[Doug64]

So I'm really late with this, last weekend was busy -- the St. George Art Festival was fun, though. Here's last weekend's round-up of polls. Anyone that wants to check out any possible links over the next week can go to the link to the left. (Anyone wanting more details on a particular poll, just ask):

Recent news reports say U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has a Utah federal prosecutor looking into allegations of misconduct at the Justice Department and FBI. But most TV news outlets have spent much of the week focused on the claims associated with porn star Stormy Daniels’ alleged sexual relationship with Donald Trump 12 years ago.

CBS-TV’s long-running “60 Minutes” series scored its highest-ever ratings Sunday night with its interview of the porn star, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, by CNN’s Anderson Cooper. However, voters don’t attach much importance to her claims now that Trump is president of the United States.

But fresh into Trump’s second year in office, most voters (52%) see even more bias against the president in the media than they did at the start of his presidency, up from 44% a year ago and 47% in August.

In the narrower media view, as questions about Facebook's mining of private user data continue to arise, and with possible congressional hearings set to begin April 10, founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is taking heat.

Despite the perceived bias against Trump, Republicans continue to like his kind of leadership, while Democrats and unaffiliated voters believe he’s too confrontational.

Seventy-five percent (75%) of voters still have an unfavorable opinion of Russian President Vladimir Putin, though. Thirty-one percent (31%) think Putin’s Russia is a bigger threat to the United States than our old Cold War rival, the communist Soviet Union, while 37% describe the threat as about the same.

Even as Trump imposes tariffs on billions of dollars in Chinese goods to balance the trade playing field, 73% of voters consider China a bigger threat to the United States economically than militarily and think the U.S. government has been too easy on it.

Trump praised the United States' relationship with Saudi Arabia in a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, but it appears voters aren't as enthusiastic as the president.

Looking again at domestic leadership, rumors are swirling around that Paul Ryan may step down as Speaker of the House of Representatives. While he is liked by a strong majority of Republicans, they wouldn’t be sad to see Ryan go.

The U.S. Census Bureau released its 2020 census questions, including one that asks whether respondents are legal U.S. citizens. Americans recognize the importance of the census and are on board with including the citizenship question.

A funeral was held in Sacramento Thursday for Stephon Clark, an unarmed black man who was killed by Sacramento police officers in his grandmother’s backyard. The funeral came amid nearly two weeks of protests and unrest in the city over Clark’s death. But even in light of Clark’s shooting, most Americans continue to rate the police highly and think most officer-involved deaths are not their fault.

Last Saturday, thousands of Americans participated in March for Our Lives events across the country for stronger gun control and protections for students in light of last month’s Parkland, Florida, school shooting. The marches grew out of student activism, and while voters aren’t convinced the marches will bring about change, they definitely see more political involvement among students today.

In other surveys last week:

-- As Tax Day approaches, Americans are less worried about getting audited by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) than they were this time last year.

--Thirty-nine percent (39%) of voters now think the country is heading in the right direction.

[Doug64]

Yes, I missed last week, a combination of distractions and a really time-sensitive project kept me busy. On the plus side, I can recommend the game Terraforming Mars, including the solitaire version. Here's last weekend's round-up of polls. Anyone that wants to check out any possible links over the next week can go to the link to the left. (Anyone wanting more details on a particular poll, just ask):

Tugs of war seemed ubiquitous this week, occurring between President Trump and federal prosecutors, teachers and the states employing them, the struggle for income equity, and even between Facebook and Congress.

Following Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s invasion of the office and home of President Trump’s personal lawyer, voters increasingly believe Mueller’s probe is a partisan witch hunt. But they also tend to think he is unlikely to nail the president for anything criminal.

While Trump has ordered the National Guard to the border with Mexico to help stop illegal immigration, support for using the military there has fallen dramatically. Few voters think posting troops at the border would boost U.S. national security.

On a more local level, teachers in several states have gone on strike for better pay in recent weeks, and more Americans than ever agree that school teachers aren’t paid enough.

As teachers protest for higher wages and more school funding, an increasing number of Americans see teachers’ unions as a good thing and fewer feel those unions prioritize protecting their members over the quality of education. Still, more than half believe the interests of these unions are more self-serving.

Americans also believe young people in this country are more likely to think highly of themselves than their academic performance merits.

Meanwhile, some states are attempting to tackle income inequality at the state level, but when it comes to salaries, Americans think decisions should stay in the hands of the employer and want to keep employee salaries private.

A recent court ruling found that employers can't pay women less than men just because they had a lower salary at a prior company. Most Americans support equal pay for men and women, but they’re not convinced that discrimination is the sole reason for wage disparities.

Although employed Americans work long hours, most enjoy their workday.

In other surveys last week:

-- As Tax Day draws near, Americans are feeling better about the U.S. tax system than they have in the past, but half still believe they’re paying more than their fair share of taxes.

-- Most voters believe the United States is superior to other nations around the world, but suspect that creates higher expectations from other countries.

-- Late last month, two commercial pilots flying over the Arizona desert reported seeing an unidentified flying object pass overhead. Few Americans claim to have ever seen, or know someone who has seen, a UFO, but that doesn’t mean they don’t believe there’s intelligent life on other planets.

-- Democrats continue to hold a slight lead over Republicans on the Generic Congressional Ballot, though that lead has narrowed since the beginning of the year.

-- Forty percent (40%) of voters now think the country is heading in the right direction.

[Doug64]

Here's last weekend's round-up of polls. Anyone that wants to check out any possible links over the next week can go to the link to the left. (Anyone wanting more details on a particular poll, just ask):

First, it was porn star Stormy Daniels. Now it’s former FBI Director James Comey who’s firing away publicly at President Trump. But Daniels and Comey aren’t faring too well from a public opinion standpoint, while the president’s job approval ratings remain at or near the 50% mark.

Comey’s new book and related media interviews don’t seem to be winning any converts. Most voters say they’re unlikely to read “A Higher Loyalty,” perhaps in part because they’re closely divided over whether Comey’s telling the truth or just taking a political shot at the president.

The fired FBI director charged in a TV interview last weekend that Trump is “morally unfit” to be president, and voters agree that Trump and disgraced former President Bill Clinton are two of a kind as far as morality is concerned.

But 41% also now agree with Trump’s decision to fire Comey, up five points from last May shortly after he was terminated as FBI director. Forty-five percent (45%) disagree with the firing of Comey, down from 51%. Fourteen percent (14%) are not sure.

The Justice Department this past week has reportedly recommended criminal charges against Andrew McCabe, Comey’s number two man at the FBI, for lying to investigators about leaking to the media. Sixty-six percent (66%) of Republicans – and 50% of all voters – believe senior federal law enforcement officials at the FBI and Justice Department broke the law in an effort to prevent Trump from winning the presidency in 2016.

As for Daniels who says she had a sexual relationship with Trump 12 years ago, most voters don’t attach much importance to her claims now that he is president of the United States.

Comey incorrectly notes in his new book that polls in October 2016 showed Hillary Clinton was most likely to win the presidency. Not all polls. Rasmussen Reports and two others showed that it was a close race, and they were the ones who proved to be right on Election Day.

The same critics who called Rasmussen Reports “outliers” during the 2016 presidential campaign for showing a neck-and-neck race are at it again because our daily Presidential Tracking Poll has Trump performing better than many other pollsters do. But Trump defeated Clinton in 2016 in perhaps the greatest electoral upset in U.S. history, and our polling nailed the exact margin between the two candidates.

Voters see a more divided America since Trump was elected president, but they’re closely divided over who divides us more – the president or his opponents.

Still, even with Republicans now in charge of the White House and both chambers of Congress, most GOP voters feel they don’t have a voice in Washington, D.C. Democrats are happier with the representation they’ve got.

Democrats continue to hold the lead on the Rasmussen Reports Generic Congressional Ballot.

Forty percent (40%) of all voters say the country is headed in the right direction.

Fewer voters now see politics as a factor in judicial decisions, but Democrats are much more convinced of that than others are.

As students across the country sit down for school-wide standardized testing in the weeks to come, most Americans with school-age children continue to think there’s too much emphasis on these tests and their outcomes.

Half of parents don’t even see a need for standardized testing in the schools.

In other surveys last week:

-- Americans hold a solidly favorable opinion of former first lady Barbara Bush who died earlier this week, and most think she set a good example for others to follow.

-- Americans were closing in on Tuesday's Tax Day deadline at a pace comparable to the last couple years, with one-in-10 waiting to the last minute.

-- Nearly half of Americans hired a professional to help them meet Tuesday's tax deadline, and the number of those who filed electronically continues to rise.

[Doug64]

Here's last weekend's round-up of polls. Anyone that wants to check out any possible links over the next week can go to the link to the left. (Anyone wanting more details on a particular poll, just ask):

Good news this week — including an historic meeting of the leaders of North and South Korea — countered the drone of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of purported Trump campaign collusion with Russia and the dirge of former FBI Director James Comey over his waning career.

Voters are closely divided over whether Mueller will wrap up his probe of the 2016 election any time soon, but just over half think Congress may need to save his job from President Trump.

The Senate Judiciary Committee shared that sentiment Thursday voting 14-7 to approve a measure aimed at preventing Trump from firing Mueller.

Yet as Mueller’s investigation wears on and Comey’s book drops more inside information about the 2016 election, more voters now think a special prosecutor should be assigned to investigate the FBI.

French President Emmanuel Macron used part of his state visit this week with Trump and Congress to convince the United States to adhere to the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement.

However, as the deadline approaches for Trump to decide whether the United States will withdraw from that deal, a majority of voters continues to believe it has done little to cease the development of nuclear weapons in Iran.

After the U.S. Supreme Court hearing Wednesday regarding the legality of the president’s so-called travel ban to block potential terrorists from entering the country, news reports say the Supreme Court justices appear to favor the temporary restrictions.

Voters still tend to support Trump’s temporary ban on newcomers from certain countries, and more voters than ever now agree that it’s intended to stop likely terrorists.

Michigan recently introduced legislation to make English the official state language, making it one of 32 states to do so, while a bill to do the same on a national level was reintroduced in Congress last year. As they have for more than a decade, most Americans support such legislation.

Some are sensing a shift afoot in U.S. politics, for example, as black entertainers like Kanye West begin to express support for Trump and their displeasure with the Democratic Party.

Also, polling suggests the emergence of a new breed of Republicans in Name Only (RINOs) that has nothing to do with its namesakes of old. “These new Republicans In Name Only don’t care if Republicans are in charge of Congress if the end result is just another do-nothing, anti-Trump Congress, particularly if Trump can force the Democrats to field some more moderate candidates,” Rasmussen Reports Managing Editor Fran Coombs says.

But voter distrust in the political news they see every day is continuing to grow, while 57% of voters say they don't believe political polls, although Democrats express more confidence in them than others do.

