| Welcome to The Daily 202! Tell your friends to sign up here. On this day in 1994, Republicans romped in midterm elections, securing a majority in the Senate and taking control of the House for the first time in 40 years. | | |  | The big idea | | Here comes the Biden infrastructure PR blitz |  (Oliver Contreras for The Washington Post; iStock) | | | Get ready to hear a lot more about roads, bridges, ports, rail, broadband Internet access and the potential new jobs that come from upgrading and expanding them. President Biden is planning a national communications blitz to sell Americans on his most consequential legislative achievement to date, a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package — a bipartisan investment that eluded his two immediate predecessors. White House officials know the traditional knock on Democrats is they can't ever seem to take credit for their achievements, failing to win over voters even with policies that are broadly popular. Democrats also know they can't let that happen this time: Heading into the 2022 midterm elections, Biden's job approval ratings have sagged below 50 percent as he has struggled to fulfill his campaign promises to tame the pandemic and revive the economy. Independents are running away from him in dramatic numbers. Disappointed Democrats risk staying home. Democrats got two high-profile electoral warnings last week as Republican Glenn Youngkin won the Virginia governorship and Gov. Phil Murphy (D) had to battle to reelection in deep-blue New Jersey. | Bipartisanship is alive and well | | The coming White House blitz will also feature a pitch on behalf of Biden's brand of governing — the idea, central to his 2020 campaign message, that American democracy can pull together and overcome polarized politics to deliver for the middle class. | | Or, as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg put it in a digital message tweeted by White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Sunday night: "Even in today's Washington, it is possible to deliver big things, something that the president has believed from Day One." The administration plans a nationwide communications drive, led by Biden and including Buttigieg, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, EPA Administrator Michael Regan, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, according to a White House official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. (Each will have their lane. Buttigieg will highlight traditional infrastructure and supply chain improvements. Haaland will focus on climate resilience and Native communities. Granholm will discuss the electrical grid, while Raimondo willl tout expanded Internet access and Regan plans to talk about replacing lead pipes and combating pollution.) "In the coming weeks, those members and other senior officials will travel to red states, blue states, big cities, small towns, rural areas, Tribal communities and more to translate what this deal means for real people across the country," the anonymous White House official said. They'll also fan out across national and regional news media, as well as Spanish-language outlets and those that cater to Black audiences. The administration also plans to enlist "trusted voices" from organized labor, business leaders "and state and local leaders from both parties," the official said. | | For Biden and Democrats, it can't come soon enough. Gallup polling puts Biden's overall job approval rating at 42 percent in October — 14 points down from June, and after a six-point slide from August into September. But just 34 percent of independents approve, his worst showing since taking office, down 21 points since June, and nine since August. Back in early October, CNN's Harry Enten noted Biden — who won independents by 13 points in 2020, while Hillary Clinton lost them by four points in 2016 — has seen his approval among swing voters slip sharply over the past few months. | | "Biden's net approval rating (approve-disapprove) among independents in polls completed in September and October stands at -16 points. Not surprisingly, his net approval rating is significantly higher among Democrats (+79 points) and lower among Republicans (-84 points)." "Biden's net approval rating was better among all groups in an average of polls back in June and July. His net approval rating stood at +88 points among Democrats, +3 points with independents and -72 points among Republicans." Biden's numbers started slipping in July, weighed down by doubts about his handling of the pandemic (the Delta variant surge) and the economy (as inflation picked up), before a chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal that did him no favors, notably by derailing a planned presidential PR blitz in support of this domestic agenda. "People are at a point — and it's understandable — where there's a whole lot of confusion," Biden said Nov. 3, describing voters asking questions like "are you going to ever get COVID under control?" and "are my kids going to be in school?" Or, as Murphy put it on NBC's Meet the Press Sunday: "It's quite clear there's a lot of hurt out there." "And there are a lot of kitchen tables that we need to connect more deeply with and help folks get through this period, whether they lost a loved one, a job, a small business, they're frustrated by the ongoing pandemic or economic recovery, whatever it may be," Murphy said. The Democratic sales drive could be an uphill slog. ABC News found late last month that 69 percent of Americans say they know just some, or a little to nothing, about the bill. Fewer than half of Democrats said the infrastructure law and the broader Build Back Better legislation would help people like them. The same poll found just 49 percent of independents approve of Biden's stewardship of the economy. In his Nov. 3 remarks, Biden insisted elements of his domestic agenda are broadly popular with Americans, a view reinforced by public opinion polls. "We have to speak to them though," the president said. "We have to speak [to] them, and explain them." | | White