Republican support for Trump has fallen as Democrats hold a big lead among enthusiastic midterms voters David Montgomery, YouGov According to this week's Economist / YouGov Poll, about one-third (35%) of Americans strongly or somewhat approve of Donald Trump's job performance as president, and 61% disapprove.... Democrats have widened their advantage in the race for Congress.
Americans want a fast end to the Iran war but are increasingly likely not to expect one Taylor Orth, YouGov The latest Economist / YouGov poll finds that majorities of Americans believe the war with Iran was a mistake and want a quick deal to end it. An increasing share expect the war will last at least another year.
Republicans are divided on whether to use the military to take over Cuba and the Panama Canal David Montgomery, YouGov Only 17% of Americans support the U.S. using military force to take control of Cuba, according to the latest Economist / YouGov Poll, fielded as the U.S. ramps up pressure on the Caribbean nation. 58% of Americans oppose seizing Cuba by force.... Most Americans say the U.S.'s standing in the world has worsened since the start of Trump's second term (59%, while 25% say it has improved).
Since Trump's return to the White House, Republicans see a better country and Democrats a worse one Taylor Orth, YouGov Americans continue to be more negative than positive about the state of the country across most of 40 dimensions YouGov tracks, including the cost of living, political stability, moral values, and race relations. Poll: Americans say the White House has shifted its deportation campaign. They’re still not buying it. Myah Ward and Erin Doherty, Politico New results from The POLITICO Poll show that half of Americans, including nearly a quarter of Trump’s 2024 voters, still say the president’s mass deportation campaign is too aggressive.
What do Americans think about socialism? Taylor Orth, YouGov Do you have a favorable or an unfavorable view of socialism? More Americans say they have a very or somewhat unfavorable view (43%) than have a favorable one (31%), while 26% say they don't know. Would you ever vote for a candidate who identified as a socialist? 27% of Americans say they would, 45% say they would not, and 28% are not sure.
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Young adults in the U.S. are increasingly wary of AI, concerned it will take jobs Colleen McClain and Eugenie Park, Pew Research Center Americans have become increasingly worried about artificial intelligence over the years, and young adults’ concern has continued to climb. Worry over job loss, too, is on the rise.
Rising Majority Say AI Is A Job Killer That Will Lead To Higher Energy Costs: I&I/TIPP Poll Terry Jones, tippinsights The public isn't buying the hype about AI, according to our latest poll.
August 2026 Verified Voter Omnibus Echelon Insights • Donald Trump’s job approval stands at 40% approve, 59% disapprove. • Democrats say their politicians should not distance themselves from "woke" statements, 42% to 35%. • Likely voters favor a ban on data centers near them, 52% to 33%, but flip to allowing them conditional on rate cost, property taxes, and other offers. • Ukraine is viewed favorably by voters by 57% to 21%, with Republicans also favorable to the country on net by 43% to 33%. Canadians Expect U.S. Tariffs to Hurt, But Are Divided on How Ottawa Should Respond David Coletto, Abacus Data Our latest survey, conducted from August 7 to 12 as Canada and the United States continued negotiations ahead of the August 19 tariff deadline, finds Canadians are paying close attention to the dispute, expect significant economic consequences if the tariffs take effect, but are much less certain about how the Carney government should respond. Massachusetts: Poll Shows Markey Leading Moulton by 14 Points in Senate Democratic Primary Suffolk University Political Research Center Incumbent Senator Ed Markey (52%) holds a commanding lead over Democratic challenger Seth Moulton (38%), with the number of undecided voters (9%) dwindling from earlier surveys, according to a Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll of likely Democratic primary voters taken August 13-16. In terms of prospective 2028 White House contenders, Massachusetts Democratic primary voters remain most excited by Pete Buttigieg (21%), followed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (14%), Gavin Newsom (12%), Kamala Harris (10%), Mark Kelly (8%), and Josh Shapiro (7%), among others in low single digits. Massachusetts: Minogue Leading Shortsleeve in GOP Governor Primary, Though Both Trail Healey in Potential November Matchup University of Massachusetts Amherst Mike Minogue holds a 2-to-1 lead over Brian Shortsleeve among likely Republican voters for the party’s nomination for governor, according to a new statewide poll conducted Aug. 5-12. The poll also surveyed Bay State voters’ views on a slate of potential ballot questions, the economy, the most important issues affecting their lives, and more. Florida voters, hungry for change, snub Dem establishment and even Trump Andrew Atterbury, Arek Sarkissian and Gary Fineout, Politico Democrats picked a progressive for Senate. The GOP spurned the president’s endorsements in two House races. Backlash in Michigan complicates Democrats’ road to retaking the Senate Theodoric Meyer, The Washington Post [unlocked] The party’s chances may depend on Abdul El-Sayed, who beat Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s preferred candidate and has criticized his support for Israel. This year, the keyword for Democrats is 'competence' Jill Lawrence, The Los Angeles Times [via Yahoo] Mister Rogers used to say "look for the helpers." This year and