| Welcome to The Daily 202! Tell your friends to sign up here. On this day in 2022, let's keep the April Foolishness to a minimum. Thank you. | | |  | The big idea | | Ukrainian leader faces a generational gap in U.S. |  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses Australian members of Parliament in the House of Representatives on Thursday. (MICK TSIKAS/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock) | | | President Biden could be forgiven for having a little job-approval envy toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. A new Pew Research Center poll finds 72 percent of Americans have a lot (33 percent) or some (39 percent) confidence in Zelensky to do the right thing in world affairs — better than any other national leader tied to Russia's war in Ukraine. Biden comes in with 48 percent of Americans having a lot (17 percent) or some (31 percent) confidence that he'll do the right thing in world affairs. French President Emmanuel Macron gets 55 percent confidence. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz enjoys the confidence of 53 percent of Americans. Zelensky's sky-high standings follow his assertive courtship of the international community's support for fending off Russian forces. He's regularly photographed or filmed in a T-shirt or combat armor and has spoken to many legislatures, including the U.S. Congress, pleading for help as Moscow's bombs lay waste to Ukrainian cities. | - While some observers dismiss these kinds of findings as a mere "popularity contest," the fact is that being popular in another democracy can help you get what you want. It's not a guarantee, of course, as Zelensky himself has learned: America has its own conception of its interests overseas. But it helps.
| | In that scenario, you wouldn't want to be Chinese President Xi Jinping, in whom 15 percent of Americans have confidence. And you definitely wouldn't want to be Russian President Vladimir Putin, trailing the pack at six percent. | | Interestingly, the partisan assessments of Putin under President Donald Trump, when Republicans were far more likely than Democrats to express confidence in the Russian leader, appear to have largely been erased in the month-old war. According to Pew: "views of Putin have converged, with about equal shares of Democrats and Republicans saying they do not have confidence in the Russian president (94% and 92%)." | Who likes Zelensky the most | | Digging into Zelensky's robust public support in America, a couple of things stand out: Differences based on partisan affiliation and, especially, the age of the respondents. Let's start with politics. The Ukrainian president does best with liberal Democrats, 83 percent of whom have confidence he'll do the right thing in world affairs. Among those who identify as conservative or moderate, 78 percent. Among Republicans, Zelensky does better among conservatives (68 percent) than moderates or liberals (65 percent). So, intriguingly, he does less well with those closer to the center. How about age? Simply put, the older you are, the more likely you are to express confidence in him. | - Over 65? 86 percent.
- 50-64? 74 percent.
- 30-49? 67 percent.
- 18-29? 63 percent.
| | As Pew also notes: "almost half of Americans ages 65 and older have a lot of confidence in [Zelensky], compared with 28% of adults under 30. Americans with more education, especially those with postgraduate degrees, are also more inclined to have confidence in the Ukrainian president." I asked Pew about the age disparities. The co-authors of the analysis, Jacob Poushter and Aidan Connaughton, emailed back: "That's a good question, and one we've received a few times today. We find that in addition to Zelenskyy, young people in the U.S. have less confidence in Scholz, Macron & Biden. Interestingly, this pattern does not hold for Xi or Putin, even as the vast majority of Americans lack confidence in them." OK, but why, I asked Scott Clement, a public opinion polling eminence at The Washington Post. "I suspect it's related [to] older Americans paying more attention to the news, though one other poll shows Zelensky with higher unfavorable ratings among younger people (like Pew), which signals a real opinion," Scott told The Daily 202. "Pew's finding is not a fluke," said Scott, who steered me to two other recent polls assessing Zelensky's standing in the United States. Here are his points: | - An Economist/YouGov poll conducted over the last week found 81 percent of seniors were favorable of him (60 percent "very favorable) vs. 52 percent of those under age 30 (and just 25 percent very favorable).
- The poll found 24 percent of <30 adults saying they don't know about Zelensky vs. 9 percent of seniors; still, 23 percent of those under 30 rated Zelensky unfavorably vs. 9 percent of seniors.
- To the attention theory, 84 percent of seniors say they've heard "a lot" about the Russian invasion of Ukraine vs. 44 percent of those under 30.
- Separately, a Quinnipiac University poll shortly after the invasion found 74 percent of 65+ were favorable of Zelensky vs. 57 percent among those ages 18-34.
