanwhile, 82 percent agreed economic hardship can make socialist policies attractive even to people who oppose socialism.

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How Socialism Gains Popularity

San Mateo County Passes Resolution To Regulate Commercial Humanoid Robots

Authored by Lear Zhou via The Epoch Times,

San Mateo County may become the first in California to regulate humanoid robots used for commercial purposes.

The county board of supervisors on Aug. 11 passed a resolution sponsored by Supervisor Ray Mueller to direct county legal and administrative staff to draft an ordinance regulating the use of untethered autonomous or semi-autonomous humanoid robots, or “mobile humanoid robots,” in restaurants, retail stores, and other businesses.

State law already regulates autonomous vehicles but not the commercial use of humanoid robots, according to a county memo. The resolution aims to create a “comprehensive permitting process governing the commercial deployment and operation” of such robots within the county.

Several companies have already started humanoid robot pilot projects.

Tau Robotics, for instance, offers cleaning services to invited San Francisco residents at $30 per hour in a pilot program launched on July 28. The robots are operated by humans and artificial intelligence, according to the company’s website.

According to the county memo, having a permitting framework in place before these robots are widely implemented would “encourage the responsible integration of emerging technologies in a manner that serves the public interest.”

The resolution directs county staff to consider having businesses pay an annual fee dedicated to HazMat and fire equipment for local first responders to handle risks from the lithium-ion batteries the robots use.

“In recent years, we’ve seen an uptick in lithium-ion battery fires due to thermal runaway,” Rich Seguine, vice president of Local 2400, which represents firefighters in San Mateo County, said in a public comment at the county board meeting. “A funding source like this in the resolution can be used to purchase necessary specialized equipment.”

The resolution also aims to require the robots to have accessible emergency “kill switches,” have clean manufacturer safety records, and be supervised by a trained human onsite.

Technological progress and protecting working people aren’t competing goals, said Julie Lind, a member of the San Mateo Labor Council, in a virtual public comment.

“Businesses should understand and account for the human consequences of deploying this technology, including potential job losses,” Lind said.

Non-humanoid robots have already been deployed in a few commercial uses in the area, including Cafe X, a robotic coffee bar in San Francisco International Airport; Artly Coffee in Stonestown Galleria in San Francisco; and autonomous sidewalk delivery company Coco Robotics.

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San Mateo County Passes Resolution To Regulate Commercial Humanoid Robots

More Than Half Of Gen Z Investors Have Moved Money Into Sports Bets

A growing share of young Americans is folding sports gambling into their long-term financial plans, according to new research from the investment platform Betterment.

In an online survey of 1,000 U.S. retail investors conducted in late March and early April and released this week, 52% of Gen Z investors said they had shifted money originally set aside for stocks or other investments into sports wagers over the past year. Only about one-third of Gen Z participants reported no involvement in sports betting at all, compared with 63% across all age groups in the survey.

26% of Gen Z respondents - those born between 1997 and 2007 - said they view sports betting as a deliberate, ongoing part of their wealth strategy. That figure drops sharply with age: 14% of millennials, 6% of Gen X, and just 1% of baby boomers reported the same outlook.

Of those Gen Z respondents, roughly 11% described betting as an investment strategy aimed at high returns, while 15% treated it as a short-term way to raise cash.

The betting numbers sit inside a broader shift in where young investors get their information. Social media is now Gen Z's most commonly cited source for financial news, rising from 45% in 2024 to 60% this year - nearly three times the 21% who cite a financial advisor.

The findings highlight how the rapid growth of legal sports gambling and prediction markets is competing for the same discretionary dollars that once flowed into retirement accounts and brokerage portfolios. The state-regulated sports betting industry in the United States has expanded into a nearly $17 billion business in recent years. Prediction markets have also surged; Robinhood Markets, long known for democratizing stock trading, added them to its app in 2025 and has called the segment its fastest-growing business line ever.

