Tag: Public Opinion

Trump edges out Biden 51-42 in head-to-head matchup: POLL

President Joe Biden’s job approval rating is 19 points underwater, his ratings for handling the economy and immigration are at career lows. A record number of Americans say they’ve become worse off under his presidency, three-quarters say he’s too old for another term and Donald Trump is looking better in retrospect — all severe challenges for Biden in his reelection campaign ahead.

Forty-four percent of Americans in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll say they’ve gotten worse off financially under Biden’s presidency, the most for any president in ABC/Post polls since 1986. Just 37% approve of his job performance, while 56% disapprove. Still fewer approve of Biden’s performance on the economy, 30%.

On handling immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border, Biden’s rating is even lower, with 23% approval. In terms of intensity of sentiment, 20% strongly approve of his work overall, while 45% strongly disapprove. And the 74% who say he’s too old for a second term is up 6 percentage points since May. Views that Trump is too old also are up, but to 50% in this poll, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates.

Such is down-on-Biden sentiment that if a government shutdown occurs at month’s end, 40% say they’d chiefly blame him and the Democrats in Congress, versus 33% who’d pin it on the Republicans in Congress — even given the GOP infighting behind the budget impasse.

Trump
Trump, for his part, has improved in retrospect. When he reluctantly left office in January 2021, 38% approved of his work as president, essentially the same as Biden’s rating now. But currently, looking back, 48% say they approve of Trump’s performance when he was in office — matching his peak as president. Essentially as many — 49% — now disapprove, down from 60% when he left the White House.

Comparison with Biden may be a factor. Among the 56% of Americans who disapprove of Biden’s work in office, a wide 75% say that, looking back, they approve of Trump.

It’s also notable that Trump has an even split in his retrospective job approval rating even as most Americans continue to reject his assertion that the 2020 election was stolen from him. Sixty percent of Americans instead say Biden legitimately won, and an additional 12% have no opinion; 29% think Biden did not win legitimately.

Election
These views play into early-stage election preferences. A remarkable 62% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say the party should pick someone other than Biden as its nominee in 2024; just a third back Biden. Desire for a different candidate is at a numerical high, but also consistent with past results (56 to 58%) the past year.

Who, if not Biden, is an open question. In an open-ended question, 8% express a preference for Kamala Harris, 8% for Bernie Sanders and 7% for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with other mentions in the low single digits. Just “someone else” comes in at 20%.

Trump has far broader intraparty support; 54% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents favor him for the GOP nomination, again similar to previous results, and well ahead of his opposition. Ron DeSantis has 15% support, compared with 25% (using a slightly different question approach) in May. All others are in single digits.

Head-to-head in a hypothetical November 2024 matchup, Trump has 51% support while Biden has 42% — numerically up 3 points for Trump and down 2 points for Biden from an ABC/Post poll in February, shifts that are not statistically significant.

There’s even less change from the most recent ABC/Post poll in May, which had the race at 49-42% (again with a different, but comparable, question wording). Still, with Trump inching over 50% — and other polls showing a closer contest — a close look is warranted.

Factors
A variety of factors may be at play. Biden’s poor performance ratings, the extent of economic discontent, the immigration crisis and doubts about his age clearly are relevant. All have been the subject of extensive recent news coverage, focusing public discourse on negatives for the president. Trump, meanwhile, has used his criminal indictments to bolster his base through claims of political persecution and enjoys positive coverage of his GOP frontrunner status.

Question order can be a factor. As is customary for ABC/Post polls at this still-early stage of an election cycle, this survey asked first about Biden and Trump’s performance, economic sentiment and a handful of other issues (Ukraine aid, abortion and a government shutdown) before candidate preferences. That’s because these questions are more germane than candidate support in an election so far off. Since many results are negative toward Biden, it follows that he’s lagging in 2024 support. Nonetheless, those sentiments are real, have been consistently negative in recent surveys and clearly mark Biden’s challenges ahead.

