Democratic candidates have notched a series of wins in recent special elections 鈥� but a new AP-NORC poll finds views of the Democratic Party since 鈥檚 2024 victory.
Only about 7 in 10 Democrats have a positive view of the Democratic Party, according to new polling from . While the overwhelming majority of Democrats still feel good about their party, than they鈥檝e been in the past.
The midterm elections are still many months away, and lackluster favorability doesn鈥檛 spell electoral doom. Other factors could benefit Democrats this year, including broadly negative views of Trump and other Republicans.
But the lack of enthusiasm could be a longer-term problem for the party. Democrats鈥� favorability of their party plummeted after the 2024 election. And despite overwhelming victories in November鈥檚 offseason elections and a string of wins since then, those views haven鈥檛 recovered.
The latest:
US military leader meets Venezuela鈥檚 acting president
The head of U.S. military operations in Latin America met with Venezuela鈥檚 acting president, Delcy Rodr铆guez, and members of her cabinet during an hourslong visit Wednesday to the South American country鈥檚 capital.
Rodr铆guez鈥檚 government and U.S. Southern Command announced the visit separately on social media.
Rodr铆guez鈥檚 press office said Marine Gen. Francis Donovan met with Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino L贸pez and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello.
The meeting comes weeks after the U.S. military captured then-President Nicol谩s Maduro in a stunning raid in Caracas and brought him to the U.S. to face drug trafficking charges.
A readout of the meeting from U.S. Southern Command said the discussions focused on security in Venezuela and the Western Hemisphere as well as the 鈥渟teps to ensure the implementation鈥� of Trump鈥檚 phased plan for the country.
Air Force One will be painted red, white and blue as Trump has hinted, US military says
A red, white and blue color scheme championed by President Trump will become the new look for Air Force One, the U.S. military said Thursday.
The military that matches an airplane model that has been seen in the Oval Office for meetings with foreign leaders.
Boeing is in the process of modifying two of its that are slated to replace the existing fleet of two aging Boeing 747-200 aircraft that the president currently uses and that take on the Air Force One call sign when the president is aboard.
that those new jets would ditch the iconic Kennedy-era blue-and-white design for a white-and-navy color scheme. Instead, the top half of the plane would have been white, while the bottom, including the belly, would have been dark blue. A streak of dark red would have run from the cockpit to the tail. The coloring was almost identical to the exterior of Trump鈥檚 personal plane.
FDA will drop 2-study requirement for new drug approvals
The 鈥檚 plan to drop the longtime standard is the latest change from Trump administration officials vowing to speed up the availability of certain medical products.
Going forward, the FDA鈥檚 鈥渄efault position鈥� will be to require one study for new drugs and other novel health products, FDA Commissioner and a top deputy, , wrote in a New England Journal of Medicine published Wednesday.
The announcement is the latest example of Makary and his team changing longstanding FDA with the stated goal of slashing bureaucracy and accelerating the availability of new medicines.
It contrasts with the FDA鈥檚 more restrictive approach to other products, including vaccines.
Last week, the FDA鈥檚 vaccine division, headed by Prasad, Moderna鈥檚 application for a new mRNA flu shot, saying its clinical trial was insufficient. Then on Wednesday the agency , saying it would review the vaccine after Moderna agreed to conduct an additional study in older people.
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US fighter jets and other aircraft head to Middle East
Dozens of U.S. fighter jets, including F-35s, F-22s and F-16s, have left bases in the U.S. and Europe in recent days to head to the Middle East, according to the Military Air Tracking Alliance, a team of about 30 open-source analysts that routinely analyzes military and government flight activity.
The team says it鈥檚 also tracked more than 85 fuel tankers and over 170 cargo planes heading into the region.
Steffan Watkins, a researcher based in Canada and a member of the MATA, said he also has spotted support aircraft like six of the military鈥檚 early-warning E-3 aircraft head to a base in Saudi Arabia.
Those aircraft are key for coordinating operations with a large number of aircraft. He says they were pulled from bases in Japan, Germany and Hawaii.
Trump moves to protect domestic production of phosphorous for the military and key herbicides for farming
The president has signed an executive order meant to safeguard domestic supplies of elemental phosphorus, which the U.S. military uses, as well as glyphosate-based herbicides vital to agriculture production.
