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President Biden’s approval rating sank to a new low since Gallup conducted its first survey of the president’s approval rating in January 2021, according to a new poll it released on Friday. The Gallup poll found that 38 percent of voters approve of Biden’s job as president, down from 41 percent last month. In comparison, the president started out his term at 57 percent approval in January 2021. Broken down by party, 78 percent of Democrats, 31 percent of independents and 5 percent of Republicans surveyed gave the president a thumbs up. The polling shows a 7 percent decline in approval among Democrats since they were last polled in June and a 5 percent decrease among independents. Gallup also compared Biden’s average approval rating in the sixth quarter to that of elected presidents going back to former President Eisenhower, noting that Biden had the lowest average approval rating of them all at this point in the presidency at 40 percent. (more) https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/3580356-biden-approval-rating-falls-to-new-low-in-gallup-poll/ Also: https://news.gallup.com/poll/395378/biden-job-approval-dips-new-low.aspx

LONDON (AP) — U.K. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss cemented her place as front-runner in the race to replace Prime Minister Boris Johnson, winning endorsement Saturday from an influential former rival for the top job. Tom Tugendhat, who was eliminated from the contest in earlier rounds of voting by Conservative lawmakers, said Truss had the “resolution, determination, and passion” to be prime minister. The endorsement is a blow to ex-Treasury chief Rishi Sunak, the other finalist in the race for the next Conservative leader. The winner will be decided by votes from about 180,000 party members across the country. Polls give Truss an edge with Tory members, though Sunak is more popular with the general public, who don’t have a say in the race. The winner will be announced Sept. 5 and will automatically become prime minister, replacing Johnson, who stepped down as Conservative leader this month after three years in office following months of ethics scandals. (more) https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/truss-surges-ahead-wins-key-backers-in-uk-leadership-race/ar-AA108aFR

Nato’s secretary general said this week’s Madrid summit would agree the alliance’s most significant transformation for a generation, putting 300,000 troops at high readiness in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Jens Stoltenberg added that the military alliance’s existing forces in the Baltic states and five other frontline countries would be increased “up to brigade levels” – doubled or trebled to between 3,000 and 5,000 troops. That would amount to “the biggest overhaul of our collective defence and deterrence since the cold war,” Stoltenberg said before the meeting of the 30-country alliance, which runs from Tuesday to Thursday this week. The rapid reaction Nato Response Force currently numbers up to 40,000 but the proposed change amounts to a broader revision in response to Russian militarisation, which also includes bringing stocks of munitions and other supplies further east. (more) https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/27/nato-300000-troops-high-alert-russia-threat-ukraine

The Supreme Court in a 6-3 decision on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that established the constitutional right to abortion in the U.S. in 1973. The court’s controversial but expected ruling gives individual states the power to set their own abortion laws without concern of running afoul of Roe, which had permitted abortions during the first two trimesters of pregnancy. Almost half the states are expected to outlaw or severely restrict abortion as a result of the Supreme Court’s decision, which is related to a highly restrictive new Mississippi abortion law. Other states plan to maintain more liberal rules governing the termination of pregnancies. (more) https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/24/roe-v-wade-overturned-by-supreme-court-ending-federal-abortion-rights.html

June 14 (UPI) -- Pope Francis on Tuesday again denounced Russia's bloody war in Ukraine -- and again suggested that perhaps Moscow was baited into invading the former Soviet republic. In an interview with Jesuit magazine La Civiltà Cattolica, the pontiff called for an immediate end to the fighting in Ukraine, and cautioned against viewing the war as battle between good and evil. Previously, Francis condemned the war as a "macabre regression of humanity" and said he was willing to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss an end to the hostilities, despite the centuries-long tensions between the Russian and Catholic Orthodox churches. ... "A couple of months before the war started I met a head of state, a wise man, who speaks very little, very wise indeed," Francis told the magazine. "He told me that he was very concerned about the way NATO was moving." (more) https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/Pope-Francis-again-suggests-NATO-may-have-provoked-Russian-war-in-Ukraine/ar-AAYsaxX

Kyle Rittenhouse on Monday posted a video of himself firing off what appeared to be an automatic firearm while declaring to President Joe Biden that he couldn't take away Americans' guns. Rittenhouse posted the video to Twitter along with the caption, "Come and take 'em, Joe." The video appeared to show Rittenhouse firing off a slew of bullets from an automatic weapon while at a shooting range. After stepping back from the gun and being patted on the back, Rittenhouse gives a thumbs up and declares: "Joe Biden, you're not coming for our guns." Rittenhouse fatally shot two men and injured a third amid protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August 2020. He was acquitted in November of five charges, including first-degree homicide. (more) https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/kyle-rittenhouse-posts-video-of-himself-firing-off-a-slew-of-bullets-from-an-automatic-firearm-declaring-joe-biden-you-re-not-coming-for-our-guns/ar-AAYaeZo

A federal grand jury has indicted Peter Navarro, a former Trump White House adviser, on criminal contempt of Congress charges over his refusal to cooperate in the House investigation of the January 6th attack. The indictment comes after the House voted in April to refer Navarro to the Justice Department for failing to comply with a February subpoena from the House Select Committee on the January 6 Capitol riot. Navarro was charged with one contempt count for his refusal to appear for a deposition, and another for his refusal to produce documents requested by the committee, despite the subpoena from the January 6 committee, the Justice Department said Friday. (more) https://www.nationalreview.com/news/former-trump-aide-navarro-indicted-for-contempt-of-congress-over-refusal-to-cooperate-with-january-6-investigation/