Biden: “the big lie is just that, a big lie”; Gov: Texas Dems could face arrest upon returning to state; 45 states see rise in new COVID cases over past week; American hostage spending his 59th birthday in captivity;

Pressured by allies, Biden makes the case for election reform; Biden: election was “most scrutinized” in history; “Don’t bring down the American experiment just because you’re unhappy” with results; “That’s not democracy”; Passing voting rights act “is an imperative”; Texas Dems pressure congress to pass voting rights legislation; Texas Republicans slam Dems: “you don’t run from a fight”; Texas Dems meet with Schumer to “plot out strategy”; Doctor: “this is primarily a pandemic of the unvaccinated”; CNN: 7 states ban COVID vaccine requirements in public schools; Top Tennessee vaccine official fired for memo about law, which says some teens don’t need parental consent for COVID vaccine; 25% of kids 12-15 are fully vaccinated, less than any other eligible age group; New CNN reporting: Biden in standoff with Dem senators over next FDA chief; Bipartisan fight heats up over funding capitol police; Senate Dems’ proposal would give money to other projects, sparking funding fight with GOP; Pentagon: U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan more than 95% compete; Sister of American kidnapped in Afghanistan begs Biden admin to bring her brother home; U.S. offers $5M reward for info leading to return of kidnapped American Mark Frerichs; U.S. Navy veteran is last-known American hostage in Afghanistan as troops leave; To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices