Winter Storm Leaves 91 Dead, Leads to Travel Mayhem

 Last week’s Christmas winter storm has left at least 91 dead, with over 2.5 million left without power for at least some period of time.

Many of the US deaths were caused by cold exposure, some of whom were pedestrians who became disoriented when walking outside in blizzard conditions. Some became trapped in their cars and were unable to get to warm shelter. Traffic accidents also claimed several victims.

In Synder, New York, near Buffalo, 56.5 inches of snow fell.

The cold temperatures from the storm spread across the US. Even in Houston, temperatures dropped so low that bats lost their grip on the bridges where they make homes. Volunteers managed to gather the affected bats so they could warm them sufficiently, and afterwards they released the bats back to their bridges.

Millions lost power during the storm. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) began rolling blackouts to prevent more widespread power outages. In Texas, power outages were much more limited than what was seen in the February 2021 winter storm.

The storm also led to mass cancellations of flights, leading to travel mayhem as travelers were stranded in airports trying to get to their destinations before Christmas day. Southwest Airlines was the hardest hit, with the airline experiencing a meltdown of their planning software. Employees were left to manually schedule crews for flights, and customers were forced to spend several hours on hold with customer service agents in attempts to rebook their flights. The US Department of Transportation has launched an investigation into the cancellations.

Soccer Legend Pelé Dies at 82

Pelé, considered by many to be the greatest soccer player of all time, died Thursday at 82 in São Paulo. His cause of death was multiple organ failure caused by colon cancer.

The Brazilian’s 22-year career helped lead to three World Cup victories for Brazil and established the nation as a powerhouse in the sport.

Pelé, whose real name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, was born in 1940 in Três Corações, Brazil. His father was also a footballer (soccer player), though his family was impoverished. His family’s economic condition did not stop him from learning the sport and training further, and at 17, he made his World Cup debut in 1958, in which Brazil defeated Sweden 5-2 in the final.

In 1969, he scored his 1000th career goal, making Pelé the first to achieve the feat.

He later played for the New York Cosmos, helping revive the sport’s popularity in the US.

Pelé appeared at the 2012 Olympics closing ceremony, in which the Brazil was handed host responsibilities for the 2016 Olympics.

His death comes in the same month that Argentina, another South American country, won the World Cup. 

 

Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin Dies at 96

Former President of China Jiang Zemin, who led the country in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square protest and its violent suppression, died Wednesday at 96.

Born in 1926, Jiang represented the third generation of Chinese leadership, following the tenures of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. He became communist party general secretary in 1989 and Chinese president in 1993. Under his leadership, the Chinese economy continued to grow and began to take on a more consumerist orientation. During his tenure, several state-owned enterprises were privatized and deregulated. These moves have been credited with strengthening the economy while also leading to higher unemployment and corruption.

China regained control of both Hong Kong and Macau during his time in office, increasing the country’s international standing.

 

Rare Widespread Protests Rock China amid Zero-Covid Policy

China’s ‘zero-covid’ policy, along with a deadly residential fire in Xinjiang which may have been exacerbated by the policy, have led to the greatest show of public discontent since the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.

A deadly fire in a residential building high-rise building in Urumqi, Xinjiang on November 24 was a major catalyst for the unrest. The building’s residents were reportedly prevented from fleeing the building as a result of the strict quarantine policies, and emergency responders experienced difficulty reaching the building and breaching barriers.

Protests have spread to major cities such as Shanghai, Nanjing, and the capital Beijing. University students have also protested at Tsinghua, Peking, and Sun Yat-sen Universities.

Police are reportedly checking the phones of people on the streets to see if certain apps, such as Instagram or Telegram, are installed on them. Protesters and other observers have used these apps to share news and footage of the protests to the outside world.

 

GOP Makes Inroads, Democrats Play Defense Ahead of Election Day

A Republican red wave appears more likely than it did during the summer, with just one week before election day on November 8. While summer polls showed a Democratic lead in the generic ballot and improving approval numbers for President Joe Biden, recent polling aggregates have Republicans with a lead in the generic ballot, with RealClearPolitics showing the GOP with a 2.9 lead.

