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Only Republicans have a positive view of the Supreme Court and Congress
Republicans and Democrats have wildly different opinions about the Supreme Court and Congress, according to new polling.
According to Gallup, the overall approval rating for the Supreme Court has fallen below 40% for the first time since the organization began, currently sitting at 39%.
Behind that low approval is a sharp partisan divide. 75% of Republicans view the court positively compared to just 11% of Democrats and 34% of political independents.
The 64-point gap between Republicans and Democrats is the largest Gallup has recorded, with the previous low coming right after the 2022 Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade.
Their latest poll shows another massive partisan gap in how the two parties view Congress. 61% of Republicans say they approve of how Congress is performing while just 6% of Democrats and 19% of independents agree.
Generally, partisans’ approval of Congress tends to flip based on which party has control — and when there is divided control, approval is depressed among supporters of both parties. For example, between January 2023 and December 2024, when Republicans had a majority in the House and Democrats had more Senate seats, an average of 12% of Republicans, 18% of independents and 20% of Democrats approved of Congress.
The overall approval rating for Congress sits at just 26%.
Thursday morning's headlines
Utah and the West
Rep. Blake Moore, a member of GOP leadership, denounces Texas gerrymandering scheme. [Salt Lake Tribune]
How will Utah deal with the fallout from the "big, beautiful" law? [Utah News Dispatch]
Judge to decide whether lawsuit over Utah's transgender athlete ban can move forward. [KSL]
FBI, state investigators probe data breach at Box Elder County government. [KUTV]
Utah elections office notifies Hurricane mayor about missing campaign mailer disclosure. [Salt Lake Tribune]
Half of Rich County's deputies quit over pay, staffing issues ahead of Raspberry Days. [KSL]
Drought dampens enthusiasm for massive sports village pitched for southern Utah tribal land. [Salt Lake Tribune]
Utah to directly benefit from Apple's $600 billion investment in US [Fox 13]
Nation
President Donald Trump has ordered the Commerce Department to re-do the census that will not count people who are in the country illegally. [The Hill]
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard overrode CIA officials to release a classified report on Russian meddling in the 2016 election. [Washington Post]
Jared Wise, a Justice Department official in the Trump administration, was caught on video during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol urging rioters to "kill" police officers. [NPR]
Congressional Democrats are sounding the alarm over the Trump administration's plan to divert money from the U.S. nuclear arsenal to retrofit a luxury airplane gifted by the Qatari government into the new Air Force One. [Guardian]
Violent crime decreased overall in the U.S. by 4.5% last year. [NBC News]
JD Vance's team had the Army Corps of Engineers raise the water level in an Ohio river during his family's kayaking excursion. [Guardian]
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will hire up to 450 people to undo deep staffing cuts enacted right after President Trump took office. [Associated Press]
World
President Trump plans to meet in person with Russian President Vladimir Putin as soon as next week. He is also planning an in-person meeting with himself, Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. [New York Times]
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva says he won't "humiliate himself" by engaging in direct trade talks with President Trump. [Reuters]
Health
Research on reversing Alzheimer's reveals lithium as potential key. [Washington Post]
Economy
President Trump says he will implement a 100% tariff on comupter chips. [Associated Press]