Obama's approval rating rises despite VA scandal

WASHINGTON, June 3 (UPI) -- President Obama's approval rating has risen five points since late April, despite the ongoing Veterans Affairs scandal that forced former VA Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign.

Forty-six percent of the country approves of Obama's job performance -- a significant bump since the same poll was taken in late April. Despite the uptick, 51 percent of Americans surveyed in the Washington Post/ABC News poll disapprove of the job President Obama is doing in office.

Americans are even less fond of the Republican alternative; only 38 percent responded saying they believe the GOP could do better, versus 43 percent of responders who said they trust Obama to handle the country's main problems.

Overall, there was not a lot the poll asked about that Americans liked. Forty-eight percent of those surveyed thought the NBA was wrong to force Donald Sterling to sell the Clippers, as opposed to 45 percent who agreed with the decision. Forty-six percent oppose the Tea Party, versus 39 percent who say they support the far-right movement.

Dissatisfaction was not just reserved for manifestations of social ires and the embattled GOP, as Americans are starting to sour on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as well. Looking back, only 37 percent of Americans approve of how the likely presidential candidate handled Benghazi, and almost 60 percent of those asked think the administration tried to cover up the facts about the attack.

Americans do however like the idea of a clean and peaceful planet.

A whopping 70 percent of those polled support government regulations to curb climate change on both the state and national levels. The only issue Americans supported in greater unity was the Obama administration's plan to reduce the number of troops in Afghanistan.