Poll: More than half of Americans say China is the world economic superpower, not the U.S.

There’s better-than-expected economic news this week in the form of The Conference Board’s index of leading indicators — perhaps pointing to better growth in the second half of this year. We read the tea leaves with Frank Newport, editor in chief at the Gallup Poll.

Up this week:

A summary of the latest new on the political upheaval in Ukraine and Crimea from the American population’s perspective.
The latest on Americans’ economic confidence. Do we believe our country is the leading economic power in the world? The economy remains “the most important problem facing the country,” according to Americans. One key indicator: Americans’ view of it being a good time to find a high-quality job is inching back, but it’s still well below where it was before 2008. This is not a good situation when three-quarters of Americans say it is a bad time to find a quality job.
Hillary Clinton remains in the spotlight as the leading candidate for the Democratic nomination in 2016 — if she runs. And that’s a big “if.” New polling shows what Americans think her strengths and weaknesses would be if she were elected president today. Click the audio link above to hear what respondents said.
Despite the fact that 66 percent of Americans say this winter was colder than usual, most say this is due to normal variation and not global warming. (It’s the same story about droughts.) Indeed, global warming remains one of the least important issues facing the country, according to Americans. What are the top reasons why Americans are unconcerned? Listen to the interview above to find out.