His order invokes the Defense Production Act and instructs the Department of the Interior to coordinate with defense officials.
It is meant to protect domestic production, distribution and supply chains of both elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides.
鈥淓nsuring robust domestic elemental phosphorus mining and United States-based production of glyphosate-based herbicides is central to American economic and national security,鈥� the order states. 鈥淲ithout immediate Federal action, the United States remains inadequately equipped and vulnerable.鈥�
Rubio to visit Israel next week, officials say
Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to travel to Israel next week to update Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on U.S.-Iran nuclear talks, two Trump administration officials said.
Rubio is expected to meet with Netanyahu on Feb. 28, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to detail travel plans that have not yet been announced.
The U.S. and Iran have held two rounds of recent indirect talks over the Islamic Republic鈥檚 nuclear program.
Netanyahu visited the White House last week to urge President Donald Trump to ensure that any deal also include steps to neutralize Iran鈥檚 ballistic missile program and end its funding for proxy groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
As Trump weighs whether to take military action against Tehran, he said Friday that a change in power 鈥渨ould be the best thing that could happen.鈥�
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鈥� By Matthew Lee
More than 40 nations and the EU to send representatives to Trump鈥檚 inaugural Board of Peace meeting
Countries that have confirmed they鈥檙e sending representatives to Thursday鈥檚 meeting, according to a senior administration official who was not authorized to comment publicly, include Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, South Korea, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
Trump initiated the board as part of his 20-point peace plan to end the Israel-Hamas war, but he now envisions it as a body that will help resolve conflicts around the globe. Thursday鈥檚 meeting is focusing on reconstruction and building an international stabilization force for a war-battered Gaza, where a shaky ceasefire deal persists.
Several of the countries expected to attend have opted not to join the board and will be attending as observers.
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鈥� By Aamer Madhani
US ambassador defends Trump鈥檚 Board of Peace structure ahead of Thursday meeting
During a U.N. Security Council meeting on the Palestinian territories Wednesday, Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., appeared to criticize the many world powers who have not yet signed on to join the Board of Peace, saying that unlike the 15-member council, the board is 鈥渘ot talking, it is doing.鈥�
The U.N. session in New York was originally scheduled for Thursday but was moved up after for that same date and it became clear that it would complicate travel plans for diplomats planning to attend both. It is a sign of the potential for overlapping and conflicting agendas between the United Nations鈥� most powerful body and Trump鈥檚 new initiative, whose broader ambitions to broker global conflicts have that it may attempt to .
鈥淲e are hearing the chattering class criticizing the structure of the board, that it鈥檚 unconventional, that it鈥檚 unprecedented,鈥� Waltz said. 鈥淎gain, the old ways were not working.鈥�
Christian pastors assert that US is in a state of crisis
In an open letter issued on Ash Wednesday, several hundred Christian pastors, scholars and civic leaders from across the United States declared the country to be in a state of crisis.
The letter, 鈥� ,鈥� was released to mark the start of the Christian season of repentance. Organizers said the letter asserts that Christians 鈥渉ave a moral obligation to speak out in the face of an endangered democracy, the rise of tyranny, and a Christian faith corrupted by the heretical ideology of white Christian nationalism.鈥�
Among the signatories were top leaders of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the United Church of Christ, and the United Methodist Church.
Trump says he鈥檚 not a racist, just ask Mike Tyson
At the White House鈥檚 Black History Month event, Trump didn鈥檛 mention his recent racist social media post featuring former and his wife, Michelle, as primates in a jungle that was later deleted.
But he shrugged off charges he鈥檚 racist, saying that former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, who is Black, can vouch for him.
鈥淲henever they come out and they say, 鈥楾rump鈥檚 a racist,鈥欌�� the president told the event, 鈥淢ike Tyson goes, 鈥楬e鈥檚 not a racist, he鈥檚 my friend.鈥欌��
Trump also mentioned another Black former athlete he is friendly with, noting that former NFL running back Herschel Walker is his administration鈥檚 ambassador to 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know, Bahamas? Bermuda?鈥� The president later added, 鈥淲hatever.鈥�
Walker is U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas.
White House pardon czar praises trump for giving her a 鈥榮econd chance鈥� after prison term
White House pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson says her elevation from prison to a White House job is uniquely American.
Trump Johnson鈥檚 sentence for federal drug and money laundering charges in 2018 and later pardoned her. She had spent more than two decades serving life without parole for a nonviolent drug offense.
As pardon czar, Johnson advises Trump and the administration on clemency cases.
鈥淲hen you see me, you see a miracle, you see hope, you see second chances, and you see someone who is willing to roll up their sleeves and do the work, do the hard work to help individuals gain their freedom,鈥� Johnson said during a Black History Month event at the White House.
Johnson, who is Black, touted Trump as a friend to Black Americans.
鈥淭his president hears you,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his president cares for you.鈥�
Trump remembers Jesse Jackson at Black History Month event
Trump remembered the late civil rights leader Jesse Jackson as 鈥渁 real piece of work鈥� but 鈥渁 good man鈥� and a hero.
鈥淚 knew him well long before becoming president, and he really was special, with lots of personality, grit and street smarts,鈥� Trump said during a White House event commemorating Black History Month.
He said Jackson was 鈥済regarious and someone who truly loved people and a force of nature,鈥� adding he鈥檒l be greatly missed.
Democratic leader supports censure of GOP congressman over anti-Muslim remarks
The comments from Rep. Randy Fine of Florida were 鈥渄isgusting and part of a long track record of disgusting comments, Islamophobic comments, and xenophobic comments,鈥� Jeffries said.
If the House produces a censure resolution against the GOP congressman, Jeffries said he would 鈥渟trongly support it.鈥�
Fine, who is Jewish, has drawn widespread rebuke for his latest remarks, saying he prefers having dogs over Muslims in the United States.
鈥淚f they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one,鈥� he posted on social media.
The congressman was reacting to online posts from New York City about complaints over dog feces emerging in the melting snow. Some Muslims do not believe the animals should be kept indoors as pets. And one pro-Palestinian advocate joked in a post that the city was coming around to the view.
He has since doubled-down on his position and posted a number of images of dogs.
Jeffries called on House Speaker Mike Johnson to address the congressman鈥檚 behavior. 鈥淕et your members under control because if you don鈥檛, we will,鈥� he said.
Does Trump have a speech on aliens prepared? The White House hasn鈥檛 heard that
鈥淎 speech on aliens would be news to me,鈥� Leavitt said when asked about the president鈥檚 daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, recently suggesting that Trump has a speech on aliens and would be ready to give at the 鈥渞ight time.鈥�
Former President Barack Obama caused a stir when he recently suggested that UFOs were 鈥渞eal.鈥�
Leavitt said with a laugh that the prospect that Trump has prepared remarks on aliens, 鈥淪ounds very exciting.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檒l have to check in with our speechwriting team, and that would be of great interest to me personally,鈥� she added. 鈥淎nd I鈥檓 sure all of you in this room, and apparently former President Obama, too.鈥�
White House says Democratic proposal is 鈥榰nserious鈥�
Leavitt said during Wednesday鈥檚 briefing that the Democrats鈥� latest proposal to end a shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security is 鈥渦nserious.鈥�
She said White House officials, but not President Trump, has been in contact with Democratic leaders over the impasse, blaming Democrats for forcing some federal employees to work without paychecks.
鈥淟ast night, they sent over a counter proposal that, frankly, was very unserious,鈥� Leavitt said of Democrats. 鈥淎nd we hope they get serious very soon because Americans are going to be impacted by this.鈥�
White House pushes back on Zelenskyy calling Trump鈥檚 pressure on Ukraine 鈥榰nfair鈥�
Ukrainian President President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with news site Axios on Tuesday that it鈥檚 鈥渘ot fair鈥� that Trump has persistently called on Ukraine to make concessions to Russia, but has been less forceful in his calls on President Vladimir Putin to come to the table to end Russia鈥檚 war on Ukraine.
鈥淚 think the president would respond to that by saying he does not think it鈥檚 fair that thousands of Ukrainians are losing their lives and Russians, too, in this deadly war,鈥� White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said when asked about Zelenskyy criticism.