In other surveys last week:

-- For the first time in nearly 60 years, someone without the last name Castro will rule Cuba. But will things change? Nearly half of U.S. voters don’t think so, but they still feel the United States should improve its relations with the Communist nation.

-- Several recent cases have challenged freedom of speech on college campuses across the United States. Nearly half of Americans think college students have less freedom of speech these days, and few think professors and administrators promote the free exchange of ideas.

-- Before her death last week, the Bush family announced it would pursue comfort care rather than medical intervention for Barbara Bush’s failing health. It’s a tough choice for Americans, but many would make the same decision for their loved ones.

-- Gas prices are starting to surge around the country, and Americans are feeling the pain already.

-- Forty percent (40%) of voters now think the country is heading in the right direction.

For the question on English being the official language of the USA, asked of American Adults:

Is English the official language of the U.S. government?

• Yes 77%
• No 15%
• Not sure 8%

Republicans

• Yes 88%
• No 9%
• Not sure 3%

Independents

• Yes 68%
• No 21%
• Not sure 11%

Democrats

• Yes 77%
• No 15%
• Not sure 8%

Should English be the official language of the United States?

• Yes 81%
• No 12%
• Not sure 6%

Republicans

• Yes 95%
• No 4%
• Not sure 2%

Independents

• Yes 78%
• No 14%
• Not sure 8%

Democrats

• Yes 75%
• No 18%
• Not sure 8%

Should election ballots and other official government documents be printed in English only or should they also be printed in other languages?

• Election ballots and other official government documents should be printed in English only 50%
• They should also be printed in other languages 44%
• Not sure 6%

Republicans

• Election ballots and other official government documents should be printed in English only 73%
• They should also be printed in other languages 23%
• Not sure 3%

Independents

• Election ballots and other official government documents should be printed in English only 46%
• They should also be printed in other languages 45%
• Not sure 9%

Democrats

• Election ballots and other official government documents should be printed in English only 35%
• They should also be printed in other languages 60%
• Not sure 5%

[Doug64]

Here's last weekend's round-up of polls. Anyone that wants to check out any possible links over the next week can go to the link to the left. (Anyone wanting more details on a particular poll, just ask):

While the Mueller investigation stumbles on from one news leak to the next, a lot of voters appear to be feeling pretty good about life in Donald Trump’s America.

The U.S. unemployment rate in April dropped to its lowest level since 2000, with black and Hispanic unemployment at record lows. Forty-one percent (41%) of voters now say the country is headed in the right direction after running in the 20s during the President Obama’s final year in office.

Voter confidence that the United States is winning the War on Terror is at its highest level since Osama bin Laden was killed nearly seven years ago.

Most voters also agree with the president that the government should stop the caravan of Central Americans now at the Mexican border from entering the United States. Even more say failing to stop them will lead to more illegal immigration.

After years of deteriorating U.S.-Israel relations under Obama, voters expected a change for the better with Trump's election, and many now think that has come to fruition.

If Trump brings the North Korea crisis to a peaceful end, Americans think he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize as much as Obama now merits the one he received in 2009.

Trump's overall job approval in the Rasmussen Reports Daily Presidential Tracking Poll again hit a recent high of 51% at week’s end. He’s running ahead of where Obama was at this stage of his presidency.

The president earned a monthly job approval of 49% in April, up three points from March.

Just over half of Republicans - and one-third of all voters - say they see eye-to eye politically with Trump. The rest tend to believe he's more conservative than they are. Few accuse him of being more liberal.

By contrast, just 24% of GOP voters say the average Republican in Congress thinks about the same way they do. Democrats are twice as likely as Republicans to identify ideologically with their representatives in Congress.

Voters also see more chance for Trump’s reelection these days and strongly believe that impeachment is not the best campaign strategy for Democrats running for Congress.

Speaking of policy differences, Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders is looking ahead to the 2020 presidential election with a proposed federal government program that guarantees all Americans a $15-an-hour job with health insurance. Nearly half of voters like the idea. It’s important to note, however, that our question didn’t attach a price tag to Sanders’ proposal since he hasn’t come up with one himself yet.

In other surveys last week:

-- Contrary to the courts, voters are far more supportive of allowing a business owner to refuse a customer service for religious reasons than for political ones.

-- Americans strongly disagree with a Boston preschool that has prohibited students from identifying a “best friend” for fear that other children will feel excluded.

-- 68% think political correctness is a problem in America today.

-- Forty-four percent (44%) of Americans favor a ban on disposable plastic shopping bags in the state where they live.

[Doug64]

Here's a poll from a few months back, but still relevant I think:

Is the average reporter more liberal than you are, more conservative, or about the same as you ideologically?

• More liberal than you are 44%
• More conservative than you are 14%
• About the same as you ideologically 28%
• Not sure 14%

Republican

• More liberal than you are 74%
• More conservative than you are 7%
• About the same as you ideologically 14%
• Not sure 5%

Independent

• More liberal than you are 42%
• More conservative than you are 10%
• About the same as you ideologically 23%
• Not sure 25%

Democrat

• More liberal than you are 18%
• More conservative than you are 23%
• About the same as you ideologically 44%
• Not sure 14%

When they write or talk about President Trump, are most reporters trying to help the president pass his agenda, block the president from passing his agenda, or are they simply interested in reporting the news in an unbiased manner?

