The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

 

The good:

... Two fresh surveys—both taken after Trump’s reckless “Liberation Day,” when he slapped haphazard tariffs on dozens of countries—show his approval rating underwater. Morning Consult polling puts him at 46% approve, 52% disapprove among adults. Navigator Research, polling registered voters, shows 44% approve and 53% disapprove of the president.

Both surveys also show Trump’s economic approval nosediving. Navigator found that 55% of registered voters now disapprove of his handling of the economy, with just 42% approving—a net -13, down from -5 in mid-March. Morning Consult similarly found that voters are 3 points more likely to disapprove than approve of Trump’s economic and trade policy. And it’s no mystery why: He managed to tank the stock market in just a few weeks.

Navigator also found rising economic anxiety under Trump. Only 36% of registered voters say they feel confident about their personal finances in the coming months, while 62% feel uneasy. The only group showing a flicker of optimism? Republicans—though even there, only 55% feel secure. 

And confidence is slipping fast. Among Republicans, Navigator found that net personal financial confidence has plunged—from +30 in early February to +32 in mid-March to just +13 now.

That suggests Trump is even losing ground with his base. And it doesn’t stop there. A growing number of Americans now believe the economy is actively deteriorating. In December 2024, just 37% said so. By April, that number had soared to 59%.

Then there’s the political landmine: tariffs. If Trump sees them as a winning issue, the public doesn’t agree. Only 30% of registered voters view tariffs favorably; 58% disapprove. Democrats (88%) and independents (55%) were especially sour, but even typically reliable Republican blocs weren’t sold. Fifty-six percent of non-college-educated voters disapprove of tariffs—just shy of the 62% of college grads who say the same.

And any inroads Trump made with voters of color in 2024 may be slipping, too. Navigator found that 64% of Black, 61% of Hispanic, and 67% of AAPI respondents oppose tariffs... (our emphasis)

Sad!  Not that the Malignant Fascist is ever allowed to see polls like this, lest the ketchup go flying, or that he would believe them anyway ("fake news!").  But we should take heart that the incompetence of the charlatan MF is rapidly becoming clear to voters.  The main problem still remains that the MF has no plans to hold / abide by future elections.

The bad:

The federal teams that count public health problems are disappearing — putting efforts to solve those problems in jeopardy.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s purge of tens of thousands of federal workers has halted efforts to collect data on everything from cancer rates in firefighters to mother-to-baby transmission of HIV and syphilis to outbreaks of drug-resistant gonorrhea to cases of carbon monoxide poisoning.

The cuts threaten to obscure the severity of pressing health threats and whether they’re getting better or worse, leaving officials clueless on how to respond. They could also make it difficult, if not impossible, to assess the impact of the administration’s spending and policies. Both outside experts and impacted employees argue the layoffs will cost the government more money in the long run by eliminating information on whether programs are effective or wasteful, and by allowing preventable problems to fester.

“Surveillance capabilities are crucial for identifying emerging health issues, directing resources efficiently, and evaluating the effectiveness of existing policies,” said Jerome Adams, who served as surgeon general in the first Trump’s administration. “Without robust data and surveillance systems, we cannot accurately assess whether we are truly making America healthier.”

The offices that ran the Sickle Cell Data Collection Program, the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System and the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer were scrapped. So were teams that reported how many abortions are performed nationwide, the levels of lead in childrens’ blood, alcohol-related deaths, asthma rates, exposures to radon and other dangerous chemicals, how many people with HIV are taking medication to suppress the virus, and how many people who use injectable drugs contract infectious diseases...

Make America Sick Again!  To think this addled brainworm nut is in the position he's in even after the world's experiences with pandemics, HIV, and other health threats means we've officially gone from the tragedy to the farce phase in the history of modern medicine.

The ugly:

The Trump administration insisted Sunday that it has no legal obligation to arrange for the return of a Maryland man illegally deported from the United States, arguing that a Supreme Court ruling last week only requires officials to admit him into the country if he makes it back from a high-security prison in El Salvador.

Justice Department lawyers told a federal judge that they don’t interpret the Supreme Court’s Thursday ruling — that the administration “facilitate” Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s release — as obligating the administration to do anything more than adjust his immigration status to admit him if El Salvador’s government chooses to release him.

With El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele set to meet President Donald Trump Monday, DOJ attorneys argued the courts have no power to require the administration to engage with the Salvadoran government to reach a diplomatic solution. They contend such a potential order would amount to a violation of the separation of powers and an intrusion into what they allege is unfettered presidential power to conduct foreign relations.

“All of those requested orders involve interactions with a foreign sovereign — and potential violations of that sovereignty,” Justice Department attorneys wrote in a seven-page submission to U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis. “[A] federal court cannot compel the Executive Branch to engage in any mandated act of diplomacy or incursion upon the sovereignty of another nation.”

The administration’s position suggests officials do not view the Supreme Court’s order as compelling them to seek Abrego Garcia’s return. The Salvadoran native entered the country illegally around 2011 and had been living in Maryland. The Trump administration has admitted it deported him to El Salvador in violation of a 2019 immigration court order barring his deportation to that country. Though Abrego Garcia was denied asylum, a judge found he could not be sent to his home country because of a legitimate fear of persecution by a local gang... (our emphasis)

Again, this is fascism, pure and simple.  No due process, deporting him illegally, and ignoring a Supreme Court ruling that was, in itself, only the slightest effort to see justice done.  But, then, the cruelty has always been the point for these fascists.