Betterment Chief Executive Officer Sarah Levy warned that the trend carries risks. "When a prediction market or sportsbook starts to feel like a retirement strategy, we have a problem," she said in a statement. "These products are designed to keep people seeking the next quick score, not to help them build toward the next decade. Younger investors deserve access to the tools and information that meet them where they are, but the industry also has a responsibility to be clear about the difference between participating in a trend and building lasting wealth."

Robert Kosciuk, a 32-year-old from Huntington, New York, illustrates the shift - maintaining a Robinhood account for stocks but devoting more energy this year to betting, Bloomberg reports. He says he approaches sports wagers with the same discipline he applies to investing: researching outcomes carefully, avoiding emotional decisions, and limiting most bets to $100. He acknowledges the activity is gambling but believes he manages it more thoughtfully than casual players. So far this year he has earned roughly $2,500, enough to cover a vacation he attributes in part to successful bets on the Carolina Hurricanes.

Industry representatives push back on the idea that betting should be treated as investing. Joe Maloney, president of the Sports Betting Alliance - whose members include FanDuel, DraftKings, Fanatics Betting & Gaming, bet365, and betMGM - told Bloomberg that sports wagering is entertainment, not a wealth-building strategy. Adults who choose to bet, he added, should do so responsibly within a fixed entertainment budget and never with money needed for savings or essentials.

Broader economic pressures may be amplifying the appeal of high-risk options. Eighty percent of Gen Z respondents who already use or are considering speculative investments said concerns about falling behind financially played a role, according to a Northwestern Mutual study of 4,357 adults conducted by the Harris Poll in January. As homeownership grows more difficult and everyday costs rise, some younger adults are turning to sports betting, prediction markets, and crypto in hopes of accelerating progress toward their goals.

The Betterment survey also examined how investors make decisions. 56% percent said they rely primarily on their own research and judgment - more than any other single source. That self-reliance increased with age, rising from 40% among Gen Z respondents to 69% among baby boomers. About one in three participants reported trusting artificial intelligence for financial advice. Of those, 53% said AI had prompted a decision they would not otherwise have made, including 48% of all Gen Z respondents. Gen Z investors were eight times more likely than baby boomers to say they were comfortable using AI for long-term financial planning - 41% against 5%.

The survey polled 1,000 U.S. retail investors between March 27 and April 3, split evenly across four generations, meaning each generational figure rests on roughly 250 respondents. Participants were recruited through an incentivized online panel and were required to hold at least one investment outside a 401(k).

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More Than Half Of Gen Z Investors Have Moved Money Into Sports Bets

Ukraine Hits Key Russian Space Facility With Flamingo Cruise Missiles

Ukraine's long-range drone attacks have frequently targeted military bases and oil refinery and energy sites of late, and more recently warehouses of major Russian online retailer Wildberries - but on Saturday a new target has been added: space facilities.

Ukrainian forces have touted that they've struck the Progress Rocket and Space Center in Russia's Samara region. The facility focuses on the manufacturing and operation of space launch vehicles.

Illustrative: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Space.com/NASA

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X that Ukraine hit the space manufacturing center with FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles - among the largest in Ukraine's arsenal, and which are domestically developed and produced.

He said it was necessary to target Russian space agency Roscosmos as among Russia's "key enterprises" - and that the targeted site was also involved in "electronics production" connected to military operations.

Other sites targeted in the fresh wave of attacks included Savasleyka air base in the Nizhny Novgorod region, which hosts aircraft used to attack Ukraine, as well as an oil facility in Ust-Luga, which lies close to the Estonian border.

"Our plan of long-range sanctions against Russia for this war is being implemented, and it is important that Russia’s war potential be reduced," Zelensky stated.

Ukrainian national media offered this as a backgrounder:

The “Progress” Rocket and Space Center is one of the key enterprises in the Russian Federation’s rocket and space industry, producing launch vehicles of the “Soyuz” family. These are used to launch Russian spacecraft for military, reconnaissance, and communications purposes into orbit.