• Help the president pass his agenda 5%
• Block the president from passing his agenda 52%
• Report the news in an unbiased manner 37%
• Not sure 7%

Republican

• Help the president pass his agenda 5%
• Block the president from passing his agenda 77%
• Report the news in an unbiased manner 15%
• Not sure 3%

Independent

• Help the president pass his agenda 4%
• Block the president from passing his agenda 51%
• Report the news in an unbiased manner 34%
• Not sure 10%

Democrat

• Help the president pass his agenda 5%
• Block the president from passing his agenda 28%
• Report the news in an unbiased manner 59%
• Not sure 7%

Not only do 3/4 of Republicans and half of Independents think the press is out to get the president, so do 3/10 of Democrats. This is actually slightly worse than a similar question last year, when 50% said reporters are biased against Trump and 40% said they try to be fair and balanced. Which would explain why 48% said that it is impossible for Trump to do anything that the media approve of while only 33% said he could.

[Doug64]

Here's last weekend's round-up of polls. Anyone that wants to check out any possible links over the next week can go to the link to the left. (Anyone wanting more details on a particular poll, just ask):

In the backdrop of a resurging economy, the Trump administration this week secured the release of three U.S. citizens from North Korean prisons, announced the president would meet with Kim Jong Un on June 12 in Singapore and withdrew from the Obama administration’s troubled Iran nuclear deal — all the while trailed by the lingering 2016 Russia probe.

But as Special Counsel Robert Mueller investigates whether the 2016 Trump campaign illegally colluded with the Russians, many voters now think Hillary Clinton's campaign was working with foreigners.

That prospect may be less likely than it would first seem by media accounts given that Mueller’s investigation of the 2016 election is actually going to drive Republicans to vote this year for candidates endorsed by Trump.

While the two major parties are busy spinning Tuesday’s primary election results, Democrats are more likely than Republicans and unaffiliated voters to boast about how they are going to vote in the upcoming congressional midterm elections.

Most Republicans continue to think voters in their party are moving away from the GOP leadership ideologically. For Democrats, their leadership is a better fit these days.

Kanye West has been sparking controversy by speaking out in favor of Trump and making provocative statements regarding politics and African-American history, and while most dismiss celebrities’ views on politics, West has gained the favor of Trump supporters.

Meanwhile, following the president’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, few voters accuse Trump of a lack of aggressiveness with the Iranians, and more think he’s on the right course.

Even more voters now believe that Trump sets the agenda inside the Beltway, with the national media coming in at a distant second.

Unemployment, at 3.9 percent, is at its lowest level since the last four months of 2000, and the stock markets this week were clawing back up, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) flirting with 25,000 again yesterday.

In fact, Americans seem to have let go of March’s rocky month on the stock market and are again thinking more positively about the economic outlook.

The number of Americans who know someone who is looking for work or has given up the search has hit its lowest level yet, while confidence in the job market remains near record highs.

In other surveys last week:

-- As Mother’s Day approaches, more Americans now see the importance of the holiday and motherhood itself.

-- Most Americans still watch network television news in some capacity, and for those viewers, NBC is the most trusted source of political news over rivals CBS and ABC.

-- College graduation season is upon us, and while Americans continue to think it will be tough out there for new graduates, they’re far more optimistic than past years, and fewer are touting the importance of a college degree.

-- As summer break approaches, most Americans think it’s important to send kids to summer camp, but that feeling is even greater among former campers.

-- Forty-two percent (42%) of voters now think the country is heading in the right direction.

[Doug64]

Here's last weekend's round-up of polls. Anyone that wants to check out any possible links over the next week can go to the link to the left. (Anyone wanting more details on a particular poll, just ask):

Americans seem to be coming around to President Trump’s point of view on a couple of key foreign policy issues.

Fifty-one percent (51%) of Likely U.S. Voters now believe the president’s upcoming meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un is likely to result in the slowing or stopping of North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons. Just two months ago, 51% considered that unlikely.

On the recommendation of his national security team, Trump has backed away from his plans to reduce U.S. forces on the Korean peninsula. But far fewer voters now oppose pulling troops out of South Korea, and more support withdrawing troops from Western Europe.

Just over half of voters now agree with the president’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The U.S Embassy in Israel opened there this week.

Voters were closely divided over Trump’s decision to officially recognize Jerusalem when he announced it in December, but among those who value Israel most as a U.S. ally, the majority thought it was a good idea.

Trump recently pulled the United States out of President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran. While a number of world leaders have complained about the Iran decision, voters here are growing more optimistic about how other heads of state view the president.

Trump ended the week with his overall job approval rating at 50% again in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll.

His Presidential Approval Index Rating has been in single digits for several weeks now. By comparison, Barack Obama’s Index Rating at this time in the second year of his presidency was several points worse in the negative low to mid-teens.

Forty-one percent (41%) of voters think the country is headed in the right direction.

Eighteen months after Election Day, many Democrats and their allies in Hollywood and the media continue to attack the president in an unprecedented fashion. But few voters think Trump-bashing will pay off for his opponents in the next election.

Democrats still have the advantage in this week’s Rasmussen Reports Generic Congressional Ballot. Beginning with this week’s survey, Rasmussen Reports will update the Generic Ballot findings weekly on Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m. Eastern until the midterm elections in November.

Hoping to capitalize on anti-Trump sentiment, Democrats need to take away 24 Republican seats to take control of the U.S. House of Representatives. To win the Senate, they need to hold all 23 of the Democratic seats on the November ballot and pick up two GOP seats. But Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of the 2016 election appears to be driving Republicans to vote this year for candidates endorsed by the president.

Most Republicans think Arizona Senator John McCain, who is terminally ill, should step down from the U.S. Senate. McCain, the GOP presidential nominee in 2008, has been a consistent critic of both candidate and President Trump, but Republican voters continue to identify a lot more with the president than with the senator.