Another possible factor is message-sending. A hypothetical vote-preference question 14 months before an election is predictive of nothing; it’s best seen as an opportunity for the public to express its like or dislike of the candidates. Biden is broadly unpopular and doubts about his suitability for a second term are extensive; wherever they end up in more than a year, a substantial number of Americans today are taking the opportunity to express their displeasure.

In one example of message-sending, among people who say Trump should be prohibited by the U.S. Constitution from serving again as president, 18% also support him over Biden for 2024. Such people seem to be expressing their antipathy toward Biden, not their support for Trump.

In terms of sampling, this survey was conducted using the ABC/Post poll’s longstanding methodology. Demographic results are typical. So are partisan preferences; 25% of respondents identify themselves as Democrats, 25% as Republicans and 42% as independents. Forty-one percent are Democrats or independents who lean toward the Democratic Party; 45% are Republicans or lean toward the GOP, consistent this year.

Additionally, survey respondents who say they voted in 2020 report having supported Biden over Trump by 50-46%, very close to the actual outcome, 51-47%.

Source: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/troubles-biden-age-reelection-campaign-poll/story?id=103436611

IIT-Mandi head faces backlash for linking ‘meat-eating’ to Himachal crisis

The director of IIT Mandi is facing backlash on social media for claiming that recent cloudbursts and landslides in Himachal were due to meat eating.

Laxmidhar Behera

Laxmidhar Behera, director of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi, and an expert in computing and robotics is facing a strong backlash on social media for a video that shows him claiming that recent cloudbursts and landslides in Himachal were the result of “meat-eating”.

In the clip, which has gone viral, Behera, addressing a group of students in an auditorium says that to become a good human being, they have to avoid eating meat.

“To become good human being what you have to do?,” he asks and then answers: “No meat eating.” He further exhorts students to repeat the answer.

“Himachal Pradesh will have a significant downfall, if the innocent animals are butchered.”

Behera did not respond to phone calls or text messages seeking comment.

It isn’t known when he made the speech shown in the video.

Geologist and Dean, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Central University of Himachal Pradesh (CUHP), Ambrish Kumar Mahajan said that the recent disasters were result of geological reasons coupled with anthropogenic factors.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/iit-mandi-director-faces-backlash-for-blaming-meat-eating-for-cloudbursts-and-landslides-in-himachal-pradesh-101694110824644.html

79% Indians favourable of Modi, 68% feel India getting stronger: Pew survey

According to the report, 79% Indians have a favorable view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, including 55% who hold a “very favorable” view.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Image: PIB)

A Pew Research Center study of more than 30,000 people in 24 countries, including India, released on Tuesday found that 46% respondents worldwide had a favorable view of India, while a large majority of Indians surveyed (68%) said India’s global influence is getting stronger.

According to the report, 79% Indians have a favorable view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, including 55% who hold a “very favorable” view. “…In comparison, a median of 37% in 12 countries, most of which are middle-income, report having confidence in Modi to make the right foreign policy choices,” the report stated.

The report noted: “Opinions of Modi are mixed, with a median of 40% saying they have no confidence in Modi to do the right thing regarding world affairs and a median of 37% saying they have at least some confidence. Substantial minorities in most countries did not share an opinion, and respondents in Europe were not asked about the Indian leader.”

 

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-viewed-favourably-most-g20-members-modis-image-divided-survey-8916045/

GOP voters say DeSantis delivered best performance in first primary debate: poll

Vivek Ramaswamy came in second in the poll with 26% support

A poll taken after the first GOP presidential primary debate on Wednesday showed that a plurality of Republican voters felt that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis won the night.

According to a Washington Post poll, conducted alongside FiveThirtyEight and Ipsos, 29% of Republican voters polled said that DeSantis performed the best out of the eight candidates on the stage in Milwaukee.

The poll was conducted from Aug. 23-24 and polled 775 potential Republican primary voters who watched the debate.

The second-best performance, according to the poll’s respondents, was from entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who had support from 26% of GOP voters in the poll.

