January 1, Biden polls horribly on his handling of rising crime

Greetings Middle Americans,

President Joe Biden is receiving dismal ratings on his handling of the rising crime rates, according to a new poll. The ABC News/Washington Post revealed that only 38% of Americans approve of Biden’s response to the recent nationwide spike in crime, while 48% said they disapproved. The same poll found that Americans are divided on which party to trust when it comes to combatting crime — with Republicans receiving 36% to the Democrats’ 35%. 20% of the voters said they did not trust either party to handle the issue. Murders increased by about 25% nationwide last year.

In further crime-related news, homicides in California increased by 31% in 2020, marking its deadliest year since 2007. According to a state crime report released last week, there were 2,202 homicides last year. Attorney General Rob Bonta says the cause of the spike is unclear, but he thinks it may have to do with an increase in gun sales. “With more weapons, more economic stagnation, more desperation, I think those are all potential components and drivers of where we are today,” he said.

The Supreme Court declined to hear the case of a florist who refused to provide services for a same-sex wedding, opting instead to leave the lower court’s decision in place. The lower court found that florist Barronelle Stutzman broke the state’s anti-discrimination laws by refusing on religious grounds to provide flowers for the wedding of Rob Ingersoll and Curt Freed. Washington state law says that businesses offering services to opposite-sex couples must provide the same service to same-sex couples.

Pilots of a Boeing 737 cargo plane had to make an emergency landing off the coast of Honolulu, Hawaii. The pilots told air traffic controllers that one of their engines had failed just before the flight went down. “The pilots had reported engine trouble and were attempting to return to Honolulu when they were forced to land the aircraft in the water,” the Federal Aviation Administration said. “The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.” Both crew members were rescued.

Experts are warning that extremist rhetoric from right-wing news networks and some elected Republicans is “intensifying,” after a congressman compared Democrats to Nazis and an OANN host suggested that thousands of Americans should be executed. “The rhetoric is both intensifying and it’s more widespread. It’s not like this is the first time right-wing media has had moments or flare-ups of intense or inflammatory rhetoric. But typically it would have been limited to one show or personality,” said Angelo Carusone, president of Media Matters, a progressive media watchdog.

Lastly, don’t forget about your eyelids when applying sunscreen. Eyelids are especially vulnerable to the sun’s harmful rays. Five to 10 percent of skin cancers occur on the eyelid. Unfortunately, it’s one of the places we’re least likely to apply sunscreen, according to a new study. Researchers found that participants in their study routinely missed 14-20% of the area on average. “In the office, we see sunburns in these areas, and we see skin cancers later in the life in these areas,” said dermatologist Joshua Zeichner. “People get lazy. It’s not easy to be diligent.”

Be well,

Fraser Dixon

Sources

• Biden polls horribly on his handling of rising crime
• California homicides jumped 31% last year, state report says
• Justices turn away florist who refused same-sex wedding job
• A Boeing 737 cargo plane makes emergency landing in the water near Honolulu
• Extremist rhetoric from rightwing media and officials is ‘intensifying’, experts say
• You Missed A Spot! Patchy Sunscreen Application Leaves Skin Vulnerable To Cancer