WHITE HOUSE — @POTUS Biden thanks German Chancellor Angel Merkel for her 16 years of partnership with the United States.
“Communism is a failed system,” @POTUS Biden says in response to a question about it from @CBSNews’s @stevenportnoy. About Haiti, he says sending US troops is not on the agenda at the moment, Biden says.
Notably, @POTUS Biden says he’s willing to give #Cuba access to the US vaccine supply if a third-party organization is responsible for distributing the shots to the Cuban people.
Notably, the president says a decision on whether or not to lift the European travel ban is coking in the next several days. Says U.S. COVID officials briefed Merkel on the subject during their meetings today.
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Most Americans are feeling hopeful about the next year. They think the battle against the pandemic is going somewhat well, though that's tempered now by concern about the Delta variant. Most say their finances are okay, and most parents think the tax credit will help.
Half of the remaining vaccine hesitant are now those who say they "don't trust the government," up from where that sentiment was among the comparable group in June, and almost half don't trust the science or feel it is still too untested, new @CBSNewsPoll finds.
JUST IN: 3 members of the Texas House Democratic Caucus who are temporarily staying in Washington after leaving the Lone Star State this week to block passage of a new Republican-backed elections law have tested positive for COVID-19.
People familiar with the situation tell @adam_brew and me that one member tested positive Friday night and two more today.
All were fully vaccinated — a requirement for participation on the trip.
The @TexasHDC confirms the 3 COVID cases in a statement: “This is a sober reminder that COVID is still with us, and though vaccinations offer tremendous protection, we still must take necessary precautions.”
“We have a deal” @POTUS tells reporters outside the White House.
@POTUS Describing the deal he'd cut with this bipartisan group of senators, @POTUS Biden said: "They've given me their word. Where I come from that's good enough for me."
White House now says the president will have more to say about the deal at 2 p.m. ET.
WHAT’S IN THR BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE DEAL? Here’s an early look at the top-line details as obtained by @jackturmanIII:
NEW @CBSNewsPoll finds @POTUS Biden's proposed infrastructure plan finds majority support: 58%. This includes 90% of Democrats, 57% of independents, but only 19% of Republicans. People of color approve of the plan in large numbers, while White Americans are split fairly evenly.
Most popular is building or repairing American roads and bridges (87%), then replacing or repairing water pipes (85%); providing more home care for the elderly (83%); installing broadband internet in rural areas (78%); building public schools (73%).
Most Americans favor raising taxes on large corporations and people making over $400,000 annually. Both ideas find support among approximately half of R’s, as well as large majorities of D’s and independents. Only 42% support raising taxes on people who use roads and bridges more
NEW FROM @CBSNewsPoll: Six in 10 Americans say they will get vaccinated or report having received at least one dose. That leaves four in 10 who say "maybe" (18%) or "no" outright (22%).
The reasons selected by the hesitant is relatively consistent over the past few months. Most common is "It's still too untested/I'm waiting to see what happens" (53%), followed by general concern about allergies or side effects (40%). Sole cite problems with some vaccines (36%).
About half of Republicans still express hesitancy about vaccines. They’re particularly likely to cite distrust of the government; a lack of concern about the virus; doubts about vaccine effectiveness. Younger R’s more likely than older ones to express hesitancy.
NEW FROM @CBSNewsPoll: Three in four Americans think the jury reached the right verdict in which former police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murder in the death of George Floyd, a majority view that spans across all racial, age and partisan groups.
The smaller portion of Americans — 25% — who believe the jury reached the wrong verdict strongly disagree with the ideas of the Black Lives Matter movement. This group is composed of more men than women, is disproportionately White and they mostly identify as conservative.
@POTUS Biden, who has called the #DerekChauvin verdict a step forward, gets a 60% approval rating for his general handling of matters surrounding George Floyd's death and Chauvin's trial. This is similar to his overall job rating as he closes in on 100 days in office.