This time on Poll Hub, we’re devoting the episode to one topic that has, over the course of about a week, taken over the minds of Americans: Killer AI.

Although prominent experts have been warning about the possibility of superintelligent AI wiping out humanity for years, this week the conversation broke through into the mainstream. We dig through the muck to explore how AI experts are coming down on different sides of the argument, and how non-experts, including Donald Trump and other politicians, are weighing in as well.

We also remember that, just a few weeks ago, data centers, the infrastructure behind AI, had broken through as a surprise campaign issue in this fall’s elections. Could the broader debate over AI become a political issue, too?

Then, we look at how we’re using AI here at the Poll. Not to do polls, but to transform some elements of what we do. And, finally, we ask whether kids using AI might be the next thing to break through.

And, no, we have not forgotten the fun fact. Indeed, we’ve pulled another weird one from the box!

President Trump's latest trade war, this one with Canada, has sparked big tariffs, rising costs, and the possibility of electoral backlash in several states that will determine whether Democrats or Republicans control Congress. The team looks at what Americans think of all this overall, but also how Republicans -- especially MAGA Republicans -- have darkened on Canada. And we look at how it's playing in states like Ohio and Michigan whose economies are deeply tied to Canada -- and where two key Senate races could be decided by the issue.

Next, we have done many segments on the decades-long fall in how much Americans trust institutions. While that continues unabated, we wanted to look at it through a different lens: what makes an "expert" to most Americans in the current environment flooded with social media information silos?

We finish with a trended fun fact that takes us from 1980 to the present -- it's a crazy wave that is coming back to where we started.

Flock cameras are becoming an unexpected political issue, with Americans increasingly divided over the balance between public safety and privacy. We look at new polling on automated license-plate readers, including why many people recognize their potential to help solve crimes while remaining concerned about the collection, storage, and use of location data. We also examine the growing push for independent oversight and restrictions on how law enforcement can access the information.

Then, we turn to the ways our own childhoods shape the way we raise children. Americans are nearly evenly split between raising their kids similarly to how they were raised and deliberately doing things differently. We look at the family roles Americans remember from childhood, the parenting styles they use today, and why some parents are choosing more affection, communication and emotional openness while others seek to preserve the values and structure they grew up with.

Finally for our fun fact, we ask not what is for breakfast but when is it?

Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary delivered one of the biggest polling misses of the cycle. The final Marquette Law School Poll had Francesca Hong well ahead of the field, while eventual winner David Crowley remained in the single digits. A few weeks earlier in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed eked out a win in the Democratic Senate primary after polls had shown him running away with it. So, what happened? G. Elliott Morris joins the Poll Hub team to break down where the polling went wrong, why primaries can be especially difficult to measure, and what lessons pollsters can carry into the midterms.

Then, we turn to Americans’ increasingly complicated relationship with extreme wealth. New polling shows skepticism toward billionaires and how they accumulated their fortunes, but are these attitudes actually new? We look back at decades of polling on the wealthy, taxes, and economic fairness to see how Americans’ views have changed over time, and where today’s backlash fits into a much longer debate over wealth and the American Dream.

We end by sending AJ off on his last episode ever. Tears.

Check out Morris's Strength in Numbers site and his FiftyPlusOne polling site.

Women have transformed the American workforce, but the expectations surrounding work and family have not changed at the same pace. We look at how the traditional family model has shifted, from an era when Americans overwhelmingly believed mothers should stay home to today, when two parents working full-time has become much more common. Yet even when both parents work full-time, women continue to report taking on more parenting and household responsibilities. We also examine the progress women have made in leadership, education, and well-paying jobs, alongside the continued gender pay gap, and the divide over whether children are better off with a stay-at-home parent.

Then, we turn to the changing debate over the military draft. With the U.S. preparing to automatically register eligible young men for Selective Service, we look at how Americans' views of the draft have shifted since the end of the Vietnam-era draft in 1973. We examine today's opposition to automatic registration, the debate over whether women should face the same requirements as men, and how age, gender, and military experience shape those views.

And, for our fun fact, we go back to 1949, when Gallup asked Americans a very practical question for the dog days of summer....before almost anyone had air conditioning.

As the 2026 midterms approach, we're taking on a defining question in American politics: is MAGA the same as Trump, and is Trump the same as the Republican Party? MAGA has become the party's public face, yet many of Trump's own voters don't consider themselves part of the movement. We examine whether that coalition can hold together with Trump off the ballot, what happened the last time his name wasn't on it, and why one party is heading into November noticeably more motivated to vote than the other. It may be the clearest test yet of whether MAGA is bigger than the man who built it.