Over 60% of GOP voters still believe as they have for the last several years that Republicans in Congress have lost touch with the party’s voters throughout the nation. Democrats remain a lot less critical of their congressional representatives.

Trump nominee Gina Haspel was confirmed by the Senate this week. She is the first woman to head the Central Intelligence Agency. Voter approval of the CIA is up, but support for waterboarding and other aggressive interrogation techniques is down.

Perhaps in part that’s because voter confidence that the United States and its allies are winning the War on Terror is at its highest level since Osama bin Laden was killed nearly seven years ago.

The U.S. Supreme Court this week struck down a 26-year-old law prohibiting states from sponsoring betting on professional and college sports to raise revenue. But most Americans aren't embracing that idea just yet.

Months after the #MeToo movement initially burst onto the scene, new allegations continue to surface against public figures like New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman who quickly resigned from office. But most voters still feel that sexual harassment is more a media phenomenon than a growing problem, and a sizable number think politicians accused of it will bounce back into politics.

In other surveys last week:

-- Seattle City Council has drawn national attention with its passage of an annual $275-per-person “head tax” on employees at companies earning $20 million or more a year. The money is intended for the city’s growing homelessness problem, but few Americans see more government spending as the solution.

-- Sixty-one percent (61%) think there are too many Americans dependent on the government for financial aid, and a plurality (45%) believes current government programs increase the level of poverty in America.

-- One-in-three Americans say they’re likely to watch the wedding of Great Britain’s Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle.

[Doug64]

So with Trump trumpeting the latest reports of the FBI spying on his campaign, what to US Likely Voters think?

How likely is it that senior federal law enforcement officials broke the law in an effort to prevent Donald Trump from winning the presidency?

• Very likely 36%
• Somewhat likely 15%
• Not very likely 16%
• Not at all likely 26%
• Not sure 6%

Republicans

• Very likely 55%
• Somewhat likely 17%
• Not very likely 15%
• Not at all likely 10%
• Not sure 3%

Independents

• Very likely 25%
• Somewhat likely 20%
• Not very likely 17%
• Not at all likely 29%
• Not sure 10%

Democrats

• Very likely 29%
• Somewhat likely 9%
• Not very likely 16%
• Not at all likely 40%
• Not sure 6%

No real surprises, 72% of Republicans saying it's likely but only 37% of Democrats. What's interesting, though, is that the same question was asked last February, and at that time it was 47% of Republicans and 22% of Democrats that considered it very likely versus the 55% and 29% now. Much of the growth in the case of Republicans and all of the growth for Democrats is a shift from Somewhat Likely to Very Likely.

[Doug64]

I hope everyone in the US has a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend. Here's last weekend's round-up of polls. Anyone that wants to check out any possible links over the next week can go to the link to the left. (Anyone wanting more details on a particular poll, just ask):

It’s Memorial Day weekend! Most Americans are marking it as the start of summer—unofficially, and most are also planning their summer vacations.

In perhaps the biggest news of the week, President Trump on Thursday cancelled his June 12 summit meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, citing hostile statements from North Korea as the reason, and is instead preparing further sanctions against that country.

Voters just two weeks ago said they were growing more confident that Trump is on track to disarm North Korea’s nukes. But in March, voters were skeptical that the meeting would lessen the threat posed by North Korea.

On the home front, public sentiment toward Trump has been warming.

Most Republicans are now convinced that high-level federal law enforcement officials tried illegally to stop Trump from being president.

Also, Republicans have closed the gap in the Rasmussen Reports Generic Congressional Ballot, and 42% of Likely U.S. Voters now think the country is heading in the right direction.

Meanwhile, Trump was on Long Island Wednesday holding a forum about the notorious MS-13 street gang, which most voters see as a serious problem and don’t believe he is handling too aggressively.

However, voters still view Planned Parenthood favorably and aren’t overly supportive of the Trump administration’s new ban on taxpayer funding of abortion.

Trump may not be popular with a lot of voters, but not many of them think Vice President Mike Pence would be a suitable replacement.

Confidence in the economy has also been trending up.

A new report released Thursday confirmed what homeowners were already feeling: Home values are on the rise and more homeowners than ever are breathing a sigh of relief that the value of their property outweighs their mortgage.

While fewer than half of Americans think the state they live in will be able to pay out promised pension benefits to public workers, few are willing to pay more in taxes to cover them.

In other surveys last week:

-- A majority of voters have a favorable impression of former President Barack Obama, but do they miss him? Democrats do, but Republicans haven’t looked back.

-- It’s been a rough couple of months for U.S. airlines, particularly Southwest, after a passenger died when one of the plane’s windows broke mid-flight and a similar incident happened again in early May. Nonetheless, Americans still generally believe air travel in this country is safe, though they’re slightly less likely to say it’s safer than in the rest of the world now.

-- Print newspapers have long been a dying form of media, with more Americans saying they rarely or never read one. But they are now less confident that other news sources can make up the difference if the newspaper finally goes out of print.

-- Disgraced actor and comedian Bill Cosby was found guilty last month of three counts of aggravated sexual assault and is set to be sentenced in September. Many have cited his age and declining health as potential reasons to not pursue a prison sentence, but Americans want to see him pay in both time and money for his crimes.

[Drlee]

Also, Republicans have closed the gap in the Rasmussen Reports Generic Congressional Ballot, and 42% of Likely U.S. Voters now think the country is heading in the right direction.