Polling of certain battleground districts also show possible trouble for Democrats, with perhaps the most notable example being Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chair Sean Patrick Maloney in New York’s 17th Congressional District. Maloney had decided to run in the more Democratic 17th, but polling shows he still faces a competitive race against Republican Michael Lawler in a district that voted for President Biden by 10 points in 2020. 538, an election prediction website, still gives Maloney an edge in the district with a 70% chance to win, but the competitive nature of the district signals possible danger for Democrats in once-thought safe seats.

Other once-thought safe Democratic-held seats that face stronger than expected GOP opposition include New York’s gubernatorial race, Oregon’s gubernatorial race, and Washington’s US Senate race.

Democrats hope that they can maintain Senate control by keeping Georgia, Nevada, and Arizona in Democratic hands, while also flipping Pennsylvania. With the exception of Nevada, Democrats had held polling leads in all states until last week, when Republican nominees began to gain momentum in the polls. Democrats maintain a polling advantage in Arizona, though Republican Blake Masters has closed the gap in recent days against Democratic incumbent Mark Kelly.

 

Crowd Crush in Seoul Leaves At Least 154 Dead

A human crowd crush during Halloween celebrations in Seoul, South Korea left at least 154 dead and injured at least 152 more.

The cause of the incident, the deadliest peacetime disaster in the country since the 2014 ferry sinking killing 306, is still under investigation. Local outlets reported that it may have been caused by people trying to see a yet-to-be identified celebrity in a nearby club.

 

Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Wins Election

Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, often known mononymously as Lula, won Sunday’s presidential vote to recapture his old position, defeating incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro by just under 2 million votes out of nearly 120 million cast, or by around 1.8 percentage points.

The election marks a remarkable comeback for the former two-term president, who led the country from 2003 to 2010. Lula’s successor Dilma Rousseff, a fellow member of his left-wing Worker Party (PT), was impeached on corruption charges. Lula himself was convicted on corruption and money laundering charges in 2017, spending 580 days in jail. Lula successfully appealed his conviction, which he and his supporters argued was politically motivated, in 2021, clearing the way for him to run for president in 2022.

Outgoing President Bolsonaro, considered one of the most right-wing current leaders of a democratic country, has not yet conceded the election. While he lost, he outperformed most opinion polls, which had him losing to Lula by 5-10 points.

Queen Elizabeth's Funeral Caps Days of Mourning for Late British Monarch

The world said goodbye to the Queen Elizabeth II on Monday, with heads of state from around the world joining British royalty and politicians at Westminster Abbey. The memorial services, which were part of larger funeral plans decades in the making, were relatively short, in keeping with the queen’s wishes.

Following the service, her casket was taken to Buckingham Palace for a final time before being rolled to Wellington Arch, where it was then transferred to the hearse. Members of the public lined up along the road as her body was taken to Windsor Castle, where a second, smaller service occurred. At this service, the crown, orb, and scepter were removed from atop the casket, and her body was lowered into the chapel. The funeral was concluded later in the day with a private ceremony for her family, in which the queen was buried next to her husband, the late Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, and other deceased members of the royal family, including her late father, King George VI, mother, and sister.

The funeral caps ten days of mourning for the queen, who died September 8 after it was reported she was under medical supervision.

 

Queen Elizabeth II: 1926-2022

Queen Elizabeth's seven-decade reign ended September 8, with her death at 96 announced by Buckingham Palace. Her time on the throne spanned 15 prime ministers, from Churchill to Truss, and 14 US presidents, from Truman to Biden. It outlasted the Soviet Union, from Stalin to Gorbachev, and saw both the entry and exit of the UK from the European Union.

While the queen did not take an active role in politics, were seven decades on the throne saw a massive shift in Britain's place in the world: From superpower empire to a lesser great power status with still a major influence on the world. One of the last living links to World War II at the time of her death, she set the record for the longest reigning monarch of the UK and the second longest reigning monarch of a sovereign nation in history, only second to King Louis XIV of France and his 72 years on the throne (the first part of which was a regency given his young age). 

Elizabeth was born on April 21, 1926. Her father, then known as 'Albert,' was not expected to become king, with Edward (who was often called David), the elder brother to Albert, the heir apparent to the then-reigning King George V. Edward ascended to the throne after George V's death in 1936, becoming King Edward VIII.

