Good morning and happy Monday to all who celebrate. To all who don’t, Tuesday is just around the corner.

Election day is just 190 days away.

POLLING

📉 Bad polls for Biden

The numbers are in and they are atrocious. President Biden is the most unpopular commander-in-chief in 70 years (with a caveat). Gallup compared his numbers to those of past presidents — at this same point in their presidencies.

Gallup’s been at this for a while. They began tracking presidential approval numbers in the 1930s. They pretty much invented this game, so this isn’t part of some Republican scheme.

Here’s what we’re dealing with:

The bad news for Biden: The guys in italics lost reelection. You’ll note they all have higher approval ratings than he does. His bad numbers aren’t new, either. They’ve been bad since late 2021. And this isn’t just one poll — it’s an average.

The good news for Biden: This is about whether Americans approve of the job he’s doing. It’s not a poll about the election. Lucky for him, his opponent in that election is nearly as unpopular as he is. Just 42% of Americans have a favorable view of former President Donald Trump.

Presidential elections are often seen as performance reviews of the current president. Don’t like him? Toss him and give the other guy a shot.

Complicating that little plan is the fact that Americans are very familiar with the other guy this year. And that, he’s, y’know, been indicted enough times to make Tony Soprano blush (legitimately or not).

If Biden wants another four years to enjoy the White House bowling alley, his challenge won’t be to boost his own numbers. That ship has sailed. He’ll need to remind Americans why they hired him over Trump in the first place. But with numbers like this? Voters may want a refund.

GOVERNMENT

🚬 FDA backs off menthol ban

The Biden administration will indefinitely delay a long-planned ban on menthol-flavored cigarettes. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has pushed this for years, saying it will save hundreds of thousands of lives. They say the menthol flavoring in many cigarettes makes it easier to start smoking and harder to quit. So why the change of heart?

Politics may have played a role. About 80% of Black smokers smoke menthols. The White House worries a ban could create an illegal market, driving up prices and causing legal issues for smokers.

The NAACP and Congressional Black Caucus support the ban. They agree with health officials who say it will save lives. And they point out that menthol is the only remaining legal flavor.

Over 90% of Black voters backed President Biden in 2020. To win reelection, he needs to hang onto their support. But Republicans see opportunity (nowhere to go but up!). And polls indicate Black voters aren't thrilled with Biden's performance.

So what's the strategy? If you ask some Biden allies, it's simple: leave menthols alone.

Elsewhere in the government...

• Two days after returning from China, Sec. of State Antony Blinken will hit up Saudi Arabia as part of his jetlag world championship tour (and to discuss Israel/Gaza)

• The U.S. military began building a temporary pier in Gaza for humanitarian aid delivery

• Big Tech CEOs will join Homeland Security's new AI safety board

POLITICS

🔴 Trump:

• Trump and Republican rival Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made peace yesterday. They met at DeSantis' request. The governor says he’ll help the Trump campaign fundraise, possibly with an eye toward a second presidential bid of his own in 2028.

• Donald Trump believes RFK's presence in the race will hurt his campaign. Trump's begun firing at Kennedy, calling him a Democratic "plant."

🔵 Biden:

• Debates are so back. In a reversal of strategy, Joe Biden says he's "happy to debate" Trump. Biden previously waffled on whether he’d debate this year before new organizations called him out on it.

• If you’re in the mood for some mid-tier political comedy, check out the president’s 10-minute stand-up set at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.

⚪ Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. blasted the TikTok ban. He called it a "smokescreen" and said he'll challenge the "unconstitutional" forced-sale law in court.

🔴 Retiring Florida Rep. Bill Posey (R) twisted the rules to handpick his replacement. Posey announced his coming retirement within minutes of the candidate filing deadline. His chosen successor was tipped off and signed up to run right at the buzzer. The scheme left him as the only serious candidate in the race.

🔴 High on the list of things not to do as a politician? Get caught on camera screaming obscenities to the current holder of the office you seek. But that didn't stop state Sen. Denny Hoskins from unloading on outgoing Missouri Sec. of State Jay Ashcroft at an event. In a bit of political magic, the tirade was recorded by Hoskins’ Republican primary opponent.

TRIVIA

Whether Joe Biden or Donald Trump wins the election in November, one thing won’t change: the number of living U.S. presidents. Put the following six living U.S. presidents in order of age from oldest to youngest:

Joe Biden, George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Donald Trump

WORLD

🇧🇫 Burkina Faso: Burkinese soldiers executed over 200 civilians in February. The military-led government responded by launching its own "judicial" investigation and blocking media reports on the tragedy. Much of Burkina Faso’s army was trained by the United States.

🇪🇨 Ecuador: Ecuador's new president wants to mimic El Salvador's popular (and successful) war on crime. And it looks like the people are on board. Voters approved nine laws designed to fight surging violence.

🇮🇱 Israel: As ceasefire talks continue, Hamas released proof of life for two more hostages. Israeli negotiators warned this is the "last chance" for a truce before they invade Rafah. Israel believes the city is the final holdout of Hamas in Gaza.

🇺🇦 Ukraine: Ukraine pulled out of three villages as Russian gains in the southeast continue. Elsewhere, Ukraine claims Russia launched 34 strikes on its energy infrastructure, which supplies much of Europe. No sweat, though. The “grandpas’ brigade” is on it.

🇬🇧 United Kingdom: King Charles III will resume some public duties this week. He stepped back a few months ago to undergo cancer treatments. Those will continue, but he's doing well enough to resume his day job as Chief Event Attender.

BRIEFS

• The tradition continues as a Boeing jet made an emergency landing after its emergency slide yeeted itself off the plane in mid-air

• One in five samples of U.S. milk contains harmless fragments of bird flu, proving the disease is more widespread than first thought

• Wall Street is reeling with the fallout of the FCC's decision to ban noncompete agreements, with many saying it will cost jobs

• Houthi rebels in Yemen shot down their third U.S. drone as the battle over Red Sea shipping lanes rages on

• A massive ammunition explosion at a military base killed 20 soldiers in Cambodia (in Southeast Asia)

• New U.S. intel claims Russian President Vladimir Putin probably didn't order the killing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in February

QUOTE

SNACKS

🍺 Drama: Washington loves a good scandal. Even when it’s a cheating scandal involving the local bar trivia scene. Wait, what?

🍩 Food: A dietitian ranked the best and worst of Cinnabon. Pro tip: start at the bottom of this list for a few ideas on curing the Monday blues.

🚢 Titanic: A pocket watch recovered from the Titanic sold for $1.1 million at auction. It could come in handy if the planned Titanic II ever takes off.

ANSWER

Three of these guys were born just a few months apart in the summer of 1946. There must’ve been something in the water.

1. Jimmy Carter, 99 (1977-1981)

2. Joe Biden, 81 (2021- )

3. Donald Trump, 77 (2017-2021)

4. George W. Bush, 77 (2001-2009)

5. Bill Clinton, 77 (1993-2001)

6. Barack Obama, 62 (2009-2017)