CNN:
Trump approval slides, matches lowest point of presidency
The President also earns his lowest rating yet among Republicans, though he is still viewed positively among his own partisans. Overall, 80% of self-identified Republicans say they approve of the President, one point below his previous low mark of 81%, hit in late September of last year. Just 13% of Republicans say they disapprove of the President's performance. Approval for the President stands at just 5% among Democrats and 35% among independents.
A reminder that Democrats (32%) outnumber Republicans (22), and independents (44) greatly outnumber both (Gallup). As go indies, so goes the country.
Is Mitt Romney a UT Republican? Maybe not.
Chaos in the Utah GOP! Hardliners adopt rule change that could kick Mitt Romney (and other candidates) out of the party
Because why not? These are Republicans.
USA Today/Suffolk:
As President Trump sends mixed signals about what he'll support when it comes to gun legislation, his approval rating has fallen to its lowest level in the USA TODAY survey since he was inaugurated last year. Just 38% now approve of the job he's doing as president; 60% disapprove.
That's a steep drop from the president's standing one year ago, in March 2017, soon after his first address to Congress had received good reviews. Then, 47% expressed approval, a high-water mark for him in the poll; 44% expressed disapproval.
What's more, the intensity of feeling is hardening against the president. Now, the percentage who "strongly disapprove" of him is more than double the percentage who "strongly approve," 39% compared with 16%.
See also, same poll:
On guns, a nation that is often divided on issues is remarkably united:
- By almost 2-1, 61%-33%, they say tightening gun-control laws and background checks would prevent more mass shootings in the United States.
- By more than 2-1, 63%-29%, they say semi-automatic weapons like the AR-15, used by the Florida shooter, should be banned.
- By more than 6-1, 76%-12%, they say people who have been treated for mental illness should be banned from owning a firearm.
Even gun owners are inclined to support those three measures. But a majority of Republicans say tighter gun laws wouldn't prevent more mass shootings, and they oppose banning semi-automatic weapons.
Charles Franklin looks at recent polling and notes how you do the poll affects the result. Trump does worst with live calls and best with robocalls (IVR).
Another factor that matters is how you determine who a likely voter is. But that’s for another day.
WaPo:
More governors willing to consider gun law changes after Florida shooting
Individual governors said they would be open to raising the age limit for the purchase of long guns to 21, a measure opposed by the National Rifle Association, or said they believed there should be better ways for family members or others to take concerns about unstable individuals to a judge and have weapons confiscated.
Both measures were endorsed Friday by Florida’s Republican governor, Rick Scott, a longtime supporter of the NRA, who opposed new gun laws after the 2016 mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Florida and the 2017 mass shooting at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
All because of the FL kids, AKA future voters.
Josh Marshall/twitter:
It is notable that most of the NRA's public messaging isn't even about firearms anymore. It's mostly culture war agitprop about fake news, Trump, obedience to the flag, feral leftists, socialists, antifa street gangs and other similar incitement. This is for a clear reason.
Sam Quinones/NY Times:
Guns and Opioids Are American Scourges Fueled by Availability
Laid on top of a culture of increasing social isolation for many, our vast supply of easily accessible opioids has sent overdose deaths skyrocketing. So, too, a vast supply of easily accessible guns has produced a similarly rising death toll.
I wrote a book about our opioid-addiction epidemic. I first thought the book was about drug marketing — both from pharmaceutical companies and from Mexican heroin traffickers. But it was bigger than that; it was about who we were as Americans. The root of the scourge, I believe, is in isolation and a conviction that we are entitled to a life free of pain — all of which forms heroin’s natural habitat.
Vice:
The Cause the Resistance Cares Most About Is Ending Voter Suppression
Nicole is a cofounder of Sandy Hook Promise.