- That poll found younger adults were much more likely to say they "haven't heard enough" about Zelensky to form an opinion, 35 percent vs. 22 percent; unfavorable ratings were in single digits among all age groups.
| | And here I wondered whether it was a question of being potentially of fighting age, or not having any tether to the Cold War era. | | |  | What's happening now | | U.S. economy adds 431,000 jobs in March |  "Now Hiring" signs are displayed in front of restaurants in Rehoboth Beach, Del. (Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images) | | | "The national unemployment rate fell to a pandemic low of 3.6 percent in March, as employers added 431,000 jobs, further bolstering the most rapid labor market rebound on record," Abha Bhattarai reports. | Red Cross heads toward Mariupol for evacuations | | "The International Committee of the Red Cross is sending a team toward Mariupol to assist with a 'safe passage operation,' a day after the Kremlin declared a humanitarian cease-fire in the besieged city. It was not clear if the ICRC would be able to enter Mariupol," Adela Suliman, Andrew Jeong, Ellen Francis and Miriam Berger report. More key updates: | E.U. leaders call on China to help end Russia's war in Ukraine | | "Top officials from China and the European Union met Friday for a virtual summit overshadowed by Russia's war in Ukraine. In a series of two meetings, E.U. leaders pressed Premier Li Keqiang and President Xi Jinping to rethink their tacit support for the Russian invasion and warned Beijing against offering material support for the war," Emily Rauhala reports. | Official review of Trump phone logs from January 6 finds record is complete | Pope Francis apologizes for church role in Indigenous residential schools | | "After years of resisting such calls, Pope Francis on Friday apologized for the 'deplorable conduct' of some Catholics in Canada's residential school system for Indigenous children, saying he was 'deeply grieved' by the stories of 'suffering, hardship, discrimination and various forms of abuse' from survivors," Stefano Pitrelli and Amanda Coletta report. | | |  | Lunchtime reads from The Post | | From Russia with money: Silicon Valley distances itself from oligarchs | | "Interviews in Silicon Valley show that in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Russian connections are getting more scrutiny from U.S. investigators, who are examining whether any of the deals pose national security risks. Some entrepreneurs and investors are worried their sources of capital may be tainted. Others are afraid that any involvement with wealthy Russians might unfairly stigmatize their firms or start-ups, in the same way that Chinese-Americans faced discrimination and suspicions as tensions grew between China and the United States," Joseph Menn, Elizabeth Dwoskin, Douglas MacMillan and Cat Zakrzewski report. The gray area: "Undisclosed sources of investment are common in Silicon Valley, because venture capital firms and start-ups are not required to declare their backers. That murkiness also means many firms fear being unfairly tarred for having taken international funding or specialized in companies with Russian founders or technical talent, which are abundant." | A Belarusian battalion fights in Ukraine 'for both countries' freedom' | | "For more than a decade, Pavel Kulazhanka has sought to overthrow the authoritarian regime of Alexander Lukashenko in his native Belarus," Max Bearak reports. "He thinks the best shot yet at toppling Lukashenko — and Russian President Vladimir Putin, without whose support many in Belarus think Lukashenko would quickly fall — has come with the war in Ukraine." "He is one of hundreds of Belarusians who have joined the fight here, inspired by their neighbor's battlefield successes and determined to carry that momentum back into Belarus to end Lukashenko's 28-year rule." | As election workers face increased threats and intimidation, some states are trying to protect them |  A poll worker deposits ballots at the official drop box outside the Westchester Regional Library during early voting for the general election in Miami. (David Santiago/Miami Herald via AP File) | | | "Across the country, election administrators such as [Natalie] Adona are facing increasing harassment and threats of violence ahead of the next midterm election — a lasting effect of the lies told by former President Donald Trump that the 2020 presidential election was rigged against him. (It was not, according to multiple courts and Trump's own administration.)" the 19th's Barbara Rodriguez reports. "Most of those election workers — nearly 80 percent, according to survey data released last year from the nonpartisan Democracy Fund — are women. But while some states are passing laws that decrease the power of election officials, others are considering legislation designed to protect them against these increasing threats." The other piece: "Election worker protection bills come as Republican-led statehouses are passing bills that include new civil and criminal penalties for election workers. At least seven states enacted legislation last year that penalizes election officials. At least five states agreed to remove some election workers' power to oversee elections in a nonpartisan manner." | | |  | The Biden agenda | | As gas prices soar, Biden's climate ambitions sputter |  Cars line up for free gasoline