YIKES! – AT 9:40 A.M. ET:  Is Trump soaring?  We've gotten some indicators in the last few days that the president is starting to gain in public opinion.  It might be a result of public sympathy in the fact of the onslaught against him in Washington, and by the press.  From Rasmussen: 

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows that 50% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Fifty percent (50%) disapprove.

This is the first time the president’s overall approval rating has hit the 50% mark since late April. His approval rating has ranged from a high of 59% in late January shortly after he took office to a low of 42% in early April.

The latest figures include 31% who Strongly Approve of the way Trump is performing and 42% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of -11.

And note these findings:

A sizable number of voters, including most Republicans, believe former FBI Director James Comey should be punished for leaking to the media.

Most voters think Congress needs to investigate whether former Attorney General Loretta Lynch interfered in last year's FBI investigation of Hillary Clinton.

As the unemployment rate drops to its lowest level in 10 years, optimism among voters that the U.S. economy is fair has soared to new highs.

COMMENT:  There's some good news for the president in there.  One risk of pursuing an investigation of a president intensely is that the investigators may face a backlash.  That's what happened when Republicans impeached Bill Clinton during his second term.  He may have technically deserved it, but the public didn't think so, and the GOP was damaged in the polls.

June 16,  2017