Then, we turn to criminal records. A person can be arrested, never convicted, and still carry a record for life, one that can affect their ability to find a job, rent a home, earn a professional license, or even vote. We look at how many Americans are living with a record, the rare bipartisan support for reforming how those records are used, and why, despite that agreement, so little has changed. We also examine how Americans view the prison system itself and why that view has held largely steady for a generation.

And for our fun fact, we go back to 1950, when Gallup asked Americans a simple question: can you swim?

Artificial intelligence may be transforming the way we work, but the infrastructure behind it is creating new questions for communities across the country. As demand for AI grows, so does the need for massive data centers that power everything from cloud computing to new AI tools. While supporters point to jobs, investment, and economic growth, many Americans are raising concerns about electricity use, water consumption, environmental impacts, and whether local communities should bear the costs of powering the AI revolution. And the issue is blasting into election campaigns across the country ahead of the mid-terms. Is this the sleeper issue of the year?

Next, we look at the growing conversation around mental health in the workplace. Stress and burnout remain widespread, especially among younger workers, and employees increasingly say that workplace well-being affects where they choose to work and whether they stay. We explore the push for mental health days, the rise of employer-sponsored mental health benefits, and the challenge of creating workplaces that support employees before problems become crises.

Finally, we test your knowledge with a fun fact from the past — when Gallup asked Americans in 1948 about their ideal home temperature. See how public preferences have changed and whether your guess matches the numbers.

Americans are spending more time, money, and energy trying to change how they look. Many adults want to lose weight; millions are using GLP-1 drugs, and the anti-aging industry continues to grow. For teens, appearance concerns are increasingly shaped by social media, with girls reporting especially high levels of pressure to look good. At the same time, the rise of looksmaxxing shows how boys and young men are also being drawn into increasingly intense, and sometimes dangerous, efforts to improve their appearance.

Next, we're talking about “job lock" -- that's what a growing number of workers are in by staying in jobs they would rather leave if not for the health insurance tied to employment. As healthcare costs rise, coverage is influencing whether Americans change careers, start businesses, or pursue work they find more fulfilling. With broad concern about affordability and continued debate over the Affordable Care Act, we ask whether health insurance should still be so closely connected to where someone works.

Finally, we are whistling while we work...well, some of us are anyway!

Politics is no longer confined to campaigns and government. It now appears across sports, music, movies, social media, and celebrity culture. In this episode, we explore how Americans feel about athletes and entertainers speaking on political and social issues, whether those messages influence public opinion, and why many people think politics has become too present in everyday life. And, we remember that, while this is not really new, from the 1968 Black US Olympians in Mexico City to politically-charged Oscars shows, it does seem more widespread than ever.

Then, we look at the continuing disability employment gap. More than 35 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed, people with disabilities remain far less likely to be employed, even when they have comparable education and qualifications. Employer assumptions, inaccessible hiring practices, and concerns about accommodations can all create barriers. At the same time, the growth of remote work may be helping some people with physical disabilities enter or remain in full-time employment.

Finally, we revisit an old superstition: is opening an umbrella indoors really bad luck? And what about all those other things we do like tossing salt over your shoulder...or coins into the back seat of your new car? Turns out, we are a far more superstitious bunch than you (or we) might have thought.

In a week where one Senator died and another released hospital photos after public questions about whether or not he was alive, we're looking at what Americans think about our elderly political class. While Americans remain deeply divided on many political issues, there is broad bipartisan agreement on proposals like congressional age limits and term limits. This week, the Poll Hub team explores what the latest polling reveals about how Americans view the age of their leaders, why the issue has gained new urgency, and what the public wants the future of political leadership to look like.

Then, we turn to America's changing relationship with reading. While roughly the same share of Americans continue to read at least one book each year, people are reading fewer books than they did in the past—and increasingly choosing e-books and audiobooks over print. At the same time, reading for pleasure has declined, especially among younger generations, as books compete with streaming, social media, and other forms of digital entertainment. We break down what the latest polling reveals about how Americans' reading habits are evolving, who is driving these changes, and what they may say about the way we spend our time and attention.

And, we finish with a fun fact from the 80's about whether people have visited a fortune teller.

This week on Poll Hub, we begin with the complicated relationship between the United States and China. Americans see China as one of the country’s most important global rivals, especially when it comes to trade, technology, national security, and influence abroad. But public opinion is not only about conflict. Many Americans also understand that China remains deeply connected to the U.S. economy, making the relationship one that is difficult to define in simple terms.

Next, we look at a different kind of trust: the trust Americans have in one another. While declining confidence in government and major institutions often gets the most attention, social trust has also weakened over time. Fewer Americans say most people can be trusted, and that decline can shape how people interact with neighbors, participate in their communities, and respond to shared problems.

Finally, our fun fact takes us back to 1939, when young Americans were asked about iced tea. The results offer a light summer snapshot of what youth thought about one of the season’s classic drinks.