Her fate turned when Edward VIII abdicated his throne in 1936 to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. Albert became King George VI, and she became heir to the throne. George VI led his country through WWII. 

Elizabeth became an honorary member of the women's Auxiliary Territorial Service, training as a driver and a mechanic. She appeared with her father and Prime Minister Winston Churchill on May 8, 1945, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to celebrate the end of the war in Europe following Germany's surrender. 

In 1947, after Elizabeth turned 21, she married Philip, a member of the Greek and Danish royal families. Philip and Elizabeth had met when she was 13 and he was 18, and they had exchanged letters since. To marry her, Philip gave up his foreign royal titles and became a British subject.

In 1948, their first son, Charles, was born. In 1950, they had their only daughter, Anne.

In 1952, after suffering with health problems largely related to his heavy smoking, George VI died. Elizabeth and Philip were in Kenya at the time, and they immediately returned to the UK. Her formal coronation occurred the following year.

The first two decades of her reign saw a dramatic shift in the role of the UK in geopolitics. Postwar Britain, while still an empire with global influence, faced severe economic challenges in the years that followed, including food rationing until 1954. While economic growth picked up in the 1950s, Britain's status as a superpower eroded, especially in the aftermath of the Suez Crisis in 1956. The 1960s saw a wave of decolonization and independence of the UK's African colonies, starting with Ghana in 1957, and with it, the loss of much of the British Empire. 

While the UK's hard political power declined in this era, these decades saw the rise of Britain's soft cultural power. British popular music was exported throughout the world, with the 'British Invasion' of music to the US, most notably through the Beatles, cementing a greater cultural affinity between the two nations. In 1969, a reality show style documentary, Royal Family, premiered in the UK, which helped bring about their status as not just royals, but celebrities.

The 1970s saw major changes in British politics and economics. Decimalization of the pound occurred in 1971. In 1973, the UK entered the European Union, though it was a more hesitant member and opted out of many of the bloc's programs. The late 1970s saw increased labor disputes, with the winter of 1978 and 1979 termed the 'Winter of Discontent.' These economic issues led to Margaret Thatcher and the Conservatives winning a parliamentary majority in 1979 and the ushering in of liberal economic reforms of the 1980s. 

The royal family's image received a large boost with the 1981 'Wedding of the Century': the marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. While the wedding itself was grand success from a public relations standpoint, the resulting marriage was not. Charles had carried on an extramarital affair with Camilla Shand, who he had dated prior to his marriage with Diana. Diana and he separated in 1992, and they were divorced in 1996. The marriage of her other son, Prince Andrew, also collapsed in 1992, along with the divorce of Anne and her husband. These events, along with a fire in Windsor Castle, led to Elizabeth calling 1992 her 'Annus horribilis,' or horrible year.

Diana later died in a car crash in 1997 in France as her driver tried fleeing the paparazzi. Queen Elizabeth's response was criticized at the time as not sensitive enough. Elizabeth later did a televised speech honoring her memory that allayed some of the criticism.

In 2002, her mother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, the widow of George VI, died at 101. Queen Elizabeth, now the matriarch of the royal family, was often seen as a grandmotherly figure in the last two decades of her rule. Her grandson William, the eldest son of Charles, married Catherine "Kate" Middleton in 2011. 

Queen Elizabeth, known for her humor, participated in the 2012 London Olympics ceremony, acting in a piece with James Bond actor Daniel Craig and having a stunt double dressed as her parachute into the stadium.

Her last decade on the throne saw two major referendums. The first in 2015 saw Scottish independence voted down (a result with which she was reportedly happy, though she did not publicly comment on her preference). The second in 2016 was voters approve the withdrawal of the UK from the European Union. The process of 'Brexit' dominated the country's politics for years until it was finally complete in 2020 after Conservatives won a strong victory in the 2019 parliamentary elections. The resulting parliament approved the terms of the Brexit deal.

Her final years were shadowed by the coronavirus pandemic, which caused the deaths of thousands in the country. The queen herself would contract the disease, though she survived the infection.

