Tuesday, 27 April 2021

Tuesday Briefing: After 100 days, Americans give Biden high marks

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

by Linda Noakes

Hello

Here's what you need to know.

A new poll shows Biden has broad support in a divided America, aid starts to arrive as Delhi gasps for oxygen, and the Myanmar protesters training to fight the junta

Today's biggest stories

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden walk from Marine One near the White House, April 25, 2021

U.S.

More than half of Americans approve of President Joe Biden after nearly 100 days on the job, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling, a level of support that Donald Trump never achieved and one that should help Democrats push for infrastructure spending and other big-ticket items on Biden's agenda.

Judging a president's performance after 100 days in office is an American political tradition that historians say began with Franklin Roosevelt's first term in 1933. We look at how Biden has fared so far.

Biden will today continue his push for a national $15 minimum wage with an executive order that raises pay to at least that level for hundreds of thousands of federal contract workers.

With a shaken U.S. Capitol on high alert for Biden's first address to Congress tomorrow, the Department of Homeland Security says it will investigate the potential threat of domestic violent extremism within its own ranks.

Militia members attend a training led by the Karen National Union, in Karen State, Myanmar, April 9, 2021

WORLD

Ethnic minority Karen insurgents have attacked a Myanmar army outpost near the Thai border in some of the most intense clashes since a military coup nearly three months ago. In a sign of the deepening crisis, former protesters are getting training from ethnic armies in Myanmar's borderlands.

Vital medical supplies poured into India as hospitals starved of oxygen and beds turned away coronavirus patients, while a surge in infections pushed the death toll towards 200,000. The first 'Oxygen Express' train pulled into New Delhi, carrying about 70 tonnes of the life-saving gas.

An international rights watchdog accused Israel of pursuing policies of apartheid and persecution against Palestinians - and against its own Arab minority - that amount to crimes against humanity. Israel rejected the claims by New York-based Human Rights Watch as "both preposterous and false".

As Hungary's parliament passes legislation setting up foundations to take over the running of universities and cultural institutions, we look at how right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban is tightening his control over much of public life.

BUSINESS

Tesla's quarterly report hit targets qualifying Chief Executive Elon Musk for two options payouts worth a combined $11 billion. The electric-car maker is finally justifying its year-ago valuation, says Breakingviews columnist Antony Currie.

HSBC beat quarterly profit forecasts and released $400 million it had set aside to cover bad loans caused by the pandemic, as rapid vaccine rollouts in the United States and Britain raise hopes for an economic recovery.

BP's profit more than tripled to $2.6 billion in the first quarter thanks to stronger oil prices and bumper revenue from natural gas trading, paving the way for the energy company to start buying back its shares.

As the U.S. economic recovery builds momentum, Americans will need to brace for a burst in prices of everything from airfare to lumber, and cars to diapers. Here's how the Federal reserve may ace, or flub, its inflation call.

Quote of the day

"I cannot find any justification for how I was treated... so I have to conclude that it happened because I am a woman"

Ursula von der Leyen

European Commission President

Humiliated in Ankara, EU chief to fight for women's rights

Video of the day

Climate risk drives push to save Australia's elusive platypuses

Famed for its bill, webbed feet and venomous spurs, the platypus is one of only two egg-laying mammals in the world.

And finally…

Kanye’s Yeezy sneakers snag world record $1.8 million

The Kanye West sneakers that sent athletic shoes strutting down fashion runways were revealed during West’s performance at the 2008 Grammy Awards.

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