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Sean Salai

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Sean Salai

ssalai@washingtontimes.com

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

The injectable drug Ozempic, by Novo Nordisk, is shown on Saturday, July 1, 2023, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

Study finds Mounjaro ‘significantly more’ effective than Ozempic for weight loss

Overweight and obese adults using popular diabetes medications to suppress their appetites are "significantly more likely" to shed pounds with Eli Lilly's Mounjaro than with Novo Nordisk's Ozempic, a new study has found, a result that could have major implications for one of the hottest new markets in the pharmaceutical field.

July 8, 2024

In this Feb. 18, 2016, file photo, textbooks are seen stacked on a table at Illinois Valley Community College in Oglesby, Ill. In 2007, the school began the Textbook Rental Option Program to alleviate some of the burden of high textbook prices. (Scott Anderson/NewsTribune via AP) ** FILE **

Textbook publishers distance themselves from K-12 gender identity materials

Leading textbook publishers Scholastic and Pearson have distanced themselves from a push to replace biological sex with gender identity in K-12 classroom discussions after the conservative Heritage Foundation publicized their materials.

July 4, 2024

In this Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017, file photo, Green Bay East senior Eric Cardona inspects the underside of a car during a City Stadium Automotive class at East High School, in Green Bay, Wis. The class is part of the Turbocharge with College Credit initiative, launched earlier that year in Green Bay Public schools. (Adam Wesley/The Post-Crescent via AP) ** FILE **

Trade school enrollments boom as high school grads shun costly four-year degrees

Blue Ridge Technical Center in Front Royal, Virginia, is one of the many high school, community college and trade group vocational-technical programs that have reported enrollment growth since the pandemic.

July 3, 2024

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (left) participates in a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Southeast on July 14, 2022, for a homeless shelter for LGBT adults, which administration officials say is the city's first such facility. (Courtesy of the mayor's office)

Businesses hesitate to invest in D.C. as taxes and regulations grow, survey says

Businesses have become reluctant to invest in the nation's capital as their tax and regulatory concerns have grown since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new survey.

July 1, 2024

People attend the "NO FEAR: Rally in Solidarity with the Jewish People" event in Washington, Sunday, July 11, 2021, co-sponsored by the Alliance for Israel, Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee, B'nai B'rith International and other organizations. The American Jewish Committee released a survey on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, that found nearly two-thirds of American Jews feel less secure in the U.S. than they did a year ago. The group conducted the survey on antisemitism last fall just as the Israel-Hamas war began. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Gallup survey finds U.S. antisemitism concerns surging as harassment grows

Antisemitic concerns have surged from two decades ago as Jewish Americans report increased harassment over the past year, according to a pair of Gallup polls released Monday.

July 1, 2024

Transgender flag at LGBT gay pride march. (Photo credit: Ink Drop via Shutterstock) ** FILE **

Most transgender surgeries in 2019 involved adults and teens aged 15 to 17, study finds

Most transgender surgeries in 2019 involved adult patients and teenagers aged 15 to 17, a new study finds.

June 27, 2024

An option to donate to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital appears on the Domino's app in a photo taken in New York on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Domino's is the latest and largest example of philanthropic allies new and old finding success through "checkout charity." (AP Photo/Peter Morgan) **FILE**

Charitable donations after inflation fell for second straight year in 2023

Americans gave less money to charity in 2023 for the second straight year, reversing years of increases as nagging inflation left small donors feeling pinched.

June 26, 2024

Abortion rights protesters march between the Indiana Statehouse and the Indiana State Library where Vice President Kamala Harris was meeting with Indiana legislators to discuss reproductive rights in Indianapolis, on July 25, 2022. Indiana says it's seen a 98% decline in abortions after restricting the procedure last fall, adding to a national debate over the effectiveness of state bans. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

Indiana reports 98% drop in abortions after curbs

Indiana says it's seen a 98% decline in abortions after restricting the procedure last fall, adding to a national debate over the effectiveness of state bans.

June 17, 2024

An ACT Assessment preparation book is seen on April 1, 2014, in Springfield, Ill. High school students' scores on the ACT college admissions test for 2023 dropped to their lowest in more than three decades, showing a lack of student preparedness for college-level coursework, the nonprofit organization that administers the test said Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File)

More public colleges admit high schoolers who haven’t applied to bolster minority enrollment

The number of statewide programs admitting high school students to regional public universities -- even before they apply -- has more than doubled as four-year programs work to bolster flagging minority enrollments.

June 13, 2024

Construction workers install roofing on a high rise in Manhattan's financial district on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews) **FILE**

Feds should pay more for workforce training to meet demand for blue-collar labor, report says

Federal lawmakers must reduce a massive funding advantage that four-year colleges enjoy over workforce education to meet a growing shortage of blue-collar workers, a construction industry report says.