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley was the only other candidate to poll in double digits, with 15% of GOP voters saying she had the best night.

Former Vice President Mike Pence came in fourth with 7% support, and was followed by South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who both tied with 4%.

From left: Former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty)

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson both polled at 1% in the debate.

“Last night, Ron DeSantis was the clear winner and proved that he is ready to beat Joe Biden and serve as America’s 47th president,” Andrew Romeo, communications director for the DeSantis campaign, told Fox News Digital. “The debate highlighted that DeSantis is the only candidate with the vision to reverse our nation’s decline and revive the American Dream.”

The showdown in Milwaukee, hosted by Fox News, was the first of monthly debates organized by the Republican National Committee.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gop-voters-say-desantis-delivered-best-performance-in-first-primary-debate-poll

Jennifer Aniston declares she’s ‘so over’ cancel culture: ‘I don’t put everybody in the Harvey Weinstein basket!’

Jennifer Aniston is “so over” cancel culture and refuses to put “everybody in the Harvey Weinstein basket”.

Despite currently making millions starring in #MeToo-themed drama “The Morning Show’, the former ‘Friends’ actress, 54, hit out over the army of stars who have been “cancelled” in the wake of serial rapist Weinstein, 71, being sentenced to 39 years behind bars on four counts of rape and one of sexual assault.

Jennifer told the Wall Street Journal: “I’m so over cancel culture. “I probably just got cancelled by saying that. I just don’t understand what it means.

“Is there no redemption? I don’t know. I don’t put everybody in the Harvey Weinstein basket.”

Jennifer added that even though she was never harassed or attacked by Weinstein, she “consciously” had someone in her trailer with her when he visited her on a set to pitch her a film.

“You were actually like, ‘Oh, God, OK, suck it up.’

“I remember actually, he came to visit me on a movie to pitch me a movie. And I do remember consciously having a person stay in my trailer.”

Weinstein told the publication Jennifer had “never had any uncomfortable instances with me”.

He was already serving a 23-year sentence for separate rape and sexual assault convictions in New York when he was also found guilty of rape, forcible oral copulation and the sexual penetration by a foreign object of an unnamed Russian-born model.

Jennifer is currently starring in Apple TV+’s ‘The Morning Show’, which features a fictional breakfast TV news anchor being hit with a series of #MeToo allegations.

Her Wall Street journal interview comes after she disabled her Instagram comments after an account under her name hit the like button on a controversial post from Jamie Foxx, 55, that was linked to anti-Semitism.

Source : https://www.themoorecountynews.com/entertainment/jennifer-aniston-declares-she-s-so-over-cancel-culture-i-don-t-put-everybody-in/article_145fa973-00eb-5f1f-a898-f144d38a8622.html

The crazy plan to explode a nuclear bomb on the Moon

In the 1950s, with the USSR seemingly sprinting ahead in the space race, US scientists hatched a bizarre plan – nuking the surface of the Moon to frighten the Soviets.
The moment astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped out on to the Moon’s surface in 1969 is one of the most memorable moments in history.

But what if the Moon Armstrong stepped onto was scarred by huge craters and poisoned from the effects of nuclear bombardment?

At first reading, the title of the research paper – A Study of Lunar Research Flights, Vol 1 – sounds blandly bureaucratic and peaceful. The kind of paper easy to ignore. And that was probably the point.

Glance at the cover, however, and things look a little different.

Emblazoned in the centre is a shield depicting an atom, a nuclear bomb, and a mushroom cloud – the emblem of the Air Force Special Weapons Center at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, which played a key role in the development and testing of nuclear weapons.
Down at the bottom is the author’s name: L Reiffel, or Leonard Reiffel, one of America’s leading nuclear physicists. He worked with Enrico Fermi, the creator of the world’s first nuclear reactor who is known as the “architect of the nuclear bomb”.