Early prediction. Never underestimate the Democratic Party's ability to lose an election, even against all odds. Like it or not the economy is flying high and that is the real deal. It remains to be seen, not if the democrats can prove Trump a disgrace, that is pretty easy. But rather whether they can forward an agenda that independents and even some republicans can latch on to.


I predict that the republicans retain the house barely and the senate easily. I hope I am wrong.

[Doug64]

I predict that the republicans retain the house barely and the senate easily. I hope I am wrong.

Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball that I’ve been following for my Election 2018 thread has the House at essentially a coin-toss right now. If the economy continues to improve (or even just keep performing as well as it currenlty is), and add a foreign affairs success or two to bolster Trump’s numbers, and that could change.

[Doug64]

Here's last weekend's round-up of polls. Anyone that wants to check out any possible links over the next week can go to the link to the left. (Anyone wanting more details on a particular poll, just ask):

The U.S. unemployment rate is now at 3.8%, an 18-year low and tying April 2000 as the lowest level since 1969. Trumponomics or happenstance? The voters will decide in November.

Americans certainly have renewed confidence in the job market.

Seven-out-of-10 now believe it is possible for anyone who really wants to work to find a job. Prior to 2014, that figure regularly ran in the 40s and 50s.

The number of Americans who know someone who is looking for work or has given up the search has fallen to its lowest level in years of regular Rasmussen Reports surveying.

Forty-two percent (42%) of voters say the country is heading in the right direction.

President Trump’s job approval ratings remain in the high 40s.

Republicans and Democrats are running neck-and-neck on the Rasmussen Reports Generic Congressional Ballot again this week.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is considering cancelling the Senate's month-long August recess in order to get more work done. Republicans and Democrats agree that Congress spends too much time away from Capitol Hill.

With a summit meeting between Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un seemingly back on track, voter worries about a nuclear attack from North Korea continue to fade. But Democrats still fear the president is making things worse.

Trump recently signed a series of executive orders that, among other things, makes it easier to fire unionized federal workers. That's something most Americans agree is too difficult to do, although they still tend to support unions for public employees.

Most Americans have consistently said in surveys for years that government workers don't work as hard as those in the private sector but get paid more. They also think government workers have more job security.

Perhaps that helps explain why support for putting the best people into government work rather than the private sector is up, especially among young Democratic voters.

Arne Duncan, Obama's secretary of Education, has proposed that parents across America keep their children out of school for a few days after Labor Day to pressure Congress into passing more gun control laws. Most adults with school-aged kids oppose such a protest and are concerned it will take away from classroom time.

Interestingly, Duncan’s policy to slow the so-called “school-to-prison pipeline” has been blamed for the failure to stop the shooter at a Florida high school despite his numerous prior brushes with the authorities. Most Americans think government error is more responsible than a lack of gun control for the Valentine’s Day school massacre in Florida.

Following the controversial arrest of two black men at a Philadelphia shop in April, Starbucks has rolled out a new policy that allows anyone to use its facilities whether or not they make a purchase. But only 32% of Americans think the new Starbucks policy will be good for business.

In other surveys last week:

-- Delaware recently became the first state in the nation to fully ban child marriage for all minors, and a similar bill is about to get a vote in the New Jersey State Assembly. Most voters think there should be a legal minimum age for marriage nationally and that marriage should be outlawed for minors.

-- Americans are closely divided over the wisdom of the National Football League’s new policy on player protests during “The Star Spangled Banner,” but the policy appears unlikely to have much negative impact on viewership.

-- Memorial Day, a time when Americans honor those who lost their lives while serving in the U.S. military, remains one of the nation's most important holidays.

[Drlee]

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is considering cancelling the Senate's month-long August recess in order to get more work done. Republicans and Democrats agree that Congress spends too much time away from Capitol Hill.

Ah just no. He wants to cancel the recess to keep democrats from campaigning. More Rasmussen bullshit.

[Doug64]

:lol:

Ah just no. He wants to cancel the recess to keep democrats from campaigning. More Rasmussen bullshit.

You sound like the one precludes the other. The Democrats have been slow-walking nominations, using up as much time as possible on each even when no senator opposes them when they finally get a vote. It's understandable, of course, thanks to their failures in the voting booth the Democrats' Liberal base have made most of their social gains through the courts and so they need to maintain control of those courts to maintain those gains. And Conservatives need to take those courts away from them if they want their legislative successes to have any long-term meaning. (Expect the next Supreme Court nomination process to be brutal, since it is almost certain to be the result of a Perfectionist justice's retirement or death.)

So yes, staying in Washington to keep the confirmations rolling plays well with Republicans' base, the fact that it also interferes with vulnerable Democratic senators getting home to campaign is a bonus.

Here's last weekend's round-up of polls. Anyone that wants to check out any possible links over the next week can go to the link to the left. (Anyone wanting more details on a particular poll, just ask):

President Trump leaves tariff contention at the G-7 meeting in Quebec this morning to begin his journey to Singapore to meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un for talks about eliminating North Korea’s nuclear weapons threat.

The Trump administration last week imposed tariffs on metals imported from Canada, Mexico and the European Union. Voters are divided about Trump’s handling of trade issues, but they’re certain that he's more aggressive in this area than his predecessors.

As far as most active duty military personnel and veterans are concerned, Trump is a stronger commander-in-chief than most recent presidents. A sizable majority of all voters agree that Trump pushes America first harder than his predecessors.

Looking at the economy, stock markets regained their swagger this week as the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed back into the 25,000 territory and more jobs were available than the number of unemployed workers.

Voters feel young black Americans are better off under Trump than they were under Barack Obama, the nation’s first black president.