June 13, 2024

An estimated 1,200 Catholics marched in Washington, D.C.’s Brookland neighborhood on Saturday, June 8, as part of a national revival. Washington was one of several stops in a summer pilgrimage that will end in Indianapolis next month with the first National Eucharistic Congress in 83 years. (Photo by Sean Salai/The Washington Times)

Most Catholics believe Jesus is present in Communion bread and wine: Poll

Most Catholics believe Jesus Christ is present in the Communion bread and wine they consume at Mass, according to a survey released to coincide with a national revival.

June 11, 2024

The Mirage hotel-casino is seen, May 3, 2018, in Las Vegas. The iconic Mirage hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip will shut its doors this summer on July 17, 2024, the end of an era for a property credited with helping transform Sin City into an ultra-luxury resort destination. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

More than 75% of hotels report nagging labor shortages despite wage hikes

More than 3 out of 4 hotels remain mired in a post-pandemic staffing shortage after hiking wages to record highs, an industry survey shows.

June 11, 2024

A food shopper pushes a cart of groceries at a supermarket in Bellflower, Calif., on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. Student and legal advocacy groups are petitioning the U.S. Department of Agriculture to lift the interview requirement for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) applicants to receive food aid. SNAP helps low-income families supplement their budgets so they can buy groceries, snacks, and nonalcoholic beverages. (AP Photo/Allison Dinner, File)

Gallup poll: Americans split on social issues, lean right economically

Americans responding to the latest Gallup poll are evenly divided on abortion, gender identity and other culture war topics but veer right on economic issues.

June 10, 2024

A supporter of former President Donald Trump and an anti-Trump protester fight outside Manhattan Criminal Court, Thursday, May 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson) **FILE**

Culture wars define Biden-Trump rematch with voters sharply split on gender, religion, crime

Most Biden and Trump voters disagree sharply about abortion, race, gender, crime and religious issues, according to the latest Pew Research Center's "culture war" poll.

June 7, 2024

Student testing. File photo credit: smolaw via Shutterstock.

Louisiana becomes seventh state to add PragerU to social studies resources

Louisiana has become the seventh state to adopt the conservative media platform PragerU as an optional K-12 social studies resource, bolstering a national parental rights debate heading into the upcoming election.

June 6, 2024

Graduating students hold Palestinian flags and chant as they walk out in protest over the 13 students who have been barred from graduating due to protest activities, during commencement in Harvard Yard, at Harvard University, in Cambridge, Mass., Thursday, May 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

U.S. college dropouts rose to 36.8 million adults under 65 in 2022, says clearinghouse report

The number of college dropouts since the late 1970s swelled to 36.8 million in 2022 -- a 2.9% increase over the previous year, according to a report published Thursday.

June 6, 2024

The University of the Arts' Dorrance Hamilton Hall on South Broad St. in Philadelphia, on Friday, May 31, 2024. The University of the Arts, an institution with roots more than a century and a half old in Philadelphia, has abruptly announced it will close in a week, citing declining enrollment and revenues as well as increasing expenses. (Elizabeth Robertson/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

University of the Arts to close Friday after losing students, money, accreditation

Philadelphia's historic University of the Arts will shut down Friday after years of declining enrollment, budget shortfalls and the recent loss of its accreditation.

June 4, 2024

In this Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, file photo, an American flag hangs in a classroom as students work on laptops in Newlon Elementary School, which is one of 55 Discovery Link sites set up by Denver Public Schools where students are participating in remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in Denver. Colorado lawmakers are considering joining eight other states in an agreement that would eliminate many of the requirements for teachers to get licensed when they move within the member states. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Nation’s school districts scrimp and improvise as pandemic funds dry up

Urban school districts paying parents to drive their kids to class. Four-day school weeks in rural towns. Long-term substitute teachers and "acting superintendents" who stay in their posts for years.

June 3, 2024

Georgia State University students Kavita Javalagi, left, and Gana Natarajan, second from left, speak with Shetundra Pinkston, during the Startup Student Connection job fair, Wednesday, March 29, 2023, in Atlanta. Students applying to Georgia State and three other public universities in the state beginning in the fall of 2026 will have to start submitting SAT or ACT scores (AP Photo/Alex Slitz) **FILE**

Top colleges restore SAT requirements, rolling back pandemic policies

Top colleges such as Harvard, Georgetown and the University of Texas will once again require SAT scores in admissions after going to a "test-optional" approach during the pandemic that was supposed to bolster the odds for minority applicants.

May 29, 2024

Tourists visit the National Mall in Washington, D.C. (Andrew S. Geraci/The Washington Times) ** FILE **

D.C. sets new tourism records for visitors, revenue

Washington set new records with 25.95 million tourists and $10.2 billion in visitor revenue last year, the city's tourism bureau reported Wednesday.

May 29, 2024