Project A119, as it was known, was a top-secret proposal to detonate a hydrogen bomb on the Moon. Hydrogen bombs were vastly more destructive than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, and the latest in nuclear weapon design at the time. Asked to “fast track” the project by senior officers in the Air Force, Reiffel produced many reports between May 1958 and January 1959 on the feasibility of the plan.

The US was concerned that Soviet missile technology was advancing faster than they could keep up (Credit: Getty Images)

Incredibly, one scientist enabling this horrific scheme was future visionary Carl Sagan. In fact, the existence of the project was only discovered in the 1990s because Sagan had mentioned it on an application to an elite university.

While it might have helped to answer some rudimentary scientific questions about the Moon, Project A119’s primary purpose was as a show of force. The bomb would explode on the appropriately named Terminator Line – the border between the light and dark side of the Moon – to create a bright flash of light that anyone, but particularly anyone in the Kremlin, could see with the naked eye. The absence of an atmosphere meant there wouldn’t be a mushroom cloud.

There is only one convincing explanation for proposing such a horrendous plan – and the motivation for it lies somewhere between insecurity and desperation.

It didn’t help American nerves that Sputnik was launched on top of a Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile
In the 1950s, it didn’t look like America was winning the Cold War. Political and popular opinion in the United States held that the Soviet Union was ahead in the growth of its nuclear arsenal, particularly in the development, and number, of nuclear bombers (“the bomber gap”) and nuclear missiles (“the missile gap”).

In 1952, the US had exploded the first hydrogen bomb. Three years later the Soviets shocked Washington by exploding their own. In 1957 they went one better, stealing a lead in the space race with the launch of Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite in orbit around the world.

It didn’t help American nerves that Sputnik was launched on top of a Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile – albeit a modified one – nor that the US’s own attempt to launch an “artificial moon” ended in a huge, fiery explosion. The inferno that consumed their Vanguard rocket was captured on film and shown around the world. A British newsreel at the time was brutal: “THE VANGUARD FAILS…a big setback indeed…in the realm of prestige and propaganda…”

The successful launch of Sputnik in 1957 caused consternation in the West (Credit: Getty Images)

All the while, US schoolchildren were being shown the famous “Duck and Cover” information film, in which Bert the animated turtle helps teach children what to do in the event of a nuclear attack.

Later that same year, US newspapers citing a senior intelligence source reported that “Soviets to H-Bomb Moon On Revolution Anniversary Nov 7” (The Daily Times, New Philadelphia, Ohio) and then followed it up with reports that the Soviets might already be planning to launch a nuclear-armed rocket at our nearest neighbour.

Like with other Cold War rumours, its origins are hard to fathom.

Strangely, this scare also likely motivated the Soviets to develop their plans. Codenamed E4, their plan was a carbon copy of the Americans’, and eventually dismissed by the Soviets for similar reasons – the fear that a failed launch could result in the bomb dropping down on Soviet soil. They described the potential for a “highly undesirable international incident”.

They may have simply realised that landing on the Moon was the bigger prize.

But Project A119 would have worked.

In 2000 Reiffel had his say. He confirmed that it was “technically feasible”, and that the explosion would have been visible on Earth.

The loss of the pristine lunar environment was less of a worry to the US Air Force despite the scientists’ concerns.

“Project A119 was one of several ideas that were floated for an exciting response to Sputnik,” says Alex Wellerstein, a historian of science and nuclear technology, “that included shooting down Sputnik, which feels very spiteful. They refer to them as stunts… designed to impress people.

“Now what they did in the end was put up their own satellite, and that took a little while, but they continued this project somewhat seriously, into at least the late 1950s.

“It is a pretty interesting window into the sort of American mindset at that time. This push to compete in a way that creates something very impressive. I think, in this case, impressive and horrifying are a bit too close to each other.”

He isn’t sure that fear of the anti-communist witch hunt made nuclear physicists work on this project. “Anyone who’s in these roles is probably self-selected to some degree,” he says. “They don’t mind doing the work. If they were afraid, they could do a million other things. A lot of scientists did this in the Cold War; they said physics has gotten too political.”

