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California Governor Gavin Newsom’s presidential aspirations are crumbling under the weight of devastating poll numbers that expose his disastrous governance record and poison his national appeal. Newsom’s Favorability Crisis Reveals National Rejection Gavin Newsom faces a stark reality check as multiple polls from late 2025 through early 2026 expose his troubling favorability problem. According to aggregated data tracking registered and likely voters nationwide, Newsom averaged just 30.3% favorable ratings, compared with 36.8% unfavorable. The February 2026 Focaldata/YouGov poll crystallized this weakness, showing 22% favorable against 31% unfavorable—a net negative of 9 points. This represents a fundamental credibility gap for someone aspiring to lead the nation, particularly given Americans’ demand for competent leadership after years of Biden-era chaos. Primary Lead Masks General Election Vulnerability While Newsom captured 25% support in the August 2025 Democrat primary poll—a 13-point surge from his June baseline of 12%—this momentum tells only part of the story. His gains among youth voters (ages 18-29) and seniors over 70 demonstrate broad demographic appeal within the Democrat base, but primary voters represent the party’s most committed progressives, not the broader electorate. When matched against Vice President JD Vance in a hypothetical general election, Newsom manages only a 44%-44% tie, hardly the commanding performance expected from a supposed frontrunner. This parity with Vance underscores a critical weakness: Newsom cannot expand beyond his progressive bubble. California’s Governance Failures Haunt National Ambitions Newsom’s California record serves as a millstone around his presidential prospects. National voters disapproved of California’s redistricting efforts by 56%, viewing them as partisan manipulation rather than democratic representation. President Trump’s 2024 performance in California—where he won counties like Stanislaus and Sutter with over 54%—exposed cracks in what Democrats long considered their impenetrable firewall. Public Policy Institute of California surveys reveal that even Californians are increasingly supporting federal downsizing, a stinging rebuke to Newsom’s big-government approach. These trends suggest voters associate Newsom with the very failures that characterized the disastrous Biden years: unchecked spending, regulatory overreach, and policies disconnected from working families’ struggles. Economic Anxiety Undermines Progressive Messaging Newsom’s progressive policy prescriptions collide head-on with voter priorities. Polling shows that 33% of Americans rank the economy as their top concern, while 41% report that their personal finances have worsened—a damning indictment of the economic conditions that Newsom’s policies mirror. His tenure overseeing California’s homelessness crisis, budget shortfalls, and business exodus provides a preview of his economic management style: heavy taxation, burdensome regulations, and prioritizing ideology over results. Voters who suffered through inflation and fiscal mismanagement under the previous administration recognize Newsom represents more of the same failed approach. His inability to articulate economic solutions beyond expanding government programs leaves him vulnerable to Republican challengers who champion individual liberty and market-driven prosperity. The 2028 cycle presents Democrats with a rebuilding challenge after President Trump’s decisive 2024 victory, yet Newsom’s candidacy offers no course correction. His net-negative favorability and tied general election matchups demonstrate that California-style progressivism remains a tough sell nationally. Meanwhile, GOP unity behind Vice President Vance (polling at 52% among Republicans) contrasts sharply with Democrat fragmentation, where Pete Buttigieg and Kamala Harris pull 16% and 11% respectively, threatening to splinter Newsom’s coalition. Even California’s 2026 gubernatorial race shows vulnerability, with Republican Steve Hilton leading early polls—a warning sign that Newsom’s home base may reject his brand of governance. For conservatives, Newsom’s struggles validate what common sense has long revealed: Americans want competence, fiscal responsibility, and respect for constitutional principles, not the coastal elite progressivism that turned California into a cautionary tale. Sources: Emerson College Polling – August 2025 National Decision Desk HQ – Gavin Newsom Favorability Averages Wikipedia – 2024 United States Presidential Election in California PPIC Statewide Survey – Californians and Their Government June 2025 State Affairs – Hilton Leads 2026 California Governor Race

From Thailand comes a story that’s pure Hollywood: police going undercover as festival lion dancers to nab a suspected art thief. Dressed as the rump and head of a large Asian lion costume during Lunar New Year festivities, the police sprang upon the suspect and took him into custody, phone cameras mercifully recorded. Bangkok police […] The post Thai Cops Go Literally ‘Undercover’ Dancing as a Lion to Nab Suspect at Lunar New Year Fest (WATCH) appeared first on Good News Network.

