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70% of Americans believe the political system is rigged

Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios

An overwhelming majority of Americans feel angry and marginalized by a political system that "seems to only be working for the insiders,” according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Sunday.

Why it matters: The percentage of angry Americans remains virtually unchanged from when the same question was polled in October 2015, a year before the political system was seemingly upended by the anti-establishment, "Drain the Swamp" message of then-candidate Donald Trump. Four years later, 2020 candidates Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are using a similar populist message to win back the confidence of Americans by promising to fight for the forgotten worker.

Highlights:

  • 56% of Americans polled say they feel "anxious and uncertain because the economy still feels rocky," though 69% say they're satisfied with their personal financial situation.
  • 56% say race relations have gotten worse since Trump took office.
  • 27% of those surveyed say they’re confident that their children’s generation will be better off than them, down from 35% in August 2017.

Between the lines: Even though U.S. unemployment is holding steady at 3.7% after a 10-year recovery, Americans are still facing sluggish wages. The Trump administration denies warnings of a coming recession, but Americans are still anxious about what the future holds for the economy.

Methodology: The NBC/WSJ poll was conducted Aug. 10–14 of 1,000 adults — more than half reached by cellphone — and it has an overall margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points.

Go deeper: Allies worry Trump is "running out of tools" to boost the economy

Go deeper

Jonathan Swan
3 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Scoop: Gina Haspel threatened to resign over plan to install Kash Patel as CIA deputy

CIA Director Gina Haspel. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

CIA Director Gina Haspel threatened to resign in early December after President Trump cooked up a hasty plan to install loyalist Kash Patel, a former aide to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), as her deputy, according to three senior administration officials with direct knowledge of the matter.

Why it matters: The revelation stunned national security officials and almost blew up the leadership of the world's most powerful spy agency. Only a series of coincidences — and last minute interventions from Vice President Mike Pence and White House counsel Pat Cipollone — stopped it.

Go deeper (3 min. read)Arrow
Axios
Updated 5 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Health: Coronavirus deaths reach 4,000 per day as hospitals remain in crisis mode — CDC warns highly transmissible coronavirus variant could become dominant in U.S. in March.
  2. Politics: Biden says, "We will manage the hell out of" vaccine distribution — Biden taps ex-FDA chief to lead Operation Warp Speed amid rollout of COVID plan — Widow of GOP congressman-elect who died of COVID-19 will run to fill his seat.
  3. Vaccine: Battling Black mistrust of the vaccines — "Pharmacy deserts" could become vaccine deserts — Instacart to give $25 to shoppers who get vaccine.
  4. Economy: Unemployment filings explode again — Fed chair: No interest rate hike coming any time soon —  Inflation rose more than expected in December.
  5. World: WHO team arrives in China to investigate pandemic origins.
Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Lachlan Markay
5 hours ago - Politics & Policy

John Weaver, Lincoln Project co-founder, acknowledges “inappropriate” messages

John Weaver aboard John McCain's campaign plane in February 2000. Photo: Robert Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)

John Weaver, a veteran Republican operative who co-founded the Lincoln Project, declared in a statement to Axios on Friday that he sent “inappropriate,” sexually charged messages to multiple men.

  • “To the men I made uncomfortable through my messages that I viewed as consensual mutual conversations at the time: I am truly sorry. They were inappropriate and it was because of my failings that this discomfort was brought on you,” Weaver said.
  • “The truth is that I'm gay,” he added. “And that I have a wife and two kids who I love. My inability to reconcile those two truths has led to this agonizing place.”
Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow