Newsletter Apr 26, 2021

President Joe Biden is nearing his 100th day in office, a key target date for his presidency. See what kind of report card Americans are giving him.

3 Things

Hundred-day mark: President Biden spent much of his campaign talking about what he would do in his first 100 days in office. This week, it's time to measure his performance against his promises.
A new ABC poll shows Biden with a 53% approval rating and a 39% disapproval rating -- almost an exact flip-flop of former President Donald Trump's numbers at the same point into his presidency.
Biden scored high marks for his handling of the coronavirus crisis, particularly the doubling of his pledge to vaccinate 100 million Americans in his first 100 days. Voters also liked the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan and his proposed $2 trillion infrastructure bill.
Dragging down Biden's approval number was his policies toward immigration on the southern border, where detention facilities have been flooded with unaccompanied children since taking office. His foreign policy and calls for gun control also struck a nerve with many.
But perhaps the biggest factor in grading Biden's performance is that fact that he isn't Trump, as one poll responded elegantly put it: "I don't have to think about what Joe Biden is doing every day. The best thing about Joe Biden is I don't have to think about Joe Biden.â€
SEE HOW BIDEN SCORED WITH VOTERS ON KEY ISSUES

Mixed milestones: The world also reached some record numbers on the COVID front, but not all are the kind of records to brag about.
The 1 billionth vaccination was administered over the weekend, a notable accomplishment given that the number was virtually nil at the start of 2021. But throwing cold water on that milestone is the fact that a new world record for new daily cases was set at 893,000.
Fueling that statistic is India, where nearly 40% of the world's COVID cases are being reported. The nation is seeing an explosion in cases while running out of hospital space and oxygen -- a deadly combination that is forcing officials to create mass cremation sites. Thailand, Brazil and other nations are dealing with sudden surges.
The disparity between poor and wealthy countries is party to blame in the spikes at an alarming rate. Nearly half of all vaccinations have occurred in wealthier nations compared to only 0.2% in poor nations.
SEE THE TRENDS IN THE VACCINE HAVES AND HAVE-NOTS

Voting rights reversal: Score one for the Democrats and their efforts to halt a recent surge in restrictive state voting rights laws, but this time the successful block came from the other side of the aisle.
Arizonaâ€™s state Senate Republicans ran into an unexpected road block on the way to passing its new voting set of voting regulations when ultra-conservative Sen. Kelly Townsend broke ranks to kill the bill -- despite initially supporting it -- on the basis of an ongoing audit.
The bill targets the removal of infrequent voters from the mail-in voter rolls. If a citizen fails to vote by mail for two consecutive election cycles and does not respond to an inquiry from the county, the county is legally required to take them off the list.
Townsend said she was actually supportive of the bill, but would continue to block it until an audit of Maricopa County finishes investigating its 2020 election, which is expected to last through May.
FIND OUT WHAT MEASURES ARE IN THE STALLED BILL

Markets

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* As of market close

'Plus Up' stimulus

If you've already spent that $1,400 stimulus check from last month, there may be more help on the way in the form of an obscure provision in the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan that provides relief to those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Known as "Plus Up" payments, these additional benefits are targeted for Americans who meet certain criteria that reflect how the crisis affected ones income in 2020. Those who saw a significant decrease from 2019 to 2020, indicating a loss of employment or a drop in income associated with the pandemic, are eligible for additional stimulus payments.

Over $1.2 billion was earmarked for the Plus-Up program, but there's still no clear declaration on payment amounts. Recipients may not know if they are eligible until well after they have filed their 2020 federal taxes, which has seen the deadline extended to May 17.

IRS backlogs could create further delays. However, those who have filed can check their status and eligibility using the IRS Get My Payment tool.

FIND OUT IF YOU ARE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE 'PLUS UP' PAYMENTS

Envelope, please ...

Organizers of the 93rd Academy Awards promised a show like never before -- and they delivered. Whether fans of the Oscars loved it or hated it (and in the age of Twitter, there were plenty of critics on both sides of the debate(, there's no denying that Sunday's showcase was different.

Due to COVID protocols and the challenges associated with hosting a major gala, this year's slimmed-down affair featured fewer than 170 walking the underplayed red carpet at the Union Station in Los Angeles. Some guests were rotated through the night for maximum attendance

Even in the magical fairy-tale world of Hollywood, it was a surreal scene for the Oscars. There were some remote awards presentations and acceptance speeches, but the most noticeable change for longtime fans was the use of prerecorded performances blended in with the live show.

Of course, just like the usual disagreements over the winners and losers (and perhaps more importantly, the best- and worst-dressed lists), there were mixed reviews over the new format -- and a few surprises.

CHECK OUT THE WINNERS FROM SUNDAY'S ACADEMY AWARDS

TV Musk-eteer

What do you do after you've mastered the electric vehicle, broken barriers in space travel, and amassed more money than only one other person on the planet? Host "Saturday Night Live," of course, and Elon Musk is all in.

Musk has been selected to serve as the guest host on an upcoming episode of NBC's classic sketch comedy show, sending shock waves through the entertainment, business and media industries. Exactly how will the billionaire entrepreneur handle a role normally reserved for Hollywood's best and brightest, not giants from the technology.

The May 8 episode won't be Tesla and SpaceX CEO's first time in front of the cameras. He has made appearances in movies in the past, including a cameo role on Marvel's blockbuster "Iron Man 2," as well as appearing on TV shows like "The Big Bang Theory," "The Simpsons" and "South Park."

It won't be the first time "SNL" has featured business moguls as host in the past, including former New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and former President Donald Trump, before he took office. Miley Cyrus will serve as the musical guest, perfect for a "Wrecking Ball" of a show.

FIND OUT WHAT THE TWITTERATI IS SAYING ABOUT MUSK ON 'SNL'