Last month, over 6,000 public employees broke free from mandatory union fees—a record-setting surge that signals a nationwide shift in teacher and public worker empowerment.   Leading the charge is the Teacher Freedom Alliance, which helps educators reclaim their paychecks from politically driven union agendas. This year, the group plans to help 60,000 workers leave unions and push legislation in multiple states to curb taxpayer funding for unions. According to its website, the Teacher Freedom Alliance “exists to assist educators in their mission to develop free, moral, and upright American citizens.”  The organization currently has 9,000 members. By the end of the year, it hopes to have 20,000. Ryan Walters, CEO of Teacher Freedom Alliance, said their broader goal is to “put power back in the hands of parents, good teachers, and students.”  Lawsuit and Legislative Efforts  The organization plans to introduce legislation in Idaho, Florida, Oklahoma, and South Dakota, removing or limiting taxpayer support for unions. This bill would cost unions hundreds of millions of dollars.  The Teacher Freedom Alliance also recently filed a lawsuit against the Utah Education Association. According to the group, investigations revealed that union dues were being used for political spending. Walters said, “They told everyone that they weren’t putting money towards a political cause,” calling it a lie and a “crazy left-wing money-funneling operation” that violates Utah’s consumer protection law.   Challenges and Teacher Benefits  Public employees are leaving their unions at exceptional rates because of the financial burden. Each one pays around $1,100 a year while receiving few benefits. The Teacher Freedom Alliance explains that it is reaching public employees by visiting their homes and offices, sending emails and mail, and running marketing campaigns to encourage more people to leave their unions.  The trick is actually breaking free of the union. Walters said teachers unions are “like the [Eagles song] ‘Hotel California.’ You check in, but you can never leave.”  Walters explains that leaving a teachers union can be a difficult, drawn-out process because unions put up bureaucratic hurdles and spread misinformation, telling teachers they’ll lose benefits or protections if they opt out. In reality, teachers keep their insurance and retirement benefits, but the longer they remain, the more money is taken from their paychecks to fund political agendas.  Education Secretary Linda McMahon took to X, saying, “The Supreme Court ruled that public employees, including teachers, cannot be required to join or pay a union as a condition of employment.”   Teachers shouldn’t be forced to bankroll political agendas.  Union dues are optional—nationwide. pic.twitter.com/AQqII6ekeo— Secretary Linda McMahon (@EDSecMcMahon) February 10, 2026 She went on to explain, “The point is: the choice is yours! Returning education to the states is about empowering parents, students, and teachers alike – ensuring those closest to the child are making decisions that work for their students, not special interests or bureaucrats sitting in Washington, D.C.”  The Teacher Freedom Alliance website includes a testimonial from Karin, a special education teacher, who writes that the alliance is “empowering and reenergizing teachers to fight for education” and providing resources they “might never have gotten before.”  Moving Forward  This July, the Teacher Freedom Alliance will host a summit in Dallas, Texas, inviting teachers from across the country to join together to discuss curriculum and professional development. “We’re going to talk about classroom discipline, how to get classroom management back in the classroom,” Walters said. “We’re going to talk about how you teach American exceptionalism in the classroom.”  They are even working on a Constitution curriculum for kindergarten through high school to distribute and share with educators.  The wait is finally up. The largest gathering of freedom-loving educators and advocates is coming back in 2026, bigger and better than ever. We are thrilled to announce our 4th annual Teacher Freedom Summit will be July 14th-16th in Dallas, Texas.For too long, the unions and… pic.twitter.com/x5JtTLpm4N— Teacher Freedom Alliance (@Freedom4Teachrs) November 19, 2025 The post Why Teachers Unions Are the New ‘Hotel California’ for Public Employees  appeared first on The Daily Signal.

School Activism Now Sending Kids to Hospital

The story is half X-Men, half The Lorax.

Instead of picketing, striking autoworkers in Flint, Michigan, tried a bold tactic that gummed up the works and forced the company to recognize their union

Wait — Seriously? An Unexpected Name Tops Crucial Dem Presidential Primary Poll