House official on the coming infrastructure bill sales job | "In the coming weeks, those members and other senior officials will travel to red states, blue states, big cities, small towns, rural areas, Tribal communities and more to translate what this deal means for real people across the country." | | | | | | | | |  | What's happening now | |  Sean Parnell speaks in McCandless, Pa., as he announces his candidacy for the Republican nomination for Pennsylvania's open U.S. Senate seat to replace retiring Sen. Patrick J. Toomey. (Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette via AP) | | Rick Scott declines to say if Senate hopeful accused of strangling wife, abusing children is right for the job | | "Scott, who serves as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, was asked about the candidacy of [Sean] Parnell, who has been endorsed by former president Donald Trump, during an interview on CNN. Scott maintained that in his role as NRSC chairman he should remain neutral in primaries, except in the cases of GOP incumbents," John Wagner reports. | | "CNN anchor Brianna Keilar pressed Scott on whether Parnell is the "right guy for this job," given that his wife said in a sworn testimony that he once strangled her until she bit him to get free and another time slapped one of their children so hard that he left welts on the child's body." | DeSantis officially launches 2022 reelection bid | | "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has officially launched his campaign for reelection, setting the stage for what is expected to be one of the country's most closely watched and expensive gubernatorial races of 2022," CNN's Steve Contorno reports. | In Glasgow, Obama says there is still a lot of work to do, 'world has to step up' | | "In a speech to COP26 in Glasgow on Monday, former president Barack Obama noted his legacy on climate change, encouraged young people to be hopeful in the face of cynicism and despair, and criticized both the administration of Donald Trump and absent nations such as China and Russia," Dan Zak reports. Follow along with The Post's live COP26 updates here. | Celebrations in European airports as U.S. borders reopen to vaccinated travelers | | "A minute after the clock struck midnight Eastern time, U.S. borders reopened to flights carrying international travelers from 33 countries previously banned from entering under coronavirus travel restrictions — a shift celebrated by binational families, friends and couples eager to reunite after months of separation," Annabelle Timsit reports. | Iraqi PM decries 'cowardly' attack on his home by drones carrying explosives | | "Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi escaped unharmed from an armed drone assassination attempt in Baghdad, officials said on Sunday, in an incident that raised tension in Iraq weeks after a general election disputed by Iran-backed militia groups," Reuters's John Davison and Ahmed Rasheed report. | China builds mockups of U.S. Navy ships in area used for missile target practice | | "These mockups reflect China's efforts to build up anti-carrier capabilities, specifically against the U.S. Navy, as tensions remain high with Washington over Taiwan and the South China Sea," Reuters's Yew Lun Tian reports. | | |  | Lunchtime reads from The Post | | Deep dive on McConnell in the Trump era |  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) speaks during a news conference with other Senate Republican leaders at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 2, 2021. (Samuel Corum/Bloomberg News) | | Mitch McConnell spent decades chasing power. Now he heeds Trump, who mocks him and wants him gone. | | "Ten months [after Jan. 6], Trump is once again dominating the Republican Party, expected to run again in 2024 — and utterly disdainful of the Senate leader who helped save him. Trump dismissed McConnell as a 'stupid person' and suggested his favored 2022 Senate candidates should oust McConnell from his leadership post when they get to Washington," Michael Kranish reports. | - "For many of his 36 years in the Senate, Addison Mitchell McConnell III has cultivated an image as a master political and legislative tactician, a consummate insider who knows how to gain power and use it to the fullest."
- "Yet in the months since the Jan. 6 attack, a different portrait of McConnell has taken shape. At 79, safely reelected last year to a seventh term and in his 16th year as the Senate's top Republican, McConnell is nonetheless increasingly playing the role of a conflicted and compromised booster of Trump's interests — not a leader with his own vision."
| Opinion: More countries are taking Americans hostage. The U.S. is losing its ability to stop it. | | "Foreign governments now surpass terrorist and militant groups as the predominant hostage-takers of U.S. nationals around the globe. Nineteen publicly known U.S. nationals are being held by militants and other criminal groups, while at least 43 are being wrongfully detained abroad as state-sponsored hostage cases," Kate Woodsome, Jason Rezaian and Ray Whitehouse write. "One U.S. official compared the conventional approach to 'a game of whack-a-mole,' arguing that without effective accountability and deterrent measures, the problem is bound to worsen." | GOP lobbyists say corporate America is coming back into the tent | | "A host of Republican lobbyists say that Tuesday's elections in Virginia and New Jersey have ignited interest from their corporate clients on making inroads with GOP officials on the Hill. They suspect that cash will soon start flowing from corporate PACs to their party's lawmakers too," Politico's Hailey Fuchs reports. | - "Corporate America's potential embrace of the congressional GOP is notable for what preceded it. Following the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, many top corporations vowed to withhold their political donations to the Republican lawmakers who objected to the certification of Joe Biden's electoral college victory, which includes members in the House GOP leadership ranks."
