Biden bolstered by G20 summit

With his domestic agenda stalling in Congress and faced with sliding poll numbers, the G-20 summit in Rome could not have come at a better time for President Biden. The president was able to play to his strengths on the world stage, deepening his interpersonal relationships with other leaders as they sought to tackle some of the world's challenges. President Biden claimed that great progress was made on several issues including climate change, tax avoidance, and Iran's nuclear program.

• — It was not lost on Biden that the world had missed America's leadership over the last few years. Biden noted, “They listened. Everyone sought me out. They wanted to know what our views were. We helped lead what happened here. The United States of America is the most critical part of this entire agenda and we did it.”
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• — The summit was filled with tough meetings on difficult issues. Biden took the time to defuse a diplomatic dispute between the United States and France over a nuclear submarine deal between the U.S. and Australia. Among the meetings Biden held was one with Turkish President Erdogan. The two leaders discussed various issues, including Turkey's controversial purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system.
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• — The highlight of Biden's trip to Italy was his extended audience with Pope Francis. Biden called his visit with the pope "personal," and said that the pope told him that he was a "good Catholic." Biden told reporters of how the pope comforted his family when his son Beau passed away and how the pope had become "someone who has provided great solace for my family when my son died." —The New York Times

MORE: Biden says Russia, China "basically didn't show up" with climate commitments —CBS News

Biden heads to Glasgow for climate change summit

World leaders are headed to Scotland to participate in the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26. Leaders will give speeches on climate change and make pledges to limit greenhouse gas emissions, encourage climate-driven technological solutions, and show global unity in the fight against climate change. President Biden is one of the headlining speakers at the event where China's Xi Jinping, leader of the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter, will not be present.

• — Speaking at the conference, Biden reminded delegates that fighting climate change is not only beneficial for the world we live in but can also create "millions of good paying jobs in the process." He added that "Glasgow must be the kick off of a decade of ambition and innovation to preserve our shared future."
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• — One of the climate goals set by the summit is to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados warned that 2 degrees of heating "is a death sentence for the people of Antigua and Barbuda, for the people of the Maldives, for the people of the Dominica and Fiji, for the people of Kenya and Mozambique, and yes, for the people of Samoa and Barbados."
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• — Other influential attendees at the conference include Prince Charles, David Attenborough, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. What may be more interesting than who is attending is the summit , is who is not attending the climate summit. Chinese leader Xi Jinping opted to not only stay home but to submit a written statement instead of a video address. His absence is notable given China's status as the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter. —CNBC

MORE: Biden apologize for Trump's Paris Climate accord withdrawal —Axios

"Build Back Better" Bill gets closer to a vote"

Negotiations over the "Build Back Better" social agenda package continue in Congress. Changes continue to be made to the ambitious "Build Back Better" bill, as Democrats struggle to maintain their coalition of support. Congressional leadership expects the $1.75 trillion bill to be voted on in the House by Tuesday.

• — The self-imposed goal of having the House vote on the bill on Tuesday is seen as an attempt to hasten the negotiation process and advance the bill as quickly as possible. The bill in its current form includes provisions on universal pre-k, Medicaid expansion, climate change and many other items on the Biden agenda.
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• — Senate Democrats Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, have already forced significant cuts from the bill. Among many of the provisions cut from the original bill include free community college, paid family and sick leave, and Medicare drug negotiation.
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• — Congressional Democrats are in a precarious position with this bill. To pass, Democrats need unanimous support from Senate Democrats and nearly unanimous support from House Democrats. The expedited negotiation process is seen as an attempt to spur agreement and to get the bill passed. —NBC News

MORE: Congressional Republicans revel in the Democratic infighting —Politico

Oates: Evan McMullin should appeal to the disillusioned majority 

"Evan McMullin has a rare opportunity to reshape our political discourse and attract a governing majority, but not as a moderate conservative. Even in Utah, moderate conservatives are not a majority...

Playing with a full keyboard of truth, He has a chance to break the gridlock, something the ideologues and the partisans can never do because they need the wedge issues and the anger to get elected.

Most of us are not hard-core partisans, and we’re weary of the rancor. Most of us just want laws that work. We, the disillusioned majority, are his natural base." —Jared Oates in Deseret News 

Jared Oates is a resident of Lindon, Utah 

Boot: Trump is the biggest issue in Virginia

"Trump is the biggest issue in the country because he remains the de facto leader of the Republican Party and could again be the leader of the whole country. Candidates such as Youngkin who won’t take a clear stance against Trump’s war on democracy are making clear they are on the wrong side of an existential debate.

And if voters are focused on issues other than the fate of our democracy, they aren’t paying attention. It is the height of arrogance to imagine that just because our democracy has survived for more than 230 years, it will last forever." —Max Boot in The Washington Post

Max Boot is the Jeane J. Kirkpatrick senior fellow for national security studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

MORE: Alarming new poll shows 31 percent of Americans believe the election was stolen Trump  —The Hill

Virginia governor race tightens as voters prepare to head to the polls

Virginia is the latest political battleground, as voters prepare to head to the polls to elect their next governor. Democrat Terry McAuliffe and his GOP competitor Glenn Youngkin are making their case to the people of Virginia, using completely different tactics.

• — The McAuliffe campaign is focusing its energy on tying Glenn Youngkin to Donald Trump. President Biden won Virginia by 10 points in 2020 and Democratic strategists believe generating enthusiasm and votes for McAuliffe will require bringing up Trump as much as possible. Youngkin accepted Trump's endorsement and just a few days ago, Trump said that him and Youngkin "strongly believe in many of the same policies."
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• — The Youngkin campaign is focusing on educational issues that they believe can energize the GOP base. Despite attempts by McAuliffe's campaign to tie Youngkin to Trump, Youngkin has notably not campaigned with Trump. Youngkin's campaign demonstrates the balance that many Republicans must face in both accepting Trump's support but quietly distancing themselves from the former president.
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• — "If Youngkin loses, that reinforces that Virginia has gone blue, and it gets tougher to get the NRCC and RNC and other national groups to get involved. And, oh boy, if Democrats lose big-time, they’re going to have a tough time getting people to run for office, said Ron Wright, budget chairman of the state GOP." —The Wall Street Journal

Grinspan: What we did the last time we broke America

"We’re not the first generation to worry about the death of our democracy. Grappling with this demanding system of government is, well, normal. It’s partly because we’re following the unusually calmed 20th century that we don’t feel up to the task today. Our deep history shows that reform is possible, that previous generations identified flaws in their politics and made deliberate changes to correct them. We’re not just helplessly hurtling toward inevitable civil war; we can be actors in this story. " — Jon Grinspan in The New York Times

Dr. Jon Grinspan is a curator of political history at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

The open letter to President Bush was a masterpiece. To the point and absolutely mind-shatteringly accurate. We cannot sit still, we cannot keep quiet, we cannot allow Trump to invalidate or disrupt any longer the fabric of the United States. Please, Presidents Bush, Obama, Clinton, and Carter, speak up as one. —Donna C., California

Thank you, Michael Carin, for your message to George W. Bush. I was not a fan of some of the policies of President Bush, but I agree that he was a decent man whose intentions were good, even if some of the policies and execution were not ultimately to our benefit. We have faced, and continue to face, a much greater danger under now-former President Trump, threatening the very foundations of our great, if flawed, democratic republic. Many of Trump's followers were once defenders of George W. Bush. He and a handful of other former GOP prominents remember old-school Republican values and may still have some influence in the party. They must speak out, and in no uncertain terms, warn those who will listen. —Patrick N., Idaho

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