Source: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230505-the-crazy-plan-to-explode-a-nuclear-bomb-on-the-moon

Manipur death toll crosses 50 as CM holds all-party meet, Army steps in

Clashes between the Meitei and Kuki groups were first reported in an area bordering Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts on Wednesday, following a ‘tribal solidarity march’ organised by the All Tribal Students’ Union of Manipur.

At a relief camp in Assam’s Cachar district on Saturday. PTI

At least 52 people have been killed in Manipur since violent clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities broke out Wednesday even as Chief Minister N Biren Singh held an all-party meeting Saturday and a video conference with security personnel calling for calm and an end to violence.

Late Saturday night, Singh said that with the “law and order situation” improving in Churachandpur district and after talks “between the state government and various stakeholders, I’m pleased to share that the curfew will be partially relaxed.”

At a press conference at the CM Secretariat Saturday night, Security Advisor to the Manipur Government, Kuldiep Singh, said that Article 355 has not been promulgated in the state and that “confusion had been created by certain elements”.

“Action will be taken up against all those who have taken the law in their hands, including those who are under Suspension of Operation agreement with the state and Centre,” he said. He added that the government will facilitate evacuation of all those who are stranded “in a time-bound manner” to ensure their safety.

The death toll of 52 is according to estimates of bodies received and the number of injured who were brought to three key hospitals, their officials have told The Indian Express.

The state government or police have not released the official toll so far. On Friday, P Doungel, Director General of Police (DGP), Manipur, had cited security reasons for the decision.

In Churachandpur, seven of the deaths took place on Friday, including three in an alleged incident of security personnel opening fire on people who had allegedly tried to stop the evacuation of Meiteis from the area.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/manipur-death-toll-crosses-50-as-cm-holds-all-party-meet-army-steps-in-8595648/

NEW POLL: Whopping 70 Percent Think Biden Shouldn’t Run Again, Days Before He’s Set to Announce Reelection Bid

President Joe Biden may be 48 hours away from announcing his reelection bid. But nearly 3 out of 4 Americans are hoping he has a last-minute change of heart.

According to a new poll out Sunday from NBC News, 70 percent of Americans do not want Biden to run for a second term, compared to only 26 percent who do. Among those who don’t want the 80-year-old president to pursue a second term, 69 percent cite age as a reason why, with 48 percent calling it a “major” reason.

Worse yet for Biden, the new survey shows him facing a steep uphill climb in a general election. The NBC poll shows 41 percent of Americans plan to vote for Biden in 2024, compared to 47 percent who say they will back the Republican nominee.

Source: https://www.mediaite.com/news/new-poll-whopping-70-percent-think-biden-shouldnt-run-again-days-before-hes-set-to-announce-reelection-bid/

PM Modi beats Biden, Sunak to retain spot as ‘most popular’ world leader. List here

PM Modi grabbed the top spot with an approval rating of 76% this time, a marginal decline of 2% compared to the last survey shared by the organisation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing a public rally in Madhya Pradesh.(PTI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi once again emerged as the world’s ‘most popular’ leader, leaving behind leaders including his United States counterpart Joe Biden. In a survey, released by ‘Morning Consult’ – a global decision intelligence firm which works to map decisions of the modern leaders – PM Modi ranked number one with an approval rating of 76% while Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador grabbed the second spot.

Narendra Modi (India) 76%
Andrés Manuel López Obrador (Mexico) 61%
Anthony Albanese (Australia) 55%
Alain Berset (Switzerland) 53%
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Brazil) 49%
Giorgia Meloni (Italy) 49%
Joe Biden (United States) 41%
Alexander De Croo (Belgium) 39%
Justin Trudeau (Canada) 39%
Pedro Sánchez (Spain) 38%

“The latest approval ratings are based on data collected from March 22-28, 2023. Approval ratings are based on a seven-day moving average of adult residents in each country, with sample sizes varying by country,” the website said. In its last survey, shared by the organisation on March 5, PM Modi had maintained his top position with an approval rating of 78%.

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