The Weekly Memo: By the Numbers
Trump Gets Polling Bump in Cities Amid His Crime Crackdown
Newsweek reported last week that President Donald Trump’s approval rating received a “major boost in cities” amid his administration’s aggressive new crime crackdown and deployment of National Guard units to urban areas.
The publication points to the latest TIPP Insights poll, which has President Trump now polling at 47 percent approval and 44 percent disapproval in U.S. cities, with his net approval at +3 points. ActiVote polling from last month also showed that Trump’s approval among urban voters has jumped from -25 points in August to -14 points.
This trend highlights the tremendous concern of voters with crime, even among constituencies that have traditionally leaned blue.
Trust in Media Hits Record Low
Gallup finds that Americans’ confidence in media has fallen to a new low, with just 28 percent expressing a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in mass media to report the news “fully, accurately and fairly.” Just 8 percent of Republicans indicate confidence in mass media to report news fairly.
Almost 3 in 4 Oklahoma Third Graders Not Proficient in Reading
New state testing data reports that 73 percent of Oklahoma third graders are not proficient in reading. The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) reports that the 2025 spring state tests found that only 27 percent of Oklahoma third-grade students scored “proficient” or better on the English Language Arts (ELA) test, meaning those students are performing at or above grade level expectations. Further, 43 percent of third-grade students scored “below basic,” meaning they are performing far below grade-level expectations. Declining reading scores have been found nationwide in national assessments.
ICYMI: Auditor Cindy Byrd (Part 2)
Ep. 8, Part 2: State Auditor Cindy Byrd - Watching Over Your Money
Cindy Byrd was elected as Oklahoma’s 13th State Auditor and Inspector in 2018. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with over 25 years of government auditing experience. By the end of her second term, Cindy will have published over 3000 audits, including many that have garnered state and national attention.