She added, 鈥淚 think the president views this entire situation as very unfair, not just for Russians and Ukrainians who have lost their lives, but also for the American people and the American taxpayer who were footing the bill for this war effort.鈥�
Trump must seek approval from Congress before any US action against Iran, top Democrat says
House minority leader Jeffries said he 鈥渨ouldn鈥檛 put anything past this president,鈥� when asked about potential US military action toward Iran.
But he insisted Trump cannot act alone in conducting military actions.
鈥淭he American people clearly are of the view that before any adverse military action is taken unilaterally by Donald Trump and Republicans, that, of course, Congress 鈥� consistent with our constitutional responsibility 鈥� should approve any acts of war,鈥� Jeffries said.
Democrats demand ICE reforms on Day 5 of DHS shutdown
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said without 鈥渄ramatic, bold, meaningful鈥� reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the funding Homeland Security bill funding will not move forward.
Jeffries said Trump and Republicans need to 鈥渙wn up to the chaos that they鈥檝e created鈥� under the big tax breaks and spending cuts bill that sent some $75 billion to ICE.
Democrats are making a number of demands, including that immigration agents identify themselves by wearing body cameras and taking off their masks.
They further want agents to seek judicial warrants before entering private property and they鈥檙e pushing for a ban on immigration enforcement around sensitive locations, including schools, hospitals, houses of worship and polling places.
These remain 鈥渓ines in the sand鈥� in the negotiations with the administration, he said.
Over the weekend, Democrats sent the White House their latest offer. Jeffries said they are waiting for a response.
White House says local leaders need to invoke Stafford Act
As the sewage spill in the Potomac River continues to persist, the White House is continuing to push the leaders of Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia to ask for federal assistance.
The next step is for those officials to 鈥渟tep forward and to ask the federal government for help,鈥� press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday.
Leavitt said those leaders need to ask for the implementation of the Stafford Act, the 1988 law that outlines FEMA鈥檚 responsibilities as well as cost-sharing between the feds and state, so the federal government can go in and take control.
But local leaders have noted that the burst pipe is already under federal jurisdiction. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said again earlier Wednesday that the Potomac Interceptor is a D.C. pipe that is on federal land.
Leavitt chose to single out Moore during her briefing, saying Maryland infrastructure gets a 鈥渘early failing grade鈥� and that the governor has shown he鈥檚 鈥渋ncapable of fixing this problem.鈥�
Democrats hold an edge on health care, but struggle to make gains on the economy
Despite the internal negativity, Democrats have at least one potential advantage going into the midterm year.
About one-third of U.S. adults 鈥� 35% 鈥� trust the Democrats to do a better job handling health care, compared to 23% for the Republicans.
At the same time, Republicans have lost some ground on issues that were key to Trump鈥檚 reelection 鈥� the economy and immigration 鈥� but Democrats haven鈥檛 managed to capitalize on that.
Only 31% of U.S. adults say Republicans are the party they trust to handle the economy, down slightly from 36% last year. But Democrats haven鈥檛 made any gains on this issue; rather, slightly more Americans now say they trust 鈥渘either鈥� party.
Many Americans are negative about both parties, polling shows
It鈥檚 not just Democrats 鈥� Americans aren鈥檛 thrilled with either party right now.
Only about one-third of U.S. adults have a favorable view of either the Democratic or Republican Party, according to the AP-NORC poll. Roughly one-quarter of Americans have a negative view of both, and that double-negativity is especially sharp among independents and Americans under 45.
But Democrats鈥� loss of goodwill is more recent. Polling over the past 25 years from Gallup shows that Americans used to feel much more positively toward the Democrats. Around 2010, . Since then, at least half of Americans have held unfavorable views of the party.
Negative views of the Democrats now rival the most negative points in time for the Republicans.
Many Democrats are still down on the Democrats, a new AP-NORC poll finds
Democrats鈥� positivity about their party fell after Trump won the presidency in 2024. Despite a series of wins in recent special elections, polling shows morale hasn鈥檛 bounced back.
New that 70% of rank-and-file Democrats have a positive view of the Democratic Party. While the overwhelming majority of Democrats still feel good about their party, they鈥檙e much less positive than they鈥檝e been in the past.
Democrats鈥� favorability of their party plummeted after the 2024 election, from 85% in September 2024 to 67% in October 2025.
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