Greetings. Welcome to the Daily article podcast for Wednesday, July the 12th,

2023. I'm Chris Elkins, narrating today's article written by Denison Forum co-founder and CEO,

Dr. Jim Denison. Let's begin with some good news. A 17-year-old who was diagnosed with sickle cell

disease at the age of eight and given a

20% chance of survival has been accepted at Harvard where he will study medicine. Hanif Muella

told people, watching the medical center as a whole, that was something I really wanted to emulate

and caused me to want to choose medicine, specifically

being a hematologist.

His story caught my eye because of a Gallup survey released yesterday.

Americans' confidence in higher education has fallen to 36%, sharply lower than the 57% in

2015 and the 48% in 2018. Confidence among Democrats has fallen by only

9% from 68% to 59%, but it has fallen among Republicans by 37% from 56% to 19%. This report aligns with a larger trajectory in which historically low faith in

U.S. institutions continues. Partisan examples abound. Only 15% of Democrats express confidence in the

Supreme Court contrasted with 43% of Republicans. However, only 8% of Republicans have confidence in the presidency

contrasted with 47% of Democrats. Such disparities are not difficult to explain.

Higher education and the presidency are currently considered by conservatives to be bastions of liberalism,

while the Supreme Court, especially after it overturned Roe v. Wade, is considered by liberals to be a bastion of conservatism.

Is America destined to become permanently the, quote-unquote, divided states of America?

As we face unprecedented threats from China, artificial intelligence, and climate and pandemic challenges,

the question is truly urgent.

Hope for greater unity can be found in a place most people would not expect.

Organized religion.

...