Biden looks for an infrastructure win where Obama and Trump failed

Biden looks for an infrastructure win where Obama and Trump failed-politico:  President Joe Biden will unveil a $2 trillion proposal Wednesday to transform America’s infrastructure over the next eight years, launching a mammoth legislative offensive to turn a long-running Washington punchline into a legacy-defining policy achievement in his first year in office.

Congress faces pressure to address anti-Asian American events

Congress faces pressure to address anti-Asian American events-rollcall:  Amy Chomthakham and several friends went to a massage parlor outside Atlanta for the first time in a year two days before a gunman killed eight people, six of them Asian, in several spas in the region.

Newsom selects Asian American progressive Bonta for California AG

Newsom selects Asian American progressive Bonta for California AG-politico:  Gov. Gavin Newsom has chosen Assemblymember Rob Bonta to be attorney general of California, elevating the first Asian-American man to the position in state history.

Vaccines alone won't end Covid.

Vaccines alone won't end Covid. Biden's new testing strategy could help finish the job-politico:  The Biden administration is trying to transform the United States’ Covid-19 testing system — shifting focus from diagnosing people who suspect they're infected to regularly screening millions of Americans at school or work.

House Democrats roll out their wish lists for Ways and Means

House Democrats roll out their wish lists for Ways and Means-rollcall:  For Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., it was an opportunity to push the interests of her Las Vegas district: repeal of a tax on sports betting, and funding for a proposed high-speed rail line to cut by half the travel time of tourists and gamblers from Los Angeles.

Speedy House vs. slower Senate: Dems struggle to balance on Biden agenda

Speedy House vs. slower Senate: Dems struggle to balance on Biden agenda-politico:  Democrats control all of Washington for the first time in more than a decade — but their ability to quickly enact President Joe Biden’s agenda is running into an age-old culture clash between the House and Senate.

Drug pricing, climate, immigration: House Dems eye ‘kitchen sink’ for next big bill

Drug pricing, climate, immigration: House Dems eye ‘kitchen sink’ for next big bill-politico:  Less than two weeks after President Joe Biden signed into law one of Congress’ most expansive measures in decades, House Democratic leaders are already dreaming bigger.

Senate confirms Becerra as Biden’s health secretary

Senate confirms Becerra as Biden’s health secretary-rollcall:  The Senate voted, 50-49, on Thursday to confirm Xavier Becerra as the first Latino secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.  Becerra will take charge of a health department a year into a global pandemic that has reshaped how doctors provide care, highlighted racial and ethnic disparities in the health care system and threatened employer-sponsored health insurance for people who lost their jobs.

How the bitter political fight over painkillers could derail Biden's FDA pick

How the bitter political fight over painkillers could derail Biden's FDA pick-politico:  Joe Biden’s pick to head the Food and Drug Administration was supposed to be an easy one.  But two months into his presidency, the search for a commissioner to run a health agency critical to the pandemic response has become a drawn-out and messy affair, vexing administration officials and threatening to disrupt a rare period of harmony on health care within the Democratic Party, according to more than a half-dozen current and former officials and people familiar with the deliberations.

COVID-19 vaccine boosters could present equity, pricing issues

COVID-19 vaccine boosters could present equity, pricing issues-rollcall:  Convincing Americans to take COVID-19 vaccines, distributing the shots, equitably prioritizing people for vaccinations and negotiating fair prices has been a herculean task. The federal government and states may need to do it all again for booster shots to stop the spread of contagious mutations — but the Biden administration has not yet released a plan, and experts warn that the United States could repeat past mistakes unless the country starts planning now.

Dems pass on repealing Trump regulations — for now

Dems pass on repealing Trump regulations — for now-politico:  After taking full control of the government, Republicans and former President Donald Trump wielded a little-used law to roll back more than a dozen Obama-era regulations. But Democrats are taking a different approach.

Biden eyes Gene Sperling to serve as Covid rescue plan czar

Biden eyes Gene Sperling to serve as Covid rescue plan czar-politico:  President Joe Biden is eyeing Gene Sperling for a role to oversee the implementation of the administration’s coronavirus relief plan, according to two sources with knowledge of the plans.

‘We all lost something’: Biden honors Covid victims, accelerates vaccine timeline

‘We all lost something’: Biden honors Covid victims, accelerates vaccine timeline-politico:  In his first prime-time presidential address, President Joe Biden said on Thursday night that he would order states to make coronavirus vaccines available to all American adults by May 1, in an effort to accelerate the mass vaccination effort critical to ending the pandemic.

House sends massive coronavirus relief bill to Biden

House sends massive coronavirus relief bill to Biden-rollcall:  The House cleared a $1.86 trillion COVID-19 relief package Wednesday that would provide an expanded safety net to millions of Americans enduring medical and financial fallout from the year-old pandemic.

How the pandemic changed health care, one year later

How the pandemic changed health care, one year later-rollcall:  The World Health Organization officially declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11, 2020. More than 500,000 American deaths and trillions of taxpayer dollars later, the virus has reshaped the health care landscape for years to come.

Sen. Roy Blunt won't run for reelection in latest blow to GOP

Sen. Roy Blunt won't run for reelection in latest blow to GOP-politico:  Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri announced on Monday that he will not run for reelection in 2022, a surprise decision from the No. 4 GOP leader that comes amid a slew of retirements from top Senate Republicans.

Senate passes massive COVID-19 relief bill, sending changes back to House

Senate passes massive COVID-19 relief bill, sending changes back to House-rollcall: The Senate approved a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package Saturday, sending it back to the House where Democratic leaders will need to convince their members to back changes to unemployment insurance and tax rebate checks.

CDC chief tries to rebuild her agency’s reputation — and morale

CDC chief tries to rebuild her agency’s reputation — and morale-politico:  If you’re looking for good news on the state of the pandemic, Rochelle Walensky is not here to give it.  From her first week directing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, when she warned that Covid-19 could kill 100,000 people over the next month, Walensky has been charged with delivering difficult truths to a weary public.

CDC delays guidelines for vaccinated people

CDC delays guidelines for vaccinated people-politico:  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will not be releasing its guidance for vaccinated Americans on Thursday as originally planned, according to two senior administration officials with knowledge of the situation.

Biden: US will have vaccine for all adults by end of May

Biden: US will have vaccine for all adults by end of May-thehill:  President Biden on Tuesday said that the United States will have enough vaccine supply to vaccinate all American adults for the coronavirus by the end of May, crediting a “stepped-up process” under his administration.

Senate set to take up $1.9T Covid aid bill as soon as Wednesday

Senate set to take up $1.9T Covid aid bill as soon as Wednesday-politico:  The Senate will move forward as soon as Wednesday on President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer predicting Monday that the chamber would face "some late nights" ahead this week.

Census data snafu upends 2022 elections

Census data snafu upends 2022 elections-politico:  A six-month delay holding up the data that states use to draw their legislative districts is mangling plans for the 2022 elections, as states discuss postponing primaries and navigating legal deadlines for redistricting that some are now almost certain to miss.