A few weeks before election day, 71% of American adults think the country is on the “wrong track.” It’s the highest share ever recorded during President Donald Trump’s second term, illustrating the bleak national mood his party faces in the midterms, according to a new NBC News Decision Desk poll by SurveyMonkey.
Respondents expressed deep dissatisfaction with the economic situation and widespread distrust of both major political parties, but Trump and the Republicans bore the brunt.
A majority of Americans view the presidential administration as particularly corrupt, although they are skeptical of corruption within both parties. And they claim that Trump is failing to improve their material financial conditions. The president’s approval rating dropped to 34% among U.S. adults, the lowest level for a second term in this poll, while his disapproval rating climbed to 66%.
Americans also continue to have a negative view of Democrats. Among adults, only 43% have a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party.
Boy and man killed, 10 injured after woman drives youth football game in Kansas
A 6-year-old boy and a 35-year-old man were killed and 10 others were injured when a woman drives a truck at a youth football game at a sports complex in the city of Wichita, Kansas, Saturday afternoon, police said.
The 34-year-old driver was taken into custody but released after consultation with the Sedgwick County Prosecutor’s Office, police said. She has not been charged with a crime and has not been identified.
It is unclear whether the incident at the Stryker Sports Complex was intentional. Investigators are awaiting the results of the driver’s toxicology tests and a mechanical examination of the vehicle.
Among the injured were five children aged 5 to 9, as well as five men and women aged 28 to 68, he said.
‘Meet the press’: Zelensky warns US of ‘historic mistake’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that the United States officially siding with Russia’s Vladimir Putin would be a “historic mistake” but said he still considered Trump an ally despite a series of moves that have destabilized his country and his friends on Capitol Hill.
“We want to trust him,” Zelenskyy told NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” referring to Trump. “I hope he changes his decisions, because I think they’re just mistakes, and it won’t help us, and it won’t help the United States.”
Trump on Friday lifted sweeping new sanctions against Russia passed by Congress. The move came days after US intelligence sharing was briefly “blocked,” Zelenskyy said, leaving Ukraine blind to incoming ballistic missiles. Limits have also been placed on Starlink technology, essential for intercepting jet drones.
Zelenskyy told moderator Kristen Welker that Ukrainian officials believed SpaceX imposed the Starlink limits in response to a “message from the U.S. government.”
Amid growing tensions between Trump and Zelensky, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent dodged three times when asked if Ukraine was an ally of the United States.
“We provide three different things … to Ukraine, so that’s what you do as an ally. We don’t provide them to Russia,” Bessent told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” the second time he was asked whether the United States considered Ukraine an ally. (Earlier, Bessent said U.S. support included providing intelligence, supporting Starlink and allowing NATO to buy U.S. weapons for resale to Ukraine.)
Questioned a third time, the Treasury secretary simply replied: “I’m not the secretary of state. I’m not the president.”
Remarkable quote
It seems to me that this will not stop Putin. On the contrary, he feels joy and happiness in front of such support.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
Zelensky responded to Trump suspend new sanctions against Russia that Congress had adopted. Trump signed the law, named for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., last month.
Politics in brief
- ‘No kings: Anti-Trump rallies took place in cities and communities across the United States on Saturday, aiming to encourage people to vote early in the midterm elections.
- DC Makeover: Trump announced his intention to redevelop the East Potomac Golf Links course in Washington, D.C., which has been at the center of a legal battle over its renovation efforts.
- Foreign endorsement: Asset supported his ally Benjamin Netanyahu as Israel’s long-serving prime minister struggles to gain an advantage in next week’s parliamentary elections.
Pope Leo released from hospital after lung cancer operation
Pope Leo XIV was released from hospital On Saturday, after undergoing surgery for lung cancer, his surgeon said he could make a full recovery in about 10 days.
Dr Stefano Margaritora told Vatican News there was “no clinical reason” why the pontiff should not make his planned trip to Latin America next month.
Leo, who had been recovering at Rome’s Gemelli hospital since Tuesday, walked out unassisted and spent a few minutes speaking to well-wishers. He appeared to accept a gift from a homemade smiling figure of the pope before getting into a car to return to the Vatican.
He thanked his supporters on Sunday by reciting the Angelus prayer from the window of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace.
“The house was toast”: surf swallows Californian houses
The worst of El Niño will still be a few months away, but Southern California’s fragile coastline is already transformed by record king tides and storm surges.
An unusually active hurricane season unleashed a trio of storms that hit Hawaii and Mexico earlier this year. The historic weather destroyed more than a dozen homes along the shoreline in Long Beach, engulfing parkways and portions of the Pacific Coast Highway farther south.
“This is just a small taste of what we will see in the future,” warned Timu Gallien of the Coastal Flood Lab at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Golden State Valkyries win Game 1 of WNBA Finals against Atlanta Dream
In front of a sold-out sea of purple at Chase Center, the Golden State Valkyries overcame an early deficit and shooting struggles to beat the Atlanta Dream 68-64 and take Game 1 of the WNBA Finals.
Valkyries star Gabby Williams led all scorers with 26 points on 8-of-22 shooting. She made two free throws with 4.1 seconds left to ice the game. Allisha Gray led the Dream with 19 points on 5-of-19 shooting, but was held scoreless in the fourth quarter.
The Valkyries forced 12 Atlanta turnovers and scored 17 points. Golden State center Kiah Stokes recorded four blocks in the first half to add to the team’s total of 10.
More sports news
- Boxing champion Daniel Dubois retained his WBO heavyweight title with a brutal second-round stoppage of Fabio Wardley on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London.
In case you missed it
- Police arrested at least 1,800 people across France after violent groups clashed with officers and looted stores protests against the rising cost of living and poor conditions in schools.
- The Canadian Minister of Defense declared four people were killed and several other people were injured when an incident at a military base in Alberta caused a major fire.
- A man died after being shot dead during an argument in a subway in Manhattan’s theater district, according to police.
- Val Chmerkovskiy received a one week suspension on “Dancing with the Stars” after a comment he made on social media.
- A 71-year-old man has died after being attacked by an alligator while fishing. authorities said.
Gn headline
