CNN Poll: GOP voters’ broad support for Trump holds, with less than half seriously worried criminal charges will harm his 2024 chances By Jennifer Agiesta and Ariel

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CNN

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Former President Donald Trump continues to hold what has proven to be an unshakeable position atop the Republican field of candidates vying to take on President Joe Biden next year, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS.

Trump is the top choice for his party’s nomination at the traditional Labor Day start to a more engaged campaign season, ahead of his nearest rival by more than 30 percentage points (52% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independent voters support him, compared with 18% behind Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis). And Trump is broadly seen as best able to handle a wide range of issues.

More than 4 in 10 in the potential GOP primary electorate say they have definitely decided to support him for the nomination (43% are definite Trump backers, 20% are firmly behind another candidate, and 37% have no first choice or say they could change their minds). Nearly two-thirds consider him one of their top two choices, and 61% say they think he is extremely or very likely to become the party’s nominee, up from 52% at the start of the summer. Most feel the criminal charges Trump faces are not relevant to his ability to serve as president, and a majority of GOP-aligned voters are not seriously concerned about the impact the charges could have on Trump’s electability. Despite these dominant numbers, the poll does suggest his appeal has waned for at least some segment of the party. Around 1 in 5 Republican-aligned voters say they would not support Trump in the primary under any circumstances and 16% say the charges he faces related to his role in the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol are disqualifying if true – but that segment remains a minority and has not consolidated around any single Trump rival.

The poll — conducted entirely after the first GOP debate in August, which Trump did not attend – finds DeSantis the only other contender to reach double-digits, although his backing has dipped 8 points since June. Behind him, former Vice President Mike Pence and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley hold 7% support each, with businessman Vivek Ramaswamy at 6%. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott has 3% support, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has 2%, and the rest of the tested field stands at 1% or less.

Trump’s standing in first-choice preferences has rebounded since CNN’s June poll, though the share calling him one of their top two choices or rating him favorably both remain lower than this spring. He’s up 5 points overall as voters’ first choice, including apparent upticks among White college-educated voters (up 6 points since June), and self-identified Republicans (up 10 points). But the 63% of all GOP-aligned voters placing him in their top two remains about where it was in June (61%), a step lower than in May (68%), as does his overall favorability rating with that group (69% now, 77% in May). In the new poll, a 94% majority of Trump’s supporters view him favorably, but that falls to just 42% among those not currently supporting him in the primary.

Trump’s criminal charges

A minority, 44%, of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say they are seriously concerned that the criminal charges Trump faces will negatively affect his ability to win the 2024 election if he becomes the Republican nominee, while 56% are not seriously concerned about that. A third of those who back Trump have those concerns (34%), rising to 54% among Republicans supporting another candidate.

China's Great Wall damaged by workers looking for shortcut

famous historical structure, it is important to consider what it is.

The Great Wall is a series of battlements stretching across vast sections of northern China and it is in widely varying states of disrepair. It is sometimes found in places with villages or towns, but often in remote areas of various provinces.

The oldest portions, dating back thousands of years, were rammed earth walls and now appear as mounds, not even immediately recognisable as the Great Wall.

Much of the degradation of the wall has been attributed to local farmers stealing bricks or stones to build houses or animal pens.

More recently, the government has gone to greater lengths to preserve the Great Wall and, as a result, these two people are in a lot of trouble.

The public in China won't think that these actions have been extremely unusual, given the previous destruction of the Great Wall, but they will be upset by them, given the enormous historical and cultural importance of this structure - not only for China but for all of humanity.

French state schools turn away dozens of girls wearing Muslim abaya dress

The French education minister has said that nearly 300 pupils arrived at school on Monday wearing the abaya, the long Muslim robe which was banned in schools last week.

Most of the girls agreed to change into other clothes.

According to official figures, 298 girls - mainly aged 15 or more - turned up at school in the banned garment.

Under instructions laid down by the ministry, there followed in each case a period of dialogue with school staff.

Most girls then agreed to dress differently and were able to start classes.

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However, 67 girls refused to comply and were sent home.

A further period of dialogue with their families will now ensue. If that fails, they will be excluded.

Set against the 12 million school boys and girls who started term on Monday, the government believes the figures show that its ban has been broadly accepted.

However, a legal challenge by a group representing some Muslims goes before the courts later today.

At the end of August, the education minister announced that pupils would be banned from wearing the loose-fitting full-length robes worn by some Muslim women in France's state-run schools at the start of the new school year on 4 September.

France has a strict ban on religious signs in state schools and government buildings, arguing that they violate secular laws.

Wearing a headscarf has been banned since 2004 in state-run schools.

The move comes after months of debate over the wearing of abayas in French schools.

The garment is being increasingly worn in schools, leading to a political divide over them, with right-wing parties pushing for a ban while those on the left have voiced concerns for the rights of Muslim women and girls.

Hijab campaign tweets pulled after French backlash

The Islamic veil across Europe

In 2010, France banned the wearing of full-face veils in public, provoking anger in France's five million-strong Muslim community.

France has enforced a strict ban on religious signs at schools since the 19th Century, including Christian symbols such as large crosses, in an effort to curb any Catholic influence on public education.

Reflecting its changing population, it has updated the law over the years to include the Muslim headscarf and Jewish kippa, but abayas have not been banned outright until now.