THE FIRST 100: Donald Trump a lower approval rating in his first 100 days than any president in 70 years, according to new polling by CNN. Trump’s 100^th day is tomorrow and the CNN poll puts him at 41 percent approval.

  Only 22 percent of CNN’s responders said they strongly approve of Trump’s handling of the job, a new low, and 45 percent say they strongly disapprove.

  Just  43 percent say they see Trump’s government shakeup as a good thing and 57 percent say his approach is putting the country at risk.

   Other polls also have Trump under water. A Pew Research found that 59% of respondents disapprove of his performance. Ipsos/Reuters found that Trump’s approval rating on the economy is just 37 percent.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE:

— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said over the weekend that he’s unaware of any trade discussions between President Trump and China’s, Xi Jinping, even though Trump suggested that they have been talking. The two world leaders may or may not be in touch, but it seems Trump and Bessent are not.

  Bessent defended the President’s aggressive tariffs … up to 145 percent on Chinese goods … saying Trump is engaging in “strategic uncertainty” to establish leverage over foreign countries. 

— A 4-year-old and a 7-year-old with US citizenship were deported along with their mother to Honduras last week. Lawyers for the mother said she was not given the choice to leave her children in the United States.

— Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the House minority leader, and Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey have been leading Democrats in a sit-in on the steps of the Capitol, drawing attention to the coming budget fight. Republicans are expected to begin figuring spending limits for the next fiscal year with little or no consultation from Democrats.

— The White House Correspondents Association held a more reserved black tie dinner Saturday night minus the President  and with no comedian to make fun. 

  With the press under fire Jim VandeHei, who helped create Politico and Axios, said, “No president attending, no comedian to make fun of all of us, TV networks buckling under government pressure, a top producer quitting over corporate interference and the public sour on the media and government. Enjoy the weekend!”

  President Trump posted this morning; “We don’t have a Free and Fair “Press” in this Country anymore. We have a Press that writes BAD STORIES, and CHEATS, BIG, ON POLLS. IT IS COMPROMISED AND CORRUPT. SAD!”

TICKING DOWN: CBS Correspondent Scott Pelley added an end note to “60 Minutes” last night about the resignation of the show’s producer, Bill Owens. Pelley said, “He did it for us, and for you.”

  Pelley explained that Owens had made certain that stories about the Gaza war and President Trump were fair but; “Our parent company, Paramount, is trying to complete a merger. The Trump administration must approve it. Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways. None of our stories has been blocked, but Bill felt he lost the independence that honest journalism requires.”

  Pelley said that, “In resigning bill proved one thing, he was the right person to lead 60 Minutes all along.”

THE WAR ROOM: Secretary of State Marco Rubio said yesterday that President Trump will decide in the next few days whether to continue pursuing peace talks for the Ukraine war.

  “There are reasons to be optimistic, but there are reasons to be realistic of course as well, Rubio said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He said, “We’re close, but we’re not close enough.”

  Trump came away from a 15-miunute Saturday meeting at the Vatican with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky with a White spokesman calling it “very productive discussion.” But Trump says he’s not sure Vladimir Putin wants peace.

  On the battle front, The Russians are increasingly turning to the use of motorbikes for its troops to mount speedy attacks that have a chance to evade Ukrainian drones. The Russians even posted a video of troops training motorbike tactics.

  The Institute for the Study of War in Washington says the latest Russian video “indicates that the Russian military is likely developing a tactical doctrine for systematic offensive motorcycle usage and may be preparing to issue an increased number of motorcycles.”

  With so much of their heavy equipment destroyed … often by drones … the Russians have used motorbikes and quad vehicles for more than a year, so far without dramatic success. Drone footage shows Russian motorbikes and the soldiers riding them being systematically eliminated. The Ukraine military refers to the motorcycle assaults as “banzai attacks.”

THE SPIN RACK:  Washington police arrested a man they say is an illegal immigrant in the Easter Sunday theft of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s purse. The $4,400 bag had $3,000 cash in it. — Eleven people were killed Saturday night when a car plowed into the crowd at the Vancouver Filipino festival. Police arrested a 30-year-old man with a history of mental illness.  — Russian authorities say they detained a man they described as a “Ukrainian special services agent” in connection with the car bomb that killed a senior Russian general. — The Trump administration is expected today to ask Congress to end federal funding for public broadcasters PBS and NPR, calling the the organizations a waste of money that “spread radical, woke propaganda,”

BELOW THE FOLD:   Former Florida defensive lineman Desmond Watson broke an NFL record the moment he was drafted to play for Tampa Bay. He can bench press 225 pounds for 36 reps, and did the 40-yard dash in 5.93 seconds. But none of those numbers are record setters. 

  Remember when the Chicago Bears’ “Refrigerator Perry” came in at 6-2 and 335 pounds? Watson is 6-6 and weighs 464 pounds, becoming the heaviest NFL player ever. 

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