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Sean Salai

Sean Salai is the general assignment/culture reporter for The Washington Times. A former National desk intern and Metro clerk at The Washington Times, he also has served as a City Hall reporter at the Boca Raton News and as a special contributor at America Media. He can be reached at ssalai@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Sean Salai

Mental illness, suicide more common among transgender adults, study finds

Mental illness and suicidal tendencies are significantly more common among transgender and gender-fluid people than those who feel comfortable with their sex assigned at birth, according to a study published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open.

October 2, 2024

Youth anxiety, depression surged during Southern California pandemic lockdown

A new study of electronic medical records finds clinically diagnosed anxiety and depression swelled among young people during strict pandemic lockdowns in Southern California.

October 1, 2024

Last-minute agreement with Kennedy Center saves NSO season opener: Strike resolved in hours

The musicians' union of the National Symphony Orchestra reached a tentative contract with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, ending a four-hour strike that briefly canceled its season-opening concert gala.

September 28, 2024

Curtain not rising on Kennedy Center’s symphony opener as musicians strike

The musicians' union of the National Symphony Orchestra went on strike Friday, forcing the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to cancel its season-opening gala concert.

September 27, 2024

College Board: Testing surged after switching to digital SAT, but scores kept dropping

A switch to digital SATs has helped boost the number of test-takers closer to pre-pandemic levels, but scores for recent college-bound seniors fell for the third straight year amid ongoing learning losses.

September 25, 2024

Most K-12 teachers unhappy as staffing shortages, learning losses persist, report shows

Most K-12 public school teachers are unhappy with their jobs as staffing shortages and pandemic-era learning losses extend into the current academic year, according to the National Council on Teacher Quality.

September 25, 2024

Government report blames Education Department for botched college aid revamp

Education Department officials launched a defective revision of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid last year despite signs it would cause widespread chaos, a government report says.

September 24, 2024

National Symphony Orchestra union votes to strike

The National Symphony Orchestra musicians' union announced Monday that they authorized a strike, complaining that their six-figure incomes are no longer enough to afford rising living costs in the District.

September 24, 2024

Gallup finds record-high 80% of American adults say the nation is ‘greatly divided’ on core values

A record high 8 in 10 American adults say the country is "greatly divided" on core values ahead of November's presidential election, a Gallup poll reported Monday.

September 23, 2024

Report finds labor unions in higher education surging, bucking national trends

A record high 38% of graduate student workers belong to a union, according to a report that finds collective bargaining in higher education bucking national labor trends.

September 19, 2024

Rent outpaces home values as America’s housing squeeze tightens

The average cost of rent, utilities and energy adjusted for inflation grew faster than median home values in 2023 for the first time in 10 years, the Census Bureau estimates.

September 18, 2024

Constitutional confusion: Americans struggle with basic civic knowledge as November election looms

Just in time for Constitution Day, an annual survey finds that most Americans know little about their constitutional rights ahead of November's elections.

September 16, 2024

From cap and gown to corporate frown: New grads struggle to impress

The poor workplace skills of recent college graduates have made companies think twice about hiring them, new research shows.

September 13, 2024

Grand Canyon University, nation’s largest Christian college, balks at $37 million fine by feds

Grand Canyon University, the nation's largest Christian college, has refused to pay a record $37.7 million fine as it resists multiple federal investigations from the Biden-Harris administration.

September 11, 2024

Online learning flourishes as residential colleges face rising costs

College degrees cost more than ever, but education insiders note that online programs could erase the need for students to rack up six figures of loan debt for tuition and room and board on campuses.

September 11, 2024

‘Reagan’ sees stellar ‘Rotten Tomatoes’ score, strong box office yield despite brutal movie reviews

The new biopic "Reagan" is doing well at the box office and has achieved an A audience rating from CinemaScore, but most film critics have mocked it as hagiography.

September 9, 2024

Anti-Israel protests spark surge in campus censorship, says free speech group

Campus protests against Israel's military actions in Gaza have fueled record censorship attempts at the nation's elite private universities as the fall semester begins, according to a report by a free speech advocacy group.

September 5, 2024

‘A Soldier’s Journey’: WWI memorial completed with 25-ton sculpture honoring the American doughboy

No American doughboys remain alive to recall wading through the trenches of the Great War more than a century ago, so a new sculpture in the nation's capital seeks to speak for them.