in 2028, the Democratic message should be "look for reality-based fighters committed to facts, truth, accountability and renewal." How Radical Will the Democrats Get? William A. Galston, The Wall Street Journal [unlocked] Frustration with the economy is fueling the rise of the DSA, and it may not fade by 2028. Can a rising tide lift all boats? House Democrats are banking on it. Zach Blackburn, National Journal [unlocked] Democrats are fielding strong statewide candidates in key battleground states who could help power contenders further down the ballot. Rating changes: 10 of 11 races shift toward Democrats Nathan L. Gonzales, Roll Call Contests in Iowa and Texas account for majority of latest Inside Elections updates ‘A Blatant and Gargantuan Conflict of Interest’ Thomas B. Edsall, The New York Times [unlocked] The Trump family’s crypto business exemplifies all of the sleaziest aspects of the president’s code of conduct. Threatening Friends and Courting Enemies in Trump’s ‘Upside-Down World’ Peter Baker, The New York Times [unlocked] The president’s hostility to allies like Oman, Canada and South Korea, and his affection for adversaries like North Korea, may still shock some. But it comes as little surprise after a decade of upheaval. Trump’s Broken Promises, in 11 Charts Steven Rattner, The New York Times [unlocked] “Promises made, promises kept.” Other presidents have employed variations of that phrase, although few with the gusto of President Trump; he even proclaims it on the White House website. When it comes to the economy, though, “promises not kept” would be a more apt description of the first 19 months of Trump 2.0.
The Electoral Politics of the Public Debt Jared Bernstein It's not nearly as urgent as affordability concerns, but neither can it be ignored. Trump 2.0 has deleted or altered nearly 400 US datasets, endangering public health, education and more Amy Qin and Flávio Pessoa, The Guardian A database of federal law enforcement officer misconduct records. A survey measuring physical, sexual and emotional violence against children and youth. Real-time pollution readings collected by air quality monitors from US embassies around the world. These are among the hundreds of federal datasets that the Trump administration has taken down or altered as part of its aggressive campaign to wipe all mentions of data findings that do not align with the administration’s priorities. Trump Fired the Watchdogs. Their Replacements Have a Different Mission. Luke Broadwater, The New York Times [unlocked] President Trump is installing his allies in the offices of inspector general, which are meant to provide independent government oversight. Trump Is Giving Your Money to His Corporate Backers Dan Pfeiffer, The Message Box He made you pay for illegal tariffs. Now he's refunding the corporations and stiffing you. Democrats should scream it from the rooftops. Politics drove antisemitism probes against Ivy League schools, DOJ whistleblower says Jeremy Roebuck and Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, The Washington Post [unlocked] A former Justice Department attorney casts doubt on claims of systemic antisemitism at Brown, Harvard and Columbia. Bad polls, fake polls, and prediction markets are mucking up election coverage Natalie Jackson, National Journal [unlocked] It’s hard out there for a (real) pollster. Fake polling from mysterious company highlights danger of unvetted election surveys Steve Peoples, Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux and Ken Sweet, The Associated Press Locked in a competitive reelection race, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared on social media last week that a new poll was evidence that her campaign was “gaining momentum.” Just a few days later, the truth emerged: The poll was fabricated. What percent of Wisconsin likely Democratic primary voters are ages 18-30? G. Elliott Morris, Strength In Numbers This is a surprisingly important question that nobody has an exact answer to The improvement in political analysis in the past 25 years, as demonstrated by excellent demonstrations of statistical workflow from Elliott Morris, Nate Silver, and Eli Mckown-Dawson Andrew Gelman, Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science As with baseball, football, and basketball (and I’m sure other sports too), the standard of political analytics is just so much higher than it was, decades ago. Someone asked me what the little hog pin was on Peggy Flanagan’s jacket on primary night. Will Robinson's Newsletter I knew exactly what it was.
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PLAYLIST
Running on Empty (with Ron Brownstein) Hacks On Tap This week Axe and Murphy were joined by Bloomberg Opinion columnist, CNN senior political analyst, and certified Hackeroo Ron Brownstein. The Hacks dive into this week in the political circus — from military misadventures and ballroom loyalty tests to surging gas prices, plummeting poll numbers, and everything in between.
The growing debate over big money influence in American politics PBS News Hour Voters in Alaska are considering a ballot measure that aims to reduce the influence of big-money donors in state and local elections. It’s part of a wider conversation about money in politics, sparked by a Supreme Court decision that struck down limits on how much parties can spend in coordination with their candidates in national elections. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Daniel Weiner.
'He is losing': Enten on Trump's lowest presidential approval rating CNN CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten breaks down President Donald Trump's approval rating sinking to an all-time low of 33% in a new Reuters-Ipsos poll.