as part of a 'April Fuels Day' promotion held by Rojo's Car Wash and local car dealer, Ernie Boch Jr., in Norwood, Mass., on Friday. (CJ Gunther/EPA-EFE-Shutterstock) | | | "A year after he entered the White House with a vow that fighting global warming would be a driving priority for his administration, President Biden's climate agenda is mired in delay and facing legal, legislative and political headwinds that could diminish or dismantle it entirely," the New York Times's Coral Davenport reports. | As Biden pleads for more covid aid, states are awash in federal dollars | | "States pushed back on a plan to take back some of their stimulus money to fund President Biden's emergency spending request. Now Congress is trying to find other ways to offset the cost," the NYT's Sheryl Gay Stolberg reports. | Biden administration border plan poses midterm danger for Democrats | | "Top Democrats on Thursday lashed out at the administration and each other over the fate of an emergency order that the Biden and Trump administrations have used to expel undocumented immigrants during the pandemic, with some arguing for a quicker policy change and others warning not to move ahead. Republicans pounced on President Biden, accusing him of inviting chaos and danger," Annie Linskey and Nick Miroff report. | Perspective: Some agencies resist Biden's pro-labor orders, federal union says | | "At the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) legislative conference this week, union officials were full of praise for President Biden but equally frustrated at the slow pace of change in two agencies. They also are furious at his administration's controversial — though still preliminary — proposal to close some veterans health-care operations," columnist Joe Davidson writes. | Facing demand for labor, U.S. to provide 35,000 more seasonal worker visas | | "The Biden administration, responding to an increasing demand for temporary workers, announced on Thursday that it would make an additional 35,000 seasonal worker visas available for American businesses to hire foreign workers ahead of the coming summer months," the NYT's Aishvarya Kavi reports. | U.S. sanctions Russian tech companies, whole sectors of Russian economy | | "The U.S. on Thursday levied sanctions on nearly three dozen Russian companies and individuals that the Treasury Department said are helping Moscow evade the West's economic pressure campaign and aiding the country's defense and intelligence agencies," the Wall Street Journal's Ian Talley reports. | Biden marks transgender visibility day with new policies, GOP criticism | | "President Biden is marking Transgender Day of Visibility by celebrating the contributions that transgender Americans have made to the country while criticizing Republican-led efforts to pass legislation that the White House says is 'dangerous' to transgender people," Eugene Scott and John Wagner report. | | |  | Hot on the left | | Inside Charlie Crist's risky strategy to dethrone Ron DeSantis |  Rep. Charlie Crist (D-St. Petersburg) gestures while he speaks to supporters during a campaign rally as he announces his run for Florida governor on May 4, 2021, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (Chris O'Meara/AP) | | | "In all of politics there's nobody quite like [Charlie Crist]. With his fit build, his trim suits, his white hair and his tan face, Crist, 65, has been one of the most durable and recognizable characters in Florida politics for parts of the last four decades," Michael Kruse reports for Politico Magazine. "He is also in this partisan age something that shouldn't be possible — a former Republican governor who now is a Democrat in his third term in Congress. Nothing is certain, but based on polling, fundraising and scores of interviews with Florida experts, operatives and elected officials, Crist at least at this point looks like the front runner among the Democrats vying in the primary in August for the right come November to try to topple the colossus of DeSantis, who routinely polls as the most popular GOP presidential candidate not named Donald Trump." | | |  | Hot on the right | | McCarthy tries to navigate splintering divide among House Republicans | | "McCarthy has made clear that he believes the pathway to regaining the majority requires Republicans to present a united front and keep the public focused on the Democrats' intraparty fights rather than those within his own party. He wants to focus on telling voters exactly how Republicans will introduce needed legislation and hold the Biden administration accountable, and he doesn't want that message overshadowed," Marianna Sotomayor and Paul Kane report. "But there's a splintering divide among House Republicans between staunch Trump allies who tend to offend more than legislate and members who have grown restless over McCarthy's lack of an upper hand with the former group." | | |  | Today in Washington | | | Biden will leave for Delaware at 3:25 p.m., where he'll arrive at 4:20 p.m. | | |  | In closing | | Colbert on Putin … and 'Rocky IV' | | Stephen Colbert | "But Vladimir Putin may not be aware of how bad his invasion is going because new intelligence suggests his advisers misinformed him on Ukraine. Well, Putin's clearly a victim of his own pro-Russia propaganda. He doesn't even know that Russia lost 'Rocky IV.'" | | | | | | | Thanks for reading. See you next week. | | | | | |
