There is wide support for Russia sanctions, protecting allies after invasion

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U.S. actions in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — including sanctions and protecting NATO allies nearby — find wide, bipartisan support from Americans. But Americans also voice concern about the conflict widening further. And so those who plan to watch President Biden’s State of the Union address say the war — even more so than the economy, inflation, and the pandemic — is the top thing they want to hear about tonight.

There’s also a widespread sense of the importance of these unfolding events: 87% say the invasion of Ukraine matters to U.S. interests, including a majority 58% who say they matter a lot. CONTINUED

CBS News

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U.S. Satisfaction Low as Economic Concerns Remain High

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When thinking about the state of the nation, just 21% of Americans say they are satisfied with the way things are going, and 78% are dissatisfied. This reading, from a Feb. 1-17 Gallup poll, is slightly improved from the 17% recorded in January, but still among the lowest since President Joe Biden took office. …

The latest poll was conducted amid reports that Russia was positioning its military forces along its border with Ukraine, but ended before President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of the country. CONTINUED

Lydia Saad, Gallup

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Ahead of State of the Union, 61% of Americans say Biden hasn’t kept most of his promises

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As President Biden prepares to deliver his first State of the Union address Tuesday night, a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll shows that a combination of Republican rancor and Democratic disappointment has left his approval rating languishing near an all-time low after a tumultuous first year in office.

The survey of 1,532 U.S. adults, which was conducted online from Feb. 24 to 27, found that just 41 percent of them now approve of how Biden is handling his job — a number that has hovered between 38 and 42 percent since December — while a majority (53 percent) disapprove. CONTINUED

Andrew Romano, Yahoo News

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74% of Americans call Russia’s Ukraine invasion unjustified

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In the opening days of the war in Ukraine, the fractious American public is remarkably united in opposition to Russia’s invasion, with 74 percent saying the breach is not justified and 76 percent expressing an unfavorable opinion of Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll.

Yet in a striking sign of how deep partisanship continues to run in the U.S., just 3 percent of 2020 Donald Trump voters are willing to say President Biden is “doing a better job leading his country” than Putin. CONTINUED

Andrew Romano, Yahoo News

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How Immigration Politics Drives Some Hispanic Voters to the G.O.P. in Texas

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… Donald J. Trump’s brand of populism has been widely viewed as an appeal to white voters: Republicans around the country continue to exploit the fear that the left is attacking religious values and wants to replace traditional white American culture with nonwhite multiculturalism. But similar grievances have resonated in the Rio Grande Valley in a profound way, driving the Republican Party’s successes in a Democratic stronghold where Hispanics make up more than 90 percent of the population.

The difference is in the type of culture believed to be under assault. Democrats are destroying a Latino culture built around God, family and patriotism, dozens of Hispanic voters and candidates in South Texas said in interviews. The Trump-era anti-immigrant rhetoric of being tough on the border and building the wall has not repelled these voters from the Republican Party or struck them as anti-Hispanic bigotry. Instead, it has drawn them in. CONTINUED

Jennifer Medina, New York Times

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Declines in COVID concerns and mask mandate support

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As the most recent surge in COVID-19 cases caused by the omicron variant continues to decline across the country, public concern about coronavirus infection is also receding. Support for mask mandates has also decreased compared to recent months, yet Americans are still more likely to favor than oppose requiring the public to wear face masks when they’re around other people outside their homes.

Twenty-four percent are extremely or very worried about themselves or a family member being infected with COVID-19. This is down from 36% who felt the same in the past couple of months, when the omicron variant caused a spike in cases. Vaccinated adults are about twice as likely as unvaccinated Americans to be concerned about infection (28% vs. 13%). CONTINUED

AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research

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