Yet, despite Trump’s recent executive orders making it easier to effectively discipline and fire bad federal employees, most Americans still think a government job is the gig to have.

Perhaps in part because of the robust U.S. economy, results from primary elections Tuesday in eight states, including California, indicate that the blue wave Democrats hope for in November may not be the tsunami they expect.

In fact, Republicans are more enthusiastic than Democrats and independents about voting this November, though all Americans are more eager to vote than they were in the last mid-term elections.

In the nearer term, Democrats have regained a slight lead on this week’s Rasmussen Reports Generic Congressional Ballot.

Despite political differences, Americans overwhelmingly are proud of their nation and its past.

But that doesn’t mean they don’t see the need for basic improvements, notably this week in education as the nation’s schools begin releasing students for summer recess.

Voters continue to give low marks to America's public schools, and most remain convinced that the graduates of these schools aren't ready to go to college or even just to work.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, the United States spends nearly $13,000 per student per year on education, but voters still don’t think that’s enough.

In other surveys last week:

-- One-in-three voters think the United States has stepped up its exploration of alternative energy sources, a significant improvement from previous years.

-- The president earned a monthly job approval of 48% in May, down one point from April. Fifty percent (50%) disapproved of his job performance this month, unchanged from the previous month.

-- Thirty-nine percent (39%) of voters now think the country is heading in the right direction.

[Doug64]

Looks like I missed a week, oops! Here's last weekend's round-up of polls. Anyone that wants to check out any possible links over the next week can go to the link to the left. (Anyone wanting more details on a particular poll, just ask):

Is the border children “crisis” dinging President Trump’s job approval numbers? With the left and its media allies in full cry, his job approval fell to 46% for the last two days of the week, his lowest numbers since March.

But most voters blame the parents of the separated children at the border for the latest illegal immigration controversy, not the federal government.

Just over half (52%) favor the immigration reform plan detailed by Trump in his State of the Union speech that would create a pathway to citizenship for those brought to this country illegally when they were children, build a wall on the Mexican border and change legal immigration to a more merit-based system.

Fifty percent (50%) of voters don't want to live in a sanctuary city that protects illegal immigrants from federal immigration authorities. Thirty-seven percent (37%) do.

Other indicators were more positive for the president this week. With the economy soaring, his ratings on economic issues are on the rise. Voters are pretty happy with his foreign policy, too, following his generally well-received summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

One-in-three voters (33%) sign on to the president’s proposal for a national “space force” as the sixth branch of the armed services. Only 40% are opposed, but 27% want more details before they make up their minds.

Most voters continue to believe some of the nation’s top cops may have acted illegally to keep Trump from being elected. Those most familiar with a just-released Justice Department internal report detailing high-level political bias are even more convinced that there was wrongdoing.

Men and those 40 and over are following news about the president’s actions and policies a lot more closely than women and younger voters are.

The majority (54%) of voters, however, don’t trust the political news they are getting, the highest level of distrust measured in years of surveying.

Forty-three percent (43%) say the country is headed in the right direction. This finding ran in the mid- to upper 20s for most weeks during 2016, Obama’s last year in office.

Speaking of the economy, Americans think it will be easier for young people to find summer jobs than it has been in several years.

Democrats continue to hold a small lead on the Rasmussen Reports weekly Generic Congressional Ballot.

The U.S. Supreme Court this week cleared the way for states to levy sales taxes on internet purchases even if the seller doesn’t have a physical presence in the state, but 66% of Americans oppose such taxes.

In other surveys last week:

-- Americans aren't overly concerned that cell phone usage may lead to cancer.

-- A report released in November found that as many as 800 million workers worldwide could be replaced by robots by 2030. Most Americans agree, but few think their own job is on the line.

-- Americans are less insistent on annual testing of elderly drivers for driver’s licenses, but just over half still think it’s a good idea.

-- Facebook announced last month that it is launching a dating app which could be good news for the social network since Americans look more favorably these days on dating sites.

For once, here's a poll that isn't Rasmussen. YouGov released a set of polls taken June 17-19, of 1500 American Adults. A number of them deal with illegal immigrants including separating families caught illegally crossing the border. It's no surprise most oppose it (poll 29: 29% approve while 54% disapprove, 40% strongly), what I found interesting was the question of just what the policy should be:

Which policy do you prefer for how to handle families that are stopped for crossing the border into the United States without proper documentation?

• Release the families and have them report back for an immigration hearing at a later date 19%
• Hold families together in family detention centers until an immigration hearing at a later date 44%
• Arrest the adults, send them to jail to await a criminal trial and send any minor children to shelters run by the Department of Health and Human Services 12%
• Arrest both the adults and minor children, send the adults to jail and the minor children to juvenile detention centers to await a criminal trial 8%
• Not sure 17%

Republicans

• Release the families and have them report back for an immigration hearing at a later date 7%
• Hold families together in family detention centers until an immigration hearing at a later date 47%
• Arrest the adults, send them to jail to await a criminal trial and send any minor children to shelters run by the Department of Health and Human Services 22%
• Arrest both the adults and minor children, send the adults to jail and the minor children to juvenile detention centers to await a criminal trial 16%
• Not sure 8%

Independents

• Release the families and have them report back for an immigration hearing at a later date 17%
• Hold families together in family detention centers until an immigration hearing at a later date 39%
• Arrest the adults, send them to jail to await a criminal trial and send any minor children to shelters run by the Department of Health and Human Services 12%
• Arrest both the adults and minor children, send the adults to jail and the minor children to juvenile detention centers to await a criminal trial 7%
• Not sure 25%

