With six months to Election Day, Biden and Trump are battling to be the least unpopular
With six months until Election Day, American voters are confronting a presidential race that looks stable at a glance — and is roiling with uncertainty beneath the surface.
While the matchup between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump has long been expected, Americans are sour about it: Election interest hit a 20-year low in the latest NBC News poll, and majorities of registered voters have unfavorable views of both men.
Biden is leaning hard on issues like abortion rights, where polls show he has the upper hand, while utilizing a significant fundraising advantage. But polls also show a majority of Americans disapprove of Biden’s job in office — an opening Trump has seized to hammer Biden on issues like the economy and the border, all while looking to energize his base as he faces dozens of federal and state charges across four different cases.
Here’s where the race stands — in the polls, on the balance sheet, in key battlegrounds and more.
Ole Miss opens investigation after protest confrontation goes viral
Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered at Ole Miss on Thursday, but the event turned hostile as they were outnumbered by counterprotesters. As video of the event circulated online, one confrontation drew particular offense: A Black female graduate student approached two young men to record the group, and a man could be seen jumping up and down and appearing to imitate an ape at the woman.
The university chancellor sent a letter to students and staff on Friday noting that leaders were aware of behaviors that were “offensive, hurtful and unacceptable, including actions that conveyed hostility and racist overtones.” At least one student conduct investigation has been opened, and the administration is “working to determine whether more cases are warranted,” the chancellor said.
Many universities have been regrouping in preparation for upcoming commencement ceremonies, anticipating protesters, but at some campuses faculty members have concerns about the way protests have been handled.
At the University of Southern California on Sunday, LAPD officers in riot gear moved to break up an encampment that was set up by protesters 12 days prior. No arrests or violent clashes have been reported so far.
Mystik Dan wins Kentucky Derby in a dramatic photo finish
Mystik Dan scored a thrilling upset at the Kentucky Derby on Saturday after he stuck his snout in front of second favorite Sierra Leone and Forever Young for a dramatic three-horse photo-finish victory that took several minutes to hash out.
“I wasn’t sure if we had won,” jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. told NBC Sports shortly after the race. “So it was quite a rush to sit here and wait for it.”
Saturday was the 150th Kentucky Derby, which attracted a crowd of 150,000 — many wearing towering hats made of everything from satin and feathers to cardboard replicas of Churchill Downs.
‘Meet the Press’
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott on Sunday did not directly answer multiple questions about whether he’d accept the results of the 2024 presidential election, regardless of who wins.
“At the end of the day, the 47th president of the United States will be President Donald Trump,” Scott said the first time he was directly asked whether he would commit to accepting the election results on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”
Asked again by moderator Kristen Welker to answer yes or no to the original question, Scott simply said, “That is my statement.”
Pressed a third time to answer the question, Scott said, “I look forward to President Trump being the 47th president. … The American people will make the decision.”
Politics in brief
- Plea for unity: Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley warned that his party must remain on the “same page” ahead of the election.
- Israel aid: Sen. Mark Kelly said conditions on future aid to Israel would be “appropriate” if Israeli leadership doesn’t do more to prevent more civilian deaths in Gaza.
- Less is more: As President Joe Biden ramps up his re-election effort, his campaign is scaling back how much he says on the trail, part of a new strategy to hone a sharper message ahead of the general election.
- Damage control: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is now backtracking on a claim in her upcoming book that she met with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, after previously defending an excerpt in which she recounted killing one of her dogs.
- Abortion advocacy: Second gentleman Douglas Emhoff will hold an event this week to stress the importance of men advocating for abortion rights, according to sources familiar with the plans.
Off-track drama at the Miami Grand Prix
Red Bull Racing has been dominating Formula 1 this season. But despite defending champion Max Verstappen’s on-track brilliance, team controversies have overshadowed these wins.
Adrian Newey, the team’s legendary chief technical officer, shocked the racing world when he announced that he’ll leave the team early next year after building all seven of its title-winning cars. That news unfolded against the backdrop of a power struggle among the team’s top brass and after the company investigated and dismissed allegations of bad behavior against team principal Christian Horner.
“I’ve never seen controversy like we’ve seen now during a period of domination. So I think that that’s unique,” said Otmar Szafnauer, the former team principal of Alpine until last year.
The happiest (work)place on Earth?
When working remotely on a laptop, technically, a worker can be anywhere … even Disney World. From freelance journalists to tech industry professionals to travel agents, Disney die-hards are logging office hours at theme parks and documenting it in social media posts.
“Lines are blurring between conventional workspaces and leisure time across the board,” said AJ Wolfe, who has been writing about Disney parks, including via her popular Disney Food Blog, for more than 15 years. “I think people are adopting and looking to adopt a situation where they can work at the same time they’re experiencing something they enjoy.”
Why 2024 is the year of the diss track
The diss track, a crucial tool in hip-hop culture for hashing out rivalries, is having a year. Many of the biggest names in rap have put out tracks in recent months hurling lyrical jabs at fellow artists. Over the weekend, Kendrick Lamar and Drake dropped their latest tracks in a beef that has been going on for more than a month.
Tia Tyree, a professor of communication studies at Howard University who teaches courses on hip-hop, said diss tracks are instrumental for artists to assert their dominance.
“Nothing is off-limits in a rap battle,” said Tyree. “Everything is on the table. Because what you want is lyrical superiority and you want the crown. You want to leave no doubt that you have won.”
In case you missed it
- New Mexico police believe a 10-month-old was abducted after her mother and another woman were discovered dead in a park on Friday.
- New York City’s Department of Corrections is temporarily suspending the use of body-worn cameras after an employee’s caught fire, leading to burns and smoke inhalation.
- Darius Morris, a former point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, has died at the age of 33.
- A California man was indicted by a federal grand jury in Atlanta on charges of threatening Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
- The Eurovision Song Contest kicks off in Sweden this week. Here’s everything you need to know.
- Olympic gold medalist Ashleigh Johnson hopes for another big win in Paris this summer, but just as important to her is having an impact on young people.
- Sunscreen products sold in Europe, Japan and South Korea offer more protection from ultraviolet rays that can cause skin cancer and lead to wrinkles. In the U.S., the key ingredients still aren’t FDA-approved.
- Luis A. Miranda Jr., father of “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, spoke to NBC News about his new memoir detailing his journey from Puerto Rico to New York to national politics.
