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Joe Biden’s meeting with Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito has now started, according to the latest White House press pool report.

The president and the senator are expected to discuss the latest infrastructure offer from Capito and her group of fellow Republicans, who have been negotiating with the White House in recent weeks.

Republicans have proposed spending $928 billion on infrastructure over the next eight years. However, only $257 billion in that proposal is considered new funds; the rest is baseline spending, meaning money that was already going to be used on infrastructure projects because of existing policies.

In contrast, Biden has proposed spending $1.7 trillion over baseline spending levels on infrastructure. So the two sides remain far apart in their negotiations, and this meeting will likely determine whether any bipartisan deal can be reached.

Joe Biden outlined his administration’s new efforts to make it easier than ever for Americans to get their coronavirus vaccinations.

Among other initiatives, four of the largest US childcare providers will offer free childcare for caregivers who are getting the vaccine or recovering after their shot.

Pharmacy chains across the country, including Albertsons, CVS, Rite-Aid and Walgreens, will also offer extended hours from now until July 4 to make it easier to get vaccinated.

The president emphasized that the vaccines will allow Americans to enjoy a summer where they can safely gather with loved ones without fear of the virus.

“America is heading into a summer dramatically different from last year’s summer,” Biden said. “A summer of freedom. A summer of joy. A summer of get-togethers and celebrations. An all-American summer that this country deserves after a long, long dark winter that we have all endured.”

Biden also noted that Americans are lucky to have such easy access to the vaccines, saying, “All over the world, people are desperate to get a shot that every American can get at their neighborhood drugstore.”

Joe Biden emphasized that getting vaccinated is not a “partisan act,” encouraging Americans of all political leanings to get their shots.

The president also specifically urged younger Americans to get their vaccines, as their vaccination rates have lagged behind those of older Americans.

“We need people under 40 to step up,” Biden said.

Joe Biden is now delivering remarks at the White House to outline his administration’s planned efforts over the next month to get more Americans vaccinated against coronavirus.

The Biden administration announced this morning that it is launching a “month of action” to encourage Americans to get vaccinated.

Among other initiatives, the month of action includes a nationwide tour by Kamala Harris and a partnership with Black-owned barbershops and beauty salons to spread information about vaccines.

The president noted that 52% of American adults are now fully vaccinated. He has set a goal of having 70% of American adults at least partially vaccinated by July 4.

“It’s clearer than ever — the more people we get vaccinated, the more success we’re going to have in our fight against this virus,” Biden said.

Jen Psaki told reporters that at least some of Joe Biden’s afternoon meeting with Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito to discuss infrastructure negotiations would be one-on-one, without additional staffers present.

The White House press secretary’s briefing has now ended, and Biden will soon deliver an update on the country’s vaccine distribution efforts. His administration has already announced a “month of action” to get more Americans vaccinated before July 4.

Jen Psaki said that Vice-President Kamala Harris requested to become the Biden administration’s point person on strengthening voting rights in the US.

“She actually asked to run point and lead on voting rights,” the White House press secretary said.

Joe Biden announced yesterday that Harris would take the lead on voting rights initiatives as congressional Democrats work to advance the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.

“I’m asking Vice President Harris to help these efforts and lead them, among her many other responsibilities,” Biden said in Tulsa. “With her leadership and your support, we’re going to overcome again, I promise you. But it’s going to take a hell of a lot of work.”

The announcement came as Republican legislators in dozens of states advance bills that would restrict voting access, as the Guardian’s Sam Levine has extensively reported on.

Jen Psaki appeared to downplay Joe Biden’s veiled criticism of Democratic senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema in his speech yesterday on the Tulsa race massacre.

Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the massacre in Tulsa, the president touched on the hurdles in advancing his legislative agenda because of Democrats’ narrow majorities in both chambers of Congress.

“I hear all the folks on TV saying, ‘Why doesn’t Biden get this done?’” the president told the Tulsa crowd. “Well, because Biden only has a majority of, effectively, four votes in the House and a tie in the Senate, with two members of the Senate who vote more with my Republican friends.”

The White House press secretary claimed that Biden’s comment was only meant to reflect the difficulty of discussing complex policy negotiations in a television format.

“I don’t think he was intending to convey anything other than a little bit of commentary on TV punditry,” Psaki said.

Jen Psaki was asked about the ransomware attack on the meat-processing company JBS, which forced its US factories to halt operations.

The incident came weeks after another ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline disrupted gasoline supply in several east-coast states.

The White House previously said the hackers were most likely a criminal group based in Russia, and Psaki said Joe Biden will discuss recent cyber attacks when he meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in two weeks.

“President Biden certainly thinks Putin and the Russian government have a role to play in stopping these attacks,” Psaki said.

The White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, is now holding her daily briefing with reporters.

Psaki opened the briefing by reiterating the administration’s announcement that it is launching a “month of action” to get more Americans vaccinated by July 4.

The month of action will involve an “all of America sprint” to reach Joe Biden’s goal of having 70% of American adults at least partially vaccinated by July 4, Psaki said.

As of today, 63% of American adults have received at least one coronavirus vaccine dose, according to the White House.

The Biden administration has announced a new series of initiatives aimed at encouraging more Americans to get vaccinated against coronavirus, as the president looks to have 70% of Americans at least partially vaccinated by July 4.

The White House announced that four of largest US childcare providers will offer free childcare for caregivers who are getting the vaccine or recovering after their shot.

Pharmacy chains across the country, including Albertsons, CVS, Rite-Aid and Walgreens, will also offer extended hours from now until July 4 to make it easier to get vaccinated.

Vice-President Kamala Harris is launching a “nation-wide tour to reach millions of Americans who still need protection against the virus”.

“The Vice President’s travel will be anchored in the South, and the First Lady, the Second Gentleman, and members of the Cabinet will also join the Administration’s tour to communities across the country,” the White House said in its factsheet about the new initiatives.

The administration is also partnering with Black-owned barbershops and beauty salons to start “Shots at the Shop,” which will allow the businesses to share vaccine information with their customers.

“The ‘Shots at the Shop’ initiative will invite participation from across the country, with a particular focus on supporting shops in some of the hardest-hit localities still experiencing significant gaps in vaccination rates,” the White House said.

Joe Biden will likely tout all these new developments when he delivers an update on vaccine distribution efforts this afternoon.

The Guardian’s Sam Levine reports:

Katie Hobbs, Arizona’s top election official who became one of the leading voices beating back conspiracies about the 2020 election, announced Wednesday she was seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in her state.

Arizona, where Donald Trump narrowly lost to Joe Biden in November, has become a focal point for conspiracy theorists who falsely believe the election was stolen. After the election, Hobbs beat back baseless claims of fraud and ensured that the state’s presidential electors were certified for Biden to properly reflect the outcome of the popular vote.

“We had a job to do, and that job was simple: Count every vote. When you’re under attack, some would have you believe you have two choices: To fight or give in. But there’s a third option: Get the job done,” Hobbs said. “The other side isn’t offering policies to make our lives better. They’re offering conspiracies that only make our lives worse.”

In recent months, Hobbs, elected to her office in 2018, has taken on a leading role in monitoring and calling out a GOP-led review of 2.1m ballots cast in Maricopa county, the most populous in Arizona.

She has drawn attention to shoddy practices auditors are using and monitors deployed by her office have regularly noted significant problems in procedures. A compilation of notes published by Hobbs’ office on Tuesday, for example, detail security lapses, technological glitches, and confusion about who is in charge. The details revealed by her office have underscore how unprofessional the audit is.

Hobbs’ entrance in the governor’s race will likely bring even more attention to who her successor will be. Mark Finchem, an Arizona legislator who is a prominent advocate of the Stop the Steal movement, is already seeking the Republican nomination.