democratically elected president s as provoking the ongoing tensions right now. of course, she has not gone to the point of declaring independence for taiwan, but she's definitely critical of china, and that is not being tolerated. the chinese government says taiwan must and will eventually reunite with the mainland. it is only a matter of time. the u.s. does not recognize taiwan's independence as a nation state, but it does defend taiwan's right to self-defense. isa. >> ivan watson for us in hong kong. many thanks, ivan. well, back in the united states, president biden is trying to get his stalled agenda passed. his approval ratings has dropped in recent polls. republicans are exploiting that in rallies. no one happier to take shots at