Prince Philip, after suffering years of health issues, died in April 2021 at 99. The queen continued working, though her own health issues became more apparent at the time of her Platinum Jubilee earlier this year, which celebrated her 70 years on the throne, the first British monarch to reach that milestone.

Elizabeth had been at Balmoral Castle in Scotland in the weeks preceding her death. She met with Prime Minister Liz Truss to formally invite her to form a government after Truss had won the Conservative leadership contest to replace outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Her meeting with Truss would be the last time the queen would have a public photograph taken.

Drone show at Buckingham Palace for Queen's
Platinum Jubilee
By Amr Vignesh - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=118968536

On September 8, it was announced that she was placed on medical supervision and that her family was traveling to Balmoral Castle to be with her. This sparked speculation that the queen was in her final hours, especially after BBC personalities changed to dark suits (which were part of contingency plans should the queen die). Her death was announced a few hours later.

With her death, Charles, who had been heir apparent for 70 years, became King Charles III. His wife Camilla became queen consort. William became Prince of Wales, with his Catherine becoming Princess of Wales, the first to hold that title since Diana. 

Her funeral will take place on Monday, September 19. 

Queen Elizabeth II Dies at 96

Queen Elizabeth II has died at 96 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Elizabeth had reigned since 1952, following the death of her father King George VI. Her 70 years on the British throne was the longest reign in British history and the second longest reign of a sovereign ruler in history, just after King Louis XIV of France.

Queen Elizabeth was born April 21, 1926. She ascended the throne on February 6, 1952. Her reign spanned 15 prime ministers, from Winston Churchill to Liz Truss. 

Her son, Charles, has become king upon her death.

Mikhail Gorbachev: 1931-2022

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union who presided over its dissolution and abandonment of Marxist-Leninist communism, died Tuesday at 91. Russian news agencies reported that his death followed “a serious and long” illness.

One of the most consequential leaders of the 20th century, Gorbachev was born in 1931, the only Soviet leader born after the USSR was already established. Moving his way up through the Communist Party ranks, he joined the Politburo in 1979. Following the brief terms of Yuri Andropov and Konstantin Chernenko, he became General Secretary in 1985.

By the time he came to power, the Soviet Union had a stagnant economy, a dysfunctional government, and a military quagmire in Afghanistan. In an attempt to salvage the Soviet Union, he initiated structural reforms, perestroika, and a new openness and transparency to the outside world unprecedented in Soviet history, glasnost.

The reforms were not enough to salvage the failing Soviet system, however, and even helped lead to the dissolution of the state. Western countries at this time were prospering economically, and defense initiatives in the US, such as President Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI, or 'Star Wars'), further weakened Soviet morale as they were unable to compete effectively.

Anti-communist movements gained strength in communist eastern European countries, leading to the revolutions of 1989. By the start of the next decade, the constituent countries of the USSR began to break away from the country, and with few exceptions, Gorbachev did not use force to put down the revolts. Surviving a coup attempt by communist hardliners but unable to save the USSR, Gorbachev resigned December 25, 1991, ending the Soviet Union.

His legacy since the end of his rule has largely been largely positive in the West, praising his openness to the outside world and allowing the Soviet Union to dissolve relatively peacefully. In Russia, his legacy has been more negative, with the main criticism being that he allowed the Soviet Union to collapse. Russia, while still a powerful country, no longer plays the pivotal role it did as the USSR and faces numerous economic and geopolitical challenges as a post-Soviet country.

 

Manchin and Schumer Announce Reconciliation Deal

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced Wednesday that they had reached an agreement to revive a slimmed down version of the ‘Build Back Better Act’ that Manchin had rejected in December 2021. Perhaps most surprisingly, the revived deal includes climate change expenditures and tax increases that Manchin had claimed he had ruled out earlier this month following months of negotiations between him and Schumer. Any revised deal had been expected only to include an extension of Obamacare health care plan subsidies and a drug pricing negotiation package aimed at reducing the cost of prescription drugs.

The deal now includes a minimum tax rate on corporations of 15% of their book profit, preventing them from using depreciation expenses to reduce their tax rate below 15%. It also eliminates the carried interest loophole.

