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Surveys released this week offered more good news for Democrats ahead of midterm elections. Methodology, including sample sizes and margins of errors, are available in the links to these polls.
Democrats hold a big edge on the economy
Americans trust the Democratic Party more than Republicans “to keep the country prosperous,” in Democrats’ first clear lead on the economic issue since 2012, according to Gallup’s annual governance poll.
A majority of adults, 51 percent, chose Democrats when asked, “Which political party do you think will do a better job of keeping the country prosperous?” A smaller group, 37 percent, selected Republicans, in a year where affordability has dominated midterm election campaigns.
You can read more about the poll’s findings here.
Corruption emerges as voters top concern
More voters are concerned about corruption in government than any other issue, surpassing health care and inflation, and trust the Democrats more than the Republicans to tackle it, according to a Fox News poll.
Eighty-eight percent of registered voters say they are concerned about corruption, with 60 percent saying they were “extremely concerned.”
The Democrats hold a 10-percentage point lead of 54 percent on which party voters trust more handling the issue.
Good morning. It’s Friday, Oct. 16, and three children and a teacher were shot dead at an Oregon elementary school yesterday. That is the top story in today’s edition of The 7 briefing.
The children killed at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend were ages 5, 8 and 11, according to authorities. Police said the assailant, 16, was fatally shot by a “community member” who followed them into the school.
The shooting marks the 21st mass killing with a gun in the U.S. this year, according to a Post analysis.
This morning’s briefing also covers a power struggle at the White House, with officials jostling for position ahead of expected heavy losses for Republicans in the midterm elections.
Further down, The Post is rounding off this week’s series about knee health by examining which pain treatments work well and which don’t.
Read today’s edition of The 7 briefing here.
A college accreditor is tapping the brakes on the expansion of a fast-growing online program in Maine known for helping students obtain degrees in as little as a few months.
The New England Commission of Higher Education said in a letter that the University of Maine at Presque Isle will now need approval before adding new majors or degrees to its online YourPace program, which lets students finish classes at their own speed.
The commission cited “concern about the dramatic growth of the YourPace program attributed in part to the speed at which students have been able to complete the credits required to earn a degree.” However, the University of Maine System noted that the program retained its accreditation.
The Washington Post reported in April that many students are flocking to online programs such as the one at Presque Isle that let students earn a degree faster than is possible through traditional university programs, allowing them to save time and money.
The commission said it plans to take a broader look next month at its policies for all colleges around transfer credits and competency-based education, which let students finish classes at their own pace by proving they have mastered the material with an exam or projects.
Additional Coverage
Water began flowing back into the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool over the weekend, months after peeling paint necessitated additional repairs. But close observers noticed that the water has since receded.
Images captured by EarthCam, which operates a 24-hour video camera posted at the top of the Washington Monument, show that the water was higher on Monday evening than it was Thursday.
“The National Park Service planned for a partial fill and drain cycle so that we can reduce the amount of biological loading in the water,” an Interior Department spokesperson said in an email. “This planned action to partially fill and then drain the pool is to flush out any material or debris that had accumulated in the pipes and trough during the repair period.”
On Thursday morning, workers could be seen power-washing portions of the surface. One worker appeared to be clearing debris from grates throughout the pool. A sign posted by the National Park Service earlier this week advised visitors, “As part of the normal refilling process, the water may temporarily appear cloudy before clearing.” In the portion of the pool closest to the Lincoln Memorial, where the water is deeper, the water appeared murky.
Last week, President Donald Trump told reporters that the second round of renovations for the Reflecting Pool are “totally complete” — necessary after the pool’s new “American flag blue” coating peeled because of what the Justice Department deemed a “botched” installation.
“The Reflecting Pool is totally complete, and we changed the old pipes,” the president told reporters on Oct. 6. “I’m going to visit.”
A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit filed by former CIA director John Brennan, who had asked in a July lawsuit for a court order directing the Trump administration to preserve all records related to its investigation of him.
The judge wrote that while allegations the Trump administration is using its law enforcement powers to target the Obama administration-era official are “deeply concerning,” Brennan did not meet the legal requirements to bring a lawsuit.
Brennan faces a possible federal indictment amid an investigation into how he oversaw intelligence gathering on potential ties between Russia and President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign. This investigation is part of a broader probe looking at whether officials in previous administrations conspired to violate Trump’s rights.
Brennan acknowledged his lawsuit against the Justice Department was unusual but argued that court intervention was necessary because the case appeared to be based on Trump’s personal animus against him. He also expressed fear that federal officials could destroy the records — even though they are required to preserve them.
U.S. District Judge Jia M. Cobb, an appointee of President Joe Biden, said that although Brennan could be harmed in the future, his claims now are speculative and based on a “chain of possibilities.”
A newly released report sheds new light on the death of Jackie, the famed bald eagle mother who died in August. An autopsy revealed that Jackie died of pathogenic avian influenza, also known as bird flu.
Jackie rose to fame from a webcam placed in the eagle’s nest 10 years ago near the shore of Big Bear Lake, about 75 miles east of Los Angeles. Millions of viewers tuned in the watch her love story with her partner, Shadow, as they fought year after year to keep their eggs and chicks safe from predatory ravens, heavy snowfalls and windstorms.
In July, Jackie was found on the shoreline of Big Bear Lake weak, disheveled and undernourished. The Ojai Raptor Center took her into its care and was flooded with questions about her treatment. She died on Aug. 10.
The report stated that Jackie suffered several diseases and a toxicology screen found rat poison in her system. But Steve Kubiski, director of disease investigations at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, said in a joint statement that bird flu was the “primary underlying cause of her decline.” The virus caused an ulcer in her stomach leading to internal bleeding and infection.
Jackie was cremated following the investigation to prevent the spread of the virus.
Friends of Big Bear Valley, which operates the webcam and documented the eagles’ journeys, wrote: “Fly high and soar free…Jackie. Thank you for all that you taught and gave us.”
Speaking at Vice President JD Vance’s rally in Monroe, Michigan, House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (Michigan) delivered the party’s final argument to voters: that Americans should keep the GOP in power because the party has “more work to do.”
“No one up here is going to tell you things are perfect,” McClain said at the rally Thursday. “I’m never going to gaslight you: We know we have more work to do. We need to keep the Senate and the House to do it.”
High gas prices, rising costs due to President Donald Trump’s tariffs, and Trump’s sagging favorability ratings have complicated Republicans’ efforts to maintain their House and Senate majorities. The party faces tougher-than-expected midterm races across the country, including in Michigan, where Democrat Abdul El-Sayed is running against Republican former representative Mike Rogers for Senate. El-Sayed, considered a progressive Democrat, is holding a narrow lead in most polls.
As head of the GOP conference, McClain is largely in charge of House Republicans’ messaging. In her Thursday remarks, she told the crowd that the Democratic Party “is communism” — rhetoric she’s been employing throughout most of the campaign season.
“Democrats want free health care, free tuition, free housing,” McClain said. “To pay for all that free, Democrats will tax the hell out of your paycheck.”
McClain also attacked Democrats’ border policies and emphasized Republican-passed tax cuts, including no tax on tips or overtime.
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