⏰ Tick Tock
Days until Election Day (11/4/2025) - 76
Days to the start of the 2026 Utah Legislature (1/20/2026) - 153
Days until the 2026 midterm elections (11/3/2026) - 440
Days until the 2028 presidential election (11/7/2028) - 1,175
Poll watch
President Donald Trump's favorability continues to slide with the American public.
A new YouGov poll finds that 40% of Americans either strongly or somewhat approve of his job performance, while 56% disapprove, giving him a net approval of -16.
Twice as many Americans strongly disapprove of his job performance (47%) as those who strongly approve (23%). The percentage of those who strongly disapprove of his performance is the highest of his second term.
His -16 net approval is the lowest of Trump's second term in office, but not quite as low as his first term when he clocked in with a -21 net approval.
Republicans still are on board with Trump, while independent voters and Democrats are not. His net approval among Republicans is +76, while among Democrats it's -89.
68% of voters who don't belong to either party view Trump negatively, which is a second-term low among this group.
Even worse for Trump, the number of Americans who disapprove of his handling of the economy (53%) is far greater than those who approve (39%). The -14 net approval on the economy is worse than at any point during his first term in office.
Wednesday morning's headlines
Utah and the West
A company paid membership fees for Utah lawmakers to join a conservative group. It got this in exchange. [Salt Lake Tribune]
Trump has pledged to "lead a movement to get rid of" voting by mail. Will Utah be a target? [Utah News Dispatch]
Utah lawmakers "impressed" by university budget cuts. Now, school leaders say they will do reviews more often. [Salt Lake Tribune]
SEG to build new 6,000-seat venue in new downtown entertainment district. [Building Salt Lake]
As Colorado River sees more cuts, Utah leaders feel pressure to strike a deal. [Fox 13]
Utah State University facing audit on former president's spending, leadership concerns. [KSL]
Nation
Elon Musk is backing away from his plans to start a third political party for fear of alienating powerful Republicans. [Wall Street Journal]
The Trump administration plans to scrutinize the social media accounts of immigrants for "anti-American" views when deciding to grant visa or green-card applications. [Wall Street Journal]
The Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers against eating potentially radioactive shrimp. [Axios]
World
Moscow is cooling expectations about a possible face-to-face summit between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. [Politico]
Poland has the largest army in the EU. It is looking to double the number of soldiers and reservists to 500,000 to counter Russian aggression. [Financial Times]
Economy
Companies won't be able to hold off raising prices for consumers because of President Trump's tariffs much longer. [Axios]
Education
The Department of Education's civil rights enforcement division is prioritizing cases alleging transgender students and students of color are getting unfair advantages. [Washington Post]
Oklahoma will require teachers moving from New York or California to pass a test to prove they back "America First." [USA Today]
Technology
Clear is deploying biometric "eGates" at three airports to speed up passenger screening. [Wall Street Journal]