Perhaps the most controversial part of the bill is the $80 billion given to the IRS over the next 10 years, the bulk of which will be used for increased audits in an attempt to raise revenue for the federal government. Proponents of the plan, such as Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), claim the increased audits will catch high income tax cheats and will pay for themself. Opponents, including most Republicans, claims the IRS will target ordinary taxpayers to raise the revenue, especially the self-employed. The bill’s language does not currently limit the IRS’s increased enforcement budget to only audits on high income/high net worth individuals or corporations.

This plan will need the support of all 50 Democratic senators to pass the Senate. Moderate Democrat Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona has not yet announced her position.

 

US Enters Recession after Two Consecutive Quarters of Negative GDP Growth

The US economy officially entered recession in the second quarter of 2022, after official estimates showed the GDP, a measure of total economic output, declining at 0.9% rate in Q2. It follows a decline of 1.6% in the first quarter of the year.

The Biden administration downplayed the decline and refused to say that the US was in recession, touting the low unemployment rate (3.6%) and strong consumer spending. While two consecutive quarters of economic decline is the typical definition of a recession, the National Bureau of Economic Research also makes their own call whether the US economy is in recession.

 

Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade

The Supreme Court issued their decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization last Friday, overturning the previous Supreme Court decisions Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, allowing states to ban abortions within their jurisdictions. The previous decisions that were overturned had found that a constitutional right to abortion had existed and prevented states from banning it.

The court’s decision in Dobbs was praised by pro-life, anti-abortion rights activists who had long sought to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling. Up to 26 states are expected to ban abortions or greatly limit the ability to obtain one.

Pro-choice, pro-abortion rights activists opposed the decision, calling it a threat to women’s rights and promising federal action to preserve abortion rights, such as access to abortion pills and possibly allowing abortions on federal lands in states that ban it.

President Biden has criticized the ruling and has said that he supports codifying a nationwide right to abortion into federal law. Such legislation would require creating an exception to the filibuster rule in the Senate or scrapping the filibuster altogether. Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), while supportive of abortion rights, are opposed to such a move.

Some opponents of the Dobbs ruling are calling for changes to the Supreme Court, with some going so far as to call it ‘illegitimate’ and calling for new justices to be added to the court to balance out its conservative lean. Three of the five justices who voted to overturn Roe were appointed by former President Trump during his term.

 

Supreme Court Issues Flurry of Conservative Opinions in End of Term

The Supreme Court issued several other notable rulings widely seen as wins for conservatives:

· NYSRPA v. Bruen: Struck down a New York state that required gun permit applicants to show a reason for why they needed to carry a gun

· West Virginia v. EPA: Limits the ability of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate greenhouse gas emissions absent further congressional action

· Kennedy v. Bremerton School District: Coach fired for praying during school game had right to do so under 1st Amendment

 

Markets Close Out Month of Losses with Modest Gains in Final Week

 Today marked the end of a wild month for stocks, and while major indices closed roughly flat from May 1 to My 31, this month saw wild fluctuations in stock prices and investors attempted to price in growing uncertainty as interest rates rise and threats of a recession loom.

The S&P 500 had sustained 7 consecutive weeks of losses prior to last week, the largest such streak since 2001. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) suffered an eight-week losing streak, the longest since 1923. These losses came as the Federal Reserve has tightened monetary policy in an attempt to rein in inflation. Central banks, like the Fed, pursue tighter monetary policy by raising interest rates, which reduce available credit, reducing money supply and reducing the size of the overall economy. In theory, this reduces the rate of price increases and should bring inflation to a stable, low level.

However, with the markets used to the easy money policies since the 2008 financial crash, a tight monetary policy brings uncertainty. Strained supply chains, sticky labor costs, and concerns of the availability of fuel and food have investors concerned about a possible recession and economic turmoil.

While the Russian invasion of Ukraine aggravated much of this turmoil, especially related to food supply given both country’s critical role in supplying food to the world, supply chains have come under enormous strain following the lifting of the coronavirus restrictions, which had reduced supply but also reduced demand. The removal of restrictions helped boost demand, especially given the amount of stimulus provided by governments throughout the pandemic, but supply has not caught up with the demand, creating an inability to fulfill consumer desires.