Democrats

• Release the families and have them report back for an immigration hearing at a later date 30%
• Hold families together in family detention centers until an immigration hearing at a later date 49%
• Arrest the adults, send them to jail to await a criminal trial and send any minor children to shelters run by the Department of Health and Human Services 5%
• Arrest both the adults and minor children, send the adults to jail and the minor children to juvenile detention centers to await a criminal trial 2%
• Not sure 14%

White

• Release the families and have them report back for an immigration hearing at a later date 19%
• Hold families together in family detention centers until an immigration hearing at a later date 45%
• Arrest the adults, send them to jail to await a criminal trial and send any minor children to shelters run by the Department of Health and Human Services 13%
• Arrest both the adults and minor children, send the adults to jail and the minor children to juvenile detention centers to await a criminal trial 9%
• Not sure 14%

Black

• Release the families and have them report back for an immigration hearing at a later date 16%
• Hold families together in family detention centers until an immigration hearing at a later date 45%
• Arrest the adults, send them to jail to await a criminal trial and send any minor children to shelters run by the Department of Health and Human Services 8%
• Arrest both the adults and minor children, send the adults to jail and the minor children to juvenile detention centers to await a criminal trial 2%
• Not sure 29%

Hispanic

• Release the families and have them report back for an immigration hearing at a later date 20%
• Hold families together in family detention centers until an immigration hearing at a later date 48%
• Arrest the adults, send them to jail to await a criminal trial and send any minor children to shelters run by the Department of Health and Human Services 9%
• Arrest both the adults and minor children, send the adults to jail and the minor children to juvenile detention centers to await a criminal trial 7%
• Not sure 16%

Other

• Release the families and have them report back for an immigration hearing at a later date 18%
• Hold families together in family detention centers until an immigration hearing at a later date 28%
• Arrest the adults, send them to jail to await a criminal trial and send any minor children to shelters run by the Department of Health and Human Services 22%
• Arrest both the adults and minor children, send the adults to jail and the minor children to juvenile detention centers to await a criminal trial 11%
• Not sure 21%

So, while no single policy gets a majority, holding the families together until their hearing wins a plurality overall and across the political spectrum. Also, Catch and Release definitely comes out the loser -- while a whomping 85% of Republicans favor some policy detaining illegal immigrants to only 7% favoring Catch and Release, the same is true of a majority of Independents (58% to 17%) and even Democrats (56% to 30%). And the same holds true for race, Whites 67% to 19%, Blacks 55% to 16%, Hispanics 64% to 20%, and Other 61% to 18%. The Democratic Party had better hope that they can keep the focus on crying children, because their preferred policy of Catch and Release is not popular.

Rasmussen had its own questions on immigration, of course, and while a slim plurality of Likely Voters think Trump is too aggressive in trying to stop the flow of illegal immigrants into the country (49% to 46% that think he's about right or not aggressive enough), they also asked about responsibility:

When families are arrested and separated after attempting to enter the United States illegally, who is more to blame – the parents for breaking the law or the federal government for enforcing the law?

• The parents for breaking the law 54%
• The federal government for enforcing the law 35%
• Not sure 11%

Republicans

• The parents for breaking the law 82%
• The federal government for enforcing the law 13%
• Not sure 5%

Independents

• The parents for breaking the law 56%
• The federal government for enforcing the law 29%
• Not sure 14%

Democrats

• The parents for breaking the law 28%
• The federal government for enforcing the law 60%
• Not sure 12%

[Drlee]

And my weekly 'drive by shooting down of Rasmussen "facts"'

Fifty percent (50%) of voters don't want to live in a sanctuary city that protects illegal immigrants from federal immigration authorities. Thirty-seven percent (37%) do.

And of course this is not what sanctuary cities do at all. It is a typical misdirection by Rasmussen. Sanctuary cities do not protect illegal immigrants from federal immigration authorities.

[One Degree]

Yes they do. No rational person accepts their semantic evasions over the reality. You have to be deliberately dishonest to accept such nonsense. If they are not cooperating, they are hindering.

[Drlee]

If they are not cooperating, they are hindering.

Nonsense. I will note that you like this excuse though. You will hear it again.

There is no reason whatsoever for local police to be used as immigration officers to the detriment of good local law enforcement. For that reason all local law enforcement agencies should avoid participation in immigration enforcement. Or accept the higher crime rates and increased victimization that calling the feds causes.

You have to remember Onedegree that you have yet to establish that illegal immigrants are an enhanced enforcement issue at all. As I posted before. Their crime rate is less than half that of citizens.

[One Degree]

Nonsense. I will note that you like this excuse though. You will hear it again.

There is no reason whatsoever for local police to be used as immigration officers to the detriment of good local law enforcement. For that reason all local law enforcement agencies should avoid participation in immigration enforcement. Or accept the higher crime rates and increased victimization that calling the feds causes.

You have to remember Onedegree that you have yet to establish that illegal immigrants are an enhanced enforcement issue at all. As I posted before. Their crime rate is less than half that of citizens.

That is obviously nonsense because 100% of illegals have committed a crime. Why should local police ignore their crimes of being illegal. You are arguing they should not cooperate in turning over known criminals to the proper authorities. This is just more liberal semantics that are illogical. You may as well argue Los Angeles police should not hold people or notify authorities they have someone wanted for murder in Iowa. Police forces are expected to cooperate for the common good. This argument is just a transparent lie to cover up protecting illegals. Not quite aa transparent lie as, “we need illegals to report crimes” but close.