WASHINGTON – In the past 48 hours, we’ve seen four different national polls showing everyone’s President Biden’s approval rate above water – with the highest (Pew) at 59 percent, 39 percent disapproving and with the lowest (Quinnipiac) at 48 percent, 42 percent disapprove of it.
It’s a break with former president Donald Trump, whose job rankings have mostly remained submerged during his presidency, even in his first 100 days at work.
And one of the reasons Biden stays afloat is that almost everything he deliberately tried to make part of his agenda during his honeymoon was popular.
That Covid-19 relief law? It remains widely popular. (A poll in Monmouth found that 63 percent of Americans support it, including 43 percent who do.
His infrastructure plan? This is almost consistent with his job rating in the Quinnipiac and NPR / PBS / Marist surveys.
Increased taxes for companies and Americans earning more than $ 400,000? Popular.
What about making long-term healthcare part of its infrastructure plan? NPR / PBS / Marist shows that 58 percent of Americans believe it is part of the country’s infrastructure, compared to 39 percent who do not.
The exceptions to Biden’s popular agenda are his withdrawal from Afghanistan (where the ballot box was more mixed than you would expect for a twenty-year war) and Biden’s unpopular handling of the border (it was not something he did to his early task set) list, but what is now something he clearly owns).
In short: Biden is careful to pursue policies that are not significantly popular with the public. (In fact, more controversial proposals to expand the Supreme Court and promote legislative proposals for repairs do not come from the White House.)
And that’s a reversal from the last four years, when the focus was on an appeal based on the base rather than the 50 percent plus.
Yesterday’s big news related to Russia
There was two big news yesterday when the Biden tightened sanctions against Russian entities and individuals.
One, it appears that the intellectual community has established that the evidence on the widely reported Russia-Afghanistan abundance story is not conclusive – and that the cut against Biden’s rhetoric is found during the 2020 presidential campaign.
Two, the Biden government says a longtime associate of Trump 2016 campaign chief Paul Manafort – Konstantin Kilimnik – Russian intelligence agencies gave “sensitive information on ballot box and campaign strategy” via CNBC.
And the allegation about the 2016 vote goes beyond what the Mueller inquiry or the Senate Intel committee determined.
Tweet of the day
Data download: the numbers you need to know today
At least 8: The number of people shot last night at a FedEx plant in Indianapolis.
63 percent: The proportion of Americans who say that an “innocent” verdict for Derek Chauvin will have a negative effect on race relations, according to a new poll in Monmouth.
31,633,796: The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States, according to the latest data from NBC News and health officials. (This is 71,850 more than yesterday morning.)
569,218: The number of deaths so far in the United States due to the virus, according to the latest data from NBC News. (This is 792 more than yesterday morning.)
ICYMI: What else is happening in the world?
NBC’s Carol Lee reports on how some elite members of the military are exchanging extremist sentiments in exclusive Facebook groups.
Biden calls for a weakening of tensions with Russia after a new round of sanctions.
Republicans are struggling to write a counter-offer for Biden’s infrastructure plan.
What do compatriots say about the Chauvin trial?
Mike Pence got a pacemaker.
The Florida Senate has passed a controversial anti-riot protest bill.
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has reached a settlement of at least $ 62,500 with a former campaigner accusing her of sexual harassment.
