Biden, Republicans Set Talks Over Competing Infrastructure Plans
Kristina Peterson and Eliza Collins, The Wall Street Journal
Lawmakers and administration officials signaled on Sunday that they expected negotiations over an infrastructure package to ramp up this week, as Republicans and President Biden work to see if a bipartisan agreement is within reach.
Feds rethink vaccination strategy as slowing demand reveals stark divide
Dan Goldberg and Adam Cancryn, Politico
As more cities and counties with robust Covid vaccination rates start to experience stirrings of pre-pandemic life, some communities just a short drive away are seeing the opposite: paltry demand for shots accompanied by new hot spots of disease — and the Biden administration is redoubling its efforts to reach the stragglers.
Biden faces GOP handcuffs and Dem skeptics on Iran deal 2.0
Andrew Desiderio, Politico
Joe Biden’s nascent bid to revive the Iran nuclear deal for a “longer, stronger” diplomatic agreement is already facing deep skepticism and potential hurdles in Congress — including from the president’s own party.
Biden Showers Cash on Ex-CIA Contractor to Transfer Migrants
Felipe De La Hoz and William Bredderman, The Daily Beast
Joe Biden once pledged to “undo the moral and national shame” of the Trump administration’s border policies—and even voiced remorse over some actions taken under President Barack Obama. But The Daily Beast has found that his administration is redoubling the federal government’s dealings with a notorious contractor accused of abusing immigrants and its own employees.
U.S. general: Afghan forces could face ‘bad possible outcomes’
Robert Burns, The Associated Press
Afghan government forces face an uncertain future and, in a worst-case scenario, some “bad possible outcomes” against Taliban insurgents as the withdrawal of American and coalition troops accelerates in the coming weeks, the top U.S. military officer said Sunday.
Justice Dept. probes of local police prompt hopes for reform, fears of delays
David Nakamura, The Washington Post
By launching federal investigations into police departments in Minneapolis and Louisville, Attorney General Merrick Garland has sent a clear message to local law enforcement agencies that their relative impunity during the Trump administration is over.
How the A.T.F., Key to Biden’s Gun Plan, Became an N.R.A. ‘Whipping Boy’
Glenn Thrush et al., The New York Times
If there was one moment that summed up the current state of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, it was when the floor at the agency’s gun-tracing center caved in a couple of years ago under the weight of paper.
North Korea warns US of ‘very grave situation’ over Biden speech
Hyung-Jin Kim, The Associated Press
North Korea on Sunday warned that the United States will face “a very grave situation” and alleged that President Joe Biden “made a big blunder” in his recent speech by calling the North a security threat.