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The proportion of Americans who think Joe Biden is doing a poor job rose to 47%, the highest of his presidency, according to a new poll. The survey by Siena College and the New York Times also found that Democrats are split over whether Mr Biden should be the party’s nominee for the election in November. According to our poll tracker the race between Mr Biden and Donald Trump is too close to call.
Walgreens and CVS, two major pharmacy chains, announced they would start selling mifepristone, an abortion drug, in some states this month, including New York and Pennsylvania. It marks the first time the medication will be accessible at retail pharmacies in America. The Supreme Court will hear a case this month that could prevent patients from receiving mifepristone by post or obtaining a prescription remotely.
The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s classified-documents case told prosecutors that their proposed trial date in July is “unrealistic”. Judge Aileen Cannon, whom Mr Trump appointed to the bench when he was president, did not set a firm date. In this case—not the first to face delays—Mr Trump is accused of improperly storing sensitive files at his private residences. He pleaded not guilty.
In Georgia, meanwhile, the judge overseeing Mr Trump’s election-interference case said he would decide within two weeks whether Fani Willis should be disqualified from handling it. The district-attorney is accused of improperly benefiting from the case by hiring a special prosecutor she is romantically involved with (she denies impropriety). A disqualification could delay proceedings until after the presidential election and transform the dynamics of the case.
A former insurance broker pleaded guilty to charges related to bribing Bob Menendez, a senator from New Jersey also indicted on bribery charges. Jose Uribe is accused of giving Mr Menendez’s wife a Mercedes-Benz as payment for the senator intervening in an insurance-fraud investigation of Mr Uribe’s associates. Mr Menendez, his wife and two other businessmen charged alongside them have all pleaded not guilty.
Both the House and the Senate passed a stop-gap bill averting a partial government shutdown. Earlier this week congressional leaders agreed to push back the deadline to fund several agencies until March 8th, and give negotiators three weeks to hammer out a broader spending bill. Mike Johnson, the House speaker, yet again had to rely on Democrat votes.
Commitment phobia
What to make of Joe Biden’s performance in Michigan, where over 100,000 Democrats voted “uncommitted” in protest at his support for Israel in its war against Hamas? If the anti-Gaza backlash persisted through November, the effect would be marginal. But in a swing state like Michigan, marginal effects can matter a lot. Read our story about the Biden campaign’s serious Gaza problem.
Today’s polls
Eight months out from the general election, Joe Biden and Donald Trump, the Republicans’ presumptive nominee, are neck-and-neck. Our poll tracker, updated daily, shows an average of the latest polls. Though it looks like Mr Trump is in the lead, his advantage is within the margin of error. The race, for now, could hardly be any closer.
Figure of the day
64,000, the number of metric tonnes of processed nickel that the Oklahoma-based Westwin Elements says it plans to produce by 2030. Read our story about America’s first nickel-cobalt refinery.
Daily quiz
From Monday to Thursday we’ll quiz you on American politics. The weekly winner, chosen at random, will be announced here on Fridays. This week’s winner is Christopher Lewis, from Tokyo, Japan.
The correct answers were:
- Roughly 3% of America’s total wealth is owned by the poorest half of the population.
- Roughly 30% of America’s population has no religious affiliation.
- Strom Thurmond was the oldest serving US senator; he retired aged 100.
- Chuck Grassley, aged 90, is the oldest current US senator.
If you enjoyed this week’s quiz, play Dateline, The Economist‘s new history game.
Read all of our recent coverage of the 2024 election. Confused about a term? Check out our A-Z of American politics.
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