President Biden praised a guilty verdict in the murder trial of the former police officer Derek Chauvin, but called it a “too rare” step to deliver “basic accountability” for Black Americans who have been killed during interactions with the police, the New York Times reports.
Said Biden: “It was a murder in full light of day, and it ripped the blinders off for the whole world to see. For so many, it feels like it took all of that for the judicial system to deliver just basic accountability.”
Aaron Blake: “For the better part of a year now, Republicans have tried and largely failed to define Joe Biden — or even just to make people dislike him. And with his 100th day as president approaching, they’re admitting as much.”
“President Joe Biden will hold his second infrastructure meeting with Democratic and Republican members of Congress on Monday, as GOP lawmakers push to shrink the president’s more than $2 trillion plan,” CNBC reports.
“Biden aims to approve a package in the coming months that revamps U.S. roads, bridges, airports, broadband, housing and utilities, and invests in job training along with care for elderly and disabled Americans. Republicans have signaled they could support a scaled back bill based around transportation, broadband and water systems.”
Washington Post: “Vice President Harris will deliver her first major speech on the economy on Monday in North Carolina as she continues her push to tout the Biden administration’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan.”
“In doing so, she is highlighting at least one piece of the infrastructure plan stemming directly from a 2019 bill she introduced as a former California senator to electrify the nation’s school buses, which make up 90 percent of the nation’s total bus fleet.”
First Read: “In the last 48 hours, we’ve seen four different national polls that all show President Biden’s approval rating above water — with the highest (Pew) at 59 percent approve, 39 percent disapprove, and with the lowest (Quinnipiac) at 48 percent approve, 42 percent disapprove.”
“It’s a break with former President Donald Trump, whose job rating remained mostly underwater during his presidency, even in his first 100 days on the job.”
“And one of the reasons why Biden is staying above water is that almost everything he’s deliberately tried to make part of his agenda during his honeymoon period is popular.”
Politico: “Even as life slowly returns to normal on Capitol Hill amid the shrinking threat of Covid, strict safety protocols will remain in place for Biden’s April 28 joint address inside the House chamber. That means only 200 lawmakers, administration officials and staff will likely be allowed to attend the distanced and heavily sanitized event, a far cry from the typical crowds for a prime-time presidential speech.”
“Such tight limits mean Democrats are already jockeying to score one of the precious few seats. And a handful of lawmakers have already logged a request with party leaders, who have the unenviable task of divvying up the small passel of tickets for the president’s debut speech.”
A new Pew Research poll finds President Joe Biden’s approval rate at 59% to 39%.
Biden got particularly high marks with regard to managing and distributing coronavirus vaccines. Seventy-two percent of Americans said his administration had done this well, including 55% of Republicans and independents who lean toward the GOP.
President Biden still hasn’t spoken to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy since taking office “and it’s beginning to get under the skin of the usually affable California Republican,” The Hill reports.
Said McCarthy: “Just as I’ve sat down with President Trump, I’d like to sit down with President Biden. I’ve actually requested meetings on the border crisis. Never had a meeting, never spoken to President Biden since he’s been elected… A number of times I’ve requested the meetings, he’s never even acknowledged them.”
A new Gallup poll finds an 86-point gap in approval rating between Democratic and Republican voters, 96% to 10%.
A new Politico/Morning Consult poll finds President Joe Biden’s approval rate at 60%.
Playbook: “Speaker Nancy Pelosi formally invited Biden to address a joint session of Congress on April 28. It’ll be like a State of the Union address, but much smaller and socially distanced. An official involved in the planning said there would be a limit on the number of lawmakers allowed to attend to comply with coronavirus protocols. (Another person told us they believed that number could be as low as 200 rather than the typical 535 members of Congress, but those details are still being worked out.)”
“Lawmakers will also be barred from bringing guests. And the entire event will be designated as a ‘national special security event,’ meaning extra protection for everyone present.”
“The business community doesn’t dislike President Joe Biden’s proposal to hike corporate taxes to pay for a massive $2 trillion-plus infrastructure plan. They detest it,” Politico reports.
“But there are some reasons to think corporate leaders are warming to Biden: They backed his Covid-19 recovery plan, which pumped billions of dollars into hard-hit industries and small businesses. They know he comes from a business-friendly state that boasts more corporations than any other. And, well, he’s not Donald Trump, whose trade wars hurt companies and whose incendiary remarks on race offended them.”
The Guardian: Republicans are in a messy divorce with big business. Democrats could benefit.
“Top White House officials will meet Wednesday with a bipartisan coalition of House lawmakers as the administration tries to enlist moderates to support the president’s infrastructure proposal,” Axios reports.
“The meeting is something of an olive branch after President Biden’s team courted groups of progressives to back the $2.2 trillion package.”
“President Biden and a bipartisan group of lawmakers discussed how to pay for his $2.3 trillion infrastructure package during a meeting at the White House Monday,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“During the roughly two-hour discussion, Republicans said they remain opposed to raising taxes on corporations and pushed for a narrower package. Mr. Biden showed an openness to breaking his proposal into smaller parts and considering different ways to pay for it, according to lawmakers who attended the meeting.”
Said Rep. Don Young (R-AK): “I think he’s receptive to anything within a degree.”
CNN: What to watch as Congress gears up for work on Biden’s infrastructure plan.
Associated Press: “The Biden White House is amplifying the push for its $2.3 trillion infrastructure package with the release of state-by-state breakdowns that show the dire shape of roads, bridges, the power grid and housing affordability.”
“The figures in the state summaries paint a decidedly bleak outlook for the world’s largest economy after years of repairs being deferred and delayed.”
“Major, one of President Biden’s German shepherds, will be moved from the White House complex to receive training after he was involved in a series of biting episodes,” the New York Times reports.
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“Invites the question: Is he really in charge?”
— Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) on Twitter, commenting on President Biden’s lack of appearances on cable news.
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.