OnPolitics: POTUS approval rating on COVID hits new low

Happy Monday, OnPolitics readers!

President Joe Biden will visit Kentucky on Wednesday to survey the damage from a series of deadly tornadoes that ravaged the state late Friday and early Saturday.

During his trip to the Bluegrass State, Biden will visit Fort Campbell for a storm briefing, and he will also survey storm damage in Mayfield and Dawson Springs.

“We’re going to get this done," Biden told reporters after meeting with officials from the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "We’re going to be there as long as it takes to help."

ICYMI this weekend: More than 30 tornadoes ripped across Kentucky and four other states over the weekend, leaving dozens dead, devastating homes and demolishing entire towns. Kentucky was the hardest hit by what Gov. Andy Beshear said was the deadliest tornado in the state's history.

Beshear said that 64 people were dead and 105 people remained unaccounted for. 

It's Amy and Mabinty with today's top stories out of Washington. 

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Biden's poll numbers drop to new low

The president received heavy criticism from the American public in his handling of the economy, COVID-19 and gun violence, in a new ABC News/Ipsos poll released Sunday.

As the COVID-19 omicron variant spreads across the country, resulting in renewed mask mandates, travel restrictions and a third vaccine shot, Biden took a significant hit in Americans’ faith in his handling of the pandemic.

A new low: While a majority of Americans – 53% – approve of Biden’s response, 45% disapprove, marking the most since he took office and a nearly 20 percentage point drop from March, when 72% of Americans approved of his response. 

Biden's approval rating slid in his handling of gun violence and crime, as the United States has experienced a surge in gun-related violence and deaths this year, including a shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan on Nov. 30 that left four dead and several injured. 

Two-thirds of Americans disapprove of Biden’s handling of gun violence, while 32% approve, the ABC News/Ipsos poll found, and only 36% of Americans approve of his handling of crime while 61% disapprove. Both approval numbers are the lowest Biden has seen since his took office. 

Prices up, approval down: As inflation continues to surge in the United States, Americans have named it their top concern, surpassing the pandemic. The poll found that 28% of Americans approved of Biden’s handling of inflation, while a majority of Americans, at 69%, disapproved.

Real quick: stories you’ll want to read

• A dangerous wait for freedom: Immigration and LGBTQ advocates say that transgender migrants continue to face specific hurdles when seeking asylum despite a new presidency.
• SCOTUS passes on press freedom case: The Supreme Court declined Monday to decide whether Wisconsin's governor violated the First Amendment when he barred a conservative think tank from attending press conferences.
• Good news if you need a passport renewal: Biden signed an executive order Monday intended to improve basic government services such as renewing a passport, claiming Social Security benefits, filing taxes and getting through airport security.

Will Mark Meadows be the next Trump official held in contempt?

A lawyer for former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows urged the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection not to pursue criminal contempt charges for his defiance of the panel’s subpoena.

The lawyer, George Terwilliger, told the committee Monday that referring the case to the Justice Department would be “contrary to law” because Meadows was acting in good faith to keep communications with former President Donald Trump confidential under executive privilege.

It goes down tonight: Meadows initially cooperated with the committee and provided documents, but has since refused to provide contested documents or appear for a deposition. The committee is scheduled to vote Monday evening to recommend the full House find Meadows in contempt for defying a subpoena.

Meadows is not alone: Trump is also fighting a subpoena for his administration's documents at the National Archives and Records Administration. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Trump and in favor of the committee receiving the documents because President Joe Biden waived executive privilege. But Trump is expected to appeal to the Supreme Court.

As the year winds down, don't forget to be good to yourself! — Amy and Mabinty