 

Emmanuel Macron Wins Reelection as French President

 

Credit: Nathanael Mergui 

French President Emmanuel Macron won reelection as president of France this past week, defeating his right-wing Eurosceptic rival Marine Le Pen in a rematch of the 2017 election. Macron led Le Pen 59% to 41%.

Macron and Le Pen had finished first and second respectively in the first round of the presidential election earlier this month, defeating a wide array of other rivals. The third-place finisher, Jean-Luc Melanchon, did not endorse either candidate, but encouraged his voters not to vote for Le Pen.

While Macron’s victory will prevent any marked change in France’s involvement in the European Union, Le Pen’s performance marked a highest level of support for her right-wing to far-right party in French presidential elections.

 

 

Economy Contracts in Q1 as Fed Attempts to Rein in Inflation

The US economy contracted in the first quarter for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fell by 1.4% annualized in Q1, which fell far below the consensus view that the economy would actually grow around 1% at an annual rate for the quarter. The major driver of the decline was an increase in the trade deficit, with imports surging from Q4 2021, while exports dropped from the same period. Imports are subtracted in GDP calculations, while exports are added. Inventories also decreased in Q1 after a buildup of inventories in the previous quarter.

While an economic contraction is not an ideal scenario, a deeper look reveals some more encouraging metrics. Consumer spending rose in Q1, with private demand rising 3.7%. This occurred even in the midst of accelerating inflation brought on existing economic conditions as well as the economic turmoil caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resulting financial sanctions.

While the Federal Reserve is often reluctant to raise interest rates amid a slowing economy, the latest numbers are unlikely to halt the Fed from raising interest rates this year in an attempt to tamp down on rising prices. Financial markets have experienced volatility the past few weeks as they price in the expected increases, which, by raising the cost of borrowing money, will slow down the economy, in turn reducing price increases. Besides reducing inflation, the Fed will also attempt to avoid a recession, which is defined as two consecutive quarters of economic contraction, though given the rates of inflation seen over the past year, this will remain a difficult balancing act.

 

Russia's War in Ukraine Continues

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has completed its first month, and while President Vladimir Putin’s forces have failed to take Ukraine’s capital Kyiv or its second largest city Kharkiv, Russian forces have taken large areas of Ukraine's southeast. Russia so far has captured few large cities and has encountered fierce resistance throughout the country.

Meanwhile, sanctions from Western countries continue to affect Russia’s economy, preventing it from easily selling its exports, including oil and food.

The current state of the war is much different from the consensus just before the war started, that the Russian military would be able to relatively quickly topple the Ukrainian government and control large swaths of territory. Any hope for a Ukrainian victory would likely lie in a long-term insurgency similar to Afghanistan in the aftermath of the Soviet invasion in the 1980s. Rather, the strong Ukrainian resistance has kept the government in power and prevented the seizure of many large cities, even though Russia has managed to control territory along the border and in the east and south of the country.

Putin’s actions in Ukraine have been characterized as war crimes given his military’s targeting of civilian neighborhoods. Russia’s attacks on civilian neighborhoods represent a dark turn in the conflict as following their failure to occupy most of Ukraine's major cities.

Russia last week announced they will shift focus to the eastern front, where Russia has been helping separatists since 2014 fight to remove Ukrainian control. Western nations have responded incredulously to the statement, skeptical of whether Russia will actually shift focus or will try a new offensive to capture Kyiv and other major cities.

 

Biden Struggles to Gain Political Footing Ahead of Midterms

President Joe Biden’s approval continues to lag as several domestic and foreign policy challenges cast a shadow over his presidency.

While coronavirus cases have been dropping nationwide, inflation remains a top issue among voters ahead of the midterm elections that will determine control of Congress. Biden’s approval rating stands at 40.7%, according to the 538 polling aggregate, around the same level as former President Donald Trump’s average rating when he was president.

The recent Russian invasion of Ukraine also poses a challenge for the administration. Biden faces pressure from both those arguing for a more interventionist stance as well as those arguing for a more hands-off approach.

A possible positive development for the president is his nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court caused by the retirement of Stephen Breyer. While Jackson’s ascension of the court will not cause any substantial change in the ideological makeup of the court, Democrats hope the first black woman on the Supreme Court will excite their base.