In particular, the “Soyuz-2.1b” is used to deploy the Russian “Rassvet” satellite constellation – a broadband satellite communications system that Russia positions as an analogue to Starlink.

The Progress Rocket and Space Center also manufactures Earth observation satellites, which the enemy uses for reconnaissance purposes.

Russia also attacked Ukraine overnight, as has long been the norm. Over 150 Russian drones were sent on the country, with Ukrainian forces claiming shootdown or neutralization of 124 of these, according to a military statement.

Ukraine has struck a facility used in the production of Russia’s new satellite internet system.

Kyiv deployed Flamingo cruise missiles to target the Progress Rocket Space Centre in Samara, south-western Russia, in an overnight attack, Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday ⤵️… pic.twitter.com/eoalkZcMgz

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) August 15, 2026

The fresh onslaught resulted in dozens of injures. As for potential casualties inside Russia, little is yet known of this in terms of secretive space and airbase facilities targeted.

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Ukraine Hits Key Russian Space Facility With Flamingo Cruise Missiles

Energy Drinks Overtake Coffee As Gen Z's Primary Caffeine Source

Filippo Falorni, Citi’s lead US equity-research analyst covering beverages and household and personal-care companies, published his latest survey of 2,400 US energy-drink consumers, revealing a significant generational shift in caffeine consumption.

Energy drinks, led by category giants Red Bull, Monster, and others, have overtaken coffee as the primary caffeine source among Gen Z consumers. In other words, younger Americans are increasingly abandoning the morning cup of coffee, even as Millennials, Gen Xers, and Baby Boomers continue to rely on it for their daily boost.

Among respondents aged 16 to 24, 30.6% now identify energy drinks as their primary caffeine source, up from 20.6% last year. Coffee fell to 27.3% from 40.4%, meaning energy drinks have overtaken coffee among the youngest cohort surveyed. Across all older age groups, coffee is the primary source of morning caffeine.

Falorni added more color: 

Based off our survey results, younger consumers are increasingly comfortable with using energy beverages as their primary caffeine source, with 30.6% and 24.3% of 16-24 and 25-34 year-olds, respectively, reporting energy drinks are their primary source of caffeine, up markedly from 20.6% and 19% in our 2025 survey and above the 23.6% for total respondents (vs. 16.6% in 2025) and only 12% for the 55+ age group (vs. 7.7% in 2025). We also highlight that coffee consumption is lowest for the youngest demographic we surveyed, with only 27.3% of 16–24-year-olds stating coffee was their primary caffeine source (down significantly from 40.4% in 2025) vs. 40.8% for total respondents (also down from 47.4% in 2025) and 60.4% for the 55+ age group

Looking specifically at energy drink consuming respondents, we can see the coffee category has been the largest share donor to energy beverages across all age groups, with 45% of all respondents reporting coffee was their primary source of caffeine before switching to energy beverages vs. 30% for soft drinks and 10% for tea. 

Other compelling findings in the survey:

• Women accounted for 58% of consumers who entered the category during the past year, compared with only 29% of consumers who have been drinking energy beverages for six years or longer.
• Zero-sugar products now represent about 49% of US energy-drink sales, up from 37% in 2021.
• Energy-drink prices have risen only 4.9% since late 2021, compared with 42% for soda and 47% for coffee, giving Monster and Red Bull considerable room to raise prices.
• About 40% of respondents increased their energy drink consumption over the past year, while just 20% reduced it.
• Brand loyalty is soft: 51% switched their primary brand during the past year, making flavor innovation and shelf space critical.
• Monster and Red Bull control about 70% of the market despite a surge of challenger brands.

In markets, Monster is outperforming Celsius year-to-date: 

Our latest coverage in the space includes the report that Rockstar founder Russell Weiner has accumulated a roughly $300 million stake in Celsius Holdings and is preparing an activist campaign aimed at accelerating the company's turnaround. Read the full report here.

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Energy Drinks Overtake Coffee As Gen Z's Primary Caffeine Source