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82%
Bloomberg: “Americans’ negative views of China are rising as President Xi Jinping maintains close ties with Moscow during the war in Ukraine, a sign that the invasion and other issues are taking a toll on Beijing’s image.” “That’s according to the latest survey by the Pew Research Center, which found that 82% of respondents had “unfavorable opinions” of the Asian nation, up six percentage points from last year.”
$33 billion
President Biden will ask Congress for $33 billion to help the Ukrainians fight Russia’s invasion, the Washington Post reports. “Biden’s funding request includes $20 billion in military assistance for Ukraine, $8.5 billion in economic assistance and $3 billion in humanitarian aid, among other pots of money, such as $500 million to support production of U.S. crops to address the global food shock caused by the war.”
$125 million
“House Republicans’ main super PAC is booking $125 million in TV ad reservations in roughly 50 media markets across the country — a massive down payment on the party’s bid to wrest back the majority this fall,” Politico reports.
1.4%
“Gross domestic product unexpectedly declined 1.4% in the first quarter, marking an abrupt reversal for an economy coming off its best performance since 1984,” CNBC reports. “The negative growth rate missed even the subdued Dow Jones estimate of a 1% gain for the quarter.” “Rising omicron infections to start the year hampered activity across the board, while inflation surging at a level not seen since the early 1980s and the Russia invasion of Ukraine also contributed to the economic stasis.”
17 Percentage Points
U.S. Democrats take note. Centrist French Pres. Emmanuel Macron defeated his hard-right opponent, Marine Le Pen, 58.55 percent to 41.45 percent.
500 million
The world has now seen 500 million documented Covid cases, per the Johns Hopkins tracker.
$29 million
“Former NFL star Herschel Walker has made millions in business ventures since he retired in 1997, and he claims to be worth more than $29 million today,” the Daily Beast reports. “But despite that success, the Republican Senate hopeful and longtime friend of Donald Trump has, for whatever reason, chosen to dramatically inflate his business record. … In doing so, Walker has established a parallel record of demonstrably false claims, many of which appear to bear no resemblance to reality whatsoever.”
$100 million
“Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has raised more than $100 million for his reelection effort, the first gubernatorial candidate in the Sunshine State — and perhaps the entire country — to reach the nine-figure milestone solely through donations,” CNN reports.
12
Former Trump campaign aide and GOP staffer Ruben Verastigui was sentenced to 12 years in prison for his role in a child pornography ring.
The details of the case are unbelievably awful.
53%
Gallup: “Americans’ concern about crime and violence in the U.S. has edged up in the past year, and for the first time since 2016, a majority (53%) say they personally worry a ‘great deal’ about crime.” “Another 27% report they worry a ‘fair amount,’ which places the issue near the top of the list of 14 national concerns — behind only inflation and the economy.”