| | |  | The Biden agenda | |  President Biden walks toward the Oval Office near the Rose Garden of the White House on Monday. (Oliver Contreras/Pool/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock) | | Biden's border woes expose White House divisions | | Our Nick Miroff and Sean Sullivan report detailed the almost-plan to vaccinate migrants in U.S. custody against covid-19, until it was opposed by top White House aide Susan Rice and others, who thought it might prompt an uptick in illegal border crossings. The plan was rolled back and reflects "the fractures spreading in the White House over Biden's immigration policies and his dismal ratings on U.S.-Mexico border issues. Several top aides want tougher enforcement measures and the president's team is gripped with fear that any misstep could trigger a new crisis, according to seven current and former Biden officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the internal tensions," Nick Miroff and Sean Sullivan report. | - Tug-of-war: "A major policy shift or purge is not imminent … the national security centrists on Biden's team have asserted more control, and the left-leaning advisers who pushed to quickly reverse President Donald Trump's policies have lost ground."
- Eyes on Harris: "One reflection of the White House's struggles is the low profile of Vice President Harris, who has little role in the internal debates, the current and former officials said, including two who characterized her as 'completely irrelevant.'"
- Key quote: "There's been a shift," said Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Tex.), who has been urging Biden to tighten enforcement for months. "Some of it pushed by the courts. Some of it pushed by reality at the border."
- The other key quote: "It's a question of control, and whether they appear to be in control, especially coming hard on the heels of the Afghan evacuation, which looked like it was ragged and not under control," said a Biden appointee, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
| | Andrew Selee, president of the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute | "They are not getting credit from advocates for letting people in and being fairly humanitarian, and not getting credit from Republicans for being tough with Title 42. They've got people on the left thinking they're draconian and people on the right thinking they're soft — and so they're losing both sides." | | | | | The president's Fed calculus | | "President Biden has more than economics on his mind as he weighs his choice to lead the Federal Reserve: His pick will impact inflation, face the cruel judgment of financial markets and somehow need to find 50 votes in deeply divided Washington," Axios's Hans Nichols reports. | - "He met Thursday with the current chair, Jay Powell, a Republican appointed by President Trump, as well as Lael Brainard."
| Biden overhypes $1T bill impact on electric cars | | "While a step forward, automakers have made clear they won't meet White House targets that half of all new car sales be electric by 2030 based on federal investment in that legislation alone," the Associated Press's Hope Yen reports. | | |  | Corporations federal tax rate, visualized | | | "President Biden last week proposed requiring highly profitable companies to pay a minimum federal tax rate of 15 percent — a levy that could hit Amazon, Verizon and others. The minimum is one of several revenue raisers to help pay for the president's budget plan," Kevin Schaul reports. | | |  | Hot on the left | |  Workers hold signs during a strike outside the John Deere Regional Parts Distribution facility in McDonough, Ga., on Friday. (Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg News) | | Why the strikes, and what might they lead to? | | "This year's strikes, particularly when considered alongside the record rate of workers quitting their jobs, demonstrate the breadth of the rebellion against the indignities of work—stagnating pay, lack of control over hours, the assumption of risk and expenses that come with gig work, and over the past two years, the threat of infection. At a time of growing awareness of and dissatisfaction about the concentration of wealth at the top of the economy, both the strikes and the record-high level of support for unions are easily explicable," the American Prospect's Harold Meyerson writes. | - "Andy Levin, for one, hopes they can lead to a broad increase in worker power. The Democratic congressman from the suburbs of Detroit, who's endeavoring to extend the kind of social democracy that the old-time UAW once fought for and, for a time, semi-established in one industry, believes that these kinds of worker action are necessary if the nation is to achieve a more progressive social order."
| | |  | Hot on the right | |  A person holds up a sign advocating for defunding the police as people gather to mark Juneteenth. (Jeff Roberson/AP) | | In Durham, N.C., police reform finds its backlash | | "Durham was as well-positioned as any city in the country to dramatically change the role of the police. It had a progressive government, an organized, savvy activist community, and a state law that bans police unions. But even in North Carolina's bluest city, reformers appear to have pushed too far ahead of voters," the Assembly's Jeffrey Billman reports. | - "On Tuesday, a pro-police slate of candidates swept Durham's municipal elections, jeopardizing the future of Durham's public safety experiment."
| | |  | Today in Washington | | | Biden will honor the NBA champions Milwaukee Bucks at 2:50 p.m. on the South Lawn. Vice President Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff will depart D.C. at 9:30 p.m. en route to Paris. | | |  | In closing | | | Not-so-gentle reminder that the sun sets one minute before 6 p.m. today. | | Thanks for reading. See you tomorrow. | | |
