Author: Supriya Jena

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is facing big trouble as his approval ratings have dropped a lot. Recent polls show that many people are unhappy with him, especially after he gave out expensive gift vouchers to new lawmakers in his party. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has been in charge of Japan for almost 70 years, has been hit hard by scandals, including some that led to his predecessor losing his job.

According to a recent poll by Asahi Shimbun, only 26% of voters support Ishiba now, down from 40% in February. Another poll by Yomiuri Shimbun shows support at 31%, down from 39%. This is the lowest rating for Ishiba since he became Prime Minister in October last year.

Ishiba, who is 68 years old, has been criticized for giving away vouchers worth 100,000 yen (about $670) to 15 new LDP lawmakers. He insists he did nothing wrong and that the vouchers were meant as a sign of appreciation, not a political bribe. During a recent discussion in parliament, he apologized for any confusion caused by the voucher issue.

The Asahi poll revealed that 75% of people think giving out the gift vouchers was a bad idea, while only 23% disagreed. However, 60% of respondents believe Ishiba should stay in his position, while 32% think he should step down. The Yomiuri poll had similar results, showing that 75% found the vouchers problematic.

As his support wanes, there are fears within the LDP that Ishiba might be pressured to resign before an important election in July for the upper house of parliament. Since Ishiba held a snap election last October, he has faced increasing criticism for corruption within his party and rising prices that upset voters. The recent election saw his coalition lose a majority in the lower house, the worst result in 15 years for the LDP. Now, they need help from opposition parties to pass new laws. A third poll by Mainichi Shimbun reported support for Ishiba at only 23%, down from 30% in February, with 78% considering the vouchers a problem.

Beginning on January 20, President Donald Trump made federal government workers return to their offices full-time after years of working from home due to COVID-19. His decision aimed to save money and make government work better with the help of billionaire Elon Musk, who’s in charge of improving government efficiency.

Over 100,000 workers have left their jobs or accepted pay to leave since this change started. Many federal employees had worked remotely for a long time. According to government reports, around 1.1 million workers were allowed to work from home, but about 228,000 were fully remote.

At NASA’s headquarters in Washington, workers found cockroaches and bugs in the office, and many had to work from chairs with no desks. Matt Biggs, who represents 8,000 NASA employees, said it was a mess, making it hard for people to do their jobs.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) workers called their search for desks “The Hunger Games,” as they had to compete for space. One employee in Chicago even worked from a box in a storage room.

At the Department of Agriculture, workers are fighting for space and are struggling with no paper towels in the bathrooms. An IRS office in Memphis has issues discussing sensitive information due to lack of privacy, and some employees are even sitting on the floor with their laptops.

The US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) mentioned it could not promise desks or parking spots for the 18,000 employees returning to work. Critics say this move was to make work so difficult that more employees would leave.

Steve Lenkart, head of the National Federation of Federal Employees, called it a strategy to confuse people and make them quit. Professor Pam Herd from the University of Michigan pointed out that the move was rushed, without thinking about how to properly accommodate workers.

However, a spokesperson for the Office of Personnel Management said the goal was to improve teamwork and service. The government assures that efforts are being made to fix the issues.

Recently, a story about President Donald Trump’s office has gone viral again. It says that Trump has a special statue in his office that changes Mount Rushmore into “Mount Trumpmore.” This statue shows Trump’s face alongside the faces of famous presidents like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt.

This sculpture was originally given to Trump by Kristi Noem in July 2020 during a big event at Mount Rushmore. Photos from 2021 show Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida with this statue nearby.

People talking about this on X (a social media platform) recently said, “Check out this golden statue with Trump’s head!” In 2021, photos of Trump with the Mount Trumpmore statue got shared a lot, including one where he was with Kyle Rittenhouse, who was in the news for being found not guilty in a case about a protest.

Trump’s statue was created by artists Lee Leuning and Sherri Treeby from South Dakota. They were excited to see their work on display since often, artworks don’t get shown. The statue was paid for by anonymous donors and even sold as merchandise by Trump’s campaign.